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"Freeware Programs That You May Want To Try ?"

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Sat 25/07/09 at 20:07
Regular
"I like turtles"
Posts: 5,368
Is there a piece of software available for free that is as just as good as one you may have to pay for ?.Some of the programs listed here are well known but others are not.As far as I am aware none of the programs I have listed here contain any adware/spyware etc.If this is not the case please let me know and of course I will remove them from the list.I have not listed any software which may not be appropriate for this site such as Peer 2 Peer applications or programs which may defeat CD/DVD copy protection etc. If anyone knows of any others please feel free to add them to this thread.Hopefully then we can create a useful list that forum members can benefit from ?.


Anti Virus Software :

Personally I am not a huge fan of free anti virus programs but they can be OK for use on spare PC’s,especially if the system does not warrant paying for a licensed product to protect.

AVG Free

AVAST !

Avira Anti Virus


Firewalls :

Zone Alarm Free Version

Comodo Firewall

Outpost Free Firewall


If the programs listed above are designed to protect your main PC,I would consider buying a better product.Personally I have found ESET Smart Security to be extremely good and I hardly even notice its on my system.


Internet/Email :

Mozilla Firefox .Fantastic web browser with some really good add ons.

Downthemall .Download manager which allows you to pause/resume downloads.It can also capture multiple images from websites in a single application.Only works with Firefox though.

Google Chrome .I have found this browser excellent for viewing streamed video feeds.

Opera .Another web browser which I found to be pretty fast.

Mozilla Thunderbird .Very good alternative to Outlook Express.I found this very useful on a system which kept throwing up error messages when using Outlook.I just imported everything across and used this.

Affixa .Access webmail from your desktop.Works like Outlook Express for the likes of Gmail,Yahoo etc.

K9 Web Protection .Filter your childrens internet access by blocking out unwanted content.

Filezilla Free FTP client.

Bitmeter 2 .Monitor your monthly internet usage so you do not exceed your allocated allowance.Shows inbound/outbound traffic and displays it as a simple graph.


CD/DVD Burning Software :

CD Burner XP .Very good burning software particularly useful for burning media files such as MP3,WAV files to a standard audio CD.

IMG Burn .Fantastic burning software which can create ISO files for easy storage of DVD images it can also burn AVCHD discs for playback in your Blu Ray player.


Media Software :


VLC Player .Superb media player.Plays just about every format out there (including HD formats).Also plays DVD’s,CD’s etc.

Ripbot 264 .Very powerful video transcoder.Handles HD formats with ease.Can convert huge HD files,such as those made from HD camcorders and save them in an AVCHD compliant folder.You can then simply burn the folder with Imgburn for playback in your Blu Ray player.One tip though is setting the output file to 1280 x 720 (720P),this speeds up the process quite a bit and the results look pretty much the same.

Multi AVCHD .Convert batch HD media files to AVCHD for playback in a Blu Ray player.Does not reencode the files,so there is no loss of quality.Does basically the same thing as Arcsoft's Total Media Extreme which cost around £70 and crashes all the time !.

Mediacoder .Batch Convertor for media files.

Videora Ipod convertor .Convert video files for playback on Ipod/Iphone.

DVD Flick .Convert and burn media files for playback on your home DVD player.

AVI.net .Convert unprotected DVD's to AVI files which can be stored in much smaller file sizes or played back in portable media players.

Freecorder : This program records what you hear from your PC's speakers and allows you to save the recordings.It’s easy to use and works really well.It can also record video from the likes of You Tube etc. and save it to an FLV file. It is available in a standalone and a toolbar version.

Freecorder Toolbar Version (This also installs the ASK search engine)

Freecorder Standalone Version

GIMP .Photo editing software,bit like Photoshop.I haven’t used it myself but have heard good reports.


System Maintenance Programs :


I would proceed with caution before using these.In my experience if a PC is running well it may well be best left alone.


Smart Defrag .Good hard drive defragmenting program.

Quicksys Registry Defrag .This program optimizes your windows registry by removing gaps, fragments and wasted space in files.Its never a good idea to mess with this but I have to say it did speed my PC up following a serious problem.

Duplicate File Finder .Cleans up your system by scanning your hard drive and checking for multiple copies of the same file.


Other programs I thought may be worth a mention :


Z-Zip .Utility for zipping/unzipping files (like Winzip/Winrar).

Tuxpaint .A painting program for use by children ages 3 and up.My niece informed me it was great !.

Inkscape .A program which can create many different types of graphics.

Open Office .Suite like Microsoft Office.

File Shredder 2 .Delete sensitive files so they cannot be recovered.

Driveimage XML .Application which allows you make exact copies of entire hard drives (or partitions).

Sherrod File Renamer (Basic Version) .Useful for changing the file names of multiple files of JPEG’s from your digital camera (DSC0001,DSC0002,etc.).


