Net Notables

I use most of these programs, and the few I don’t use I have heard great things about from reliable sources. They’re all free, and they’re all as good (if not better in some instances) than their pricey competitors.

File Compression/Extraction

No need for WinZip or Winrar. I’ve been using 7-ZIP for years and it always does the job. The only problem with it is that it doesn’t handle all compression types. I recommend using IZArc as well (it can read up to 50 compression types).

Image Viewer

Make sure to download the free plugin package as well!

Browsers

I give the nod to Firefox here because its safer than Internet Explorer and because it has many incredibly useful extensions. If for some crazy reason Firefox isn’t to your liking then Opera is the best alternative. At one time Opera wasn’t free, but it now is. There are also some good browsers built on the IE shell, such as Slimbrowser and Maxthon, that I’ve used in the past. Anything but Internet Explorer!

Email Application

Text Editor

I use EditPad Lite (the free version of EditPad) in place of Windows Notepad, and Scite for coding.

Bit Torrent Client

Bit Comet used to be my
favorite, but it’s become bloated. Azureus is fast, but I don’t like
the overkill GUI. uTorrent has been my client of choice for 6 months
and I have no complaints.

Media Player

I use this for most of my Audio/Video media, Quicktime and FLV files being the exception. It comes installed with many codecs, which saves you the headache of scouring the internet to download them individually. Plays DVD’S as well. Not the most intuitive interface for customization, but if you don’t mind tinkering a little in preferences (make sure when you’re in preferences to click the advanced button) then you’ll probably be quite happy with it. I’ve used so many pretty media players in the past with fancy GUI’s that I ended up uninstalling because they were so buggy. VLC is the their complete opposite. It’s GUI is unexciting, but it always works. My only complaint against it (and it’s a minor one) is that its pause function is sluggish–it takes a couple seconds to obey your command.

Secure Deletion Tool

“Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to
completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting
it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows
95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Windows 2003 Server and DOS.”

–www.heidi.ie/eraser/

This is useful as a security prevention tool in the event that you lose your hard drive. There are many undelete programs out there that can retrieve files you deleted using Windows Recycle Bin. You don’t want some stranger being able to retrieve particularly sensitive information. This program will completely erase sensitive files from your computer so that they can’t be retrieved by even advanced undelete programs.

Firewall

In the past I’ve used ZoneAlarm’s free firewall, but no longer do because it’s become a major resource hog. I recommend Comodo Firewall because I hear great things about it. Most disgruntled former ZoneAlarm users have switched to it. I’ve just used the native Windows firewall since uninstalling ZoneAlarm. But for those of you that worry that the Windows firewall won’t provide you with enough protection, then Comodo is the way to go.

Antivirus

Been using this one for years and have no complaints. Make sure to download the free version on their website.

System Optimization

Good for cleaning up the useless barnacles your computer collects over time. I just used it this morning and it found 100 MB of junk files. I used this on my sister’s computer once and it found 15 GB of crap data! Useful for cleaning your registry as well.

System Information Tool

This will tell you everything you need to know about your computer and its devices. It’s a stand-alone executable so it doesn’t need to be installed. Just double click it, and wait 20 seconds for it to compile the facts about your computer.

SIW

Download Manager

Has a useful download icon that shows up at the top of videos on video sharing sites. It can be used in conjunction with Firefox’s Flashgot add-on.

Anti-Spyware Scanner

Website Copier/Offline Browser

You could use this to download an entire website (small- to medium-sized text-based sites are best–don’t try it with All Music Guide or IMDB unless you have a LOT of time on your hands!), and then browse off line.

Office Suite

Great alternative to Microsoft Office. I’ve been using it for a few years and have no complaints. It’s fully compatible with MS Office documents, so no need to use conversion software to read an MS Word document.

Image Manipulation Program

I don’t use GIMP, but I’ve heard from reliable sources that it’s as powerful as Photoshop. And paint.net gets rave reviews from folks in the know.

Miscellany

Great toy/tool! You can create notes, and pin the notes to particular places you’ve been in your life. Now has an option to see outer space as well.



I don’t use image organizers, but I know a lot of people swear by this one.

Hijacker Detector

Useful as a way to find out if your computer is being hijacked by malicious programs. Not safe to use if you’re not an expert. Go to a tech forum such as Aumha.org, and post your HijackThis log in the appropriate thread and the experts there will take a look at it and tell you what stuff is safe to delete. Great tool to use if you’re experiencing suspiciously slow startup times.

Hijack This

Games

Huge List of Free High Quality Games Here

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