essential freeware

[iceni60]

Yankee Clipper III
A powerful Windows clipboard extender/memory- now in its third generation. Handles Pictures, Richtext, URLS, etc - any size. Features printing, drag and drop, optional permanent storage of clippings. Familiar "Outlook" interface.
http://www.webattack.com/get/yankee.html

Locate32
This program saves names of all files in your hard drives to file database. After that you can locate files. Very fast.
this is the fastest HD file locater there is. it is brilliant.
http://www.uku.fi/~jmhuttun/english/softwares.shtml

AM-DeadLink
AM-DeadLink detects dead links and duplicates in your Browser Bookmarks. If a Bookmark has become unavailable you can delete it from your Browser. AM-DeadLink checks Bookmarks from Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla and Netscape. it can also backup your bookmarks to a zip.
http://aignes.com/deadlink.htm

CPU-Z
CPU-Z is a freeware detection program based on the Panopsys hardware detection engine. It allows to get some information on your system, including :


* Processor name and vendor
* Core stepping and process
* Processor package
* Processor current core voltage
* Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier
* Partial overclock detection
* Processor features, including supported instructions sets.
* L1 to L3 cache information : location, size, speed, technology.
* Motherboard information : name, vendor, BIOS, chipset, memory, AGP.
* Memory information : size, type, timings, specifications.
NOTE - it is worth trying this because it is a standalone program (just sits in a folder) so to uninstall just delete the folder :)
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

RJ TextEd
RJ TextEd is a text editor that uses syntax highlighting for any type of files. The editor uses syntax definition files to recognize keywords, tags, strings and other items that you want highlighted in the text. RJ TextEd is a Unicode editor capable of loading and saving ANSI, UTF-8, Unicode and Unicode big endien files.
http://hem.bredband.net/rj/TextEd/index.htm

HD Tune
HD Tune is a hard disk utility which has the following functions:

* Benchmark: measures the raw performance
o Transfer Rate
o Access Time
o CPU Usage
o Burst Rate
* Hard Disk information which includes partition information, supported features, firmware version, serial number, disk capacity, buffer size, transfer mode
* Hard Disk Health
o S.M.A.R.T. Information (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology)
o Power On Time
* Error scan
* Temperature display
* Copy text to clipboard
* Copy screenshot to clipboard
http://www.hdtune.com/

Home Computer Magazine
i've taken a screenshot of the cover of one of the issues.
click on Issues to get back issues.
http://www.homecomputermagazine.com/

Windowpaper XP
Do you like to customize your desktop with wallpaper? Why stop there? With Windowspaper XP, you can put wallpaper in the back of any window—just like your desktop. That's why we call it Windowpaper, because "it makes a better door than your window."

Notes
Any backgrounds added, or any icon text colors changed, will not be removed by simply uninstalling Windowpaper XP! Windowpaper functions by simplifying a feature already available in Windows XP ™ Home/Pro. If you would like to remove a background image or text color you will need to remove them with Windowpaper XP.
Notes 2
i haven't used this program, i believe it is safe to use, but don't blame me if anything goes wrong.
http://www.sodabush.com/products/windowpaperxp/index.php

i'll leave it there for now, if anyone finds any of the programs useful and wants some more i'll post more :)

[bigc73542]

Thanks for the links and info Ice.

bigc

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Thanks for the links and info Ice.

bigc <-QUOTE}
thanks BigC i love freeware and sometimes try out 10 new programs a day. i think some people don't like to install new software just incase it has malware, but i think if you have a few trusted sites you can use you will be OK. plus i scan every new download at places like Jotti's and i scan my system from time to time with my local scanners too, i have about 15.

here is a program i missed out. it is called CS Fire Monitor and is one of the best system monitors there is. there's a link at the top of the page to make a donation. the program's maker sometimes comes here too 8)
http://croftssoftware.com/csfiremonitor.htm

[iceni60]

here's another -
TreeSize: Every hard disk is too small if you just wait long enough. TreeSize tells you where precious space has gone to. TreeSize can be started from the context menu of a folder or drive and shows you the size of this folder, including its subfolders. You can expand this folder in Explorer-like style and you will see the size of every subfolder. Scanning is done in a thread, so you can already see results while TreeSize is working. The space, which is wasted by the file system can be displayed and the results can be printed in a report. TreeSize is Mailware for Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP.

i have to admit i don't have this, but my friend has it and hasn't had any problems with it. i just downloaded and will install. there's one thing though, on the page it clearly says "Windows Freeware" so what does the "TreeSize is Mailware for Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP." bit mean ???
http://www.jam-software.com/freeware/

http://www.jam-software.com/freeware/freeware_treesize_gr.gif

[Ailric]

I always like to find out about good freeware... thanks iceni!

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> I always like to find out about good freeware... thanks iceni! <-QUOTE}
you're welcome, Ailric :) and thanks for posting too; it's good to hear people have/will get something from the list.

i tried to only include programs that aren't too well known, rather then a list of the usual suspects: spybot, Firefox etc. :)

i'll have alook at my bookmarks and post some links to some trustworthy freeware sites. :)

[bch]

Good list.

[slim30097]

Check out HD Thermometer 1.2 by RSD Software. It is very light on resources (approx 250 Kb memory) with HD temp display in Farenheit or Celsius. I especially like the automatic shutdown feature if HD reaches critical temp (user config'd). I had a fan failure on my desktop a year ago - better safe than sorry.

BTW, thanks for the tips - love testing freeware.

Take care,

Slim

[lynchknot]

I really like locate32

speedfan is another (HD/CPU temp monitor/fan speed control): http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

SpeedFan can:

* handle almost any number of South Bridges
* handle almost any number of hardware monitor chips
* handle almost any number of temperature readings
* handle almost any number of voltage readings
* handle almost any number of fan speed readings
* handle almost any number of PWMs

[iceni60]

hi, here's another program called ShellToys XP. it costs $46.00 but you can get the freeware version, before it went shareware and was still a Beta from...(be aware, as far as i know, these are betas.)
http://decentdownloads.x-istence.com/Productivity/Productivity.html

it is also at...
http://www.sover.net/~wysiwygx/WinUtils4.html

i have used both links in the past, however, the second link did once give me some minor problems (high CPU usage while in use).

http://images.webattack.com/screenfiles/shelltoys.gif

[iceni60]

this is a freeware program i like - The Tweaking Experience. however, the program's tweaks show you how to manually modify the registry, so if you aren't 100% confident editting the registry you can use XSetup Pro (http://www.x-setup.net/) which has many of the same tweaks but does it all automatically.

make sure you backup the registry before you start. the best way to do that is to use ERUNT.

as well as the tweaks there are lots of useful links given as well as useful software. the program has 100's of tweaks and the interface and usability couldn't have been made any better IMO.

one problem is that the site is quite often down, it is right now :( if you get to it have alook at the screenshots :)
http://windowsxp.homedns.org/xp/asp/twg/twg.asp

[Matt_Smi]

I always like finding new/good freeware to try and I thought this was a good thread so I am bumping it back up.

[ice60]

{QUOTE-> I always like finding new/good freeware to try and I thought this was a good thread so I am bumping it back up. <-QUOTE}
i'm pleased you liked it. here are some more links :)
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=61093
http://aumha.org/freeware/morefree.htm
http://aumha.org/freeware/freeware.htm

[iceni60]

here are some more, sorry if any are repeats.
Foxit PDF Reader
instead of the huge download of Adobe Reader use Foxit PDF Reader it works perfectly for me. a new version came out a month or so ago.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php

treepad
here's a program i have just started to use for keeping notes, i used to just make a txt or rtf file and name it something like "Things to do" but, i'll use this from now on
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/treepad.html

keynote
this is a more advanced program of the one above if you want something that does more.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/keynote.html

Send To Toys
adds afew more things to "send to" when you right-click something
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download708.html

Boot Deleter
Boot Deleter is an application that adds itself to the Windows Explorer (shell) context menu and allows you to mark files and folders to be deleted when Windows next restarts. This allows you to delete items that are locked by running programs.
http://www.tnk-bootblock.co.uk/prods/misc/

HoverSnap
a brilliant screen capture tool, i have it in my quick launch, so i click on it then press the Print Scrn button and i have a screen shot on my desktop. you can also easily do a partial shot of the screen.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/hoversnap.html

FileAlyzer 1.2 and RegAlyzer 1.1
FileAlyzer: A tool to analyse and display file contents. For advanced users. it can telll you what a files checksum as well as a whole host of other things.
RegAlyzer is a replacement for regedit, so if you are not confident in the registry don't get it it could break your PC
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/#

HostsMan
makes using the hosts file alot easier. it is so easy to use unlike some other similar programs, it can lock it, it can delete duplicates, it can open it in notepad and more.
http://hostsman.abelhadigital.com/

NetMeter
a very good program that shows a little graph on your screen, it can be made transparant too so you can hardly see it. when there is network activity it is displayed on the graph so if you think you might have a trojan or spyware this program can help you catch it. it can also show daily, weekly or monthly upload and download levels and alert you when you reach a certain volume.
http://readerror.gmxhome.de/

DeskPins
DeskPins is a great little program that will keep a window "always on top"
http://users.forthnet.gr/pat/efotinis/programs/deskpins.html

Port Reporter
The Port Reporter tool logs TCP and UDP port activity. you can use other port monitoring tools but most don't keep a record of the IPs, just the programs and ports used.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=837243


XTail
this can be used with Port Reporter (above) to watch the log files in real time. i also use it with deskpins so it stays in view all the time. so XTail is a real-time file viewer
http://www.xymantix.com/programs/xtail.html

PingPlotter
PingPlotter is a network troubleshooting and diagnostic tool. It uses a combination of traceroute, ping, and whois to collect data quickly, and then allows you to continue to collect data over time to give you the information you really need to identify problems (both short-term and long-term trends).

to download PingPlotter go to the bottom of the page a click on:
Download 1.10 freeware version
http://www.pingplotter.com/download.html

[iceni60]

Desktop Sidebar
Don't wait for Longhorn. Start using Desktop Sidebar today!
screenshots (http://www.desktopsidebar.com/screenshots.html)

GT Ripple
i think P2K recommended this in another thread. GT Ripple ripples your desktop wallpaper making water pictures come alive. You can even put a lake into a picture that has no water by using the mirror option! it can hide your desktop icons too.
http://www.gtdesktop.com/?page=gtdesktop_website/gtripple

Tray Pilot
Tray Pilot Lite allows you to hide the System Tray window. It might be useful if you have too many icons in your System Tray and there is not much place left for the buttons of your running applications on the taskbar.
http://www.colorpilot.com/hidetray.html

[gottadoit]

Foldersize is quite useful and a mostly pain free extension for Explorer that allows you to display 2 extra columns to show disk space usage

Get it from http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

The author has made mention at http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/news.html that it needs to be made into a service so a version 2 will come along in a while (it is currently version 1.9.1)

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Foldersize is quite useful and a mostly pain free extension for Explorer that allows you to display 2 extra columns to show disk space usage <-QUOTE}
hi, gottadoit :) i looked at some explorer alternatives and i liked TrackerV3 it also shows disk space and alot more too have you tried it? :)
http://www.trackerv3.com/overview.htm
http://www.trackerv3.com/shots.htm

here's something else, it's called ipodder and works abit like RSS feeds but for podcasts. you don't need an ipod and can just play them on your PC.
http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php

[hadi]

Hi
FreeFile will free a file by finding the process
that holds the lock, and allow you to terminate it.
http://grubletrang.com/Software.aspx?app=FreeFile

Requires the .Net Framework! Download it at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/downloads/list/netdevframework.asp

BTW. Is this .Net Framework useful/needed/useless/unnecessary. thanks

[dog]

{QUOTE-> hi, gottadoit :) i looked at some explorer alternatives and i liked TrackerV3 it also shows disk space and alot more too have you tried it? :) <-QUOTE}I concur Ice ... Tracker is one nice package ... I've been using it for a fairly long time. It's definitely one to recommend. ;)

Steve

[Eldar]

JetLinks
If you want to store and organize your bookmarks, be sure to download JetLinks (http://www.manfred-dahlhoff.de/JetLinks).
Can import/export bookmarks with IE, Firefox and Opera. 8)

This version is still free, but version 2.0 will not. :-\

[HandsOff]

Several posters have have favorable comments for Locate32. Sounds like just what I need. It's getting so I could have a romantic interlude in the time it takes my computer to find files these days! The link provided was to version 3.0 beta. Is that fairly stable?


- HandsOff

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Several posters have have favorable comments for Locate32. Sounds like just what I need. It's getting so I could have a romantic interlude in the time it takes my computer to find files these days! The link provided was to version 3.0 beta. Is that fairly stable?


- HandsOff <-QUOTE}
hi, i have version 3.0 beta 5.1230 and i've played around with the settings and use it 3-4 times a day to find things on my HDD and never had any problems :)

[bigbuck]

{QUOTE-> Several posters have have favorable comments for Locate32. Sounds like just what I need. It's getting so I could have a romantic interlude in the time it takes my computer to find files these days! The link provided was to version 3.0 beta. Is that fairly stable?


- HandsOff <-QUOTE}Hi Hands, I took the top alpha on this page
http://www.uku.fi/~jmhuttun/english/softwares.shtml
Third from top of list. Works great!

[lynchknot]

{QUOTE-> Hi Hands, I took the top alpha on this page
http://www.uku.fi/~jmhuttun/english/softwares.shtml
Third from top of list. Works great! <-QUOTE}I don't understand why you would want "alpha" The latest version is 3.0 beta (2.99.5.1230, 23.1.2005) Alpha builds are pre-beta.

[bigbuck]

{QUOTE-> I don't understand why you would want "alpha" The latest version is 3.0 beta (2.99.5.1230, 23.1.2005) Alpha builds are pre-beta. <-QUOTE}Understand ;) Just thought the Alpha might be more stable/less buggy :-\

[lynchknot]

Alpha stage is a prototype - some functions may not work properly or at all. Most are not released to public for testing. Next is Beta stage where public or private testing is allowed and bugs are addressed. Release Candidates are next. There can be several of them. (more bug chasing and final decisions are made as to which features, functons are to be released)

I may have missed something but that is how I've come to know the stages of software development.

