• READ ME
  "Read me? Ha! I don't need to read nuttin! [anchorlink=RECENT UPDATES]Take me to that there list of kompueter programs.[/anchorlink]"
  Please read the following stuff before you go clicking away at applications:
  • Some of these are repeats to this thread.
  • Read what you are installing! These programs may receive updates and install things that I wouldn't approve. And not that God-awful long user end license mork mork. Just look for things like Yahoo toolbar (useless) or Weather Channel bug. I don't trust either of those.
  • Make sure you look at the ALTERNATIVES if the program does not suit your needs or operating system.
  • The Rating System
    • 1 star (*) means it is handy at times or just pretty.
    • 5 Stars (*****) means I couldn't live without it or highly support it
    • ? (?) Means I have not tried it out myself but is recommended by the people that make/use other software I support.
  • Operating System Compatibility
    • (W) - Windows
    • (M) - Mac
    • (L) - various distros of Linux
    • (+) - anything else, like Solaris, FreeBSD, etc
  • If you see :paranoid::thumbsup:, that means: Don't be tempted by the dark-side.
• WHERE IT COMES FROM
  I would like to respect the awesome places where I find this great material (and borrow their logos/images, please don't sue me).
  • FileHippo - Download Free Software
  • HydrogenAudio - The Audio Technology Enthusiast's Resource
  • SourceForge.net - the world's largest Open Source software development web site
  • VideoHelp.com - Forum, Guides, Tools
  • Windows XP Downloads
• [anchor]RECENT UPDATES[/anchor]
  None
• REQUESTS
  You might be able to help me! Do you know of anything...
  • A program like MS Mathtype that can create neat (clean and legible) math graphics, the more math operations and symbols the better
  • A program that takes an HTML and directly makes it into a PDF, not prints it as it would through a printer
  • A computer calculator that can handle and simplify algebraic expressions, looking fot ti-89 like capabilities. Multiple graphical capabilities preferred.
  • A graphical data presenter- takes points and makes complex graphs with them... something hopefully easy to use/program
  • Good remote desktop software, better than VNC (not having luck with VNC, any of the flavors)
• CATEGORIES (TFP LINKS)
  • SYSTEM MANAGEMENT
    • [anchorlink=SECURITY]SECURITY[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS]DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=UTILITIES]UTILITIES[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=DESKTOP ENHANCEMENTS / KNICK-KNACKS]DESKTOP ENHANCEMENTS / KNICK-KNACKS[/anchorlink]
  • INTERNET APPLICATIONS
    • [anchorlink=BROWSERS, EMAIL, MESSAGING, OH-MY]BROWSERS, EMAIL, MESSAGING, OH-MY[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=INTERNET / NETWORK UTILITIES]INTERNET / NETWORK UTILITIES[/anchorlink]
  • DOCUMENTS AND PROJECTS
    • [anchorlink=AROUND THE OFFICE TOOLS]AROUND THE OFFICE TOOLS[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=PHOTO / IMAGE PROCESSING]PHOTO / IMAGE PROCESSING[/anchorlink]
  • MEDIA TOOLS
    • [anchorlink=MEDIA PLAYERS]MEDIA PLAYERS[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=MEDIA RIPPERS]MEDIA RIPPERS[/anchorlink]
    • [anchorlink=MEDIA EDITORS / ENCODERS]MEDIA EDITORS / ENCODERS[/anchorlink]
  • [anchorlink=DISC TOOLS]DISC TOOLS[/anchorlink]
  • [anchorlink=OUTSIDE THE BOX]OUTSIDE THE BOX[/anchorlink]

• [ANCHOR](Avira) AntiVir Personal[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(?)(W,L) - "Protects your computer against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and costly dialers." - Every German and his mother run Avira software. Seems to be on par with AVG Free Edition.
  
  Antivirus Alternatives   click to show 

  • [ANCHOR]AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,L) - "Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers." - Frequent updates and minimal system requirements make it a must.
    
