Best Free Software for Windows(old version)

Does anybody know of a free traffic monitor that can monitor a router's traffic for all devices connected to it?

My situation

I know I can get software monitors for each PC/notebook that I want to monitor but for a very long time I've been interested to know how much bandwidth Xbox Live uses but have never found a way to do it.

I've got a Linksys WRT54GS-UK v5.1 router with Linksys firmware v1.50.5.

Is there a way to find out this information without resorting to a third party firmware, like a software solution (free?)?

Thank you in advance.

 

Does anyone know of any software that runs more effectively and efficiently than ebay's turbolister. I have a lot of issues with it crashing, changing settings, and just acting buggy. The program doesn't even need to have a bulk listings feature (though that would be great) just having access to professional looking templates that I can use and save each item individually and then copy and paste into ebay's description box.

 

I have to edit mp3 files all the time, and one of the best simple cut/fade editors I've ever used happens to be free: WavePad, by NCH SwiftSound. You can download it here: http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html

It has a simple interface, supports tons of formats, and I haven't even begun to explore all the features yet. Plus the latest version works very well with Vista. The only downside is that it tries to install a bunch of other software that may not be useful to you, but you can say "no".

 

OK I'm trying to get MindSoft Utilities XP 9.6 I try every Website i can look-Up They all have A Trojan Horse BackDoor. Generic2.LSO In It,

>_< I'm Getting Rally FU*king Mad Lol Can anybody help Me Here, PS

MY AVG Virus Vault

​

 

It's probably just a false positive; according to softpedia it should be clean.

 

This program is just a compilation of some very basic tools. What do you want to use in this program? I'll give you alternatives.

Here are the Jotti Virus Scan results of io.exe:

Code:

File:  	 io.exe
Status: 	
INFECTED/MALWARE
MD5: 	580942becd918800dba4290bc1a91ea9
Packers detected: 	
-
Scanner results
Scan taken on 19 Jun 2007 19:08:05 (GMT)

A-Squared 	Found Backdoor.Win32.VB.alb
AntiVir 	Found nothing
ArcaVir 	Found Trojan.Vb.Alb
Avast 	Found Win32:Trojan-gen. {VB}
AVG Antivirus 	Found BackDoor.Generic2.LSO
BitDefender 	Found Backdoor.Vb.ALB
ClamAV 	Found nothing
Dr.Web 	Found BackDoor.Generic.1294
F-Prot Antivirus 	Found nothing
F-Secure Anti-Virus 	Found nothing
Fortinet 	Found W32/VB.ALB!tr.bdr
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 	Found nothing
NOD32 	Found nothing
Norman Virus Control 	Found W32/Smalldoor.ECD
Panda Antivirus 	Found nothing
Rising Antivirus 	Found Backdoor.Smalldoor.dic
VirusBuster 	Found nothing
VBA32 	Found Backdoor.Win32.VB.alb 

 

Since I just recently recommended it... If you're looking for a good, free image resizer, check out the VSO Image Resizer. It works on both XP and Vista and has a handful of other features including format conversion and compression.

Matt

 

Anyone knows of a free download manager for Vista?

 

Orbit Downloader supports vista.

 

someone should clean this thread up a little and place the software in the front as they are being posted for easier viewing pleasure. I dont have any problems going through 31 pages just a helpful tip for others.

 

I concur with Ataranea

 

You can set your page length to 40 posts and then it's only 8 pages.

 

Ataranea if you don't mind, make the post with all the stuff right here on page 32. It'll still be extremely useful and maybe someone will edit it into the front page.

 

I'm working on cleaning it up...I'll post it here when I've got something that's a little presentable.

 

I have a folder of software that I use to bring my/a computer up to speed whenever I re/install an OS. Each time I find another useful program, I add it to the folder - and if need be, remove a less efficient program serving the same function. Here's some of the free stuff:

Zonealarm 6 - firewall
HmmXP - theme
Clearlook - theme
Royale - theme
Zune - theme
Firefox 2 - browser
Notepad 2 - text editor
YzDock - dock
Foxit reader - PDF reader
Googletalk - chat
Skype - chat
Seamonkey - browser
Tor - anonymity
Clockgen - overclocking
CPUid - processor info
Super pi - benchmarking
Daemon - virtual cd/dvd mounting
Hdtune - HD info
NHC - laptop power management
nLite - XP slipstreamer
vLite - Vista slipstreamer
Virtualbox - Win/Linux emulation
VistaBootPro - Vista Boot Manager
Filezilla - FTP
Netstumbler - wireless detector
uTorrent - torrent client
Audacity - multitrack recorder
Kristal - multitrack recorder
Foobar - ubiquitious music player
iTunes - mp3 player
iConcertCal - plugin for concert detection
irFanview - photo editor
Picasaweb - photo organizer/editor
Pwalk - photo viewer
FFshow - ubiquitious codec pack
Media Player Classic - media player
VLC - media player
Vobsub - subtitle reader/editor
RealAlternative - rm/ram codecs
Glass2k - transparency on WinXP
Open Office - full office suite.

All right; that's most of my free stuff. For free OS's, look into Ubuntu and Xubuntu. Wubi allows you to install either in a double-boot system with XP or Vista, without the need to modify your partitions.