[hadi]

CIS WebServer

{QUOTE-> Make your PC a virtual web host. CIS WebServer makes available your website on the web from your computer. Which means you can host your website on your PC rather than looking for those free host or paying your web hosting company. <-QUOTE}
http://www.cisindia.net/webserver.html

[hadi]

Sorry can't edit my post above. on the same site are some useful apps and more

PC Engineer 1.5
{QUOTE-> PC Engineer is a complete collection of all of the necessary tools to keep your system running smooth, fast, and error free. <-QUOTE}
Stay Online 3.3
{QUOTE-> If you are using dial-up connection and tired up with those frequent disconnections than this software is for you. This software lets you stay online for ever. <-QUOTE}
http://www.cisindia.net/downloads.html

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> I don't understand why you would want "alpha" The latest version is 3.0 beta (2.99.5.1230, 23.1.2005) Alpha builds are pre-beta. <-QUOTE}

Eeeeeeeek! I have have been misusing the term alpha version all this time. Luckily, I am surrounded by idiots so nobody could possibly have noticed! We A-Team fans think Alpha is the best!

From webopedia: Alpha Version -
A very early version of a software product that may not contain all of the features that are planned for the final version. Typically, software goes through two stages of testing before it is considered finished. The first stage, called alpha testing, is often performed only by users within the organization developing the software. The second stage, called beta testing , generally involves a limited number of external users.

From wikipedia: Alpha Version -
Each major version of a product usually goes through a stage when new features are added (alpha stage), then a stage when it is actively debugged (beta stage), and finally a stage when all important bugs have been removed (stable stage). Intermediate stages may also be recognized. The stages may be formally announced and regulated by the product's developers, but sometimes the terms are used informally to describe the state of a product.

Well, live and learn, as they say

Anyway, I am kind of excited because I have been wanting something to turbocharge my searches, but have be too lazy--er--busy to look.


HandsOff




Thanks Buck, I will download the alpha version, but I only feel daring enough to install the beta (after all, this is not new technology, just a new implimentation).

P.S. - Props to Lynchnot, I did not notice you had gone into a more in depth explanation of the terms, hence my little journey through definition wonderland. You said the same thing, you said it first, and more concisely. Still, if you know any dead horses that need a good whipping, feel free to call on me!

[lynchknot]

{QUOTE->
if you know any dead horses that need a good whipping, feel free to call on me! <-QUOTE}
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/supportfiles/beatdeadhorse6up.gif

[HandsOff]

Looks like he needs motivating all right. Needs a little 'attitude adjustment'. Right up my alley!

-HandsOff

[Meltdown]

Agent Ransack (http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/default.aspx) - a very fast way of searching through your documents for a particular word or expression.

SyncBack (http://www.2brightsparks.com/downloads.html) - excellent and very intuitive backup/synchronisation tool.

EveningDew Bible System (http://eveningdew.com/bible/) - in my job I sometimes need to track down a particular expression in the Bible, and this is much faster than working through the concordance or searching a text file. The default text is the King James Version, other versions and translations are available on the downloads (http://eveningdew.com/bible/index.php?url=download) page.

[Robyn]

Thank you for the 'EveningDew Bible System' link - I haven't even downloaded the software but the online system has been of great use already. Really nice to have a link not just for technical/computer useful tools ;)

[hadi]

Diskeeper Lite
{QUOTE-> is a short version introduction to full-featured Diskeeper. Diskeeper Lite can only analyze fragmentation levels and run manual defragmentation on one disk volume at a time. All time and money saving Set It and Forget It® scheduling, system management functions and network controls are shown and explained, but rendered inoperative. This tool will show you how easy the full version is to install and operate across any size network . Diskeeper Lite will help everyone in their selection of the right automated defragmentation software for their homes and/or business sites. <-QUOTE}
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=1207

[Meltdown]

Another one:

Foxmail (http://fox.foxmail.com.cn/english/)

A polished alternative to Outlook Express. Imports OE mail, accounts and address book, displays emails in plain text by default but has a button to toggle for html formatting, another button to toggle the preview pane. It runs minimised in the system tray, with audio and visual alerts (not intrusive but more prominent than OE) for new mail. It includes a spam filter that works very well with the default settings, with Bayesian filtering as an option.

Regarding security, it uses IE's Trident engine, so is approximately as safe as OE with secure configuration (which is safe enough for me). On install it adds a couple of Chinese websites to your IE favourites, which AdAware picks up and removes. Trivial IMO but no doubt unacceptable to some.

[iceni60]

InfoTag Magic
it displays extra data stored in tag fields, like this DLL (my mouse is hovering there)
http://www.contextmagic.com/
http://www.contextmagic.com/downloads.htm

[passing thru]

Useful shell extension and app that I now install on all my systems:

FragExt 1.0.780.3402 - Jul 14, 2005

http://www.mutexed.com/code/FragExt/

"FragExt is free application and shell extension set, designed to help you manage file fragmentation on FAT, FAT32 and NTFS volumes.

The set includes:

-A unique file defragmenter which allows you to defragment specific files rather than an entire volume.

-Windows Explorer column and info-tip extensions for displaying file fragments, extents, clusters, disk space usage and alternate data streams.

-A file property extension for displaying detailed information about a file's, folder's and NTFS data stream's fragmentation information.

-Integration extensions for simplifying the use of the FragExt defragmenter, allowing you to select and defragment files directly from within Windows Explorer.

-Simple reporting features allowing you to save the information FragExt gathers.

-A scriptable defragmentation engine, allowing you to create your own custom utilities."

[hadi]

FILEMAP

FileMap lets you take control of the growing number of files on your system by making record lists of those in the Windows, the System, and the C:\ root directories so you can constantly check what has been added (or removed). (143KB)

http://www.dogkennels.net/filemap/

[iceni60]

i just found this on my HDD, it's similar to Sysinternals' psloggedon.exe from their PSTools, but does alot more.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/ntlast.html

[iceni60]

this is a nice standalone app. it gives lots of info on your motherboard, just about everything. when you click on Function there's a very long list to choose from.
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/CrystalCPUID/1095863951/1

[iceni60]

here are two programs i have just installed and like.

Event Log Explorer: Event Log Explorer is a free software for viewing, monitoring and analyzing events recorded in Security, System, Application and another logs of Microsoft Windows. It extends starndard Event Viewer monitoring functionality and brings new features.
http://www.eventlogxp.com/

and Error Messages For Windows: Error Messages is a small utility that will allow you to look up MS Windows error code numbers and display a descriptive message explaining what the numeric code actually means. If you have software programs that produce numeric error codes now you can find out what they really mean.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Error_Messages_For_Windows_d1405.html

[Meltdown]

WebWasher (http://www.snapfiles.com/get/webwasher.html)

Web filter. I'd never managed to find a true set-and-forget configuration for Proxomitron. Paranoid2000 recommends WebWasher as a simpler, less configurable and less powerful alternative. Blocks what should be blocked and lets through what should be let through, with minimal demands on the user.

[Meltdown]

VLC media player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/)

Recently started using this for video files, excellent features and picture quality. It's happy with most formats, apart from Real. Where other media players go for maximum cheesiness, VLC is beautifully minimalist.

[yogishree]

Another great freeware I recently unloaded and am using is the FastStone Image Viewer 2.20 Freeware (Last Update: Aug 10,2005) :

A FREE image browser, viewer, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats including BMP, JPEG, JPEG 2000, GIF, PNG, PCX, TIFF, WMF, ICO and TGA. Other features include a batch image converter / resizer, a Full Screen image viewer with Select-Zoom support, a crystal-clear magnifier and a slideshow with 150+ transitional effects.

This is available at :

http://www.faststone.org/

:-*

[hadi]

Audacity is a free audio editor. You can record sounds, play sounds, import and export WAV, AIFF, and MP3 files, and more. Use it to edit your sounds using Cut, Copy and Paste (with unlimited Undo), mix tracks together, or apply effects to your recordings. It also has a built-in amplitude envelope editor, a customizable spectrogram mode and a frequency analysis window for audio analysis applications. Built-in effects include Bass Boost, Wahwah, and Noise Removal, and it also supports VST plug-in effects
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

[hadi]

GPEDIT.MSC (Group Policy Editor) isn't available on XP Home Edition
This file makes it possible for xp-home
download zip file "telecharger le fichier zip" from
http://www.astwinds.com/astuces/gpeditxphome.html

[hadi]

WipeCMOS
{QUOTE-> is designed to clear all CMOS settings to recover from lost passwords or corrupt BIOS settings. <-QUOTE}
http://geocities.com/sjwoolham/freeware/wcmos12.zip

[TNT]

THE ABSOLUTE essential freeware for me, it's http://www.cygwin.com; of course that's really because I really am a UNIX person, but that environment really is incredible. It's pretty much like working on UNIX/Linux and Windows at the same time. It also integrates with the DOS commands. Of course, that's hardly a 'newbie' tool. It could helpful for somebody who wants to switch to UNIX/Linux, but I'd say that taking the step of working on a real OS install would be better anyway. But it's absolutely essential for people who switch from UNIX to Windows (like I did at work).

Also, http://www.vim.org, http://www.gimp.org. GNU has also various ports on Windows of UNIX programs, like Emacs.

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> WipeCMOS

http://geocities.com/sjwoolham/freeware/wcmos12.zip <-QUOTE}



That sure would have been handy if it works. Word of caution for pest patrol users, and possible Microsofts Antispy thing. Something like this will probably be designated as malware.

-HandsOff


who knows what "telecharger le fichier zip" is anyway? Is it related to poker?

[ice60]

Araneae 4.5.2
Araneae is a simple, yet powerful, text editor for the web. Araneae (pronounced ah-RAN-ee-ay) provides only the features necessary to create stunning websites with the latest web technologies.
http://www.ornj.net/software/araneae/

[ice60]

ShrinkTo5
ShrinkTo5 is the new, powerful and fast DVD copying engine...ShrinkTo5 can copy movies with an undeniably superior picture quality. No matter if you wish to copy just the main movie or the whole movie DVD, ShrinkTo5 always produces a superb picture quality, since the ShrinkTo5 engine always concentrates on the main movie. No tedious configuration is needed like with other copying tools, ShrinkTo5 will always find the perfect balance automatically.
http://www.shrinkto5.com/

[toploader]

if you want a list of everything installed on your computer including programs - patches - software licences - processes - hardware info etc etc then try Parmavex WinAudit - it's very cute.

it lists all the dlls in your system which is a lot! so if you don't particularly want this info goto....view-->options-->system libraries [dll] and uncheck that box before running.

http://www.pxserver.com/WinAudit.htm

[george75]

{QUOTE-> ...
-HandsOff


who knows what "telecharger le fichier zip" is anyway? Is it related to poker? <-QUOTE}


It means 'Download the zip file.'

George75

[ice60]

ClearTweak™
these are two that i can't see on the list so far and always have installed. ClearTweak™ look at the screenshots at the end of the page.
http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/

PlacesBar Tweaker™
and PlacesBar Tweaker™ again look at the screenshots down the page. when you save something the PlacesBar is set to - History, Desktop, My Documents, My Computer and My Network Places. you can change the options with this program to what you like.
http://www.ioisland.com/placesbar/

Screamer Radio
i like this radio, you can record the stream you are listening to. it's a standalone too.
http://www.screamer-radio.com/

two great standalone whois tools -
Win32Whois
http://www.gena01.com/win32whois/

IPNetInfo
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ipnetinfo.html

[ice60]

Brilliant freeware standalone program. i'm sure there are other programs that do this simple thing. it creates virtual images of harddrives, floppy disks, CD-ROMs or other removable media. This is useful if you want to keep track of that vast CD collection, a problem that a lot of people come across these days. With MaxLister, you can save any drive or folder to a .MXL-file - a database file - and later browse and search it in a Windows Explorer interface...
i just want it to make lists of all the programs i have installed. after seeing toploader's post about Parmavex WinAudit, i don't think it will record all the standalone programs i have. try this out as it's only a standalone, so you can delete it's folder if you don't like it. :)

http://www.acc.umu.se/~max/maxlister/index.html

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> It means 'Download the zip file.'

George75 <-QUOTE}

Thanks George!

I have fallen behind on this thread! I have a question about file indexer's that may be pretty ignorant. It goes like this. I downloaded and ran Locate32, but it wasn't quite what I imagined. I sort of pictured a product that would be transparent to me, and allow me to use the same search icons that windows built in seach uses.

My main complaints with windows indexing, is that it ruins hard drive performance. I do like the convenience of windows search though. I am have heard that yahoo has something called yahoo desktop search. At first I assumed that this was strictly an internet search, but maybe I should take a look at that?

-HandsOff!

PS - Ice60, you have some nice choices! Another Nirsoft product I like is called OfficeIns. It helps Keep tabs on what Office/Word ad-ins are autoloading and connecting to the internet. Seemed to work, but I decided I did not like Microsoft Office anyways so I am now using a superior product. (not free though)

[iceni60]

hi, HandsOff. i think i might be misunderstanding your reasoning, so i'll just try to highlight why i think Locate32 is so good.

Locate32 is lighting fast; you define your search, and as your finger is depressing the enter-key or search-button your results are shown. i have never had it not find what i am looking for.

this speed is achieved by using a tiny file which Locate32 uses to store the information of your drive/s. i don't understand how it could be improved upon ??? - perhaps not having to update the file, but that's not such a problem because unless you're searching for something that's only recently been added you don't need to update the data base.

i was thinking today of putting Nirsoft in my sig, the site is excellent.

[HandsOff]

Hi Iceni-


I guess I should look at it again. I didn't like having to update the index. doesn't it just know when a file has been changed?

I pictured it as being used at the o/s level. in other words xp itself would (transparently to me, you understand) just get the results from index32 and display them when I do my search, be it from windows explorer seach icon, start menu search or whatever. The quick search is a benefit, but at the cost of my having to perform extra tasks and change my habits. You can't imagine how it could be better? Can it fly?

I guess I expect a lot, or why are programmers so damn lazy?