  • [ANCHOR](Kaspersky) Anti-Virus[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(TRIALWARE)(W) - "the backbone of your PC’s security system, offering protection from a range of IT threats.Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 provides the basic tools needed to protect your PC." - Never personally used this software, however, a hacker friend of mine, whom has made it his personal goal in life to demonstrate that no one is safe on the internet, BOUGHT this software after trying it.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]AxCrypt[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W) - "AxCrypt is free and easy to use open source strong file encryption for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP, integrated with Windows Explorer. Encrypt, compress, decrypt, wipe, view and edit with a few mouse clicks" - A simple solution for file encryption. If security is a concern, please see TrueCrypt. ([ANCHORLINK=AxCrypt]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  
• [ANCHOR]KeePass Password Safe[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,L) - "manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unl" - Simply excellent. Don't leave yourself unsecure using a single password. Never forget a password again. I recommend using the portable version. ([ANCHORLINK=KeePass Password Safe]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  
• [ANCHOR]KeePass Password Safe Portable[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(5/5)(W) - "the popular KeePass Password Safe packaged as a portable app, so you can securely carry your email, internet and other passwords with you. You can place it on your USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive or a CD and use it on any computer, without leaving any personal information behind." - Even better than the original! Portable Keepass is the sweetest since I never need worry about Keepass leaving anything behind on a system. ([ANCHORLINK=KeePass Password Safe Portable]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  
• [ANCHOR]PeerGuardian[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(4/5)(W) - "Phoenix Labs’ premier IP blocker for Windows. PeerGuardian 2 integrates support for multiple lists, list editing, automatic updates, and blocking all of IPv4 (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc), making it the safest and easiest way to protect your privacy on P2P." - A must for anyone wishing to suppliment a firewall to help stop unwanted peers, and even unwanted ads. ([ANCHORLINK=PeerGuardian]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  IP Blocker Alternatives   click to show 

  • [ANCHOR]MoBlock[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(?)(L) - "a linux console application that blocks connections from/to hosts listed in a file in peerguardian format (guarding.p2p)." - Recommended by PhoenixLabs, the creators of PeerGuardian, as a linux solution replacement while there is no PG2 for linux. Untested by me.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Spybot Search & Destroy[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W) - "Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications." - This coupled with the registry watcher known as "Tea Timer" make it an effective solution against spyware. ([ANCHORLINK=Spybot Search & Destroy]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Sandboxie[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W) - "Sandboxie runs your programs in an isolated space which prevents them from making permanent changes to other programs and data in your computer." - Think of it as a condom for your computer. You get to do all that dirty stuff while still able to tie of that sandbox and throw it away--squeeky clean. I always run my browsers sandboxed. ([ANCHORLINK=Sandboxie]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Tor[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(4/5)(W,M,L) - "Tor is a software project that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security. Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world" - I am pleased with this application. My email and messengers are routed through it, giving me some sense of security. ([ANCHORLINK=Tor]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  
  
• [ANCHOR]TrueCrypt[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,M,L) - "TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). On-the-fly encryption means that data are automatically encrypted or decrypted right before they are loaded or saved, without any user intervention. No data stored on an encrypted volume can be read (decrypted) without using the correct password/keyfile(s) or correct encryption keys. Entire file system is encrypted (e.g., file names, folder names, contents of every file, free space, meta data, etc)." - Absolutely a must. Capable of creating completely encrypted system devices (in Windows), this should be installed on everyone's computer. ([ANCHORLINK=TrueCrypt]link here[/ANCHORLINK])
  Abstract: "Last month a US court ruled that border agents can search your laptop, or any other electronic device, when you're entering the country. They can take your computer and download its entire contents, or keep it for several days."   click to show 

  View: Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first
  Source: Guardian
  
  

  Quote:

  Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first hursday May 15 2008 by Bruce Schneier Last month a US court ruled that border agents can search your laptop, or any other electronic device, when you're entering the country. They can take your computer and download its entire contents, or keep it for several days. Customs and Border Patrol has not published any rules regarding this practice, and I and others have written a letter to Congress urging it to investigate and regulate this practice. But the US is not alone. British customs agents search laptops for pornography. And there are reports on the internet of this sort of thing happening at other borders, too. You might not like it, but it's a fact. So how do you protect yourself? Encrypting your entire hard drive, something you should certainly do for security in case your computer is lost or stolen, won't work here. The border agent is likely to start this whole process with a "please type in your password". Of course you can refuse, but the agent can search you further, detain you longer, refuse you entry into the country and otherwise ruin your day. You're going to have to hide your data. Set a portion of your hard drive to be encrypted with a different key - even if you also encrypt your entire hard drive - and keep your sensitive data there. Lots of programs allow you to do this. I use PGP Disk (from pgp.com). TrueCrypt (truecrypt.org) is also good, and free. While customs agents might poke around on your laptop, they're unlikely to find the encrypted partition. (You can make the icon invisible, for some added protection.) And if they download the contents of your hard drive to examine later, you won't care. Be sure to choose a strong encryption password. Details are too complicated for a quick tip, but basically anything easy to remember is easy to guess. (My advice is at tinyurl.com/4f8z4n.) Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect solution. Your computer might have left a copy of the password on the disk somewhere, and (as I also describe at the above link) smart forensic software will find it. So your best defence is to clean up your laptop. A customs agent can't read what you don't have. You don't need five years' worth of email and client data. You don't need your old love letters and those photos (you know the ones I'm talking about). Delete everything you don't absolutely need. And use a secure file erasure program to do it. While you're at it, delete your browser's cookies, cache and browsing history. It's nobody's business what websites you've visited. And turn your computer off - don't just put it to sleep - before you go through customs; that deletes other things. Think of all this as the last thing to do before you stow your electronic devices for landing. Some companies now give their employees forensically clean laptops for travel, and have them download any sensitive data over a virtual private network once they've entered the country. They send any work back the same way, and delete everything again before crossing the border to go home. This is a good idea if you can do it. If you can't, consider putting your sensitive data on a USB drive or even a camera memory card: even 16GB cards are reasonably priced these days. Encrypt it, of course, because it's easy to lose something that small. Slip it in your pocket, and it's likely to remain unnoticed even if the customs agent pokes through your laptop. If someone does discover it, you can try saying: "I don't know what's on there. My boss told me to give it to the head of the New York office." If you've chosen a strong encryption password, you won't care if he confiscates it. Lastly, don't forget your phone and PDA. Customs agents can search those too: emails, your phone book, your calendar. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do here except delete things. I know this all sounds like work, and that it's easier to just ignore everything here and hope you don't get searched. Today, the odds are in your favour. But new forensic tools are making automatic searches easier and easier, and the recent US court ruling is likely to embolden other countries. It's better to be safe than sorry. · Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and author: schneier.com/blog

  This post created with FASS
  Abstract: "TrueCrypt can on-the-fly encrypt a system partition or entire system drive, i.e. a partition or drive where Windows is installed and from which it boots."   click to show 

  View: System Encryption
  Source: Truecrypt
  
  

  Quote:

  System Encryption TrueCrypt can on-the-fly encrypt a system partition or entire system drive, i.e. a partition or drive where Windows is installed and from which it boots. System encryption provides the highest level of security and privacy, because all files, including any temporary files that Windows and applications create on the system partition (typically, without your knowledge or consent), hibernation files, swap files, etc., are always permanently encrypted (even when power supply is suddenly interrupted). Windows also records large amounts of potentially sensitive data, such as the names and locations of files you open, applications you run, etc. All such log files and registry entries are always permanently encrypted as well. System encryption involves pre-boot authentication, which means that anyone who wants to gain access and use the encrypted system, read and write files stored on the system drive, etc., will need to enter the correct password each time before Windows boots (starts). Pre-boot authentication is handled by the TrueCrypt Boot Loader, which resides in the first cylinder of the boot drive and on the TrueCrypt Rescue Disk. Note that TrueCrypt can encrypt an existing unencrypted system partition/drive in-place while the operating system is running (while the system is being encrypted, you can use your computer as usual without any restrictions). Likewise, a TrueCrypt-encrypted system partition/drive can be decrypted in-place while the operating system is running. You can interrupt the process of encryption or decryption anytime, leave the partition/drive partially unencrypted, restart or shut down the computer, and then resume the process, which will continue from the point it was stopped. To encrypt a system partition or entire system drive, select System > Encrypt System Partition/Drive and then follow the instructions of the wizard. To decrypt a system partition/drive, select System > Permanently Decrypt System Partition/Drive. The mode of operation used for system encryption is XTS (see the section Modes of Operation). For further technical details of system encryption, see the section Encryption Scheme in the chapter Technical Details.

