Author Topic: Freeware Tools - Your favourites/recommendations...? (Read 8068 times)

neljan · « **on:** October 13, 2007, 10:18:11 AM »

Hello,

Thought it might be good to see what freeware people use/recommend?

I'll start the ball rolling with a few that managed to avoid immidiate uninstallation for me:

4t Tray Minimizer http://www.4t-niagara.com/tray.html
Handy little program that adds 2 extra boxes to the top right hand corner of any open window, whereby you can minimize that window to the system tray instead of the taskbar (saving space)

AxDecrypt http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=40359&package_id=111525
File encryption program to protect your files - adds commands to context menu

HTML Beauty http://www.htmlbeauty.com/
HTML editor/viewer

Open Expert http://www.baxbex.com/openexpert.html
Adds an 'open with' option to the context menu, enabling user to select different programs (which it remembers) to open a file with. If you have a graphic image for example, you could right click it & add the option to open it with paint/photofiltre etc etc instead of searching for the program

Plenty more where that came from... I'd love to find a spell checker that adds 'check spelling' in the context menu - be well handy.

Broni · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:28:37 AM »

My little, and bigger utilities:

neljan · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:32:16 AM »

Oooooo... you freeware slut you!

Thanks, some of them look very interesting, googling now!

soybean · « **Reply #3 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:32:55 AM »

ComputerHope.com has an extensive list in the FAQ section of the forum: see http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,19999.0.html

I'm using some of them, including CCleaner, Irfanview, Everest Home Edition, Audacity, Ad-Aware, AVG Free, Spybot Search & Destroy, and PrimoPDF. Some don't get used often but these are ones on that list I have installed. I also have pdf995, another PDF conversion program, similar to PrimoPDF (which is on the list), and I have SpeedFan (temperature monitoring program) and M8 Free Multi Clipboard installed.

Broni · « **Reply #4 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:35:04 AM »

Quote

I'd love to find a spell checker that adds 'check spelling' in the context menu

I use "TinySpell":
http://tinyspell.m6.net/
Very small, and works great. It sits in your taskbar, and every time you misspell something, it'll warn you with a sound, and changing its icon color. You can also add words to its dictionary.
It works with any application.
I love it.

Broni · « **Reply #5 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:37:06 AM »

Quote

you freeware slut you

LOL....I love freebies!!!

neljan · « **Reply #6 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:39:00 AM »

Quote from: soybean on October 13, 2007, 10:32:55 AM

ComputerHope.com has an extensive list in the FAQ section of the forum: see http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,19999.0.html[/url]

Nice one... I'll check it out.

Quote from: Broni on October 13, 2007, 10:35:04 AM

I use "TinySpell":
http://tinyspell.m6.net/
Very small, and works great. It sits in your taskbar, and every time you misspell something, it'll warn you with a sound, and changing its icon color. You can also add words to its dictionary.
It works with any application.
I love it.

Sounds good thanks for that. I'd prefer an option to open a spell checker in the context menu though, so it wouldn't have to be running in the bg all the time, but if I can't find one I'll give that a whirl.

JPH · « **Reply #7 on:** October 13, 2007, 10:55:27 AM »

Quote from: neljan on October 13, 2007, 10:39:00 AM

Sounds good thanks for that. I'd prefer an option to open a spell checker in the context menu though, so it wouldn't have to be running in the bg all the time, but if I can't find one I'll give that a whirl.

Firefox has a built-in spell checker in the context menu.

neljan · « **Reply #8 on:** October 13, 2007, 11:00:29 AM »

Hello matey

I use IE though $:-\$

I know, I know - IE's crap, but McAfee site advisor works with IE (don't know if it works with Firefox, I know it doesn't work with Opera).

Broni · « **Reply #9 on:** October 13, 2007, 11:14:58 AM »

The advantage of TinySpell is, that it works with ANY application, and

Quote

I'd prefer an option to open a spell checker in the context menu though

it has this option, too.

Broni · « **Reply #10 on:** October 13, 2007, 11:16:40 AM »

Quote

but McAfee site advisor works with IE (don't know if it works with Firefox

It does:
http://www.siteadvisor.com/download/ff.html

neljan · « **Reply #11 on:** October 13, 2007, 11:29:07 AM »

Nice one Broni

soybean · « **Reply #12 on:** October 13, 2007, 11:31:11 AM »

Here's one I use that I forgot to mention: AM-DeadLink

"AM-DeadLink detects dead links and duplicates in browser bookmarks and text files. If a bookmark has become unavailable you can verify and delete it permanently. Additionally you can download FavIcons for all your Favorites and Bookmarks."

patio · « **Reply #13 on:** October 13, 2007, 04:54:07 PM »

What no WinPatrol ? ?

http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

dairyman · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2007, 03:39:33 AM »

Gee Broni. You pick out better software then me.
Going to try AusLogics Registry Defrag.