-HandsOff

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> I didn't like having to update the index. doesn't it just know when a file has been changed? <-QUOTE}
hi, HandsOff. no it doesn't :( there are ways around that, i haven't tried them though. open the program and go>Options>Settings>Auto update>Add. there you can select to have it updated. anything from every minute to once a month. there's also the option to do it at startup. you could try that and if you are still happy with your startup time then it could be a solution.

if you want to be able to run it without having to click through alot of things then you can right-click it's shortcut (you might have to put one (shortcut) on your desktop, just while you do this, then it can be deleted) go>Properties, click where it says Shortcut Key and put a combo there.

or you can right-click the Taskbar>Properties and check - Show Quick Launch, and put it there.

maybe pin it to the Start Menu, that's where i have it, by dragging the shortcut to the Start Button, then straight up in the Start Menu.

{QUOTE-> Can it fly? <-QUOTE}
hey, we all know computers, and their software, can fly. for how long just depends on which floor you have your computer

[HandsOff]

Hi Iceni -

All things considered that was a very nice reply. I guess the main thing is just learning to do something differently. And I really do think, that in order to be useful they should have some sort of monitoring of drive activity and accept some parameters for updating, still I don't want to loose site of the very fast search time. Additionally, you should understand I have many more partions than most people, so manually doing stuff one drive at a time is annoying. How many you ask? Well, I think there are only about 3 letters that are not already taken by my drives.

I suppose the super-geek (you?) could customized different boot configurations so that sometimes it would be auto updating and sometimes not. Actually, there may be a better way...maybe someone else has a suggestion on update32 management

I still haven't got time to read all of these posts but I am pretty excited about a couple new free-ware programs I have begun using. I am still assessing but, and should check if they have already be mentioned, but one is just worth mentioning as a generic group. "Dual-Pane" windows explores. In a sense they do for windows explorer, what locate does for search. Much more efficient. I guess I should say the one I am using is called Xplorer-2. Actually, I think I really can recommend it, since it has strong features it adds to exploring.

-HandsOff

[iceni60]

i don't think i'd want it to be able to monitor if it ment having another running process. :-\

all i can say about partitions is, i have more than one that i boot into with this XP install, and as long as the partitions can be reached while you're logged in to the account you are using it from, they will be updated by Locate32. but, if you have to boot into them separatly, which sounds like you do, then they won't be updated.

as for dul-paned explorers, i was talking about it at a frewware forum i belong to and xplorer² was the dual-paned one liked best, the one you have.
http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm

then there was freeCommander
http://www.freecommander.com/index_en.htm

the one i like most isn't dual paned however, it's called Trackerv3
http://www.trackerv3.com/shots.htm
http://www.trackerv3.com/

[iceni60]

here are some more search tools:
Advanced Find and Replace this looks good
http://www.vknoware.com/afr/

Agent Ransack i use this too
http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/

Effective File Search
http://www.sowsoft.com/search.htm

Free Find Replace Tool
http://www.k-free.co.uk/find-replace-software.html

InfoRapid Search & Replace this sounds great, i think it's a text search tool. so it will find words written in files.
http://www.inforapid.de/html/searchreplace.htm

ReplaceEm this is another text search tool.
http://www.orbit.org/replace/

Copernic Desktop Search i can't get to the site so here's another link
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/CopernicDesktopSearch.html

i got all those links, but Copernic Desktop Search, from someone's bookmarks. i haven't used them so scan them if you plan to try them. i might try some. there's only two i don't want to try, apart from Agent Ransack because i already have it :D

[iceni60]

here's something i found in the early morning :o
{QUOTE-> Porta is a small program that turns a directory with JPEG/TIFF images into a neatly formatted web photo album... <-QUOTE}
http://www.stegmann.dk/mikkel/porta/

here are a couple of picture albums i made, it's displayed in your browser.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/2523/18sq.th.jpg (http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=18sq.jpg)

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/2456/21hl.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=21hl.jpg)

the pictures are from one of my wallpaper folders.

[Robyn]

Thank you for this iceni60
I am constantly looking for a web album generator and this one does look good.
I have looked at so many each promising to be easy but have yet to find one I really like and could work with. This is a brand new one for me to look at now - thank you :)

[iceni60]

i was using a couple of different registry editors alot, Registrar Lite and RegAlyzer, until i found this, Registry Jumper, which works with regedit.
{QUOTE-> Registry Jumper is a small and simple utility that enables you to quickly jump to a specific registry path, without having to navigate there with RegEdit. Just enter or paste the path into the box, and the program will run RegEdit and open the desired key <-QUOTE} i even noticed, if you make a slight mistake, it will correct it for you, i'd cut and paste a key and left a full stop (period)(.) or something similar at the end, and it deleted it and went to the right place. it also remembers past searches if you want it to.
http://www.eolsoft.com/freeware/registry_jumper/
http://www.eolsoft.com/download/

this is something i've started to use more and more, it's called TreePad™ Lite. it's great for keeping notes. you can either have a tree, with afew main headings, like it's instruction manual. or just have one main heading, like To Do with a big list under it. or just have single notes e.g. Go to WU

http://images.webattack.com/screenfiles/thumbs/t_treepad.gif (http://www.treepad.com/treepadfreeware/)

[bigbuck]

{QUOTE-> here are a couple of picture albums i made, it's displayed in your browser. <-QUOTE}Nice Ice! BTW, what Opera skin is that?

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Thank you for this iceni60
I am constantly looking for a web album generator and this one does look good.
I have looked at so many each promising to be easy but have yet to find one I really like and could work with. This is a brand new one for me to look at now - thank you :) <-QUOTE}
i've never used any other, this seems fairly easy though, you tell it where the pictures are, it makes the album in the picture's directory. then when you want to see it displayed with Porta, you go into the directory, then into the album and click on index.html. i tried it with IE and Firefox and it didn't look as good with the way i have them setup and theme i have with Firefox. if it doesn't open in the browser you want it to, right-click index.html and select Open With, then pick the browser you want to see it displayed in.

BTW this is the Opera skin i am using, at the top of the page, MeGuiDdo:
http://my.opera.com/community/customize/skins/author.dml?id=Kazu%20Spara

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Nice Ice! BTW, what Opera skin is that? <-QUOTE}
i editted it into my last post, i went and got a load of skins when i got Opera and have been using that skin because it goes with the theme i've been using, the Vista one.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> hardware diagnostics - Everest Home Edition (http://www.lavalys.hu/products/overview.php?pid=1&lang=en) <-QUOTE}
that's really good, i always find that between Everest and PC Wizard i can work out most things i need to, they do all the work, all i have to do is click my mouse button afew times. i used them both the other day to help try and fix my broken CD drive, it's a hardware fault though so i'm going to get a new one. i think just for hardware and especially driver updates Everest is better, plus it's a standalone. but, PC Wizard does alot of other things.

PC Wizard has a great GUI and as well as helping with hardware and driver updates it can tell you your startups, everything about your OS, IE, it can show you all the fonts you have, updates too, installed software, DirectX, Services, associated file extensions, it has afew benchmarking tests. that's not even half of it. has to be seen to be believed :D ;D
http://www.cpuid.org/pcwizard.php

[bigbuck]

{QUOTE-> i editted it into my last post, i went and got a load of skins when i got Opera and have been using that skin because it goes with the theme i've been using, the Vista one. <-QUOTE}Thanks!

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Thank you for this iceni60
I am constantly looking for a web album generator and this one does look good.
I have looked at so many each promising to be easy but have yet to find one I really like and could work with. This is a brand new one for me to look at now - thank you :) <-QUOTE}
it's great to have been some help. ;D i was looking through Porta's pages and they mention XibitMaker, have you tried it? it looks to have abit more to it, but be that bit harder to configure. it looks very good.
http://www.klingebiel.com/tempest/hd/Xibit.htm
http://www.klingebiel.com/tempest/hd/XibitMaker.htm
http://www.klingebiel.com/tempest/hd/Xibit_Albums.htm

[Robyn]

I have just been to the first link and went the one of the albums but when I view one picture there are no back and forward to next.

I noticed the bit about basic mode but when I clicked on it {QUOTE-> You are currently viewing a simplified version of this album. For an enhanced album with additional features, visit this page using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. <-QUOTE} I was in Opera :(

I am definitely going to read about both programs as I really do need one which works with my site. I wouldn't even mind a paid for one if I could find one which has all the bits I like ??? one has one bit and the other another bit lol
I loved the way the first one worked and looked but need to use it to see if the backgrounds can be editted etc
This one will be on my list of never ending album generators - they all look so easy but ......

Just used one called EGG - for my guest book. I think it works in much the same way although very limited and no ongoing development. It is great to see what you have created with the tools - thank you. I gave up on finding a real guest book - another minefield especially if you don't want Bravenet stuff!

Have to laugh your Opera skin is dark and mine is almost invisible!

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> as for dul-paned explorers, i was talking about it at a frewware forum i belong to and xplorer² was the dual-paned one liked best, the one you have.
http://www.trackerv3.com/ <-QUOTE}


One thing that irked me a bit about it was that the default configuration shows just a few of the available tool bar buttons. "The one's most user's would want." I guess I'd be surprised if most users would even try it if they did not want to use most of the other one's too.

I upgraded to the professional version...They got me! It is quite fun, though, so I don't mind. The free version is good, but I have always dreamed of being able to do what the pro version can do.


-HandsOff

[Juggernaut]

Just about everything on this site is essential...and free

http://www.systeminternals.com/

Especially... http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html

[iceni60]

Robyn, later today i'll have alook to see if i can find any good album programs for you :)

HandsOff, i'm in shock, you bought a program and told us about it in this freeware thread. i think i'll have a cold shower to calm myself. i don't use it anymore, but it's a great program all the same

[iceni60]

WinHTTrack
i used this program when i thought where i was going had no internet access. it will probably be useful for laptops when you can't find an access point but know beforehand which websites you will be needing.

what is does is download to your HDD the entire contents of a website. i downloaded the whole of Langa. it didn't very long at all. and worked prefectly first time

it's a very easy program to use, even the first time you use it. but, for more advanced users there are lots of different options and filters. the default settings will work just fine though.

important, please read below
i haven't got it installed at the moment, but the program makers stress the point that when you run this program it is very intensive for the server you are requesting from. so keep that in mind and don't go mad with it. only use it when you really need to.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/httrack.html

[iceni60]

i just found this. if you like freeware it might be worth reading.
http://www.snapfiles.com/opinions/

[Paul2]

Simple PDF Editor is a specialized application for quickly and easily creating Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) documents.This simple utility looks like a first versions of the Word but it actually saves to the PDF format. Adobe Acrobat is not required. Simply open the text or RTF file, select the line feed, page properties, font, and other options, then save it as a PDF. Features: Import RTF (Rich Text Format) and text files; Support russian, turkish, baltic, east europe, greek CJK charset....Note : To save a file as PDF users must add the extension type, ex. : ( somefile.pdf)

@ really nice and very easy to use PDF creator.

http://www.klitetools.com/comments.php?catid=84&shownews=2970

Free GIF animators :

http://www.klitetools.com/index.php?action=news&catid=63

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> i think i'll have a cold shower to calm myself. i don't use it anymore, but it's a great program all the same <-QUOTE}


Everywhere I go, there are always girls rushing to take cold showers!


BTW- does Fast stone ... Faststone...Fastone..its a viewer/album for Robyn...never mind I can't even spell it


(If I ever write a program, I'm going to call it Kat)

-HandsOff

[iceni60]

hi, Robyn, i'll have alook now for some photo albums. have you thought about textamerica? that seems to be what alot of geeks use for their sites.

http://www.textamerica.com/

here are some examples:
http://scobleizer.textamerica.com/
http://tigerbeat.textamerica.com/
http://ambermac.textamerica.com/
http://joelbolt.textamerica.com/

here are some more ideas:
Lakhei Photo Album
http://www.lakhei.com/products_photoalbum.php

DigiBookShelf
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/digibook.html

here's the faststone one
http://www.buzzys.net/faststone.html

Slooze PHP Web Photo Album
http://sourceforge.net/projects/slooze/
http://sourceforge.net/project/screenshots.php?group_id=5831

here's another open source one Coppermine Photo Gallery's
http://coppermine-gallery.net/index.php

open source Zoph
http://freshmeat.net/projects/zoph/

OS again apa
http://freshmeat.net/projects/apa/

this link below might have some good things, but just be careful to scan anything you download. all the other links should be fine
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/webgalleryfreepc/

http://gallery.menalto.com/

http://sourceforge.net/projects/yappa-ng/

http://www.buzzys.net/slowview.html

not sure about this one.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/myalbum.html

i only looked quickly, if i'm board i'll have a better look sometime :)

[Robyn]

Goodness me you have been busy and I will be busy going to the links you have found.
Thank you ever so much :) I had found one called JAlbum or something like that but still need to investigate this. I am only just online this morning and could not believe it when I saw all these links. Really appreciate all the hard work you have done, hopefully I will be able to post back one day with the actual album I have been able to use in conjunction with my sites.

HandsOff - you have reminded me I downloaded Faststone which Eldar uses but did not have time to install as yet. Great to know it also provides an album.

When I get my photo album eventually sorted (oh dear I have quite a few photos to work with!)
I will then be able to concentrate on another application I have researched in the past ::)
I was really about to give up with creating albums but this has renewed my inspiration.

Thank you so much

[iceni60]

hi, Robyn i made this avatar with a program called picture-shark it puts water-marks on your pictures, it's not the best job, but it gives an idea what can be done. if you have one of the bigger graphic programs then you won't need this, that's if you want it, or have pictures you want to put on the WWW that you don't want stolen. i made the eyes greener still :o

EDIT if you prefer the colour of the avatar's eyes in this picture to the ones you have now i can change them and put the result in the test thread?

http://www.picture-shark.com/download.htm

[Robyn]

I have just compared my avatar as it is now to the new 'eyes' goodness you really have brightened them up. When time permits I do like the new bright eyes and would love a copy in the test thread - thank you.

I do have some of the big name graphics software but I have never use the watermark feature but will look at the software you have used for this. I did have a picture taken although it was to my benefit as the lady used my work to provide a link back to my site but................

Going to look at this link and see how it works as a friend is really looking for something like this so it may even be useful to her :)

Yesterday I was giving up with websites and albums as I was getting myself all confused ???
Taken time out to re-think things a lot and formulated a few ideas which I can try before giving up completely. Going to try some more of the album software as I have a little 'play' site for a few more months which I can use to test how they would look on a re-vamped site - hopefully not as clumsy as they are now!

