FreeCD - the 100% free audio CD player for Windows

news - downloads - help
source code - e-mail

Want to try FreeCD, but you're still
running Windows 3.1? Download an
older version of FreeCD named
CD Player that's compatible with
your Win3.1 or NT 3.5 system.

FreeCD is a fully graphical, mouse-driven audio CD player for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0. As the name states, FreeCD is 100% free of charge - you may use it, distribute it, modify it, and do damn well anything you please with it without having to worry about registration fees, nag screens, etc; in fact, I encourage you to do whatever you want with it. I do ask that you e-mail me any comments, suggestions, complaints, or anything else so I can find out if anyone else out there really finds this thing useful... (see News page for details)

FreeCD is compact, intuitive, and (soon to be) fully customizable. Take a look at the screen shots along the left-hand side of this page to get an idea of what FreeCD looks like: its interface and controls are very straightforward and practically explain themselves - and what isn't self-explanatory is fully illustrated in this site's help section. Here's a general run-down of what's available in version 1.91:

track repeat
disc repeat
eject button
can display elapsed track time, track time remaining, disc time remaining, and total disc length
can display current track & time info in the taskbar button
always-on-top option to keep the player visible at all times
minimizes to the taskbar notification area (by the clock), to free up screen clutter
can be controlled from the minimized taskbar icon
only one file (96kb in size), so it won't clog up your hard drive, leaving behind unwanted files like so many irresponsible commercial products (please take a hint, people...)

In case you were wondering, version 1.91 is actually a beta version of 2.0 (see below), less a few of the more complex features. Please be warned, there may still exist a few minor bugs which could potentially cause erratic behavior, but rest assured, it will not crash your system.

Find out what's wrong with this picture...

Wait! June of what year?! OK, OK, so I've been a bit lax in keeping you informed of FreeCD's progress, so for the many of you who've been inquiring, here's the dirt: FreeCD version 2.0 is officially on hold - that is, I have no idea at this point if & when the new version will be completed. It seems like I've moved about ten times since the last time I worked on FreeCD (let alone having updated this web site), and I'm sorry to say the project has taken the back burner to financial matters. Nevertheless, once I finally replace this aging 486/33 with a reasonably workable system and track down my C++ CD, I plan to at the very least finish version 2.0, in view of the phenomenal amount of positive feedback I've received since releasing version 1.91. See the News page for more details. And by the way, countless thanks to all of you who've e-mailed me about FreeCD - I can't believe this little utility that I essentially made for my own use has proven useful to so many of you...

Anyway, if (and hopefully when) version 2.0 is complete, here's what to expect:

a fully customizable display - put the buttons wherever you want, and only show the features you need
track programming
track and disc naming
others - send me your suggestions!

I have been keeping track of the features you've suggested since the program's inception a couple years ago (even though I haven't been able to respond to most of the messages you've all sent). If there are any additional features you'd like to see, or any current features you'd like to see changed, let me know - the only way I can produce useful software is through your feedback!

A "beta" version of a program is one which is released to either a select group or the general public before the program has been finalized, in order to get feedback on the program's design and to help track down bugs which might otherwise go undiscovered. By using a beta version, you run the risk of running into bugs which the program's author might have missed (this risk is relative to the size and complexity of the program in question), but you get to play an instrumental part in the program's development. For every bug you discover and report to the author, you help to make the program that much more stable and useful. So as you can see, your feedback is invaluable to me and every other software developer out there. Thanks for your help and support!

site last updated December 1, 1998

site design by nate smith

neither this page nor anything on it is copyrighted -
anyone who feels they must abuse this will get a smack upside the head

screenshot of the main window
with the menu displayed
main window screenshot

screenshot of the taskbar icon
with the menu displayed
taskbar icon screenshot

news - downloads - help
source code - e-mail

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and try it out for yourself?

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