291 replies to this topic

[SwitchFX]

It may seem that way, but in reality this thread was a great idea on Rick's part. If this does becoming pinned, and I'm hoping it will, it'll provide me with a resource of nice programs I can use. I can also refer people to this thread in the future.

[-Dexter]

SwitchFX, on Jul 11 2008, 05:55 AM, said:

It may seem that way, but in reality this thread was a great idea on Rick's part. If this does becoming pinned, and I'm hoping it will, it'll provide me with a resource of nice programs I can use. I can also refer people to this thread in the future.

I support this .

[kewlceo]

tropicalfish, on Jul 10 2008, 07:23 PM, said:

I am beginning to think that we should sort the list of apps.

Yes, I suppose it will quickly come to that as we already have over 50 freeware programs in the list!

[-Dexter]

ÜberIcon

Quote

ÜberIcon creates a more customizable atmosphere on your desktop by extending Windows to perform new effects when you launch your icons and folders. The effects are plugin-based to give you control over the look and feel. The name translates to "OverIcon" which will begin to make sense from the moment you see your first icon fly towards you. It's freeware, so what are you waiting for? Try it out!

[coffeebeans]

Yeah, but the original post was of apps that were extremely useful. Now it's turned into everybody just throwing their favorite junk into the thread. A lot of this is crap I would never use, whereas the original few posts had value to them.

[bigflyersmallbyer]

Windows XP Power Toys - Image resize. Lets you resize images, without the need of photo shop etc.

http://download.micr...wertoySetup.exe

Edited by bigflyersmallbyer, 11 July 2008 - 10:59 AM.

[jetblast787]

coffeebeans, on Jul 11 2008, 04:36 PM, said:

Yeah, but the original post was of apps that were extremely useful. Now it's turned into everybody just throwing their favorite junk into the thread. A lot of this is crap I would never use, whereas the original few posts had value to them.

For most of us this list is very, very useful especially after a clean install of windows. I personally asked for one a long time ago, but it never got done,

[kamakazi]

Xvid4PSP - Nice converter for various formats etc.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Every one you will ever need. VLC + this = everything

Foxit Reader - The free version. Why it isn't up there?

Peer Guardian - Its an IP blocker. Block the bad ppl from connecting to your computer

Popstation GUI - For those who have custom firmware on their PSPs, you can rip PSone  (PSX) games to your computer, and then compile them into the .PBP format that the PSP uses. From there, you will be able to play your favorite PSX games all over again.

RSPsarDumper - This is another PSP-related tool. It allows you to dump and decrypt the PSP firmware files so you can edit files as you please.

Edited by Kamakazi, 11 July 2008 - 01:47 PM.

[coffeebeans]

Iranair747, on Jul 11 2008, 12:58 PM, said:

coffeebeans, on Jul 11 2008, 04:36 PM, said:

Yeah, but the original post was of apps that were extremely useful. Now it's turned into everybody just throwing their favorite junk into the thread. A lot of this is crap I would never use, whereas the original few posts had value to them.

For most of us this list is very, very useful especially after a clean install of windows. I personally asked for one a long time ago, but it never got done,

No I mean people are just coming in now and posting all this free crap that is making a very very long list. It needs to be organized now.

[kewlceo]

Kamakazi, on Jul 11 2008, 10:33 AM, said:

Xvid4PSP - Nice converter for various formats etc.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Every one you will ever need. VLC + this = everything

Foxit Reader - The free version. Why it isn't up there?

Peer Guardian - Its an IP blocker. Block the bad ppl from connecting to your computer

Popstation GUI - For those who have custom firmware on their PSPs, you can rip PSone  (PSX) games to your computer, and then compile them into the .PBP format that the PSP uses. From there, you will be able to play your favorite PSX games all over again.

RSPsarDumper - This is another PSP-related tool. It allows you to dump and decrypt the PSP firmware files so you can edit files as you please.

Kamakazi, can you please provide links so that I don't have to look up each one? Thanks mate.

coffeebeans, on Jul 11 2008, 11:02 AM, said:

No I mean people are just coming in now and posting all this free crap that is making a very very long list. It needs to be organized now.