 

The answer is simply: MEDIA MONKEY
http://www.download.com/MediaMonkey-Standard/3000-2141_4-10651290.html?tag=lst-0-2

Has all of iTunes features, doesnt use up as much CPU power and you can USE IT TO SYNC YOUR IPOD TOO!!! And this program tags your artwork to the music file, w/o hindering it in any way. It's the best media player I've seen by far. Can also network through it, although I haven't used it I bet it is easy to do.

 

Thanks for the collection. I was was going crazy trying to read all the posts.

 

This is a compilation of the past 32 pages or so in one big list. Categorys are alphabetical, though programs are listed in no particular order. Programs not yet listed are programs I haven't thought of a category for or don't know yet. Please keep in mind I do not know what most of this software is for. Any thoughts/tips/ideas welcome, of course.

Oh, there might be some double listings and wrongly categorized programs still. Last edit June 13th, up to post #327. (With the exception of Overclocker's post.)


Anti-virus


Avast! Home Edition. Free Antivirus Software, at least for home users. http://avast.com/i_kat_207.php?lang=ENG

AVG Free – Another good free virus software. Don’t have to register like Avast.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

AntiVir - Free antivirus program
http://www.free-av.com/


Anti- Spyware


Bazooka Spyware Scanner - www.kephyr.com

AdAware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/

Microsoft Antispyware -
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

SpywareBlaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Windows Defender - http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx

Spyware Terminator- www.Spywareterminator.com

Malware Killer- Contains Nod32, Ad-Aware, Spybot 1.4 Search n Destroy, CWShredder,

SpywareBlaster and a couple more.
http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm


Audio


iTunes. It's free, it's chic, and it's apple's. No need for an Ipod, this is a must for digital music fans.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Cheetah Audio Converter – Unlike most converters it does .wma at no cost.
http://www.cheetahburner.com/

Exact Audio Copy – High quality CD ripper.
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

Quintessential Player – Good audio player. All kinds of options and skins.
http://www.quinnware.com/

MediaMonkey - Music organization and secondary music player
http://www.mediamonkey.com/

MPTrim - Cut off unwanted clips off mp3’s and change volume.
http://www.mptrim.com/

EXPStudio on download.com = free audio editor

Winamp
www.winamp.com

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...Codec_Pack.htm K-lite codec pack - all the necessary codecs in one place

Audacity
http://audacity.sourceforge.net

The Godfather - MP3 Tagger
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Tag-Editors/The-GodFather.shtml

Mp3Tag - edit your mp3 tags
http://mp3tag.de/en/index.html

MP3Gain - make all your mp3's play at the same volume
http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/

REAPER- Awesome multi-track audio recorder/editor. As of version 1.0, it is no longer freeware, but shareware. However you can still download version 0.999 from the site. And if you're not worried about the legality of things, the newer versions are still free to try, full-featured, and don't expire. http://www.reaper.fm/

mp3DirectCut -Great for cropping and fading MP3s.
http://mpesch3.de1.cc/mp3dc.html

CDex - Has access to internet databases to automatically apply mp3 tags. Also allows customized file names while ripping.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/cdexos/

WavePad - One of the best simple cut/fade editors http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html

Foobar- More powerful, more customizable, less bloated itunes.
http://www.foobar2000.org/


Backing up/Data recovery


Syncback free- http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/freeware-hub.html

MozBackup - easily backup your FireFox and ThunderBird profiles; passwords, bookmarks, emails, settings, extensions.
http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

TestDisk - a free data recovery utility
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

DriveImageXML - easy, reliable program for imaging and backing up partitions and logical drives
http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm


Browsers


Firefox – Popular IE alternative.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Opera - uses slightly less ram than firefox
www.opera.com

Flashpeak Slimbrowser - Firefox like IE engine Web browser.
http://www.flashpeak.com/sbrowser/

Torpark - an anonymous browser based on Firefox
http://www.download.com/Torpark/3000-2356_4-10586816.html

Netscape - www.netscape.com
www.maxthon.com

Calendars

Rainlendar – Desktop calendar program
http://www.ipi.fi/%7Erainy/index.php?pn=projects&project=rainlendar

Mozilla Sunbird: a calendar
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird/index.html

Monocalendar - a calendar with the functionality as iCal
www.monocalendar.com


CD/DVD (and ISO-related)


ISO Recorder -Burn CD and DVD images and create ISO images. Shell extension, so right click menu option.
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

DeepBurner – CD/DVD burning software
http://www.deepburner.com/?r=products&pr=deepburner&prr=provsfree

CDBurnerXP - Does the basic stuff well like making Audio and Data CDs, and Data DVDs.
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

RipIt4Me* - Best utility to rip DVD movies. This program is a shell that uses other programs to accurately and correctly rip DVDs. It has a "one-click" setting or a wizard mode for step-by-step user input. Best of the bunch, in my opinion.
http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=RipIt4Me

DVD Decrypter – Rip, burn, decrypt DVD’s. The one and only DVD decrypting utility. Others I have used have been bloated. Must use in conjunction with RipIt4Me above for current DVDs though, as it's non-development means it can no longer function as a standalone.
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/vi..._decrypter.cfm

DVD Identifier – Find out who makes your blank DVD to see if they are any good.
http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/

DVD Shrink – Shrink almost any DVD.
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/vi...dvd_shrink.cfm