I really do appreciate the actual work you do not just a link but providing a picture after you have used the software. My confidence in testing software 'just to see' is not good at all but your research has helped me a lot.

loads of hugs for helping me & giving me much needed confidence :)

[iceni60]

This, i think really is something everyone should have on their PC. It's a brilliant guide to just about everything you need to know about your computer. from Basic Terminology about everything. e.g. bits and bytes, memory, floppy drive, graphics cards, speakers and headphones, PSU (Power Supply Unit) heatsinks and fans etc, etc. to software to use, references to other guides, BIOS settings and optimisation, formatting HDDs, Ports - serial, parallel, game port, IDE channels, how to deal with conflicts, what can be disabled, Virus cleaning, Trojan scanners, spyware - all malware. Backing up data, muilt-booting, driver installation order.

those mentioned above are just afew things i picked out from the very top of the guide. it really is that good.

It's a PDF, so if you don't have a PDF reader, maybe you could do a search for Foxit Reader and use that? as it's tiny compared to Adobe's reader.

download it, you won't regret it.

http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html

[HandsOff]

Quote from their website:

Note: This guide was formerly called 'The Windows XP Tweaking Companion' (XPTC). The content remains exactly the same, however the name has been changed due to legal action by Microsoft.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That sounds like a strong endorsment to me. I will be giving my copy a place of honor among my tweaking guides!


- HandsOff

[chachazz]

@ iceni60 - PDF reader ;)

Here's the latest Foxit Reader:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=99961

[se7engreen]

Opera 8.5 freeware; now that they've removed all ads and banners, it's an incredible free browser. Premium support is still available for a $29 USD fee.

http://www.opera.com/

Also GhostWall is great if you want to setup a light, "no noise" firewall for Gramma :).

http://www.ghostsecurity.com/index.php?page=ghostwall

[MICRO]

Curr Ports
Another little no install 45kb beauty from www.nirsoft.net that I would not be without.
Displays the list of all currently open TCP/IP ports on your comp.
For each port in the list, info about the process that opened the port
is displayed, including the process name,full path of the process,version
info of the process, (product name,file descript. and so on).
Time the process was created and the user that created it.
Allows you to close unwanted TCP connects.,kill the process that opened
the ports, and save the TCP/UDP ports info. via a HTML,XML or
tab-delimited text file.
Also Auto. marks pink any suspicious TCP/UDP ports owned by unidentified
Apps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click Off
I would not be without.
www.johanneshuebner.com
This Auto clicks buttons on error messages and dialogs.
Closes browser popups etc.
( all I did was alter the milliseconds response from 1000 to 500 )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CapureNprint
I would not be without.
www.geocities.com/blue_dragon_1964/main.html
( This super App. does have a 30 second banner ad box on opening
only,which can be lost for $10 )
It does a few things but I need it to capture the 'scrolldown' web site pages,
which it does superbly.

Regards.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Quote from their website:

Note: This guide was formerly called 'The Windows XP Tweaking Companion' (XPTC). The content remains exactly the same, however the name has been changed due to legal action by Microsoft.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That sounds like a strong endorsment to me. I will be giving my copy a place of honor among my tweaking guides!


- HandsOff <-QUOTE}
it's very good, i think i might have had that old version at one time ;D but, not any more, it eas lost with a reinstall.

{QUOTE-> @ iceni60 - PDF reader ;)

Here's the latest Foxit Reader:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=99961 <-QUOTE}
thanks, chachazz. but, i stopped updating when it started being an install, and i saved a copy of the last none install - version 1.3 Build 0504. if anyone wants it i'll upload it to an upload site.

[Robyn]

I wondered about this with Foxit and did use the install one the last time.
I only use it for viewing pdf files and do not need anything fancy with it.

I would prefer the old one back if possible. I have 1.3.0.167 normally I keep old copies but don't can't find this one.
I presume I just uninstall and then run the little exe one?

I thought I saw old versions on the download link but have lost them again ???

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> I wondered about this with Foxit and did use the install one the last time.
I only use it for viewing pdf files and do not need anything fancy with it.

I would prefer the old one back if possible. I have 1.3.0.167 normally I keep old copies but don't can't find this one.
I presume I just uninstall and then run the little exe one?

I thought I saw old versions on the download link but have lost them again ??? <-QUOTE}
if you have already installed it it's probably not worth uninstalling, unless you used an uninstaller to install it. i also have version 1.2 Build 0201 too which seems to load the pages, when you click the page numbers at the side, instantly, which version 1.3 Build 0504 doesn't - it's slightly slow, the GUI isn't as good though.

Robyn, if you want to do a search for them, the .exes are called FoxitReader.exe and/or PDFReader.exe

here are two places which say they have the older versions-
http://www.download.com/Foxit-PDF-Reader/3000-2079_4-10365812.html
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4510

[Robyn]

Thanks I will have a look and then decide if I should uninstall previous, did not use an uninstaller. I did run the trial of TU once but then realised there was much more to the monitoring than I thought ??? I have a good registry cleaner which may help.
I found a version dated April but not too sure what the actual data is. (I had renamed the file)

[yogishree]

{QUOTE-> This, i think really is something everyone should have on their PC. It's a brilliant guide to just about everything you need to know about your computer. ----- download it, you won't regret it.

<-QUOTE}

This is really good . I did have occasion earlier to go thru some of the articles in this guide but never knew that the whole thing is available in PDF AND free

Thanks a tonne .

[HandsOff]

Here is one to warm the heart, and I hope it has not already been refered. It's called Adobe Reader Speed-up (v1.32)

The name says it all, except that it is simple to install, and you only need to run it once to configure Acrobat, and then any time you need to reconfigure.
It simply sets seldom used components such that they do not load at start up.

Some statistics from my use:

Acrobat Pro 6 time to start with arsu: about 2 seconds
without, but being reopened: about 10 seconds
without, startup for first time: about 20 seconds

you decide. you can wait 10-20 seconds if you want...Not me!



- HandsOff

[Arup]

Ditch Acrobat reader which takes up 63mb on your hdd for the excellent and free Foxit reader which only occupies 2mb on your hdd and loads in a flash,whats more, it doesn't put a start up entry in your system. For printing PDF, try out free and open-source PDF Creator which does an excellent job, as good as the full Adobe suite, I was using version Adobe 6 full till I found these gems.

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/

http://www.mrbass.org/freeware/pdfcreator/

[Rico]

Hi Iceni60,

How about a nice safe place to get free software try:

http://www.pricelessware.org/thelist/index.htm

and

http://www.cleansoftware.org

also

http://www.mirekw.com

the above will get you MWSnap screen grabber, try this one, I'm almost ready to donate.

Do you think you can make a living writing freeware & asking for donations? Or don't quit your day job?

Take Care
rico

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Hi Iceni60,

How about a nice safe place to get free software try:

http://www.pricelessware.org/thelist/index.htm

and

http://www.cleansoftware.org

also

http://www.mirekw.com

the above will get you MWSnap screen grabber, try this one, I'm almost ready to donate.

Do you think you can make a living writing freeware & asking for donations? Or don't quit your day job?

Take Care
rico <-QUOTE}
hi rico, thanks for the links http://www.wilderssecurity.com/images/icons/icon14.gif the cleansoftware one looks really good. alot of people use MWSnap here, but i use HoverSnap (www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm) which i really like. maybe i'll try out MWSnap.

i think you can make a living from writing freeware, or perhaps donationware instead, but it's probably not the norm. however, if you want to give it a go here are some freeware programs :)

IDA Pro - Freeware Edition. a disassembler
http://www.simtel.com/product.php?id=29498&sekid=0&SiteID=simtel.net

RJ TextEd is a text editor that uses syntax highlighting for any type of files. The editor uses syntax definition files to recognize keywords, tags, strings and other items that you want highlighted in the text. RJ TextEd is a Unicode editor capable of loading and saving ANSI, UTF-8, Unicode and Unicode big endien files...
http://hem.bredband.net/rj/TextEd/

http://www.freeprogrammingresources.com/frcomplr.html

here are some links i just found...
http://perl.about.com/library/weekly/topicsub_genprog.htm
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/c.htm
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Programming/Languages/C/Tutorials/

i have recently been reading about programming - ARM Opcodes and processer registers etc and really like it. can any programmers suggest any good free programs, please?

[yogishree]

{QUOTE-> ... it puts water-marks on your pictures, it's not the best job, but it gives an idea what can be done. if you have one of the bigger graphic programs then you won't need this, that's if you want it.... <-QUOTE}

Hi Ice ,

Could you please suggest some of these programs , preferably , with good help files . Shall also appreciate helpful links explaining the basics on the subject.

Thanks.

[Rico]

Hi Ice,
I do not write code, can't even play kiddie scripts. Thanks for the programing links though, someone will find them useful. I am curious as to whether or not, someone can make money at writing freeware. Allot of the freeware is very polished, and should be rewarded, if used consistently. Hence my poll,

Are you a giver or just another user. Thank you for your vote. Like Spywareblaster, geez almost everybody, uses this wonderful piece of freeware. Does the author drive around in an old VW or does he drive a new Mercedes, from is SpywareBlaster efforts? Note as I've aged, I find myself, very likely to donate, if i use. I think there may be an age aspect to whether or not someone will donate.

Also of interest to USA residents:

www.salescircular.com

choose a state & see whats on sale in your neighborhood. Wow!

Take Care Ice, nice chatting with you
rico

[HandsOff]

Hey Rico, that salescircular site produced some pretty good deals for me...and one neat item that i don't need but i like it. A swiss army knife with USB 2.0 memory. you gotta love it.

-HandsOff

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Hi Ice ,

Could you please suggest some of these programs , preferably , with good help files . Shall also appreciate helpful links explaining the basics on the subject.

Thanks. <-QUOTE}
hi, yogishree. i know diddly about graphics programs, sorry. they'll be able to help you if you ask in the Paint Shop Pro & PhotoFiltre Talk thread though, i'm sure. :)

{QUOTE-> Hi Ice,
I do not write code, can't even play kiddie scripts. Thanks for the programing links though, someone will find them useful. I am curious as to whether or not, someone can make money at writing freeware. Allot of the freeware is very polished, and should be rewarded, if used consistently. Hence my poll,

Are you a giver or just another user. Thank you for your vote. Like Spywareblaster, geez almost everybody, uses this wonderful piece of freeware. Does the author drive around in an old VW or does he drive a new Mercedes, from is SpywareBlaster efforts? Note as I've aged, I find myself, very likely to donate, if i use. I think there may be an age aspect to whether or not someone will donate. <-QUOTE}
i really have no clue if freeware writers make alot of money, normally they say the money they make keeps the site up and that's it. afew places show how much has been given and it's not much. i have given once and that's it.

[Rico]

Hi Handsoff,

Wow! Now you can cut with the precision of a surgeon! And you get to do it in my favorite place on earth S.F. & the bay area. Lucky stiff!

Take care
rico

[HandsOff]

Okay, here's something I came across that I like. Adobe's website has a 20 page "primer" on fonts. However boring that may sound, for me it fills in quite a few gaps in knowledge. And the termanology! Ascenders, x-heights, false small caps, opticals, lower case digits just to name a few. Well, you can down load the 20 page primer as a pdf. That's right, you have a genuine reference to add to your body of knowledge. Drink up!

http://www.adobe.com/education/pdf/type_primer.pdf

Rico, you may not live in the bay area, but you do have a cool sounding name. Beats the hell out of "Mac". I must re-install my atlas to figure out where azusa is. It sounds hot.

Anyway, I was born here, which means I probably don't deserve to be here, but still gives me the right to reminisce and irritate all the newcomers. I am still waiting to hear about my application to become a living historical landmark.


- HandsOff

[iceni60]

CamStudio.
CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files. i have it installed and it works perfectly and is very easy to understand.

so if you want to explain something, instead of taking lots of screenshots and editting arrows etc. or writting a long explainations (like this!) you can just record it then upload to a site like Rapidshare.de

http://camstudio.org/
http://www.majorgeeks.com/CamStudio_d4646.html

here's a site you can upload to that's free to use.
http://rapidshare.de/

[Rico]

Hi Handsoff,

When you become a landmark, it will be the "Handsoff Landmark" landmark. For the geographically challenged Azusa or (A to Z in the USA, as Azusans spell it) is near the City of Angels aka LA, also Pasadena.

I'm waiting for the sale on the USB, two MB hammer. Which will tell the user, velocity of swing, strike impact force, & deluxe model calculates blow angle, & corrective angle, to get that crooked nail in straight.

Almost forgot this thread is about freebies: Some of my all time favorites are:

ccleaner, regseeker, spyblaster, iespyad, spybot, adaware, mwsnap, google desktop search.

Take care
rico

[HandsOff]

Rico-

Have you ordered the digital baseball (real item) that displays the mph of your throws.

Hey went to that rapidshare.de site. (de is for dutch?). That is an awesome concept, and how can they do it for free? One thing though. I was on the site that the link pointed to and was reading, and my little downloading gauge, you know that row of boxes in the lower right of the browser the shows the progress of downloads kept quickly cycling. as if to say that I was downloading something. But I wasn't downloading anything. Why did it do that?

HandsOff

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> (de is for dutch?). That is an awesome concept, and how can they do it for free? One thing though. I was on the site that the link pointed to and was reading, and my little downloading gauge, you know that row of boxes in the lower right of the browser the shows the progress of downloads kept quickly cycling. as if to say that I was downloading something. But I wasn't downloading anything. Why did it do that?

HandsOff <-QUOTE}
.de is German - deutland (is that how you spell it?). i don't know why it keeps killing and refreshing the page, i think it's so it can keep track of you.

[Rico]

Ice,

sp. Deutschland. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?



HandsOff - So that's how they know how fast the baseball is moving, in the big leagues.

{QUOTE-> rapidshare.de site <-QUOTE} - Why go there? Kind of scary that download thingie! Hope your next post is not about an infection.

rico

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Ice,

sp. Deutschland. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?



HandsOff - So that's how they know how fast the baseball is moving, in the big leagues.

