Paper Pilot: Design a plane and then throw it as far as you can.

For those looking to convert a Word document to a PDF file, there are a large number of solutions out there. One of my favorites being the opensource PDF Creator. ……. But how about vice versa? There haven’t been many programs brave enough to try and convert a PDF to a Word document.

One program that has stepped up to the plate is PDF to Word Converter 1.1, a free tool that converts a PDF back to a Word document for editing, removing and adding elements, and more.

The program is a small download (about 1 MB), and installation is straightforward. The user interface is straightforward as well: you select the PDF you wish to convert, choose where you want the Word document to be saved, and you’re ready to go. Options include the number of pages to convert (you can select all or portions of the document), choice of a default font, and the option to retain shapes and images.

In our test, PDF to Word converter worked flawlessly, quickly and neatly converting a 5 page PDF file in about five seconds.

PDF to Word converter is a nice desktop solution, though it is limited to one conversion type. If you can get online, you might be better served with Zamzar, the online file conversion tool with support for a huge amount of conversion types.

Via downloadsquad.com

UPDATE: 4:30 PM Project Dakota has done exactly what it should do and that was to take a new installation of Windows XP and allow it to be completely UPDATED without having to access Microsoft’s Online Updater. A computer tech’s dream!

UPDATE: 2:45 PM After doing a complete backup of Linda’s system, I am currently running a copy of Project Dakota on her system. It has been running for approximately 45 minutes completely UN-ATTENDED!! More to follow!

Build PC’s for a living? For a hobby? For a consortium of gangsters? Either way, you’ll want to know about Project Dakota.

Project Dakota is a CD that contains all the updates found on the Windows Update website, including Service Pack 2. The updates come with a small stand-alone installer that runs the updates in the order set by Microsoft. For example, if you don’t have Service Pack 2 installed, the Project Dakota installer will apply the pre-Service Pack 2 updates, install Service Pack 2 and then continue with the post-Service Pack 2 updates.

If you’re wondering why you would want to install the Windows updates from a CD rather than directly from Windows update, here’s the answer: with Project Dakota, you won’t have to wait for updates to download or endure the endless merry-go-round of install-restart-install. You just insert the CD, make a few clicks, and Project Dakota takes care of the rest. Update heaven.

Project Dakota also includes some useful and free third-party apps, including Ad-Aware, Adobe Reader, Firefox, Java, and more (for a full list of included third-party apps, as well as a list of all updates currently included, check out the forum).

Project Dakota weighs in at 702 MB, and downloads in an ISO format. For Windows XP Home and Professional 32 bit only.

A Hiddenpcmaster endorsement.