FixVTS - Utility to clean up the VTS files post-decryption. Used by RipIt4Me. Not always necessary on every DVD (but absolutely necessary on some), and a nice thing to do to clean up your DVD video files and prepare them for image making/burning.
http://download.videohelp.com/FixVTS/

DVD Decrypter – Rip almost any DVD and can burn them as well.
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/vi..._decrypter.cfm

DVD Identifier – Find out who makes your blank DVD to see if they are any good.
http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/

VOBMerge - a tool for merging several '.VOB' files into one big VOB. This is useful for seamless playback and/or editing of DVD video on your harddrive. Don't use it to join several DVDS, just use it to join a vobset from same DVD. http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tools...&Submit=Search

WinISO – CDRom image file utility
www.winiso.com

Fair Use Wizard - DVD to DivX/XviD application. This is a must-have for any notebook user who wants to take some movies on the go without hauling DVDs around or putting an entire ISO onto the hard drive. http://fairusewizard.com/lang_en/fairuse_wizard_dvd_divx_xvid_backup_tool_light_edition.html

G-Spot – Tells you which codec you need to play any media file.
www.headbands.com/gspot/

Exact Audio Copy - CD Ripper
www.exactaudiocopy.de

AutoGordianKnot - the best DVD to AVI software by far IMHO. Creates quality rips to any size or quality required. www.autogk.me.uk

DVD Flick – Simple, powerful DVD Authoring tool. It can take a number of video files stored on your computer and turn them into a DVD that will play back on your DVD player, Media Center or Home Cinema Set. You can add additional custom audio tracks as well as subtitles of your choice.
http://www.dvdflick.net/

Virtual CloneDrive - Virtual CDRom to load almost any type of CD images
http://www.elby.ch/products/clone_dvd/manual/drive.html


ProtectionID - Non-install executable to scan and determine the various application protections of CDs or DVDs. Use to find out what settings to put Alcohol 52% at for creating an image.
http://pid.gamecopyworld.com/ProtectionID.html

Alcohol 52% - Can make images of CD-Roms and non-encrypted DVDs. Can do everything of Alcohol 120%, but without the burning capability.
http://www.free-downloads.net/progra...__Free_Edition

ImgBurn - Use this utility to pick up where Alcohol 52% leaves off. Lightweight software to burn disk images. Also use in conjunction with the DVD suite below for the final steps to stamp a perfect DVD copy.
http://www.imgburn.com/
Daemon Tools - A handy free program that emulates an optical (CD/DVD) drive. It lets you mount .iso image fiiles so that you can create copies of your most-used discs and dump them on your HD. At which point to can run them direct from your HD at a much faster data rate. http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/download.php?mode=ViewCategory&catid=5
GParted -Download the live cd (iso) and burn to a cd, or you could try the live usb.
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/


Customize!


CursorXP - Custom Cursor themes
http://www.stardock.com/products/cursorxp/

Change your startup screen
http://www.stardock.com/products/bootskin/

CrystalXP - FREE xp themes, bricopacks with complete icon sets, and more, they tell you how to install it all in the forum.
www.crystalxp.net

http://interfacelift.com

Change your logon screen
http://logonloader.danielmilner.com/

Microsoft Keyboard layout creator.
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/tools/msklc.mspx

FlyakiteosX – make windows look like Mac from start up to shut down. Just 31mb.
http://www.flyakiteosx.com/

PowerStrip: I haven't been able to test thing program yet. It pretty much lets you change anything with your screen.
http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

Glass3d - allows you to make any window/taskbar/sidebar transparent, and to adjust the transparency with hotkeys. It's pretty fun and not super resource intensive (Link needed!)

DM2 Minimize windows to try, to floating icon, semi-transparency, etc.
http://dm2.sourceforge.net/index.html

IconLab - For making icons/ cursors. Supports alpha-channels, importing .png.
http://www.wildfiredesign.net/iconlab/index.htm

Winroll - Rolls up your window by right-clicking titlebar. Non-obtrusive. close to zero memory consumption.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winroll.html

TuneXP - http://www.download.com/TuneXP/3000-2086_4-10290928.html?tag=lst-0-1

KDE - a network transparent contemporary desktop environment for UNIX workstations
http://www.kde.org

AutoHotkey - Macro-making tool with simple scripting language.
http://www.autohotkey.com/

QLiner Hotkeys - http://www.qliner.com/hotkeys/default.htm


Downloading


Free Download Manager. Adds nice features to downloading tasks such as download by parts and start/resume abilities. If you are using Firefox, make sure to get the Flashgot extension too.
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/

LeechGet - Download Manager/Accelerator
http://www.leechget.net/

Orbit Downloader - supports vista
http://www.orbitdownloader.com/


Email


Thunderbird. Also created by the Mozilla foundation, this app is to MS Outlook what Firefox is to IE. It may not be as strong in PIM or calendar related tasks, but if what you need is a an email program that just works, look no further.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

Gdow - Gmail notifier
http://dowdow.free.fr/indexen.php


Firewall


ZoneAlarm – Free version is good and much better than XP’s firewall.
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/conten...eeDownload.jsp

Sygate Personal Firewall
http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm

Kerio Personal Firewall - Free firewall
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm

Comodo
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/


Fun

For the Lego lover
http://www.lego.com/en-US/products/default.aspx

Google Earth. I'll be ****ed if I find a productive use for this, but it is nice.
http://earth.google.com/


General/Desktop


Brutus 2006 Place Icons on your desktop or into the quick launch for one click Shutdown/Log off/Restart
http://www.proffs.nu/brutus.htm

http://desktop.yahoo.com/ Yahoo desktop search. Out of the big three free desktop search apps (Google, MS, Yahoo), it is by far the best.