Yes, I will organize the list into categories so that it is not so overwhelming. And, perhaps bold the best ones.

[kamakazi]

kewlceo, on Jul 11 2008, 02:26 PM, said:

Kamakazi, on Jul 11 2008, 10:33 AM, said:

Xvid4PSP - Nice converter for various formats etc.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Every one you will ever need. VLC + this = everything

Foxit Reader - The free version. Why it isn't up there?

Peer Guardian - Its an IP blocker. Block the bad ppl from connecting to your computer

Popstation GUI - For those who have custom firmware on their PSPs, you can rip PSone  (PSX) games to your computer, and then compile them into the .PBP format that the PSP uses. From there, you will be able to play your favorite PSX games all over again.

RSPsarDumper - This is another PSP-related tool. It allows you to dump and decrypt the PSP firmware files so you can edit files as you please.

Kamakazi, can you please provide links so that I don't have to look up each one? Thanks mate.

Oh sorry. Fixed it.

[-Dexter]

Vista+XP Virtual Desktop Manager

Quote

One of Vista's most talked-about new features is the Desktop Window Manager (DWM). A new set of thumbnail API's can be used to access thumbnails of open windows. This virtual desktop program takes advantage of this new API and uses some tricks of its own to provide a powerful virtual desktop manager with a full screen thumbnail based preview. You can have as many desktops as you want and can seamlessly switch between them.

But wait! What if you still are using XP? Don't worry, Vista/XP Virtual Desktops provides support for XP as well, although window previews are not live since XP doesn't have DWM.

[kewlceo]

Kamakazi, on Jul 11 2008, 11:48 AM, said:

Oh sorry. Fixed it.

Perfect! Thank you very much. List updated with all contributions (65 so far!).

[TechnicolorYawn]

I really like Digby. Especially the way you can make IM windows stay on top of all the other windows.

One problem is that it doesn't seem to be able to communicate with Hotmail enough to be able to mark mails as read. Gmail is fine though

[SwitchFX]

Windows Live Messenger

Download



Windows Live Messenger has a fresh new look, but it's still got all the features you know and love. A messenger program created by Microsoft using the Live network.

Blender 2.4.6



Download

Blender is the open-source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering,
post-production, interactive creation and playback. It is available for all major
operating systems under the GNU General Public License.Mostly a bug-fixing rele-
ase, but it also adds a few new features like subsurface scattering (SSS) support
and two new composite nodes. Version 2.46 includes cloth and fur simulation, phy-
sics caching and baking, shading, glossy reflection and refraction, raytraced soft
shadows, improved rendering features, and more.

OpenOffice.org (Windows) 2.4.1

Download



OpenOffice.org is both an open-source product and a project. The product is a
multiplatform office productivity suite. It includes desktop applications such as
a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation manager, and a dra-
wing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to those of other offi-
ce suites. OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats,
including those of Microsoft Office. Localizations of OpenOffice.org are available
in 27 languages, with more being constantly added by the community. OpenOffice.org
runs on Solaris, Linux (including PPC Linux), and Windows. Written in C++ and with
documented APIs licensed under the LGPL and SISSL open-source protocols, OpenOffice.org
allows any knowledgeable developer to benefit from the source.

[tropicalfish]

kewlceo, on Jul 9 2008, 09:32 AM, said:

This is a compilation of FSW member's favorite FREE PC utilities and apps. What are yours?


File Compression

7-Zip - Compresses to 7z format 30-70% better than zip format. Can also open RAR, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, CAB, and ISO files. Works in Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista. --kewlceo


System Security

Ad-aware - Safeguard your personal information against cyber threats with the original Anti-Spyware solution. --Mr.Carioca

Avast! - Avast! antivirus Home Edition is available free of charge for non-commercial home use ONLY. --Mr.Carioca

AVG Anti-Virus - Free anti-virus. --Jet_A_FuelGuy


Word Processing and other Office Tools

OpenOffice - Compatible with all other major office suites, free to download and use. --lauren

Notepad++ - A free source code editor and Notepad replacement, which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment. --tropicalfish