  Quote:

  Operating Systems Supported for System Encryption TrueCrypt can currently encrypt the following operating systems: * Windows Vista * Windows Vista x64 (64-bit) Edition * Windows XP * Windows XP x64 (64-bit) Edition * Windows Server 2008 * Windows Server 2008 x64 (64-bit) * Windows Server 2003 * Windows Server 2003 x64 (64-bit)

  Quote:

  TrueCrypt Rescue Disk During the process of preparing the encryption of a system partition/drive, TrueCrypt requires that you create a so-called TrueCrypt Rescue Disk (CD/DVD), which serves the following purposes: * If the TrueCrypt Boot Loader screen does not appear after you start your computer (or if your Windows does not boot), the TrueCrypt Boot Loader may be damaged. The TrueCrypt Rescue Disk allows you restore it and thus to regain access to your encrypted system and data (however, note that you will still have to enter the correct password then). In the Rescue Disk screen, select Repair Options > Restore TrueCrypt Boot Loader. Then press 'Y' to confirm the action, remove the Rescue Disk from your CD/DVD drive and restart your computer. * If you repeatedly enter the correct password but TrueCrypt says that the password is incorrect, it is possible that the master key or other critical data are damaged. The TrueCrypt Rescue Disk allows you to restore them and thus to regain access to your encrypted system and data (however, note that you will still have to enter the correct password then). In the Rescue Disk screen, select Repair Options > Restore key data. Then enter your password, press 'Y' to confirm the action, remove the Rescue Disk from your CD/DVD drive, and restart your computer. WARNING: By restoring key data using a TrueCrypt Rescue Disk, you also restore the password that was valid when the TrueCrypt Rescue Disk was created. Therefore, whenever you change the password, you should destroy your TrueCrypt Rescue Disk and create a new one (select System -> Create Rescue Disk). Otherwise, if an attacker knows your old password (for example, captured by a keystroke logger) and if he then finds your old TrueCrypt Rescue Disk, he could use it to restore the key data (the master key encrypted with the old password) and thus decrypt your system partition/drive. * If the TrueCrypt Boot Loader is damaged or infected with malware, you can avoid running it by booting directly from the TrueCrypt Rescue Disk. Insert your Rescue Disk into your CD/DVD drive and then enter your password in the Rescue Disk screen. * If Windows is damaged and cannot start, the TrueCrypt Rescue Disk allows you to permanently decrypt the partition/drive before Windows starts. In the Rescue Disk screen, select Repair Options > Permanently decrypt system partition/drive. Enter the correct password and wait until decryption is complete. Then you can e.g. boot your MS Windows setup CD/DVD to repair your Windows. Note: Alternatively, if Windows is damaged (cannot start) and you need to repair it (or access files on it), you can avoid decrypting the system partition/drive by following these steps: Boot another operating system, run TrueCrypt, click Select Device, select the affected system partition, select System > Mount Without Pre-Boot Authentication, enter your pre-boot-authentication password and click OK. The partition will be mounted as a regular TrueCrypt volume (data will be on-the-fly decrypted/encrypted in RAM on access, as usual). * Your TrueCrypt Rescue Disk contains a backup of the original content of the first drive cylinder (made before the TrueCrypt Boot Loader was written to it) and allows you to restore it if necessary. The first cylinder of a boot drive typically contains a system loader or boot manager. In the Rescue Disk screen, select Repair Options > Restore original system loader. Note that even if you lose your TrueCrypt Rescue Disk and an attacker finds it, he or she will not be able to decrypt the system partition or drive without the correct password. To use a TrueCrypt Rescue Disk, insert it into your CD/DVD drive and restart your computer. Note that TrueCrypt Rescue Disks contain the same TrueCrypt Boot Loader that normally resides in the first cylinder of a system drive. Therefore, when you boot from a TrueCrypt Rescue Disk, the standard TrueCrypt Boot Loader screen appears. The only difference between the regular TrueCrypt Boot Loader and the TrueCrypt Rescue Disk is that there are many more options available in the Repair Options menu (the regular TrueCrypt Boot Loader offers only the option 'Permanently decrypt system partition/drive'). If the TrueCrypt Boot Loader screen does not appear or if there are not all options available in the Repair Menu (see below), it is possible that your BIOS is configured to attempt to boot from hard drives before CD/DVD drives. If that is the case, restart your computer, press F2 or Delete (as soon as you see a BIOS start-up screen), and wait until a BIOS configuration screen appears. If no BIOS configuration screen appears, restart (reset) the computer again and start pressing F2 or Delete repeatedly as soon as you restart (reset) the computer. When a BIOS configuration screen appears, configure your BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD drive first (for information on how to do so, please refer to the documentation for your BIOS or motherboard). Then restart your computer. The TrueCrypt Boot Loader should be launched from the Rescue Disk now. To select Repair Options, press F8 on your keyboard. If your TrueCrypt Rescue Disk is damaged, you can create a new one by selecting System > Create Rescue Disk. To find out whether your TrueCrypt Rescue Disk is damaged, insert it into your CD/DVD drive and select System > Verify Rescue Disk.