TaskSwitchXP - Replacement for the Windows XP Alt-Tab PowerToy.

Microsoft Powertoys for Windows XP. Nice assortment of tools from the evil empire itself (who would have said?). Ranges from UI optimization to a Webcam timer.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx

ClipX - Small clipboard history manager - useful when you accidentally hit copy instead of paste.

Banshee Screamer - alarm clock program, can set it to wake you up to just about anything.
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Business/Time_and_Clock_Tools/Banshee_Screamer_Alarm.html

Wetsock (unregistered version) - monitors the weather for just about anywhere in the world...2 cities 2 weather updated per day.
http://www.robomagic.com/wetsock.htm

UltraVNC - remote desktop program with nifty compression/file transfer features.
http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/

Launchy – Program launcher.
http://www.launchy.net/

Avedesk - for those who like Konfabulator (Yahoo Widget Engine) or Samurize
http://www.avedesk.org/

Yahoo Widget engine - get the coolest widgets for volume, media player, battery life, cpu ram meter, calendar and wireless signal all in your desktop! http://widgets.yahoo.com/

Copernic Desktop Search - http://www.copernic.com/en/products/...whats-new.html

Rocketdock – About the same functionality as the mac bar, can be used to replace taskbar.
http://www.rocketdock.com/

Stickiy Notes – Post-it type program for keeping notes on your computer.
www.stickiy-notes.net

Rocket Dock - the fastest and most stable dock
http://www.punksoftware.com/rocketdock

Brutus - lets you log off, restart, or shut down a computer running Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. The way you always wanted to. With a single click.
http://www.proffs.nu/brutus.htm

RK Launcher - Runs really smoothly without bugs. Low memory consumption. Equivalent to Mac's dock.
http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/showthread.php?t=24982

KDE - a network transparent contemporary desktop environment for UNIX workstations
http://www.kde.org

Cropper - free and simple screen capture utility
http://blogs.geekdojo.net/brian/articles/Cropper.aspx

xplorer2 lite - Dual-panel explorer
http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm.

Virtual Dimension – virtual displays
http://virt-dimension.sourceforge.net/.

http://www.yousendit.com/ - send large files


Hardware Info/Check


CPU-Z – Gives info on CPU, memory and mainboard.
http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php

Everest – Find out what hardware in on your laptop.
http://www.lavalys.com/products/over...?pid=1&lang=en

HD Tune – Great hard drive utility.
http://www.hdtune.com/

Notebook Hardware Control – Controls laptop hardware.
http://www.pbus-167.com/chc.htm

Dead Pixel Buddy – See if you notebook or LCD has any dead or stuck pixels.
http://www.laptopshowcase.co.uk/downloads.php?id=1

Dead Pixel Tester: Everylaptop owner needs to test this one out. Find all those dead pixels.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Benchmarks/Dead-Pixel-Tester.shtml

CPU RightMark: Another CPU program.
http://cpu.rightmark.org/download.shtml

Speed Fan
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

ClearTweak™ allows you to change the contrast setting of the ClearType® setting for Windows XP®. ClearType is designed to enhance LCD displays. It may appear slightly blurry on standard desktop monitors.
http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/

www.terabyteinc.com - Copywipe, copy HDD or Wipe it clean

Process Tamer - constantly monitors the CPU usage of other processes and temporarily changes the priority for any process that is overloading your system. Fully automatic, runs in the system tray and automatically springs into action when needed.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Process_Tamer_d4651.html

www.driverguide.com. Register (but don't click on all that crap they want you to sign up for). After you are done it will ask you if you want to install the driverguide toolkit and click yes. It has no spyware. It checks your programs and checks to see if you need new drivers.

Memtest86: This free program tests your ram. Looks useful. I have not used it yet. This program runs in DOS. (out of date: use instead: memtest86+ at http://www.memtest.org/.)

Partition Magic - Free non-command line programs for partitioning a hard drive
http://www.soft32.com/download_151.html

GParted: - An ISO of a free partitioning software. Partitions Linux partitions and looks like Partition Magic.
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

CacheMan - Tweak various cache/ram settings. Very useful on old computers without much ram.
http://www.outertech.com/

OmegaDrivers - Alternative Ati/Nvidia drivers (though the nvidia ones are very outdated I think).
http://www.omegadrivers.net/

XMouse - handy utility to utilize the 4th and 5th buttons of your Intelli-mouse
http://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/X...tonControl.htm


IDE


Eclipse - TOP IDE for JAVA ... and a lot other
http://www.eclipse.org/

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Express - Freeware top-class IDE (C++, C#, VB.NET)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/default.aspx


IM


Miranda IM - multiprotocol IM, no install necessary
http://www.miranda-im.org/

Skype - VoIP, no install necessary
http://www.skype.com/

Gaim. - http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

Trillian Basic (pro costs money)
www.trillian.com

A-Patch (for MSN Messenger) - Make MSN messenger (or windows live messenger) compact, remove ads, unneeded uglyness, bloatedness.
http://apatch.ikhost.com/