- Why go there? Kind of scary that download thingie! Hope your next post is not about an infection.

rico <-QUOTE}
i don't speak German ;D

i have used Rapidshare afew times and never had any problems with it. i found a site that links mostly to it that has 100s of great books about networking, programming, hacks - everything about computers; i'd give the link but afew of the books on the list are copyrighted and shouldn't be offered as free downloads.

here's a link to similar sites if you don't like the look of Rapidshare.
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=99021

[Rico]

A very wonderful freebie, not sure if it was mentioned previously is: ERUNT super way to backup & restore "all" of the registry & remove or compact same. Check-it-out at:

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

rico

[Scoobs]

Here are a couple of pages of good recommendations:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm
http://www.techsupportalert.com/extended.htm

[HandsOff]

yeah, I have been influenced a bit by that list. I'm not as gung-ho as he is, but I'm working on it. One program sounds pretty cool, but I've not fired it up yet. it is the 34th best program:

34 Best Free Web Site Ripper

The time is right for this. with everyone trying to force you to scurry all over the net to find documentation that should be on your computer.

It can record a whole site (it says) recursively, so you can just sit back and read at your leisure. of course, some sights would be too large...i would think. If anyone's tried it, tell me how it works. (actually, i already have a target in mind, but just have other programs ahead on my must install list. there is about a 3 month waiting list at this point!


-HandsOff

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> yeah, I have been influenced a bit by that list. I'm not as gung-ho as he is, but I'm working on it. One program sounds pretty cool, but I've not fired it up yet. it is the 34th best program:

34 Best Free Web Site Ripper

The time is right for this. with everyone trying to force you to scurry all over the net to find documentation that should be on your computer.

It can record a whole site (it says) recursively, so you can just sit back and read at your leisure. of course, some sights would be too large...i would think. If anyone's tried it, tell me how it works. (actually, i already have a target in mind, but just have other programs ahead on my must install list. there is about a 3 month waiting list at this point!


-HandsOff <-QUOTE}
hi, i have it and it's great. it's easy to use to.

[HandsOff]

Yeah, but you say everything's easy to use. To gain credibility you need to tell me something that is noteasy to use.

Anyways, thanks for the encouragement. I'm annoyed because I have not been learning the features on my new software because i do not want to join a club (sign up for a user group) just to learn the basic operation. It's more than stubborness and laziness (though they factor in). I want reference material when I need it, not some nebulous website that I may not even have access to in the future. Sheesh, why do we put up with this?


-HandsOff

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Yeah, but you say everything's easy to use. To gain credibility you need to tell me something that is noteasy to use.

Anyways, thanks for the encouragement. I'm annoyed because I have not been learning the features on my new software because i do not want to join a club (sign up for a user group) just to learn the basic operation. It's more than stubborness and laziness (though they factor in). I want reference material when I need it, not some nebulous website that I may not even have access to in the future. Sheesh, why do we put up with this?


-HandsOff <-QUOTE}
i've never read the instructions for anything. i find it easier and quicker to just play around with the software. i'm sure alot of other people do that too.

{QUOTE-> To gain credibility you need to tell me something that is noteasy to use. <-QUOTE}
i haven't used it but, i'm sure it would take awhile to understand this. :D
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1dacdb3d-50d1-41b2-a107-fa75ae960856&displaylang=en

[Rico]

Hi All,

Not real sure if this was previously posted in this long thread, but worth mentioning again regarding "essential freeware" is:

MVP's host file*

Hoosters (new version available 2.0) see: http://www.funkytoad.com/hoster.htm


*I feel strongly about this, so if you have not check out: http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=87769 esp. posts 7 - 12

PS - Ice what do those characters mean in your sig? I understand if thats private.

Thanks
rico

[RipVanTinkle]

here's some of those I use

Iconoid
http://www.sillysot.com

Erunt & NTRegopt
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

Directory Lister
http://www.krksoft.com/

Exact Audio Copy
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de

Blocklist Manager
http://www.bluetack.co.uk

AMP Calender
AMP FontViewer
http://www.ampsoft.net

CCleaner
http://www.ccleaner.com/

Hoster
ZonedOut
http://www.funkytoad.com/zonedout.htm

Monitor Asset Manager
MultiRes
http://www.entechtaiwan.net/util/multires.shtm

RivaTuner
http://www.guru3d.com/rivatuner/

Peer Guardian
http://phoenixlabs.org/

FastStone Image Viewer
http://www.faststone.org/

FindAndRun Robot
ProcessTamer
Mircryption
Screenshot Captor
Clipboard Help+Spell
UrlSnooper
http://www.donationcoder.com

nVHard Page
http://www.guru3d.com/nvhardpage/

System Information
http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> Ditch Acrobat reader which takes up 63mb on your hdd for the excellent and free Foxit reader which only occupies 2mb on your hdd and loads in a flash,whats more, it doesn't put a start up entry in your system. For printing PDF, try out free and open-source PDF Creator which does an excellent job, as good as the full Adobe suite, I was using version Adobe 6 full till I found these gems.

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/

http://www.mrbass.org/freeware/pdfcreator/ <-QUOTE}


I have been pondering your response...Actually, my Acrobat version takes up 245 MB of my hdd. Part of me says there must be something i need in all that. Another part says not likely. I think I will try your recommendations. I can't stand waiting, but I'm not keen on reconfiguring my options either. If it is supercool I might return for a unsolicited testamonial.


- HandsOff

[Arup]

Since I have used the full Acrobat version and now have thoroughly tried out the free option, there is nothing that I see missing in them as regards features, however maybe some other power Acrobat user would find it out better.

[iceni60]

HandsOff you could try this one to see if you like it. if it's the version it says it is (1.2 build 0201) it's a none install, standalone version. the versions now are installs.
http://www.download.com/Foxit-PDF-Reader/3000-2079_4-10365812.html


HFNetChk - Shavlik Technologies Network Security Hotfix Checker
here's a program i just found on my HDD - HFNetChk. i think it's the engine behind Microsoft's Baseline Security Analyzer. it checks your MS hotfixes

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/hotfixchecker.html
http://www.snapfiles.com/screenshots/hotfixchecker.htm

if you run the -vv switch you get the link to the missing download and a description too.

[iceni60]

Disktective
i like this program because it's a none install. i needed to see hard disk usage for my C drive. i tried Treesize but for me i need something that shows a pie chart. Disktective was the best none install i could find. it's by the same person who wrote TreePad Lite which i use for note taking.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/disktective.html

[HandsOff]

Well here is my unsolicited review of foxit acrobat reader refered to previously.

It so far seems like a great pdf reader. I have set it for default. Now, because I like their program, I am going to attempt some damage control on their behalf. Apparently at Foxit, they think it is a mighty good idea to antagonize their potential clients by putting a irritating red advertizement on the toolbar. This can be deactivated by going to view and unchecking advertizement. That is bad enough, considering that since you just downloaded their product you have already seen what the have to offer already...But no, it is necessary to go through this scenario 4 or 5 times. Thankfully the offense stops here. unless you relocate the program folder which will make you "Go back, Jack, do it again.." Then, finally, it seems to be satified.

Since I like the program, like I said, I thought I would let people know that the insulting behavior is only temporary!
--------------------------------------------
Late addition - So far as I can tell there is no ability to create bookmarks, only to use existing ones. This will not make it an optimal reader to read novels with.

- HandsOff

[RipVanTinkle]

Some more of my favorite Freeware :)
I run these on Win2K


Unziplify v1.3

http://www.silverbandsoftware.com/tabdown/unziplify/index.html

Unziplify provides an easy one-click method of extracting an entire
folder full of ZIP, RAR, and ACE files. Simply right-click on a folder
or drive in Windows Explorer, and select "Unziplify". Every archive
found in that folder will be extracted at once. Its the most painless
way to extract archives yet!

===========

Zipalot v3.22

http://www.ractive.ch/gpl/zipalot.html

Most of the unpack programs only can handle one archive at once. With
ZipALot you can extract (unace, unrar and unzip) multiple files at once!

===============

WinPack v3.00

http://snoopy81.ifrance.com/snoopy81/en/winpack.htm

an alternative to ZipScan
This program acts as GUI shell for command line’s unpackers, used for
InstallShield v3.0, v5.X, v5.5 & v6.X archives:

==================

Windows Enabler

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/speedload/index.html

Windows Enabler allows the user to enable disabled windows and
controls such as buttons and tick boxes and choose menu options
that would normally be disabled.

=================

LS - File List Generator v1.53

http://home.a03.itscom.net/tsuzu/programing/en/

This software collects the information about all files and subfolders
located under your specified path and generates the list in various
file formats. Despite its small program size, it processes high-volume
contents at a high speed with the easy-to-use user interface.

=========================

Bunch of nice Freeware here

I use dsMD5, dsSHA and sometimes Edxor

dsSHA produces SHA-1 digital file signature. Like CRC or MD5 it can be
used for detection of file tampering by viruses, hackers, etc. and integrity
verification of copied or downloaded files. dsSHA is so small that it could
be simply included in distribution packages. dsSHA is fast,
dependency-free and does not need things like MFC or VB.

dsMD5 produces MD5 digital file signature (use like dsSHA)

EDXOR is a versatile, convenient and optimal text editor and file processor
that far surpasses the capabilities of other Notepad-like applications. It
offers innovative clipboard handling, cryptographic options and logic text
conversions, great for education, fun, or privacy. EDXOR is small,
self-contained, dependency-free and very fast. It provides over 90 menu
items, including many unique functions and options, for diverse
applications

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nulifetv/freezip/freeware/index.html

=============================

Cathy v2.22

An extremely small, very fast and easy to use media cataloging tool. You can
use it to index files stored on removable media (CD-ROMs, LS120, Iomega
Zip and Jaz disks, or even diskettes), hard disks or net drives, and create
searchable catalogs that can be used without having access to original
media.

http://rvas.webzdarma.cz/

===================================

FileNote
CopyURL
Clip Clear

http://www.moonsoftware.com/

FileNote is a little shell extension that allows you to add textual descriptions
to your files. It adds one command to the shell context menu of a file object.
This command lets you easily edit or create a text file that has the same
name as the initial file, but with the extension TXT.

ClipClear is a tiny proggie that just clears your clipboard contents. It
installs itself into the tray area (near the clock) and allows you to clear
the clipboard by just clicking on its icon

CopyURL is a shell extension that helps you to copy different information
from your Internet Shortcut files (entries in the Favorites folder or *.url files)
to the clipboard. Then you can simply paste it from clipboard to your
e-mails, HTML editor or other documents. It adds commands Copy URL,
Copy Link and Copy Name to the shell context menu of Internet Shortcut
files.

==============================

RdocEx
RegSvrEx

http://www.mlin.net

RdocEx is a nifty shell add-on that adds the programs you run as well as
the documents you open to your Recent Documents menu.

RegSvrEx is a shell extension that provides convenient and quick registration
for ActiveX DLLs and OCXs. A great tool for ActiveX developers - much more
convenient than regsvr32!

=============================

IP To Country Converter v2.0

http://gleb.zerobrains.com/apps.html

Type in an IP and it tells you the country it comes from ;)
Website seems to be down

Includes database for the above - updated 13th October 2005
Uploaded here

http://rapidshare.de/files/6896738/zzyy7eer5.zip.html

=========================

FolderMaker v2.1E

http://www.kisnet.or.jp/nappa/software/winsoft.htm

Nice configurable folder maker which can create multi-level
folders plus multi-level sub-folders. There's a Japanese only
program called Folder Creator on site too which looks even
better.

==========================

Ninotech Path Copy v4.0

http://home.worldonline.dk/ninotech/index.htm

Ninotech Path Copy is a shell extension that enables you to copy the
path of a file or directory to the Clipboard. You can then paste the
path to your document, e-mail, etc. You copy the path of a file or
directory by right-clicking it in the Windows Explorer and choosing
Copy Path from the context menu. The context menu then offers nine
standard ways of copying the path, in addition to the user defined
copying methods that you create yourself:

===========================

MD Folder v1.1

http://come.to/nttools

Do you still get angry about the way you have to create a new folder
with Windows Explorer? MDFolder is the solution. By clicking the
right mouse button at the desired folder and choosing New Folder
you getting a new folder with a name of your choice!
This works with Win2K and possibly with XP as well.

==============================

InfoTip Extension v2.0.4.106

http://www.na.rim.or.jp/~norio/

InfoTip is a new shell feature that was introduced by MSIE4.0. The small
window that appears when you point the Mouse Cursor at My
Computer or Recycle Bin etc. InfoTip Extension adds this InfoTip feature
to files that are not supported by MSIE. You just need to point at a file if
you want to view it's information.

=========================

CROA v1.5

http://davidcrowell.com

CROA - Clear Read-Only Attributes
CROA adds an entry to the context menu for folders that allows you to
clear the read-only flag of that folder, all subfolders, and files. This is
particularly useful after copying files from a CD-ROM to the hard drive.

==========================

ContextEdit v1.2

http://www.pcmag.com/utilities/

ContextEdit lets you control which items appear on your context menu--the
menu that appears when you right-click on an item in Windows Explorer.
The context menu often contains numerous rarely-used commands. These
commands come from one of two places: shell commands stored within
the system Registry, and context menu handlers. The source of the menu
item is transparent to the end-user, but still has an impact. Windows
Explorer lets you add or remove simple shell commands, but gives you no
control over context menu handlers. ContextEdit lets you control both
types of context menu items. It also allows you to disable context menu
items without removing them entirely. Another unique feature is the
ability to add shell commands to all files regardless of type, or to all files
without an associated program.


Startup Cop v1.1

When Windows starts up, it automatically launches a number of
programs for you. Some of these come from the Startup folder.
Windows also looks in six other locations for files that should be
launched at startup. Startup Cop helps you handle problems with
programs that are automatically launched at startup by listing them
and letting you disable, enable, or delete them. You can save the list
of programs that are currently enabled or disabled as a profile that
can be restored at a later time.

Does anyone have Startup Cop Pro 2?