Remember if you like a Freeware program and find it useful you can sometimes make a donation to its makers if you wish.Any programs listed here are used totally at your own risk.Thanks.
Sun 26/07/09 at 15:14
Regular
"How Ironic"
Posts: 4,312
Thanks pete. I believe the only technical post that i've ever understand on the site :P
Sun 26/07/09 at 09:33
Regular
"Feather edged ..."
Posts: 8,536
Mornin Pete, totally agree with your idea....very useful and to be commended.

The majority of 'free applications' that spring to my mind tend to be directed at web design and creation. I can recommend 1st Page 2000, quite old now but packed full of useful tools for creating a web page....and runs well on Vista64!! Another connected with the web and extremely useful is CuteFTP lite .... as you've guessed an 'uploading' application. This also runs extremely well on Vista64.

I have to agree though with your comments regarding different OS's and their ability to upset even the best software. ESET is one in question. I have two licences - one for XP 32 bit and one for Vista 64 bit. Nod 32 v2.7 is the only one that will run happily on the XP machine - not v3 and certainly not v4. As for Nod 32 64 bit and Vista - forget it ... too many conflicts and no sight of a resolution yet.....a recent quote from correspondence with ESET..

" I am lead to believe that the Eset developers have over 100 bug reports lodged with Mozilla regarding the Thunderbird application, they don’t know if Mozilla will fix any of the bugs they have reported in Thunderbird v2 as v3 is due for release."

This seems to be their direction at the moment :-(

I hope that this thread will receive the type of response that it deserves and becomes a useful source of information for those 'frustrating' technical problems.
Sun 26/07/09 at 01:36
Regular
"I like turtles"
Posts: 5,368
Thanks for the comments DL.

Agree completely with you view on some system checkers/cleaners free or otherwise,hence the warning I put prior to listing them.The ones I listed I have found to be pretty good though.

The reason for my post was quite a simple one.There has been discussion on this site on how the technical forum is of little help to 'mere mortals' such as myself who are not really that technically minded and have to say I agree that in the main I agree with those comments.This was my first (and very probably last) thread I have posted in the technical forum and it was an idea I had to entice non technically minded members to get involved on here.Hopefully it might just get a 'I might give that a try' type of response ?.The post a Freeware app idea was one which sprung to my mind as one that 'non techies' could benefit from,especially if other members added to my initial list.On the other hand if anyone knows of a freeware app that is rubbish,please post that on here so members wont waste their time trying to use the thing or worse cause harm to their systems.I purposely kept the information on each program down to an absolute minimum as not to clutter the post.

Regarding the free anti-virus/firewall comments that I made,I can see where you are coming from but going from personal experience I have 3 PC's and 2 of them run fine using some of the free AV/Firewall software that I have mentioned.But my main PC (which runs on XP Pro 64 bit) has had 'issues' using all of the free variants (system hanging,numerous false virus positives & applications which failed to install altogether ?).I presume a few of these issues were down to the operating system on this PC which runs absolutely fine with ESET installed ?.I am totally aware XP Pro 64 bit is not a well used operating system but I love it and I have some very expensive video editing software and plug ins which will not,nor will ever run on Vista.

On the other hand I have bought another quite expensive program which converts HD media files to AVCHD discs.As I mentioned in my thread Ripbot 264 & IMG Burn not only do this for free but actually do a better job !.

Most of the mentioned programs on have either been used or I have had personally recommended to me.But as ever with PC's one size does not always fit all.What works on one system may not always work as well on another ?.

Anyway,hopefully there will be some further programs added to this thread so members of this site can see a benefit from it ?.
Sat 25/07/09 at 22:12
Regular
"Feather edged ..."
Posts: 8,536
Nice idea Pete, but why suggest any freeware program and then state that you're not a fan or that caution must be taken?

EG:

ESET Nod32 v4/Smart Security has big issues at present with Zone Alarm and Mozilla Thunderbird - period. Comodo firewall has issues with 64bit systems....etc ...etc

Some of the free firewall/av applications don't have issues and are perfectly compatible across many configurations and aren't to be dismissed.

Some of the software you mention is valid and is an excellent alternative to its main-stream equivalent ie Open Office, however others ie 'system checkers/cleaners' need to be approached with extreme caution. I have been called out to deal with 'crashed' systems far too often to be a 'fan' of some freeware.