Meebo - An online AJAX IM tool that incorporates YIM, MSN, AIM, and GoogleTalk. It's absolutely great when you're not on your own machine but you need to get a hold of somebody via AIM. http://wwwm.meebo.com/index-en.html

AIM – AOL Instant Messenger
www.aim.com

MIRC
www.mirc.com


Internet


AIRoboForm for Firefox - Auto logon app; great for forum sign in
http://www.roboform.com/download.html

Moox builds of Firefox are awesome. It appears he's dropped off the face of the earth since 1.5 got released, though.
http://www.moox.ws

RSS Bandit - RSS agregator

MobileMeter: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Oakland/8259/

Nvu - WYSIWYG HTML editor
www.nvu.com

NetMeter - Great little bandwidth monitoring program for Windows.
http://readerror.gmxhome.de/
XAMPP - easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl.
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

iPod

iPod shuffle Database Builder - http://shuffle-db.sourceforge.net/

Ephpod. – transfer files from ipod to pc
http://www.ephpod.com/

iDump – transfer music from iPod to your computer
http://www.softpedia.com/get/IPOD-TOOLS/Multimedia-IPOD-tools/iDump.shtml

Videora – DVD to iPod ripping
http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/iPod/


Media Players


www.divx.com – one of the best media players

Real Alternative – http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...lternative.htm

BSplayer - very light and full of options player. I found it uses much less CPU than Winamp (for video playback); really nice. www.bsplayer.org

Media Player Classic - Lightweight, customizable video player.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/

MediaMonkey - Music organization and secondary music player
http://www.mediamonkey.com/

GB-PVR Media center. (Turn your comp into a TV)
http://www.gbpvr.com/

GOM Player. – Freeware, light, robust, internal codecs, skin support
http://www.gomplayer.com/

VLC - Plays virtually everything, and is SAFE. It is even sponsored by Firefox.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Winamp - www.winamp.com

KMPlayer - http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Video/Video-Players/KMPlayer.shtml

Office


Abiword- Reads and writes word docs and other formats. Better than Wordpad and smaller than Open Office and Microsoft Word and it is free.
http://www.abisource.com/

Open Office. – Free alternative to MS-Office.
http://www.openoffice.org/

Notepad++ - Great notepad replacement
http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/

Programmer's Notepad - resource light notepad replacement
http://www.pnotepad.org/

MiKTeX (http://www.miktex.org/ ) and a TeX editor such as WinShell (www.winshell.de) is essential for any university student. (Or anyone else who regularly need to write reports or other nice-looking documents with lots of text)Writing professional-looking documents is so much easier than with Word/OpenOffice. Especially if you need to include mathematical formulas or other "complex" stuff.


Passwords


Password Corral Great Password Manager
http://www.cygnusproductions.com/freeware/pc.asp

KeePass - a VERY SECURE password manager, no install necessary
http://keepass.sourceforge.net


PDF


Foxit Reader. Small, easy, with the same tools that Acrobat Reader has. You double click, it opens it. Can even can add comments to a file.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php

CutePDF Writer. It's cute, and it writes PDFs. Will install as a printer, so you can create PDF from any application with printing capabilities. Requires download of Ghostscript (also free) to work.
CutePDF Writer: http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp
Ghostscript: http://www.cutepdf.com/download/converter.exe


Peer to Peer


Limewire- http://www.limewire.com/english/content/home.shtml
Soulseek Best music p2p app.
http://www.slsknet.org/
FrostWire - Free, open-source alternative to limewire (no ads).
http://www.frostwire.com/


Pictures


Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery. Those images you accidentally erased from your digicam may still be there. Find out with this program.
http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital-image-recovery.htm

Ifranview – Very nice photo viewer. Can do some basic basic photo editing. Also has command line options and plug-ins.
http://www.irfanview.com/

The Gimp."Bring out the gimp". Powerful photo editing program, albeit with a steep learning curve. The Photoshop of free editing programs.
http://www.gimp.org/

Pixresizer - with this program you can easily convert or resize all your images in a specific folder. http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm

IrFanView - Small, fast image viewer
http://www.irfanview.com/

Picasa – By Google. For organizing photos, creating slideshows; what iPhoto should be. http://picasa.google.com/index.html

FastStone Image Viewer The best freeware image viewer (not as fast as Irfanview, but has more options)
http://www.faststone.org/

Resizepic- Program to resize images, so they can be used as avatars, for example.
http://resizepic.com/

XnView - Image Viewer/converter
http://www.xnview.com/

ALSee Image viewer. Can also batch resize, and convert. All the ALTools are very nice software actually, though most of them have better alternatives, I've found ALZip and ALSee to be the best in their fields. http://www.altools.net/ALTools/ALSee/tabid/54/Default.aspx

RivaTuner v2.01 What's a graphics card tweaker without the proper tools to do so ? http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=163

VSO Image Resizer - Good, free image resizer. Works on both XP and Vista and has a handful of other features including format conversion and compression.
http://www.vso-software.fr/products/image_resizer/image_resizer.php

Inkscape - can create .emf or .svg files which CorelDraw can open; it's open-source and works in linux also.
http://www.inkscape.org/


Registry


Crap-Cleaner. Nice app, not so nice name. Since you decided to go the Windows way, you will also need something to keep your registry error-free and improve system performance. Registry cleaner, Uninstall utility, and system cleaner.
http://www.ccleaner.com/