These programs are now only available to subscribers at PCMag

Both programs uploaded here

http://rapidshare.de/files/6896855/zzyy7ggy6.zip.html

===========================

Faber Toys v2.6 Build 52

http://www.faberbox.com/fabertoys.asp

Excellent process viewer and much more

============================

musikCube v1.0 RC2

http://www.musikcube.com/

I like this program a lot. Straight forward interface though sadly
lacking support from DSP pluggies - coming soon they say.
musikCube is more than an "mp3 player," it is a music "library."
musikCube currently supports mp3, ogg, ape, flac, and cd audio file
formats.

===========================

Linos Dependency Check v1.0

http://linos-software.com

This program will help identify all the OCX or DLL support files required
to operate any Windows 32 bit executable (EXE) file. Very handy for
beginner programmers who wish to confirm they are supplying all the
necessary files within their install program.

======================

Some neat proggies here

http://www.contactplus.com

I especially like Stats2000

=========


:)

[Arup]

Nice list Rip Van Tinkle.

Hands Off,

Have you tried the PDF creator by now?

[HandsOff]

Hi, I agree, very nice list by Rip. All the better because so many are both useful and unfamiliar to me. I will be trying many of them out. I will say this, Rip, judging from the number of files that have to do with file operations, I think you would be a prime candidate to appreciate XPlorer2. The free version, while it nothing compared to the full version is still lightyears ahead of windows explorer. I believe you will find it supports Windows 2000 quite well. Too many features to list, I will only say if you manipulate large quantities of files every day this program will save you hours every week, compared to windows explorer.

Arup, sort of got confused by the website, but my impression was that the PDF Creator was

- Still in Beta, but
- The still want to charge $39 to use it once your trial time is up

or maybe they meant that it will be $39 once it is a gold version.

Maybe the Beta version has an expiration, maybe not.

Maybe I need to go back and check if you meant a product from a completely separate company from the Acrobate Reader.

Just to many things that I have to find out, so I guess I will wait until they can make themselves a bit clearer on the website.

As to my experiment with Acrobat Reader Speedup, my timing may have been, as usual, very bad. Immediately after rendering alot of adobes plugins useless, I then proceded to install a new browser which was then unable to handle Acrobat on websites.

This is all too complicated. For all that Acrobat Professional is very slow, at least it can handle everything I have become used to being able to do.

My new strategy is to leave Acrobat Pro fully functional, but keep the free Foxit reader installed as well. If I feel like I don't need to create bookmarks (like a quick lookup in a user manual) I will open with Foxit Reader. I believe it will get plenty of use to justify its roughly 1 MB of size (compared to Acrobat Pro's 245 MB). So all in all, your suggestion ended up being better for me than the Acrobat Speed up route that I took!


-HandsOff

[Arup]

Handsoff,

PDF Creator is fully free and as functional as full Adobe Acrobat for printing PDF, check it out at http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator

[pdf]

Please, Arup
sorry to sound dump. the link you provided transferes to(see pic)
which one of these is the PDF Creator. and what is the difference betweenAPFLGhostscript.exe and GNUGhostscript.exe Thanks

http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/2682/pdf6yb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Arup]

Download PDFCreator-0_8_0_GNUGhostscript and then the patch Patch02-PDFCreator-0_8_0 After installing PDF creator it will ask you to reboot, do so and then apply the patch and you are all set.

[pdf]

very much appreciated

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> Handsoff,

PDF Creator is fully free and as functional as full Adobe Acrobat for printing PDF, check it out at http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator <-QUOTE}

Thanks Arup-

I must have got to the wrong site before. I assume it reads too, if it can write. Anyway, I will try it next time I loose patience with Adobe Acrobat.


Iceni-

I did try that HT Track website copier. It did work, which still amazes me. If you have a fast connection, you might want to change the default connection settings.


- HandsOff!

[Uguel707]

Two little graphic programs I like.
Both freewares and no need to register to download.
One of them, twisted Brush was a payware in the past
but it is now free.

ArtRage is both for kids and grown-ups. It's fun
painting with it as you get the sensation of
painting on a real canvas. They will improve
the software in the future and have no intention
to ask for money.:)

http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html
http://www.pixarra.com/download.html

[Arup]

Hands Off,

PDFCreator only writes, for reading, you have to open it with Foxit or other free readers.

[HandsOff]

Boy, I just can't get anything straight!

I think what I really need is a faster computer, then I don't need to think about these trade offs.

-HandsOff.

P.S. - There is a great sounding application that I was to lazy to download and install. it converts to regular text, the windows explorer windows. I always think, nah, I don't need that, but guess what? I sure need it now! If I ever find it and use it I will let you know how good it is.

[Arup]

Handsoff,

I have a dual 800MHz Xeon with 2MB cache and a dual 2800 Athlon 64 bit machines, the former with 1GB ram and the later with 2GB ram, even I feel better when running light applications with which I get the same results as running a heavy one, maybe something is lacking in the light one, I for one am yet to find it though.

[Nick Rhodes]

SMARTFTP http://www.smartftp.com/ -- Very nice, free for non profit and private use, clean, nice familar user interface, reliable, maybe not as feature rich as some other ftp software, but my preference for regular uploading of small files to sites.

ExamDiff
http://www.prestosoft.com/ps.asp?page=edp_examdiff Great quick and easy file comparer.

Free Download Manager http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/ Nag free nice simple interface, intergates with ie5 and ie6 faultlessy (problem I have had with other free download managers is not catching all downloads).



HT Track - I tried and tested loads of FREE website copiers, this was the only one that would crawl sites completely and properly, I have a few dynamicalyl generated sites that most crawlers fell over on, HT Track was the only one that could do the site without hickup.

Thanks to this thread I now have a number of tools that I use, pingplotter, hdtune, foxit pdf viewer are definate stayers on my machine.

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> Handsoff,

I have a dual 800MHz Xeon with 2MB cache and a dual 2800 Athlon 64 bit machines, the former with 1GB ram and the later with 2GB ram, even I feel better when running light applications with which I get the same results as running a heavy one, maybe something is lacking in the light one, I for one am yet to find it though. <-QUOTE}


Considering its age, my computer is pretty decent. This is the first time i've been able to say that 3 years after the purchase.

I have to say I like full featured programs over light ones. The problem with light programs is that the creaters almost always throw the baby out with the bath. On the other side, pay programs (and sometimes free ones) often attempt to leave holes that must be tolerated, or plugged with expensive extensions, or compensated for by yet another program, which in turn may well have too to be extended.

I get used to a feature in an application, and then I will always miss it if is gone. For example, with Acrobat Pro, I do not have to download extensions in order to view pdf with firefox. I can read and write pdf. I can create bookmarks in long documents, and add own comments. Well, actually, I had to help that along a little. Some pdf docs are locked, but I got hold of a that can unlock them. (not a free program, i think). I was working through a 300+ page document that comprises my backup software users guide. What is wrong with paranoid knuckleheads that make a 300 page guide and lock it so that the end user cannot bookmark it and add comments?
I believe that they can be locked so you cannot copy text and images, but the workarounds are trivial. I do admire people who can peice together streamlined solutions, and I have no doubt that your solution is better for you. For my part the document is my focus, not the viewer.

"I want to be pope. I want to be king. I want to be pope and king."
- Quote from Second City TV


-HandsOff

P.S. - Iceni stated s/he was trying to include less common freewares. I admit I always get annoyed because no one likes the ones I like, and the ones I like are usually very well known anyways. I will throw a well know one out there just to see if, as usual, it gets panned:

Roboform. You've heard of it...have you tried it? The free version, of course, has some holes in it, however it is still very functional. Roboform remembers passwords and logins for you. The twist is this, if you can believe (try): You are actually more secure with your password stored on your computer, than typing it in yourself. For several reasons. It definitely adds a layer to your security. Yet, even I can almost use it easily. Let me dredge up the download site...wait, not quite...this is the slick argument that sold me and they provide a link: http://www.thundercloud.net/cdrom/roboform/

[manOFpeace]

Registry Cleaner, RegCool. V 3.105 from 3.104. New release to-day.
I use this and would highly recommend this cleaner.

Filesize: 659 KB Platforms: Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000 and X

Softpedia guarantees that RegCool 3.105 is 100% FREE, which means it is a product (both for personal and commercial use) that does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors.

This software product was tested thoroughly and was found absolutely clean, therefore it can be installed with no concern by any computer user. However, it should be noted that this product will be retested periodically and the award may be withdrawn, so you should check back this page and especially the date of testing shown above. :D

http://home.tiscali.de/zdata/regcool_e.htm

[Bob D]

{QUOTE-> Hands Off,

PDFCreator only writes, for reading, you have to open it with Foxit or other free readers. <-QUOTE}

Available also is GSview (which also requires Ghostgum's Ghostscript), which reads, prints pdfs. Plugins available for various pdf conversion capabilities.

[Arup]

Is Reg Cool a reg cleaner or editor?

[iceni60]

two games i like are Warblade (the trial version) and Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3.5 i think in the past there were some problems with Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3.5 and bluetack. but, i have never had any problems with Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3.5.

i am about to install them both on my fresh install of XP. :)

Warblade
you can get the trial version of Warblade below.
http://www.warblade.as/index.asp

Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3.5
Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3.5 has exact versions, down to the music, of the old classic games Asteroids, PacMan, Pong, Snake, and Space Invaders
~Removed -dog- file infected with Trojan.Clicker.Vb.Dn~

here's one more game:
Mario Forever
http://www.caiman.us/scripts/fw/f1052.html

and here are some sites:
www.caiman.us/
www.gamehippo.com/
www.acid-play.com/
http://www.the-underdogs.org/company.php?name=Freeware
http://www.addictinggames.com/

{QUOTE-> Iceni-

I did try that HT Track website copier. It did work, which still amazes me. If you have a fast connection, you might want to change the default connection settings.

- HandsOff! <-QUOTE}i told you it was easy to use. i'm happy it worked out for you 8)

[iceni60]

Rainbow Folders
here's a program that changes the colour of folders, like Vista might, either to make them look better or to help find them in a big directory like system32. it doesn't run in the background, just makes the changes then closes
http://www.rainbowfolders.aionel.net/

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8027/keriopicture7im.jpg

[StevieO]

Hi,

I tried something similar to Rainbow Folders a while back, it might have actually been that ! It didn't seem to work properly and also put some data into each folder etc as i remember. Anyway i may give it a shot and see if it's any better as it would be a useful enhancement.


Here's one for Global Force who always seems to have trouble with his hxxp's lol, or anyone else for that matter.

Convert & Open

No more copy and pasting of incorrect/invalid URLs. Convert & Open automatically repairs bad links such as h**p, f*p, htp:site.com, and converts back slashes to forward. Removes blank spaces, link breaks, tabs and bad characters. Also restores missing slashes and repairs bad emails. Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP

http://camtech2000.net/Pages/Useful.html


StevieO

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Hi, I tried something similar to Rainbow Folders a while back, it might have actually been that ! It didn't seem to work properly and also put some data into each folder etc as i remember. Anyway i may give it a shot and see if it's any better as it would be a useful enhancement.

StevieO <-QUOTE}
i just checked and you are right. it drops the icon in the folder and uses an .ini file to configure it. but, i suppose that's a good thing because otherwise it would use the registry.

so far i have used it with afew folders and it works perfectly. it could be the XP theme i am using at the moment, but the buttons you click to set it up are hard to see - you have to click on the words as they are the buttons. select the colour then click on the word "colorize" click "decolorize" to put it back to normal and click "confirm" for a preview.

[StevieO]

I DL Arcade Classic Arcade Pack v3.5 and then scanned it at Jottis. It appears to come bundled with some kind of a Trojan ! It's a shame as i know some people who would have loved to play with those. If anybody knows of same/similar but safe then please advise.


Here's something that might be handy, and it must be one of the smallest Apps i've seen at Only 4.00 KB.

Trayconizer allows you to minimize virtually any application to the system tray rather than having it take up valuable space in your taskbar.

You can create a shortcut in your Startup group to execute Trayconizer on a program that you use frequently but want to keep tucked out of the way in the system tray when you're not using it. There is even an option for starting the application initially in the minimized state.

Trayconizer will automatically shut itself down when you close the program you are Trayconizing. Additionally, multiple Trayconized programs are handled by a single instance of Trayconizer to avoid wasting system resources.

Trayconizer requires no DLL's beyond the base Win32 API libraries and will not store any entries in your registry.

Win 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP

http://www.whitsoftdev.com/trayconizer


StevieO

[HandsOff]

Hi Iceni -

I am very interested to see how they do that! I do a similar thing to change my hard drive icons. color coding them really does make using them easier. I like making and modifying icons, but I havent taken the time to figure out how to replace some of them. But this is very simple, and some people might want to try it. it requires that each hard drive have an autorun.ini file that is very short, it just points to the second file which is your chosen replacement icon. Below is the contents of the autorun.ini, which is just a plain text file:


[autorun]
icon = .\mxoicon.ico


That's it! Have fun!

- HandsOff



P.S. - I never heard of Jottis...that sounds worthwhile!

[HandsOff]

StevieO -

I downloaded Trayiconizer, but i've become so hooked on quicklaunch that I'm not sure if I will like it. I can fit over 40 launches for just one little strip of space!


- HandsOff

[24we]

{QUOTE-> StevieO -

I downloaded Trayiconizer, but i've become so hooked on quicklaunch that I'm not sure if I will like it. I can fit over 40 launches for just one little strip of space!


- HandsOff <-QUOTE}
Your idea of quicklaunch sure differs from mine

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5074/quick1tm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[AvianFlux]

{QUOTE-> Rainbow Folders
here's a program that changes the colour of folders, like Vista might, either to make them look better or to help find them in a big directory like system32. it doesn't run in the background, just makes the changes then closes <-QUOTE}Nice program, iceni60. For some reason it colorized SlimBrowser's Favorites folders in the toolbar's dropdown menu. The problem is I didn't select those folders for colorizing, and there is no hidden 'Ikona' file in SB's Favorites directory either. ::)

[MICRO]

{QUOTE-> StevieO -

i've become so hooked on quicklaunch that I'm not sure if I will like it.

- HandsOff <-QUOTE}
Hands,

I hope that's a very different QUICKLAUNCH to the one Symantec refers,
by Readme Soft., version 2.0 ?
Talking about being hooked, they say a Keylogging,Screencapturing piece of Spyware - Risk - High.

