Freeware Programs

[Kretol]

Here's a list of 25 freeware programs that folks "may find useful or even fun!" It's taken from one of the recent issues of Consumer Reports (the Electronics Buying Guide - Spring 200, as I thought it'd be a useful page to photocopy while at work.

Security Software

• Avast Virus Cleaner (www.avast.com) - Antivirus software (Consumer Reports tested and recommended)
  
• AVG Anti-Virus (http://free.grisoft.com) - Antivirus software
  
• Spybot Search & Destroy (www.spybot.info) - Antispyware program (Consumer Reports tested and recommended)
  
• Ad-Aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) - Antispyware software
  
• Comodo Free Firewall (www.personalfirewall.comodo.com - Software firewall
  
• McAfee SiteAdvisor (www.siteadvisor.com - Also runs on Macs with Firefox) - Add-on for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers warns when surfing to web sites known to transmit viruses, spyware, pop-up ads, and other unpleasantries.
  
• Replicator (www.karenware.com) - Automatically backs up files, directories, entire drives.

General Programs

• Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net - Also runs on Mac OS X) - Multitracking audio recorder and editor. Also digitizes tapes, MiniDiscs, and vinyl recordings.
  
• Envisioneer Express (http://www.envisioneerexpress.com) - Create your own 3D home designs. Large download. Expanded pay version available.
  
• EssentialPIM Free (http://www.essentialpim.com) - Personal information manager that lets you import data from many different sources.
  
• GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) (http://www.gimp.org - Also runs on MAC OS X) - A replacement for Adobe Photoshop. Somewhat difficult to learn but full-featured. Check the download instructions carefully.
  
• DSpeech (http://dimio.altervista.org/eng) - Allows your computer to read text aloud. Also saves spoken text to MP3 or WAV file. Check the developer's page for free components you might need to download.
  
• GreatNews (http://curiostudio.com) - RSS feed reader that offers different view styles, including newspaper-style page layout.
  
• IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com) - Handy image-viewing program. Also download and install the package of add-ons.
  
• Money Manager Ex (http://www.thezeal.com/software) - Money-management software that handles banking, investment, and budgeting.
  
• Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com) - Popular web browser that you can customize with many free downloadable extensions. [In addition, Firefox is also typically faster than IE and more secure!]
  
• OpenOffice.org (http://www.openoffice.org) - Complete office suite, including word processor and spreadsheet, compatible with Microsoft Office formats. (Large download)
  
• Picasa (http://picasa.google.com) - Google's photo-organizing and basic editing tool for those who don't need full-featured editing software such as the commercial Photoshop or free GIMP.
  
• W.bloggar (http://wbloggar.com) - Blogging software that lets you publish on most blogs. Handles multiple accounts. Includes a spelling checker.
  
• Weather Watcher (http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/weather...tcher.html) - Turns your computer desktop into a personal weather station for more than 77,000 cities worldwide.

Utilities

• Gadwin Printscreen (http://www.gadwin.com) - Expands your computer's screen-capture ability to entire screen or a selected area, Prints captured area, copies to Windows clipboard, sends by e-mail, or saves.
  
• Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com) - Lets you conduct a wide range of searches from Internet Explorer and Firefox.
  
• MjM Free Photo Recovery Software (http://www.mjm.co.uk/freephotorecoverysoftware.html) - Recovers deleted JPEG images from many types of digital-camera media cards. Also recovers images from reformatted cards.
  
• Rename Master (http://joejoesoft.com) - Renames files in bulk with options to automatically insert or delete characters.
  
• Yankee Clipper 3 (http://www.intelexual.com/products) - Expands Windows clipboard by automatically saving anything you cut or copy. Also stores signatures and information that you can paste into many applications.

[TwilightDisciple]

let me share some. Mine are all graphic related.
Blender3d: This is a powerful and free 3d modeling program. Good for us new to the modeling game.

OpenCanvas: If you got a tablet and an internet connection, check this out. You can host your own paint chat with friends from your computer or a proxy server easily. This older version of OC is a nice painting program. It's technically abandonware, but don't let that stop you.

Graphics Gale: If you're into pixel art for fun or GUI, this is a good program. It's simple like MSPaint, but it has layers. Also it's pixel grid system is helpful.

[Sinjo]

If I may, I have a few that people might be interested in

RocketDock - A Dock for windows Such as the one On OSX, You can get customized Icons on the site.

Trillian - A multi chat client, You can chat on MSN, Yahoo, AIM and many other Chat clients (A Pro version is available also)

[waffenbaum]

I thought I'd just add my two cents to the already nice lists:

CCleaner - Formerly Crap Cleaner. An amazing freeware tool that can help you fix things like system registry keys and missing file extensions with a single click. It hunts out useless files like empty documents, folders and useless file extensions and removes them to free up space.

nCleaner - nCleaner, a program much like CCleaner, but with the added options of more in-depth system cleaning and tweaking options, such as quicker shutdowns and restarts in XP and Vista. Also gives the user easy controls over what processes and programs starts up with windows.

Both cleaner programs works excellent together.

MagicIso Virtual Drive - A lightweight, system-effective alternative to CloneCD or any other program you use to open ISO files. Shareware and really easy to use, especially on laptops.