RegScrubXP – Keep that registry free of defects.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2048

RegSeeker
Great registry management tool. It offers quick access to startup entries, uninstall information, colour schemes, History items (URLs, recent documents etc) and IE Favourites. There is also a selection of tweaks.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/regseeker.html

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner - Another reg cleaner.
http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleaner/registry_cleaner.htm

NTRegOpt - Compresses your registry. Doesn't alter entries, so *should be safe*.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/ntregopt.html


Security


AxCrypt – tool for encryption
http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net/

TrueCrypt – tool for encryption
http://www.truecrypt.org/

PeerGuardian 2 - Phoenix Labs’ premier IP blocker for Windows. PeerGuardian 2 integrates support for multiple lists, list editing, automatic updates, and blocking all of IPv4 (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc).
http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/

Core Force Firewall/system lockdown (file+registry protection). I haven’t tried this yet, but if you have frequent virus/malware problems, this looks super-secure.
http://force.coresecurity.com/

IE Privacy Keeper - Whether you are using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, IE Privacy Keeper automatically cleans up the browser history once you are done surfing the net. The program will correctly clean up all index.dat files without the need for a Windows restart. Special unique features of IE Privacy Keeper allow you to conceal the cleanup. You can keep selective items in the browsing history and hide the program form the list of running applications. Secure deletion will make any attempts to recover deleted items fail.
http://www.browsertools.net/IE-Priva...per/index.html
Hamachi - A most useful program for creating virtual, secure, networks across the web. Deals with firewalls no problem. Surprising to me no one has mentioned it.
http://www.hamachi.cc/download/list.php

Buri/pHamachi/Portable Hamachi - A modified version to run on a portable drive (no need to install) so you can connect to your hamachi network anywhere.
http://hamachiwiki.com/Portable_Hamachi


System


MSConfig – Turn off all unwated programs from starting with windows.
Start>Run>MSConfig

Cablenut - For tweaking you connection settings
http://www.cablenut.com/

Cleanup – at a click of a button it cleans up a numerous amount of this, everything is customizable and selectable by you, including empty recycle bin, delete newsgroup cache, delete cookies, delete prefetch, scan pc for temp files, etc. You can also keep track of how much you cleaned up and how much you removed in the run, and overall how much you have removed in total runs
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/

RMClock Utility: http://cpu.rightmark.org/products/rmclock.shtml

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html - Learn and eliminate startup you don't need, including the ones that Msconfig will not show.

Process Explorer - Task manager replacement from Sysinternals
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilitie...sExplorer.html

Winbar – monitors system and provides easy access to frequently used controls
www.winbar.nl

Autopatcher XP Update your Windows XP without internet connection
http://autopatcher.com/

AIDA32 - Nice program to see what is "really" on your laptop. I use it quite a bit. You can learn alot with this one.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html

WinDirStat - Use this to check how much space everything is taking. Looks daunting to use but is pretty simple. Try it you will like it.
http://windirstat.sourceforge.net/

O&O Defrag: Click on the little Icon on the left to download the pro version. You don't need to pay. This program is great for a free defragger. I have used this one a few times. http://www.oo-software.com/en/download/

Fast Defrag: Defrags your ram. Not sure if it is necessary. Nice none the less.
http://www.amsn.ro/

ThrottleWatch: Tells you a lot more about your running programs then Windows Task Manager. I have not tried this software yet.
http://www.panopsys.com/Downloads.html

XP Syspad – Organizes various adminstrative tools. Doesn’t install anything into registry and easy to remove.
http://www.xtort.net/xtort/xpsyspad.php

Belarc Advisor Gives info about your computer, lists CD-keys from installed software.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

nLite: Make an unattented installation CD easily if you have a full Windows XP/2000 CD. Customizable. Can makes the installation of Windows XP plus the drivers compressed into popping in the CD and hitting the "any key".
http://www.nliteos.com/

NSIS - Nullsoft Scriptable Install System, minimalistic installer creator for Windows
http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page

Advanced Windows Care Personal – the best free software to take care about your Windows OS I know, which I would recommend to users of any qualification.
http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html

RVM Integrator -This program helps you make Windows XP instalation CD with all hotfixes after SP2 release. So you don't have to download them from Microsoft (and get something before yoy are able to patch all holes), but there are other advantages as well.
http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/updatepack.html

BartPE Bart's Preinstalled Environment bootable live windows CD/DVD
BartPE is Admin's best friend...
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

MinGW - minimalistic GCC for Windows
http://www.mingw.org/

RemoveWGA To get rid of the MS WGA notification, for those of you unfortunate enough to have installed it.
http://removewga.en.softonic.com/ie/54413

WindizUpdate – alternative to MS Windows update.
http://windizupdate.com/

Process Explorer - shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/ProcessExplorer.mspx

Filemon – monitors and displays file system activity on a system in real-time.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/Filemon.mspx (Note: Filemon and Regmon have been replaced by Process Monitor on versions of Windows starting with Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows Vista. Filemon and Regmon remain for legacy operating system support, including Windows 9x.)