Type QUICKLAUNCH into Google and note the second response.

Regards.

[Nick Rhodes]

Microsoft's toolbar is called "Quick Launch", not "Quicklaunch" ;)

[Sputnik]

{QUOTE-> Download PDFCreator-0_8_0_GNUGhostscript and then the patch Patch02-PDFCreator-0_8_0 After installing PDF creator it will ask you to reboot, do so and then apply the patch and you are all set. <-QUOTE}
I'll recommend the one with AFPL Ghostscript. This will deliver better quality...

[Arup]

Agreed on the APFL, currently though I am using the version 8.1 RC1 and it also works real good.

[HandsOff]

Nick R, I will take your word for that, and yes that is what I meant, XP's very own quick launch. And if someone had the balls to blatantly hijack the name of one of XP's features in that manner, I for one, would not mind seeing Microsoft go to town on them.

But let's not get carried away with pro-Microsoft rhetoric here. All I'm saying is it is free, configurable, and efficient.

24-we, First I'll say that your screen looks very nice from what I can see of it. I have implimented space scenes before, and let me tell you, all of my on-screen icons were in on the charade. Yes, the Enterprise was an icon, and all manner of klingon, Romulan, Ferengi, ect as well as star bases satelites comets. Still, I didnt have your slick background. I usually am happy with what I have until I see someone with something that I just HAVE to have. I saw one of the Iceni's that lurk around here have the word "Iceni*" where Bill said there should be the word "Start". So I asked how, and the rest is history....only...I have the enterprise logo...Hah!

As far as customizing this and that, everything is preference. Not to be criticle, but my current rule is no icons on the desktop period. I like the cleaner look and the ability to put wallpaper there. Yes Just a humble picture, and my quick lauch.

What I like is to have my 43 Quick Launch icons where I can see them. The majority are linked to applications. Yes, I do have some folders too. They are not identicle, and they are not manilla either. I'm not saying that I'm lazy. I will click start and then one of the addition 34 icons there, but I have gotten used to 90% of the time seeing and clicking.

*** in a rare moment of soul searching I think ***
I can't believe I am sitting here defending my
Quick
Launch
icons.

Dammit, I love my quick launch icons. Just leave me along so I can launch in peace!


QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIICCCK LAUNCH!


- HandsOff

Here's a program for you might like. I hate it when my programs have meta data and i have no clue and no say on what they are. Its like my own programs are out there talking about me behind my back. OKay check this. It not only lets you view, but you can edit. Notice the nice interface. I am liking this!

[hadi]

Crimson Editor
{QUOTE-> is a professional source code editor for Windows.

This program is not only fast in loading time, but also small in size (so small that it can be copied in one floppy disk).

While it can serve as a good replacement for Notepad, it also offers many powerful features for programming languages such as HTML, C/C++, Perl and Java.

Syntax Highlighting for HTML, C/C++, Perl, Java, Matlab and LaTeX. Also, it can be extended for other programming languages based on custom syntax files.

Other features include undo/redo, user tools, macros, spell checker and more. <-QUOTE}http://www.crimsoneditor.com/

[hadi]

DIALux 4.0
{QUOTE-> The DIALux lighting design tool is being used by more and more lighting designers worldwide and an increasing number of reputable luminaire manufacturers worldwide use this platform to present their data. DIALux is continually being developed and maintained. The result is DIALux 4.0. <-QUOTE}
http://www.dial.de/xe/index4.html

[hadi]

The NetBeans IDE 4.1
{QUOTE-> which was released in May 11, 2005, includes Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) development capabilities. This new release allows developers to not only develop applications in the web tier but also includes Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) and web service development capabilities. NetBeans IDE 4.1 is a single platform with out-of-the-box development capabilities and support for enterprise (J2EE 1.4) applications and web services, mobile/wireless Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) applications and services and desktop Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) applications. The robust open source Java IDE, has everything that Java Software Developers need to develop cross-platform desktop, web and mobile applications straight out of the box.
When you download the NetBeans IDE, you get a modular, standards-based development environment with all the key functionality in one download, rather than a series of additional plug-ins. Write, compile, debug and deploy Java programs for the Solaris, Windows, Linux and Macintosh platforms. <-QUOTE}

http://www.netbeans.org/products/ide/

[StevieO]

Hi all here's a few more for you.


Freefile + WhoLockMe- find what process has locked a file

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

If you've seen any of the above messages and wondered what program locked the file, here is a utility for you: FreeFile. Freefile will track down the offending process and, optionally, kill it for you. Some readers may already be using WhoLockMe, a similar program.

Either one is invaluable when this situation occurs. The difference between them is: WhoLockMe is an Explorer extension which must be installed before use, while FreeFile is a simple standalone executable that you can just open and run - no installation on the target computer is necessary.

http://www.dr-hoiby.com/WhoLockMe/index.php

Freefile

This software is developed by GrubleTrang Corp

You must have the .Net Framework in order to run this program.

http://grubletrang.com/Software.aspx?app=FreeFile


Loads of GRAPHIC stuff and tweaks etc on here.

Collected tweaks & links to change the look.

http://www.virtualplastic.net/


StevieO

[Franklin]

Ever wondered why your hard disk is full? Or what directory is taking up most of the space? When using conventional disk browsing tools, such as Windows Explorer, these questions may be hard to answer.

With SequoiaView however, they can be answered almost immediately. SequoiaView uses a visualization technique called cushion treemaps to provide you with a single picture of the entire contents of your hard drive.

http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/

[roflmania]

just a reminder, not all free stuffs come in handy.

im not being cynic but some program developers have something more than what you see up their sleeves.

[hadi]

POV-Ray 3.6
{QUOTE-> is a high-quality, totally free tool for creating stunning three-dimensional graphics. It is available in official versions for Windows, Mac OS/Mac OS X and i86 Linux. The source code is available for those wanting to do their own ports <-QUOTE}
http://www.povray.org/download/

[TonyW]

{QUOTE->
Foxit PDF Reader <-QUOTE}I've been using this since Acrobat Reader v6 started getting heavy.

[Nick Rhodes]

{QUOTE-> just a reminder, not all free stuffs come in handy.

im not being cynic but some program developers have something more than what you see up their sleeves. <-QUOTE}

Some... very few IMHO. They run the risk of being caught out, just look at the Sony DRM software issue that is in all the news at the moment.

One of the advantages of open source, rather than closed source, is that the source code is there for disection, so there is nothing to hide.

I always run new software assuming the worst is gonna happen (be it a bug or nasty intentional feature), too many people run/install software (legal or pirated) far too trustingly.

[NICK ADSL UK]

Friends i am looking for some Video Editing Tools that you know of and of very high quality when burned to DVD. Cyberlink's magic directer is excellent and the end result's very professional also being very nice and simple but unfortunately on my computer it is very slow as this software needs a high end processor. So any help here would be much appreciated
Many thanks in advance
http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/products/main_49_ENU.html

[HandsOff]

Let us know what you find, Nick! I have tried editing video several times, but loose patience with it. Ulead was very efficient but it crashed me a couple of times.

- HandsOff

[MICRO]

{QUOTE-> just a reminder, not all free stuffs come in handy.

im not being cynic but some program developers have something more than what you see up their sleeves. <-QUOTE}
Rolf,

at http://groups.google.com/group/alt.comp.freeware?hl=en

about a 7 scrolldown

Spyware Alert: Goldfishfreebies
Julian
Nov.11

Regards.

[iceni60]

here's Arcade Classic Arcade Pack again, this time the file is clean i promise. it's a different version - 3.8. it's really good these are the games it has:

Asteroids, Pac-Man, Pong, Snake, Space Invaders, and Tetris.

http://www.download.com/Arcade-Classic-Arcade-Pack/3000-2099-10453027.html?part=winmp&subj=dl&tag=feed&jump=winmp

MD5: 82C7BF063C55325B2821C20949952CA1

[RipVanTinkle]

I stopped using Adobe Reader too :)
Foxit does all I want it to do - so far

StevieO
cheers for the VirualPlastic link. I got a good number of programs from
there in the past but forgot all about it since upgrading my system
earlier this year

[dog]

{QUOTE-> here's Arcade Classic Arcade Pack again, this time the file is clean i promise. it's a different version - 3.8. it's really good these are the games it has:

Asteroids, Pac-Man, Pong, Snake, Space Invaders, and Tetris.

http://www.download.com/Arcade-Classic-Arcade-Pack/3000-2099-10453027.html?part=winmp&subj=dl&tag=feed&jump=winmp

MD5: 82C7BF063C55325B2821C20949952CA1 <-QUOTE}Yes but be careful if you install it it comes bundled with Foxit Security Suite ... it's labelled and you can opt out of it.

[JerryM]

{QUOTE-> I've been using this since Acrobat Reader v6 started getting heavy. <-QUOTE}

Hi Tony,
I downloaded it and installed a few months ago, but somehow it did not work. When I went to a PDF file Acrobat came up, and Foxit would never open and do the job. I am sure that it was something about the way I installed it or set it up, but I could never figure it out so I uninstalled it.

Jerry

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> Yes but be careful if you install it it comes bundled with Foxit Security Suite ... it's labelled and you can opt out of it. <-QUOTE}


Err..Dog...I'm sure you meant to say Foxie Security Suite. I don't know anything about FSS, however aside from the slightly sneeky install tactic, something about their graphic somehow seems a bit twisted to me.

Hey, Jerry, don't worry, I do feel silly mentioning these things because they are obvious, and from what I have read in your posts you are pretty good with a computer still...since in works quite well for me, possibly due to a newer version I will say them anyways. The most obvious is checking the folder properties in windows explorer and look up the .pdf extension and change it from acrobat to foxit, if necessary. The second one might not even apply, but I know that when acrobat is installed it will put somekind of helper file in your startup folder. I always take it out, but maybe if you don't, then it might be somehow activating acrobat.

Now for the big news. I downloaded a mindreading program. I will try it. If it works I will not tell anyone...who would?


- HandsOff!

[StevieO]

RipVanTinkle glad you enjoyed rediscovering them !


iceni60 does this mean that you've installed the Arcade Classic Arcade Pack and tested them now ?

I DL and scanned at Jottis again and this time got an all clear. Just a little concerned about the Foxie Security Suite that dog mentioned, even though it seems that you can refuse it !


StevieO

[iceni60]

{QUOTE->

iceni60 does this mean that you've installed the Arcade Classic Arcade Pack and tested them now ?




StevieO <-QUOTE}
yes. i knew i should never have mentioned it and there had been problems with it, it's just i love Asteroids. anyway, all the games work fine apart from Asteroids :| the screen stays blank! has anyone else installed it? does Asteroids work? i may install version 3.7 and see if it works. it is clean though.

[iceni60]

this is my favouite download manager. it reaches 3 times the speed of downloads without it and it will resume downloads at a later date, or if the connection is broken. it will support up to 8 concurrent downloads. A built in web parser even lets you download complete websites with all images and scripts in no time. the interface is very good, It also includes a full-featured FTP client to download, delete and manage files on FTP servers In addition, LeechGet provides many features, such a automatic downloading, resume of broken downloads, download timer, automatic hang-up and shutdown and more. there's a Firefox and Opera plugin too and lots of setup options e.g. automatically scan completed downloads.

if you are interested i would get it quickly because this is an older version to the one on the home page. the one on the home page only supports 1 download at a time.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/leechget.html

[Arup]

There is another good, free and stable Freedownload Manager from www.freedownloadmanager.org which is still under development and supports almost all the functions of other paid download managers including mirror search, preview of movies while they are being downloaded and of course segmented fetching of file from different servers, you can also do FTP, virus scan on download and best of all, it supports unlimited number of concurrent downloads.

[Mysterion]

You can play Asteroids, Pacman, Space Invaders etc. at Neave Games (http://www.neave.com/games/).

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> You can play Asteroids, Pacman, Space Invaders etc. at Neave Games (http://www.neave.com/games/). <-QUOTE}
excellent, they're the same games aren't? i mean the same software as the install version by the same person. i'll just play Asteroids there instead ;D thanks

[HandsOff]

This program and I are still together after many reinstalls. We're still having fun, and it's still the one! Convert.exe converts many different unit measurements into many other ones.

Josh tries very hard to make things the best they can be. As he puts it,
"I'm somewhat of a perfectionist (admittedly, not very good at it)..."

Spoken like a true perfectionist! Find Convert at: http://www.joshmadison.com/software/


-HandsOff

[Arup]

If you like Convert please give Versaverter from http://www.pawprint.net/vv/

I have used many and this is one heck of an app. Their World Timer is also another excellent freebie.

[HandsOff]

Hi Arup-

I have used their world timer, but something about it bothered me. For one thing, I guess it by default wants to connect periodically to do what? verify the clock times? I guess I'm a little conservative in the area of software opening connections for what appear to be frivolous reasons. Maybe others are more exact than I am. when I say 10:00 am, I mean 10:20, and so on.

Plus, and I know this is just vague paranoia kind of stuff, but it seemed to have an awful lot of registry entries, and autostart entries. I am a minimalist. A paranoid minimalist at that.

The following sort of amused me when I saw it. it really is direct from My Documents.


-HandsOff!


P.S. - There is a really cool program that has a world clock in sort of a graphical form. The world is sort of flattened out, and the projection of earth's shadow tells you at a glance where it is morning, daytime, ect...
There used to be a free version, but it seems not to be free. I think it was called Geo-clock. I'm trying to find the free version. It was a simple thrill, yes, but it was a cheap thrill!

[Arup]

Have been using WT for years, you can easily turn off the auto sync and set it to manual in WT, best off all, it can be configured easily and it has plenty of features including stopwatch, timer, calender with alarm and to do reminder feature and many more, best off all, check out the attached filter to see how it sits on your desktop.

[HandsOff]

Hi Arup -

Maybe I should have asked if anyone could vouch for it before I uninstalled it. I miss having a world clock of any kind. If you have used it as long as you say, I feel I can install it with confidence. If I can find my geoclock I will use it. It wasn't necessarily better, but I like globes, and maps, so I liked looking at it.

- HandsOff!

