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Favorite Shareware & Freeware Applications
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Here are a few good shareware programs that I have found. Some of them are older, but they are still useful. Try them out and see what you think.
"Must have" software
- Power Toys: several helpful utilities for WinXP (or for Win2K or Win95 or other)
- Media Players:
- Instant Messaging tools: The best way to IM is with
Gaim or
Trillian where you can connect to AIM, YIM, ICQ, and many more at the same time.
But I prefer to use both
AOL IM and
Yahoo! IM to get all the latest
features of both applications.
- Web browsers:
- Mozilla FireFox: THE BEST WEB BROWSER EVER!!! Pop-up blocking, ad blocking, tabbed browsing, open groups of tabs,
search plugins, etc. Set it up the way you like using
Tips & Tricks. I also use the Firefox extensions
below.
- FireFox Extensions:
Google toolbar,
Yahoo toolbar,
ForcastFox,
IETab,
CacheIt!,
Tab Mix Plus,
Linky,
Flashblock,
foXpose,
SiteAdvisor,
Adblock Plus
(with the Adblock
Filterset.G Updater),
PDF Download,
Image Zoom,
Gmail Manager,
Cards,
SpoofStick,
ConQuery,
Download Statusbar,
del.icio.us,
Session Manager.
- Much more useful info can be found at:
Scot's Firefox Tips,
C-Net Extensions List, and
Mozilla Firefox -
Have it Your Way!. Make sure you add the
disable pop-ups from plugins option.
- If you want to use the
Mass
Installer to install all the extensions above, use my
Extension Pack.
- If you think an extension is causing problems, check the
Problematic
extensions list.
- CrazyBrowser (I used this before I found out about Mozilla Firefox): Cool wrapper around IE. I mainly use the Groups feature to view the websites that I go to everyday.
- Browser Toolbars (for if you must use Internet Explorer): I use both
Google and
Yahoo toolbars.
- Bookmarklets: control the websites you visit
-
Juice: free
cross-platform RSS/podcast media reader app
- FireAnt: cool RSS/podcast media
reader app
- Coffee Cup has a
Free FTP program.
- PC911's Spell Check: Spell-check ANYTHING!
- WinZip: the best file compression program out there.
-
Cookie Jar: I use this program to manage my cookies... keep the ones I want and delete the ones I don't.
- IrFanView: The BEST FREE image viewer out there!!! Supports tons of formats. Also edits many formats.
- ConText: The last text editor you will need.
- OpenOffice: Free word processor, spreadsheet application, presentation tool, database and more. All are Microsoft Office compatible.
- Free Virus Scan Tools:
- Free Internet Firewalls
- Free Spyware & Adware Tools: I currently use these:
- Defragmenters:
-
PageDefrag: Defragment your paging files and Registry hives on reboot.
- AutoDefrag: Lets Win2K users schedule the defragmenter. Will also allow Diskeeper Lite to be scheduled.
- Diskeeper Lite: Freeware version of the best defragmenter out there.
- Google Pack: a collection
of free software that Google recommends. Comes with Google Updater which
will automatically keep the software apps updated.
Useful Utilities
- Microsoft Utilities
- TreeSize: Shows you which folders are taking up the largest part of your hard drive space. Also can be used to check if windows is reporting the correct amount of free space.
- Belarc: Free PC profiler.
- Audio & Video editors/converters:
- Audacity: FREE, open source software for recording and editing sounds.
AWESOME!!!
- MediaCoder: an
open-source, free solution that can handle all of your transcoding needs—for
phones, handhelds, DVDs, Apple iPod, whatever you have!!!
- Mp3tag - the universal Tag Editor:
edit the tag info for many audio formats
- SoX: SoX is a command line utility. "The swiss army knife of sound processing programs".
- FreeCorder: easy-to-use FREE software program that lets you record sounds on your PC in MP3 format
- dBpowerAMP Music Converter (dMC): audio file format converter. Also can rip music from CDs, normalize volume, and can be used to create audio files from records, tapes, or anything else. You can also control it
programmatically using Visual Basic or Visual Basic Scripting.
- Computer Clock Sync:
- Startup Control Panel: Easily manage what programs run when your computer starts up
(With WinXP, just use "msconfig").
- FREE Codec Resource & Player: Supports many file types; even DVDs
- Click-N-Type virtual keyboard: FREE on-screen keyboard that works with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000.
(NOTE: XP already has one included.)
- RoboForm: FREE password manager & form-filler.
- Keyfinder: freeware utility that retrieves your Product Key (cd key) used to install Windows & MS Office from your registry.
- Karen's URL Discombobulator: Finds the real destination of a URL.
- Backup Utilities:
- Registry Cleaners:
EasyCleaner and the infamous
JV16 PowerTools version 1.3.0.195
- Nokia Monitor Test: Make sure your monitor is set on the optiomal settings. Also use
ClearType to make the text clearer to read.
- Eraser: Free secure data erase tool (meets military standards)
- Un-delete Utilities:
- Fresh UI: optimize your Windows OS (works on XP/2000/NT/98/95/Me)
- KL-Detector: find out if a "key logger" program is recording your key-strokes
- Image Editors:
- Paint.NET: FREE image editor that is similar to Adobe Photoshop
- GIMP: FREE image editor that can be used for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. Plug-ins available for additional features.
- GIFWorks.com: FREE online animated gif editor
- Path Copy: shell extension that enables to copy the path of a file or directory to the Clipboard
- ScreenSaver Druid: the best freeware screensaver
flipper/changer/manager I have found.
- PowerSS:
another freeware screensaver flipper/changer/manager
(download)
- Panorama 32: desktop wallpaper flipper
- Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel for Windows XP: This FREE program lets you create a virtual CD drive on your hard disk from and ISO image file
- CutePDF: free PDF writer
-
LastChance: run programs at shutdown
- Gliffy: Similar to Microsoft
Visio; use it to draw & share diagrams on the web
- WinRoll: Make a
window roll into its title bar and much more
-
CCleaner: Free system-optimization tool
-
TrueCrypt: Free open-source disk encryption software
- Cryptomathic: Free encryption tool called File2File
- YPOPs!: Free POP3/SMTP
access to Yahoo Mail!
- Memtest86: stand alone
memory test for x86 architecture computers
- Notebook Hardware Control:
Hardware and system power management, prolong the battery lifetime, cool down
the system and reduce power consumption, monitor the hardware to avoid system
failure, make your notebook quiet
- AM-DeadLink:
Download FavIcons and detect dead links in your browser bookmarks
Bible Software
PDA Applications
Games
Screensavers
Places to find Cool shareware & freeware
Software Developer Tools
Software Related Newsletters that I read
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This page is maintained by Jonathan D. Killen.
Page Last Revised:
July 06, 2006
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since April 22, 1998.
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