I removed the link due to spam from Ashampoo.

patio · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2007, 07:36:41 AM »

Quote

By the way, I recommend Ashampoo Firewall, even though you must get your free license code to use it. However, the registration process is simple.

How full is your Inbox now that AShampoo has your info ? ?

dairyman · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2007, 04:23:51 PM »

Quote from: patio on October 21, 2007, 07:36:41 AM

How full is your Inbox now that AShampoo has your info ? ?

Wait, don't tell me, they are SPAMMING ME?
I get messages from the UK LOTTERY BOARD every hour!

I don't get sucked in by it.

Deerpark · « **Reply #17 on:** October 22, 2007, 11:05:46 AM »

Here's a little tool I've just stumbled across:
Secunia Personal Software Inspector

It scans your computer for software with known vulnerabilities and if the tool finds something it provides links for updates (if available).
I've not done any extensive testing on it yet but have scanned both of the computers I use daily.
On my laptop it found the old Java version I hadn't uninstalled yet, an old version of Flash Player (and even provided me with a link for an uninstaller), and a security update for Photoshop CS2. Adobe apparently didn't think it was necessary to roll that one out via their Auto Updater.

So far I've only found one minor annoyance; an annoyance it unfortunately shares with a lot of other software. It adds itself to the Windows startup during the install without asking for permission.
But other than that I'm pretty impressed.

Broni · « **Reply #18 on:** October 22, 2007, 05:08:44 PM »

Quote

Secunia Personal Software Inspector

This is pretty good one. I use it, too.
I'm still missing another one, which went commercial only, BigFix.

As for program updates, I use FileHippo Update Checker: http://filehippo.com/

dairyman · « **Reply #19 on:** October 24, 2007, 03:45:27 AM »

Firewalls

Sunbelt Kerio Firewall
Advantages: You have the full version for 30 days.
Disadvantages: After 30 days you have to use free mode.

Comodo Free Firewall
Advantages: Nice GUI, option to block all connections.
Disadvantages: Forgets rules for applications.

WillyW · « **Reply #20 on:** October 24, 2007, 11:25:53 AM »

For working at the command line:

PKZip and PKunzip ( not freeware, but uncrippled shareware)
http://www.bootdisk.com/dostools.htm
or
http://www.filewatcher.com/m/pkz204g.exe.202574.0.0.html

Recently added the command line version of 7Zip
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html

List.com - text file reader, and much more ( uncrippled shareware )
http://www.oregonfast.net/~steen/msdos.htm list91k.zip.
or older ver
http://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/goldies.html list77a.zip

Fast File Finder ( uncrippled shareware )
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,3771-order,1-page,1-c,alldownloads/description.html

Some other archivers that are not used often anymore:
ARC, ARJ, LHA, ZOO

"Dos" ver of Unrar

I create a 'utils' directory, put copies of all the above in it, and edit autoexec.bat, or whatever is necessary, to ensure that the utils dir is in the path.

Dos version of Telix. Communications program. Shareware
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Services/PDA/DosComm.shtml

Windows programs:

mIRC. Comes in handy occasionally.

Print Folder
http://www.no-nonsense-software.com/freeware/
As far as I know, up through XP Windows itself did not include the function provided so easily by this software. Very handy if you have lots of files.
Freeware.

Dimension 4
http://www.thinkman.com/dimension4
I understand that XP has this ability built in. I do not know if it has anywhere near the configurability of D4.
This is nice - run it once a day, and never be off again.

AVG anti-virus
www.free.grisoft.com

Thunderbird for email
Firefox for web browser
For each, I have a few free extensions and add-ons that I like.

mTel - telnet client
http://ozone.eesc.com

Core Free FTP client software for Windows
http://www.coreftp.com

Boot disks, etc.
http://www.bootdisk.com

Live CDs - to bail you out when you can't boot from HD, and you don't have a floppy drive
Ultimate Boot CD http://ubcd.sourceforge.net
Puppy Linux http://www.puppylinux.org/user/viewpage.php?page_id=1

dairyman · « **Reply #21 on:** October 28, 2007, 08:36:14 PM »

Here is one I just found:

COMODO BOClean

Computer Hope Forum

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Author Topic: Freeware Tools - Your favourites/recommendations...? (Read 8068 times)

neljan

Broni

neljan

soybean

Broni

Broni

neljan

JPH

neljan

Broni

Broni

neljan

soybean

patio

dairyman

patio

dairyman

Deerpark

Broni

dairyman

WillyW

dairyman