[Arup]

Yes, give it a try, I like to make it compact but you can have it with analog clock interface too and with the map running in background. You can also turn off the auto sync feature if you want, I keep it on because it keeps my clock synced although I don't know why I need it synced so well:)

[RipVanTinkle]

this might be of interest

Breitling World Time

http://www.breitling.com

the one I like is Earth Time

http://www.desksoft.com/

would like to find a Freeware one which does the same
thing and has the same type of map

[iceni60]

i think Ubuntu is great and i don't think i'll use Windows again, i haven't used it since i did the install. Ubuntu is abit complicated, but i have only used it a week and i feel more comfortable with it now. i haven't even thought about using windows. i'll definately never use it again only as a backup if something goes wrong. here's something to prove my point.

http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2005/11/10-things-that-make-ubuntu-neophytes.html

http://www.ubuntu.com/

[Joliet Jake]

http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/2006/about2006PL.php

4 sysinternals products have been awarded "best of the best" by alt.comp.freeware newsgroup participants.

Plenty other usefull freeware too.

[InfinityAz]

I could use some help. I'm looking for a good thought/information/note organizer. I tried Mybase and like it but wanted to see what you might recommend.

What do you use to collect, organize, and save all the snippets of information you collect from various sources?

Thanks for the suggestions/help.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> I could use some help. I'm looking for a good thought/information/note organizer. I tried Mybase and like it but wanted to see what you might recommend.

What do you use to collect, organize, and save all the snippets of information you collect from various sources?

Thanks for the suggestions/help. <-QUOTE}
here's a thread which might help.
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=73079&highlight=treepad

[Fernando Villegas]

I don't know how you guys dare to use freeware espically these obscure ones.

You never know if there is a rookit or trojan hidden in it.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> I don't know how you guys dare to use freeware espically these obscure ones.

You never know if there is a rookit or trojan hidden in it. <-QUOTE}
i've downloaded 1000's of programs and i haven't even had a tracking cookie in the last year. i know i linked to something which was infected earlier in the thread here (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=599752&postcount=140) but, i also said "in the past there were some problems with Arcade Classic Arcade Pack" i hadn't scanned it before i linked to it. i would normally check it first.

i always scan every download with about 15 scanners before i install it and watch closely what it does during the install then afterward. i make backups too before every install so if it's malware i can go back.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> I don't know how you guys dare to use freeware espically these obscure ones.

You never know if there is a rookit or trojan hidden in it. <-QUOTE}
also, some which seem obsure from me aren't. it would come from a site i trust not from just searching around, then i'd link to the home page. again the one infection in this thread came from i site i don't normally use because my security software was blocking the home page. i should have stopped there but i had installed a different version before which was clean.

[Fernando Villegas]

Iceni60 I must say you are not reassuring me a bit, particularly when you mention you got people infected by following your recommendations.

I don't think it's any safer to download from the homepage, unless it's a well known site. Anyone can start a homepage for his application. And it still might be malware. And i mean really specially crafted rookit trojan, not some bundled adware stuff that is easier to detect.

[Reve_Etrange]

It's not safe to have your machine connected to any kind of network either, nor is letting your kids/wife touching your keyboard, etc.
For that matter going to your local pub is far from safe, either. I guess it's a matter of making small, calculated compromises for notable gains in various areas.

-RE

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Iceni60 I must say you are not reassuring me a bit, particularly when you mention you got people infected by following your recommendations.

I don't think it's any safer to download from the homepage, unless it's a well known site. Anyone can start a homepage for his application. And it still might be malware. And i mean really specially crafted rookit trojan, not some bundled adware stuff that is easier to detect. <-QUOTE}
probably best you don't download anything then. good luck :)

[Nick Rhodes]

{QUOTE->
i always scan every download with about 15 scanners before i install it and watch closely what it does during the install then afterward. i make backups too before every install so if it's malware i can go back. <-QUOTE}

You have far too much free time - 15 scanners !
I do backups (sys restore points for winxp + daily backups of data partition) tho.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> You have far too much free time - 15 scanners !
I do backups (sys restore points for winxp + daily backups of data partition) tho. <-QUOTE}
hi, i use Jottis malware scan or virustotal, they scan with lots of scanners in one go. then i'll scan with ewido and sometimes bitdefender. there's the real-time scanner/s too.

www.virusscan.jotti.org/
www.virustotal.com/flash/index_en.html

[Fernando Villegas]

Dear Reve

You are right, I never let anyone else touch my computer. I'm willing to take the risk of connecting online though, because otherwise I wouldn't have the chance to engage in such dazzling arguments with you.

Dear iceni60

Isn't it scary how after scanning with 15 antiviruses you still got infected?

Fern

[iceni60]

{QUOTE->

Dear iceni60

Isn't it scary how after scanning with 15 antiviruses you still got infected?

Fern <-QUOTE}
hi, i haven't even had a tracking cookie for as long as i can remember, no one was infected with anything. i don't think you are reading the thread correctly. that's the second time you have made that mistake. do you need glasses? or do you have trouble reading? perhaps you should read it again. but, i'm sure i'm right in thinking you haven't even read the post. ::)

Fern, you where asked a question in the thread below. it's always good to hear an informed intelligent person state their case.
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=623198#post623198

[HandsOff]

Iceni60-

Any relation to other iceni? Anyway, Fernando's question did elicit some new information from you. Never heard of those apps, not that I really try to keep up. Is either of them free?

I do scan downloads (when I think about it), but I always wonder how likely a scanner is to get something, especially if the download is compressed. You sound like you might have some done some research into this, which is why I ask. Oh I know that most scanners can scan some forms of compressed files. The other day I downloaded a freeware program from a site that wasn't familiar to me. TH said it contained a trojan. could be a false alarm but I let it clean it, and then I deleted it.

At that time I wondered if it was fair to say which software, and which site. It may just be a false alarm. I decided on a compromise. When one of you guys gets infected I'll say, "I knew it!".



-HandsOff

[iceni60]

hi, HandsOff. do you mean jottis and virustotal? they are free, or donation, online services. you upload the file to their site then scan it, there is a size limit though.

i don't know anything about av scanners. they do have their own unpackers to look inside archives. KAV must have a very good unpacking engine as alot of people trust it. and between all the scanners there's probably not much chance they won't be able to scan inside an archive. a malware writer would have to come up with a new algorithm that's able to reconstruct the file and make sure it still works for it to by-pass the av scanners.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Iceni60-

Any relation to other iceni? <-QUOTE}
probably in the past, but i've started to login now.

[HandsOff]

Well, I could always tell the difference...

Okay, by not agreeing with my concern about falsly implicating a web site, you have convinced me to recount my experience.

The site has a very good collection of programs, it is:

http://www.freewareplanet (danger!)net/fonts.php (the fonts section)

I very subtly modified the address so it would not be used by someone lacking the sophistication to reconstruct it. The program actual program involved was the second on that list, Best Fonts. I bet I know what you are thinking. Why doesn't he just make one of those other sites check it out? ... well, maybe I will...

-HandsOff


P.S. - In light of recent events I have vowed to be more careful about what I install on my computer. No more music CD's from Sony and their partners, and that's final!

P.P.S. - That whole autoplay scenario has stupid written all over it.

[HandsOff]

I stumbled across something very similar to the geoclock that I was talking about. This program also has a lot of info on the position of the sun, moon, and stars. The the lighted area, and the shaded area move around the map in accordance to the time of day, and the season. Kinda neat!

http://www.fourmilab.ch/homeplanet/


- HandsOff

[HAN]

While searching for some freeware ideas, I ran across this page here at Wilders. (What one finds in their own back yard!)

Anyway, after (quickly!) reading through everything, I have to say that there are several interesting programs listed. The big winner IMO is TrackerV3. It can do so much! (I still like xplorer2 too!)

As my way of saying thanks, I thought I'd list a few freebies I like and use. (The majority of these programs are available at snapfiles.com. A site that I have found I can rely on.) http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/freeware.html

So, in no particular order... (And a sorry to any I have duplicated!)

Encryption software. (Privacy is a bigger deal today than ever. Along with data theft.)
AxCrypt (@ Snapfiles)
EncryptOnClick (@ Snapfiles)
TueCrypt http://www.truecrypt.org/
dsCrypt (2nd listing down) http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nulifetv/freezip/freeware/

In keeping with the security theme, a secure file deletion app.
Eraser (@ Snapfiles)

Free back software
SyncBack (it can even ftp the backup for you. One of the best freebies I've found/used.) (@ Snapfiles)

My fav archiver
7-Zip (@ Snapfiles)

Free Calculator (with a printable "tape")
Moffsoft Free Calculator http://www.moffsoft.com/freecalc.htm

Registry Tool
jv16 Power Tools (last free version. Has a great registry search tool. I do not use the cleaner. I no longer use any automated registry cleaners.)
http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=jv16

KeePass (IMO, the best password manager!)
(@ Snapfiles)

MWSnap (already mentioned. IMO, the king of the screen capture apps.)
(@ Snapfiles)

Photo Applications
I use 4 programs for my not very exotic needs. (All available @ Snapfiles)
FastStone Image Viewer (IMO, the best image viewer at this point. In fact, one of my top freebie apps! It runs smooth on every PC I've tried it on. Even Win 98SE...)
IrfanView (The old workhorse still has some life.)
PhotoFiltre (A simple interface but it can do some great things...)
Posteriza (Print posters from digital photos on plain paper. Cool!)

Virtual Sticky Notes
Stickies (@ Snapfiles) (Really cool and really handy! I use them more than I thought I would.)

PC-based Dictionary
The Sage (@Snapfiles) (Very comprehensive! Very handy!)

Watcher (@ Snapfiles) (A somewhat unusual program. Can alert you to new "things" on your PC. Helps you to figure out what the new things are and if they are good or bad.) http://www.snapfiles.com/get/olwatcher.html

Startup help programs
4 programs to help organise Windows startup issues
Starter (@ Snapfiles) (One of the best if not the best at what it does. Let's you decide what starts and lets you know where it starts from.)
Startup Delayer (@ Snapfiles) (This gem has allowed my PC to bootup more smoothly than ever. It can keep everything from starting at once. Some programs boot better when they don't have to share the processor with other stuff.)
Startup Monitor (and Startup Control Panel) (Showing their age a bit but still worthwhile. Can really help to keep nasty stuff out.)
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml
http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml

I have more but I don't want to bore anyone :o

BTW, another interesting thread on favorite programs (though not all are free.) http://discussions.virtualdr.com/showthread.php?t=135859

[Arup]

Posteriza is really cool, I do a lot of photo printing and this one really lets me print on non photo media.

Many thanks.

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Well, I could always tell the difference... <-QUOTE}
well, if you help me fix Privoxy (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=111742) i won't have that problem any more. i have told it to allow cookies from here in two places and it still logs me out sometimes even though it seems to be storing 1000s of cookies somewhere!

[Brinn]

{QUOTE-> i have told it to allow cookies from here in two places <-QUOTE}
I use a pretty cheezy workaround. Disable the filter, then go to the sites you want to set cookies for, then re-enable the filter. I do this even though I use Proxomitron which keeps a file of exempt urls.

If you have an internet tracks eraser, don't forget to exempt the cookies you want to save so you don't have to keep doing this.

[HandsOff]

{QUOTE-> well, if you help me fix Privoxy (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=111742) i won't have that problem any more. i have told it to allow cookies from here in two places and it still logs me out sometimes even though it seems to be storing 1000s of cookies somewhere! <-QUOTE}

That sounds annoying alright. maybe one of your other programs is deleting what this one is saving!

Han listed a lot of programs that I've been thinking of trying. A note taking program. At first I thought that was an odd Idea, but now that I can't find a pen, it's starting to sound pretty good!

I downloaded something called Google Earth. Anyone tried that one yet?



-HandsOff

[iceni60]

i think Privoxy maybe fixed now, i'm not sure though ::)

i tried Google Earth for about 5 minutes when i was away recently on dial up. with a slightly faster connection i think it would be good.

for taking notes i like treepad
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/treepad.html

[iceni60]

i just found this again, i'll install it when i next use XP

Event Log Explorer
{QUOTE-> Event Log Explorer is a free software for viewing, monitoring and analyzing events recorded in Security, System, Application and another logs of Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 operating systems. It extends starndard Event Viewer monitoring functionality and brings new features. <-QUOTE}
http://www.eventlogxp.com/

here's a picture i took of it when i last used it. it gives a good description of the problem

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8674/eventlogexplorer0tv.th.jpg (http://img96.imageshack.us/my.php?image=eventlogexplorer0tv.jpg)

[Coogle]

I bookmarked this site, but i wished someone would seperate the listed aps in a new thread for easy viewing, i kind of dont like the multipage it's a waste.. of time just looking for apps and seeing nothing but comments.. no disrespect.

check out..
http://filehippo.com/

[iceni60]

i've stopped using windows so i haven't used this program, but i saw it being used the other day and it's really, really good, much better then the screenshots. and i've found a Linux clone which i like which shows an explorer view as well as the funny GUI too ;D

it's called SpaceMonger
{QUOTE-> SpaceMonger is a tool for keeping track of the free space on your computer. Each file or folder on a given drive is displayed in a box in the main window whose size is a relative comparison to all the other files in your system. The program supports popup info-tips that can display the full filename, the icon, the date, size, and attributes of any file or folder. You can delete files from the right click menu and customize the number of files to be shown as well as the color scheme. <-QUOTE}

http://8.10.179.164/screenfiles/spacemonger.gif

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/spacemonger.html

and if you use Gnome or a Mac you can get the *nix clone from below, i've only used it with Ubuntu and it works fine.
http://www.marzocca.net/linux/baobab.html

here's something else i haven't used :D
Democracy Player
{QUOTE-> Download and watch all the best internet TV shows and videos in one powerful application. New channels arrive daily in the built-in Channel Guide. Stop squinting at tedious web videos: sit back and watch big, high resolution videos.

Features: Democracy Player is a new kind of browser for watching videos-- grab webpages with video and video RSS feeds (including podcasts, video blogs, and BitTorrent feeds), and watch them full screen, one after the other. It's free and open source. <-QUOTE}

http://www.getdemocracy.com/images/windows-walk-screens/02.fullfeature.png

another screenshot (http://www.getdemocracy.com/images/windows-walk-screens/01.simple.jpg)
http://www.getdemocracy.com/