Torrent

Bittorrent. BitComet
http://www.bitcomet.com

uTorrent - A .torrent client. Organizes and stores all .torrent files, allows for you to set the priority of files within a torrent and the bandwidth priority of individual torrents. Includes speed wizard and allows you to limit upload/download on the fly to free up bandwidth. With all the features of uTorrent, it's amazing how little CPU it uses.
www.utorrent.com

Video


http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...Codec_Pack.htm K-lite codec pack - all the necessary codecs in one place

Virtual Dub – converts video files
www.virtualdub.org

MediaCoder – converts video files
http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/

Super – converts video files
http://www.erightsoft.net/SUPER.html


ZIP


WinRAR Archiver - http://www.rarlabs.com.

ExtractNow - Extracts ZIP, RAR, ACE, and JAR file formats.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/ExtractNow_d2029.html

ALZip - Best archive utility EVER. (superior to all, winrar, 7zip, tugzip... all of em)
http://www.altools.net/ALTools/ALZip/tabid/53/Default.aspx

IZArc - Multi-format archive program:
www.izarc.org

7-ZIP: http://www.7-zip.org/ (name indicates what it does, unfortunately ONLY unpacking RAR support)

Zip Genius - Great Zip Suite
http://www.zipgenius.it/


Compilation


46-categories of free software in one nicely-reviewed collection!
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best..._utilities.htm

http://www.cdlibre.org/

Portablefreeware- small well-written like Firefox, Opera, μtorrent, OpenOffice.org, gaim, Silentnight,etc. None of these programs need to be installed and will run happily on a keydrive. http://www.portablefreeware.com/all.php
One of the best most comprehensive lists of usefull free software.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best..._utilities.htm

Cnet: www.download.com Tons of free downloads.

http://www.ramsinks.com/software.asp

http://filehippo.com/download_dvd_decrypter/

www.softpedia.com

450+ Freeware utilities for everything
http://www.econsultant.com/i-want-fr...ies/index.html

400+ Open Source Freeware utilities
http://www.econsultant.com/i-want-op...are/index.html

AnalogX - Has a coded a bunch of great freeware tools
http://www.analogx.com/contents/news.htm

http://www.karenware.com/powertools/powertools.asp

SnapFIles - http://www.webattack.com/freeware/

PortableApps - USB stick drive software organiser, runs portable versions of many open source favourites and leaves no sensitive data on the host computer (check info with each program though). Programs available include OpenOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox etc. Like U3 but runs from any USB external storage including mobile phones (when seen as a storage device), ipods, compact flash cards, external harddrives etc.
www.portableapps.com

Here is a good site for older versions of programs. http://www.oldversion.com/

ANY IDEAS?

Guys, I don’t know where these should go or what these are, but since they’ve been suggested by members, worth mentioning. Any ideas on where to put ‘em?

Deadline. If you're like me, you probably forgot how to differentiate or graph something more complicated than 3x=3 (ok, maybe not that easy). Still, "let the machine do it".
http://deadline.3x.ro/

DC++
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dcplusplus

FileZilla: a fast FTP client
http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla/

EasyGPS – great little program for storing your favorite routes and waypoints. For hikers/bikers with GPS.
http://www.easygps.com/download.asp.

Blender - Free, small download size, and amazing 3d engine/ model creation/ rendering tool/ animation creator/game creation program thing. Steep learning curve... worse than the GIMP, but not impossible.
www.blender3d.org

StrokeIt - for mouse gestures
http://www.tcbmi.com/strokeit/

If there is someone that always works with flash, there is one new program. It's called flash develop. I put some links to people interesed.
http://www.flashdevelop.org/community/
http://www.osflash.org/

Shutter - It provides many options on how to shutdown your computer, great for when you are watching movies on your computer but fall asleep. I use it almost every night.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/.../Shutter.shtml

Network Magic - Nice little network program
http://www.networkmagic.com/nmlp/hom...rk magic

http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?pa...0b53a34b818c3b

http://home.satx.rr.com/nhuth/KillWind.exe (Right-click, 'save as')


That's it! Everything (I think, I hope) is listed with the exception of Overclocker's list because I didn't want to go and find URLs for everything (sorry). Now, I know near nothing about mainting my notebook. Which programs above are noob essentials? Already have AVG and Spyware Terminator. Thanks.

 

Hi...!
Anyone know free software for file manager (use password). To protect the file with password.

 

Nvu http://www.nvu.com/index.php <-- web design software

XAMPP http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html <-- XAMPP easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl.

PortableApps www.portableapps.com <-- USB stick drive software organiser, runs portable versions of many open source favourites and leaves no sensitive data on the host computer (check info with each program though). Programs available include OpenOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox etc. Like U3 but runs from any USB external storage including mobile phones (when seen as a storage device), ipods, compact flash cards, external harddrives etc.

Pegasus Mail www.pmail.com <-- email software, the Internet's longest-serving PC email system (sent its first message in December 1989). Also to be found at that address is Mercury Mail Transport System. standards-based mail server solution.

 

thanks for that A_Student, that makes it a whle lot easier for us all..

 

Ditto on iTunes. I find a lot of apples stuff overhyped. but I recently switched from Winamp to iTunes. iTunes is way easier to get around on. Looks a lot less ugly and just plain works. The only time I'd characterize it as slow is when I put it on visualizations on my 945GMA (shared memory) notebook

 

It is late and I need to get back to studying, but I nominate
Audacity as a great freeware audio editing/mp3/wav converter.
need to D-load an encoder for mp3 (suggest LAME encoder).
Sorry no links, tired.
Also, I advise anyone who values their computer to stay away from Limewire and other p2p networks.
Hackers love to
A.use the p2p connection to compromise you computer.
B. upload attractive content with trojans/backdoors, esp video and audio files that utilize media player because it can intitiate scripts/exe's/etc a whole lot of etc. I am hip enough to mess with p2p without losing my computer to some jerk in china. Most of my friends arent.