CDburnerXP - As the name suggests, a CD burner program. If one of your drives doubles as a burner, this is an excellent tool. It's free, fast and very light compared to big burner programs like Nero. It's also relatively foolproof for beginners or people who have never burned cd's or games before.

[HeroLief]

I'll share my few here as well.

Paint.NET
A free photo editing software. As good as, if not better, than GIMP. Uses an interface very much like MS Paint.

Google Chrome
A very fast, lightweight internet browser. Simplicity with speed and stability; All the S's needed.

WinRAR*
A very powerful .ZIP, .RAR, and more compressor/extractor.
*Note that it is NOT free, however there is a simple workaround to make it always work. After your 30 day trial, it'll ask you to register when it opens. Instead of hitting [CANCEL], hit the [X] on the popup window in the top right. The popup window will go and WinRAR will continue working as intended.

[cloneof]

This is and most likely will be extremly resourceful topic. I must thank all of the contributers for ensuring that in the future, no member shall be without a good range of freeware programs, but shining my already miserably day .

[TheImpossibleDream]

Some Mac software:

Adium IM- A great, fully customizable and scriptable web chat client that covers all the big names, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Jabber, etc. All into one. Also user-friendly if you're not on the technical side, but you can do some really neat things with it.

Audio Hijack Pro The full version costs, but the free version allows you to record up to 10 minutes of audio without noise.

Google Sketchup- A powerful 3D modeling program by Google.

Chimoosoft Provides a LOT of helpful Macintosh applications, including one that allows for flash and youtube video conversion to a portable device suitable format. Another one is a free screen capture.

Unsanity- has a lot of helpful freeware applications for Mac.

[bogotus]

GSXCC: A program, used to convert .MIDI files into SNES Video game music.

MidiJam: A Program used to see the instruments used in a .MIDI file.

[Aruen]

Weather Watcher (http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/weathe ... tcher.html) - Turns your computer desktop into a personal weather station for more than 77,000 cities worldwide.

Shame, that looked interesting but it seems to be only free for 30 days. Also, the link is dead but you can find it through google.

[MoonCheeseBaby]

If I can make a suggestion.

http://www.dosbox.com/

Delve into the treasure trove of classic games, without having to rebuild a 386.

[Aruen]

If I can make a suggestion.

http://www.dosbox.com/

Delve into the treasure trove of classic games, without having to rebuild a 386.

Ah man, I totally use it. Should have proposed it here. I tend to play Blood and Magic with it, my first RPG game ever. Rawr. <3 It's awesome.

[Aruen]

If I can make a suggestion.

http://www.dosbox.com/

Delve into the treasure trove of classic games, without having to rebuild a 386.

Ah man, I totally use it. Should have proposed it here. I tend to play Blood and Magic with it, my first RPG game ever. Rawr. <3 It's awesome.

[MoonCheeseBaby]

This thread could easily be hijacked by a discussion of all the fun you can have with DosBox.

[Presidium]

CCleaner - Formerly Crap Cleaner. An amazing freeware tool that can help you fix things like system registry keys and missing file extensions with a single click. It hunts out useless files like empty documents, folders and useless file extensions and removes them to free up space.

I must second this. CCleaner is ferggin' AMAZING! For anyone who decides to get CCleaner (which I recommend you do, because its effective, easy, and free), you can customize it so that your Cache folder is cleared everytime you do a clean, which last anywhere between 15 seconds or 10 minutes, depending on how much crap you have. Here's how to do it:

Open CCleaner
>>Click Options on the left-hand side.
>>Click Include towards the left-hand side.
>>Click Add Folder on the right.
>>Enter the folder C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Cache\*.* and click OK.


Also, heres another rockin' kick in the crotch to virus makers and hackers:

Malware Bytes- Free virus scanner. This is a reactive program, allowing you to scan for malware on your computer with ease. I've used this program to get rid of Trojans when other programs like Spyware Doctor and Norton Antivirus didn't do the trick. You can also choose to pay for an IP blocker so the viruses never get in in the first place. It also runs like a dream in Safe Mode, if the virus ever gets so bad you need to use it. Highly recommended.

[ThePharaoh]

Security Software

* Avast Virus Cleaner (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.avast.com]www.avast.com</a><!-- w -->) - Antivirus software (Consumer Reports tested and recommended)
* AVG Anti-Virus (http://free.grisoft.com) - Antivirus software
* Spybot Search & Destroy (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.spybot.info]www.spybot.info</a><!-- w -->) - Antispyware program (Consumer Reports tested and recommended)
* Ad-Aware (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lavasoftusa.com]www.lavasoftusa.com</a><!-- w -->) - Antispyware software
* Comodo Free Firewall (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com]www.personalfirewall.comodo.com</a><!-- w --> - Software firewall
* McAfee SiteAdvisor (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.siteadvisor.com]www.siteadvisor.com</a><!-- w --> - Also runs on Macs with Firefox) - Add-on for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers warns when surfing to web sites known to transmit viruses, spyware, pop-up ads, and other unpleasantries.
* Replicator (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.karenware.com]www.karenware.com</a><!-- w -->) - Automatically backs up files, directories, entire drives.

Are these programs that you download. And they find all of your "viruses" then request a fee of some sort. Or full programs? I think my computer has been infected.