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/win...erxp/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]

Originally Posted by bigc73542

Thanks for the links and info Ice.

bigc

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
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...reesize_gr.gif

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

[iceni60]

Originally Posted by Ailric

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

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...ductivity.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 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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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/efotini.../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

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=gtdes...bsite/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]

Originally Posted by 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

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

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/de...vframework.asp

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

Originally Posted by iceni60

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?

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.
Can import/export bookmarks with IE, Firefox and Opera.

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by bigbuck

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!

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]

Originally Posted by lynchknot

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.

Understand Just thought the Alpha might be more stable/less buggy