 

Great work A_Student

Cpu-Z double post in the same section.
Comodo not listed in the firewall section (it's one of the most popular nowadays)
Foobar in media players? Maybe audio would be more suitable...
Orbit Downloader to download managers (it's getting popular)
KMPlayer (my favourite media player)

 

This could be cleaned up and updated into a nice looking sticky!

Good work, good collection of progs here.

 

Thanks slowdive. I'll fix and add when I have more time. I've got a deadline for something else now, but I'll get to the list tomorrow. Wll send foobar to the aduio list. I've never used the program (or most of the others) so sometimes it's just a guess.

 

I am reading interesting things about this software around the interweb

TestDisk - a free data recovery utility

 

Ok, done! That's it! Everything (I think, I hope) is listed in my huge post on the previous page, with the exception of Overclockers list because I didn't want to go and find URLs for everything (sorry). Now, I know near nothing about mainting my notebook. Which programs above are noob essentials? Already have AVG and Spyware Terminator. Thanks.

 

I can wholeheartedly recommend TCP Optimizer

It tunes and optimizes your internet connection. Free and easy to use. Just select your ISPs maximum advertised speed and go. Changes fully reversible. You can do more research in the forum there to find out about manual settings

Doubled my 6 Meg connection (I am on a 24 Meg advertised service, I'm now av 14 Meg, but that's a different story)

 

In addition to the list I gave earlier, here's the fastest desktop search I've found yet:

Find and Run Robot. Quick as lightning. Simple install. Search as you type.

It's basically Spotlight for Windows. Perhaps even better.

 

Would appreciate recommendation on best free or for purchase software for system diagnostics and repair

 

Now that a decent list has been compiled, some sort of ratings system needs to be implemented.

If you can't think of anything, use CNET/PC World/PC Mag reviews. It doesn't matter. What matters letting people need to know what is quality, user-tested, reliable software -- and what is not. A lot of people are too busy to do the research themselves.

Otherwise, this list is not all that different from Wikipedia's free software list. And it's probably a good idea for the continually updated list to be placed in the first post of this sticky.

 

I'm sure this has been suggested before but anyways NetStumbler is a great application to ensure you are not on the same wireless channel as your neighbor, to see how strong your wireless connection is, and to see how much interference you are getting on your wireless network. It has a graph and everything, very useful to configure your wireless network for maximum performance.

http://www.netstumbler.com/

 

Good one. Thanks.

 

www.Joost.com <-- free internet TV program. lots of channels. Currently beta testing. Even works on Macs too.

 

Orb

Great streaming and file sharing software. Stream to and share files with many different devices including games consoles.

http://www.orb.com/en/how_does_orb_work

 

I highly recommend corral password manager http://www.cygnusproductions.com/freeware/pc.asp

 

I dont know if this app has been mentioned before but found it on dltv & is the best program if you want to see what all starts with Windows....

Download:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/AutoRuns.mspx

 

flashget http://www.flashget.com
media player classic

 

As an Anime fan and a computer geek I love the following

Microsoft Bootvis <- cuts shutdown time for xp users drasticaly
MPC <-media player classic / alternative to real player
Klite codec packs <- good with any media player allows you to open more music/ video formats verry nice
Gspot <- tells you infromation about your specfic AVI files and what codecs are needed
REALVLC <- remote control your pc , really nice tools for university students who have desktop pcs =) although XP and Vista both come with this option already
Kismac <-network decyption tool for mac also can use for passive and brooT force hacks
Google Earth <- there is an add on for Kismac that shows you all avaliable hotspots on the planet with BSIDS

 

any links to where we can download this software?

 

google sketchup
http://www.sketchup.com/
3D CAD designs for newbs..
highly recommend it!

 

I see Cablenut as an option for maximizing connection settings. I seem to recall coming across a program at some point that claimed to maximize your bandwidth so that you got a little closer to the downstream and upstream maxes presented by your isp. Does anyone recall that program? If it was Cablenut, it doesn't appear to be Vista compatible. Suggestions?

 

Hmm Opera Browser - I cant browse without it

www.opera.com

 

So I read through all 35 pages and no one seems to have mentioned TweakXP/TweakVI ( www.totalidea.com) or SpySweeper. Is there anything wrong with these programs that I'm not aware of?

 

SpySweeper is not free software, is it?

 

Bleh, ignore me I'm a dumbass... found the free version (although it's not obvious).

This is a better site (the free version site)

http://sketchup.google.com/index.html

Also want to say thanks for the link, it's just what I'd been looking for to draw a model of my house, so I'm excited to play with it (unfortunately I probably have buy a laser measuring tool but... such is life)

 

InfraRecorder -> http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/

I got tired of Nero... tehe.

 

How do you undervolt with RightMark?

Thanks.

 

" SSDream is a Vista application that allows screen savers, videos and images to be used as your wallpaper." Works for any version of Vista too!

The author will also like to add XP Support for users using Windows XP.