Audio/Video Tools

Audacity - Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. --tropicalfish

VLC Media Player - Media Player. --pwn247

Winamp - One of the better free Audio/Video media players. --SwitchFX

Nexus Radio - Great internet radio program. --Buzz2112

Xvid4PSP - Nice converter for various formats etc. --Kamakazi

CCCP - Combined Community Codec Pack.  Comes with pretty much every single codec you'll ever need to watch videos/movies with different file extentions and comes with a lightweight "Media Player Classic". --Jet_A_FuelGuy


Networking Tools

Peer Guardian - Its an IP blocker. Block the bad ppl from connecting to your computer. --Kamakazi

PuTTY SSH Client - A free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Win32 and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator . --tropicalfish


Hardware Tools

CPU-Z - Gathers information on some of the main devices of your system. Collects detailed information on your CPU, Mainboard, your Memory, and more. --pwn247

GPU-Z - GPU-Z is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU. --pwn247


Optimization, Cleanup, Defragmentation

AusLogics Disk Defrag - A fast and efficient defragmentation utility for Windows Vista/XP/2000/2003 OS. This is totally free, award-winning software which supports 32-bit and 64-bit (plus dual-core) systems. --kewlceo

AusLogics Registry Defrag - Speeds up your PC by cleaning up the Windows Registry. Vista/XP/2000/2003 (32-bit and 64-bit supported). --kewlceo

CCleaner - A freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. --kewlceo

CleanUp! - Frees disk space and reduces the "clutter" on your computer helping it to run more efficiently. --iGamer

Defraggler - It analyzes the drive and finds the files that are fragmented, and then targets just those files without having to process the entire drive. --rolexdude


File Transferring and Sharing

FileZilla FTP Client - A fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive interface. --tropicalfish

Free Download Manager - Really great program to create multiple connections when you use HTTP/FTP download. --Jet_A_FuelGuy

SmartFTP - Simple easy to use File Tranfer Protocol. --lambo8
Note: SmartFTP is now payware only, so don't download any new upgrades unless you want to pay. --kewlceo


Photo Editing

GIMP - GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc. --pwn247

Paint.Net - Every feature and user interface element was designed to be immediately intuitive and quickly learnable without assistance. --Mr.Carioca


Web Browsers

Mozilla Firefox - Web Browser. --pwn247

Opera - Discover the new standard in Web browsing. Download Opera today to get the fastest and most powerful Web browser available and make the most of your time online. --Mr.Carioca


Not categorized... yet!
DesktopTopia - Updates your wallpaper every specified minutes to a designer choice. --pwn247

Digsby - Instant Messenger Manager, Email Manager, Social Networking Tool. --pwn247

ERuNT - Offers ease-of-use to backup the Windows Registry, as well as providing an auto-backup capability, for example at Windows startup. --kewlceo

ExamDiff - A visual tool for file comparison. It has a number of simple and convenient features that many users have been asking for a long time from a file comparison program. --kewlceo

File Shredder - Remove files from your hard drive without fear they could be recovered. --iGamer



Floola - A Light iTunes Alternative freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod or your Motorola mobile phone (any model supporting iTunes). It's a standalone application that can be run directly from your iPod and needs no installation under Linux, Mac OS X and Windows (Windows Vista is supported). --pwn247

Foxit Reader - The free version.  --Kamakazi






Infra Recorder - Free CD/DVD burning solution for Microsoft Windows. It offers a wide range of powerful features. --iGamer

iTunes - Possibly one of the best computer music library managing programs out there. I was skeptical of it as first, but it's fast, simple, quick, easy to use. --SwitchFX

K-Lite Codec Pack - Every one you will ever need. VLC + this = everything. --Kamakazi



Mozilla Thunderbird - Email App. --pwn247

Mozilla Sunbird - Calendar App. --pwn247

MSGTAG Free - Message tags notify you the moment your messages are opened, with no interaction from the recipient. A great way to keep track of important email status. --kewlceo