  This post created with FASS
  
  
• [ANCHOR]ZoneAlarm Free[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W) - "ZoneAlarm is an easy-to-use firewall that blocks hackers and other unknown threats." - Self explanatory. I use it without problem. ([ANCHORLINK=ZoneAlarm Free]link here[/ANCHORLINK])

• [ANCHOR]AutoRuns[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W) - "This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them." - A clever utility, similar to Hijack this, designed specifically for startup applications.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Darik's Boot and Nuke[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(1/5)(-) - "DBAN is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction." - Often refered to as a "Nuke disc", and I have always kept one handy for the day the paranoid fantasies take hold. Also recommended if one plans to recycle or sell hard drives- wipe it clean before sending it out.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Trend Micro™ CWShredder™[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(2/5)(W) - "the premier tool to find and remove traces of CoolWebSearch – the name for a wide range of insidious browser hijackers– from your PC." - Has saved me once when I was in a pinch. This is often what I use on other people's computers to find their problems.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]EVEREST[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W) - "freeware hardware diagnostics and memory benchmarking solution for home PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. It offers the world's most accurate hardware information and diagnostics capabilities, including online features, memory benchmarks, hardware monitoring, and low-level hardware information." - Everest corporation no longer maintains the (free) home edition of this program. You can only download the free version from FileHippo. Handy to have when determining hardware configuration, often to diagnose hardware/driver conflicts.
  
  Hardware Determining Application Alternatives   click to show 

  • [ANCHOR]CPU-Z[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W) - "a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system." - A simple version of Everest, less output, but often just as useful.
    
    
  • [ANCHOR]Sandra[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W) - "Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software." - Again, an alternative to Everest. It seems much much slower than Everest.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]TrendMicro™ HijackThis™[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W) - "a free utility which quickly scans your Windows computer to find settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs... IMPORTANT: HijackThis does not determine what is good or bad. Do not make any changes to your computer settings unless you are an expert computer user." - Advanced diagnostic utility for finding malware. I use it often after I instal programs to determine what is being set.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Trend Micro™ HouseCall[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(1/5)(W,L,S) - "an application for checking whether your computer has been infected by viruses, spyware, or other malware. HouseCall performs additional security checks to identify and fix vulnerabilities to prevent reinfection." - An online scanner, based on TrendMicro's antivirus... it is good, and once upon a time took care of a problem.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Process Explorer[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W) - "Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded." - Like your task manager, only far more advanced. It shows which processes were started by other processes, and which files are being used.