Admittedly a good and useful idea for a post, but back it up with positive recommendations not ....try it if you like, but ... the internet and the user's own intuition is there for that. Having said that, that is the main problem...false promises/information often cause big problems.
Sat 25/07/09 at 20:07
Regular
"I like turtles"
Posts: 5,368
Is there a piece of software available for free that is as just as good as one you may have to pay for ?.Some of the programs listed here are well known but others are not.As far as I am aware none of the programs I have listed here contain any adware/spyware etc.If this is not the case please let me know and of course I will remove them from the list.I have not listed any software which may not be appropriate for this site such as Peer 2 Peer applications or programs which may defeat CD/DVD copy protection etc. If anyone knows of any others please feel free to add them to this thread.Hopefully then we can create a useful list that forum members can benefit from ?.


Anti Virus Software :

Personally I am not a huge fan of free anti virus programs but they can be OK for use on spare PC’s,especially if the system does not warrant paying for a licensed product to protect.

AVG Free

AVAST !

Avira Anti Virus


Firewalls :

Zone Alarm Free Version

Comodo Firewall

Outpost Free Firewall


If the programs listed above are designed to protect your main PC,I would consider buying a better product.Personally I have found ESET Smart Security to be extremely good and I hardly even notice its on my system.


Internet/Email :

Mozilla Firefox .Fantastic web browser with some really good add ons.

Downthemall .Download manager which allows you to pause/resume downloads.It can also capture multiple images from websites in a single application.Only works with Firefox though.

Google Chrome .I have found this browser excellent for viewing streamed video feeds.

Opera .Another web browser which I found to be pretty fast.

Mozilla Thunderbird .Very good alternative to Outlook Express.I found this very useful on a system which kept throwing up error messages when using Outlook.I just imported everything across and used this.

Affixa .Access webmail from your desktop.Works like Outlook Express for the likes of Gmail,Yahoo etc.

K9 Web Protection .Filter your childrens internet access by blocking out unwanted content.

Filezilla Free FTP client.

Bitmeter 2 .Monitor your monthly internet usage so you do not exceed your allocated allowance.Shows inbound/outbound traffic and displays it as a simple graph.


CD/DVD Burning Software :

CD Burner XP .Very good burning software particularly useful for burning media files such as MP3,WAV files to a standard audio CD.

IMG Burn .Fantastic burning software which can create ISO files for easy storage of DVD images it can also burn AVCHD discs for playback in your Blu Ray player.


Media Software :


VLC Player .Superb media player.Plays just about every format out there (including HD formats).Also plays DVD’s,CD’s etc.

Ripbot 264 .Very powerful video transcoder.Handles HD formats with ease.Can convert huge HD files,such as those made from HD camcorders and save them in an AVCHD compliant folder.You can then simply burn the folder with Imgburn for playback in your Blu Ray player.One tip though is setting the output file to 1280 x 720 (720P),this speeds up the process quite a bit and the results look pretty much the same.

Multi AVCHD .Convert batch HD media files to AVCHD for playback in a Blu Ray player.Does not reencode the files,so there is no loss of quality.Does basically the same thing as Arcsoft's Total Media Extreme which cost around £70 and crashes all the time !.

Mediacoder .Batch Convertor for media files.

Videora Ipod convertor .Convert video files for playback on Ipod/Iphone.

DVD Flick .Convert and burn media files for playback on your home DVD player.

AVI.net .Convert unprotected DVD's to AVI files which can be stored in much smaller file sizes or played back in portable media players.

Freecorder : This program records what you hear from your PC's speakers and allows you to save the recordings.It’s easy to use and works really well.It can also record video from the likes of You Tube etc. and save it to an FLV file. It is available in a standalone and a toolbar version.

Freecorder Toolbar Version (This also installs the ASK search engine)

Freecorder Standalone Version

GIMP .Photo editing software,bit like Photoshop.I haven’t used it myself but have heard good reports.


System Maintenance Programs :


I would proceed with caution before using these.In my experience if a PC is running well it may well be best left alone.


Smart Defrag .Good hard drive defragmenting program.

Quicksys Registry Defrag .This program optimizes your windows registry by removing gaps, fragments and wasted space in files.Its never a good idea to mess with this but I have to say it did speed my PC up following a serious problem.

Duplicate File Finder .Cleans up your system by scanning your hard drive and checking for multiple copies of the same file.


Other programs I thought may be worth a mention :


Z-Zip .Utility for zipping/unzipping files (like Winzip/Winrar).

Tuxpaint .A painting program for use by children ages 3 and up.My niece informed me it was great !.

Inkscape .A program which can create many different types of graphics.

Open Office .Suite like Microsoft Office.

File Shredder 2 .Delete sensitive files so they cannot be recovered.

Driveimage XML .Application which allows you make exact copies of entire hard drives (or partitions).

Sherrod File Renamer (Basic Version) .Useful for changing the file names of multiple files of JPEG’s from your digital camera (DSC0001,DSC0002,etc.).


Remember if you like a Freeware program and find it useful you can sometimes make a donation to its makers if you wish.Any programs listed here are used totally at your own risk.Thanks.

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