Pidgin - Instant Messenger Manager. --pwn247

Popstation GUI - For those who have custom firmware on their PSPs, you can rip PSone  (PSX) games to your computer, and then compile them into the .PBP format that the PSP uses. From there, you will be able to play your favorite PSX games all over again.  --Kamakazi

PowerToys XP - PowerToys add fun and functionality to the Windows experience. What are they? PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after a product has been released. --bigflyersmallbyer

PrimoPDF - A free tool for high-quality PDF creation, comprising a user-friendly interface that enables printing to PDF from virtually any Windows application. --SwitchFX







Quiet Internet Pager [QIP] - The Quiet Internet Pager (QIP) is an instant messaging client. Its most distinct feature is the tabbed message window. --Maverick90

RK Launcher - A free application that will allow the user to have a visually pleasing bar at the side of the screen that is used to quickly launch shortcuts. --experimental_pilot

RSPsarDumper - This is another PSP-related tool. It allows you to dump and decrypt the PSP firmware files so you can edit files as you please. --Kamakazi

Skype - See who you're talking to with free video calls. Simple to set up and simple to use. --Mr.Carioca


SongBird - Songbird is a highly customizable alternative to traditional desktop media players. Point 6 is our public alpha release. --pwn247

Spacemonger - Creates a scrollable, zoomable visual representation of the contents of your HD, with the area of each peice representing the size of a file. --TechnicolorYawn

SpeedFan - Handy tool to check the temperatures your system is running at. --lambo8

Stardock ObjectDock - A program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. --experimental_pilot

TCP Optimizer - The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run. --pwn247

TerraGen - Used to create amazing CG earthscapes. --pwn247

ÜberIcon - Creates a more customizable atmosphere on your desktop by extending Windows to perform new effects when you launch your icons and folders. The effects are plugin-based to give you control over the look and feel. --pwn247

Unlocker/ - Unlocks files that cannot be modified otherwise. --Andrewsarchus

Videora iPod Converter - A free iPod video converter that converts video files, YouTube videos, movies and DVD's so you can play them on your iPod/iPhone devices. --Salem

Vista+XP Virtual Desktop Manager - One of Vista's most talked-about new features is the Desktop Window Manager (DWM). A new set of thumbnail API's can be used to access thumbnails of open windows. --pwn247


Windows Grep - A tool for searching files for text strings that you specify. Although Windows and many other programs have file searching capabilities built-in, none can match the power and versatility of Windows Grep. --kewlceo

WinMD5Sum - Freeware Windows MD5 checksumming utility. --tropicalfish

WinSCP - An open source free SFTP client and FTP client for Windows. Legacy SCP protocol is also supported. Its main function is safe copying of files between a local and a remote computer. --kewlceo

Xfire - Instant Messenger for Gamers. --pwn247

Xplorer² Lite - A file and information manager with all of the goodies from Windows Explorer, none of the hassle! Plus all the features you would expect from a powerful tabbed dual-pane file manager. --kewlceo



YouTube Downloader - It's software that allows you to download videos from YouTube and many others and convert them to other video formats. --SwitchFX


*If you have some to add to this list, just post it in this thread. No payware or trialware, please. Also, please follow the format above and include the link and description.

Thanks,
Rick


--------------------

That's it so far of my attempted categorizing.

Edited by tropicalfish, 11 July 2008 - 07:29 PM.

[iGamer]

Although it's technically not an app, I think you should include Linux. Debian or Ubuntu or something.

CoreTemp: Core Temp is a compact, no fuss, small footprint program to monitor CPU temperature.

Prime95: A program designed to be used to find Mersenne Prime numbers.

AutoRuns: This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them.

[-Dexter]

Gmax

[kewlceo]

Wow, 71 contributions already!

I've categorized them into Desktop Apps/Utils, Multimedia Apps/Utils, and Web Apps/Utils. I think we'll discuss opinions on what should be dropped from the list in order to make it easier to navigate, but meanwhile keep the ideas coming.

Rick

[diluted]

Kamakazi, on Jul 11 2008, 12:33 PM, said:

K-Lite Codec Pack - Every one you will ever need. VLC + this = everything

VLC Player comes with codecs for just about everything. I don't see the need for VLC + codec packs.