• [ANCHOR]Digsby[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,M,L) - "Instant Messaging: digsby is a multiprotocol IM client that lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list. Email Notifications: digsby is an email notification tool that alerts you of new email and lets you perform actions such as 'Delete' or 'Report Spam' with just one click. Social Networking: digsby is a social networking tool that alerts you of events like new messages and gives you a live Newsfeed of what your friends are up to." - My new favorite multiprotocol instant messenging application. With additional features that notify me on what is happening on my MySpace (yeah, I know, why?) and Facebook (again, why did I bother?), I never need to go to those pages again.
  Multi-Protocol Messenger Alternatives   click to show 

  • [ANCHOR]Miranda IM[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W) - "Miranda IM is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Windows. Very light on system resources and extremely fast, Miranda IM requires no installation and can be made to fit on a single floppy disk or USB drive." - A very spartan multiprotocol instant messenging system. I don't really like it but many people use it.
    
    
  • [ANCHOR]Pidgin[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(4/5)(W,M,L) - "Pidgin is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client that allows you to use all of your IM accounts at once." - Just like Digsby but without social networking features. Highly customizable with a large development team.
    
    
  • [ANCHOR]Trillian[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(3/5)(W) - "Trillian™ is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC." - Once my favorite instant messenging application. Very clean looking and easy to navigate. However, a slight resource hog compared to other alternatives.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Firefox[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,M,L,+) - "The award-winning Web browser is better than ever. Browse the Web with confidence. Firefox protects you from viruses, spyware and pop-ups." - Excellent bowser. Highly customizable with a plethera of addons and themes, highly secure browser that only gets better with time.
  
  Browser Alternatives   click to show 

  • [ANCHOR]Flock[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(3/5)(W,M,L) - "Flock is a free web browser that makes it easier than ever to share photos, stay up-to-date with news from your favorite sites, and search the Web.Flock is built on fast and secure Mozilla technologies. Share photos, get your news, blog freely, and search your world with Flock. Flock makes it easier than ever for you to connect with your friends." - Given the recent explosion of social networking sites, it would be nice to have something that makes it easier to navigate through them all. That is where Flock comes in. It is a nifty browser, and I think will become quite popular in a short time. Read reviews from [ANCHOR]Flock[/ANCHOR][/COLOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(3/5)(W,M,L) - "Flock is a free web browser that makes it easier than ever to share photos, stay up-to-date with news from your favorite sites, and search the Web.Flock is built on fast and secure Mozilla technologies. Share photos, get your news, blog freely, and search your world with Flock. Flock makes it easier than ever for you to connect with your friends." - Given the recent explosion of social networking sites, it would be nice to have something that makes it easier to navigate through them all. That is where Flock comes in. It is a nifty browser, and I think will become quite popular in a short time. Read reviews from MIT's Technology Review "]MIT's Technology Review: "Flock: The New Superstar Browser" (June 23, 2006) and "Flocking Together on the Web" (May 07, 2008).
    
    
  • [ANCHOR]Maxthon[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(4/5)(W) - "Maxthon Browser is a powerful tabbed browser built for all users. Besides basic browsing functionality, Maxthon Browser provides a rich set of features to improve your surfing experience." - Think Internet Explorer, only not as slow. It has the same look and feel of IE, but sells it is more secure. I know a few people that have been converted by it, and I used it myself without problem.
    
    
  • [ANCHOR]Opera[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(4/5)(W,M,L,+) - "A full-featured Internet browser, Opera includes pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, integrated searches, and advanced functions like Opera's groundbreaking E-mail program, RSS Newsfeeds and IRC chat. And because we know that our users have different needs, you can customize the look and content of your Opera browser with a few clicks of the mouse." - An advanced tabbed browser that doubles up as an email client too. I used it for the longest time as it used to be less process intense than Firefox, however, it is a neck and neck battle now. I switched from it due to limitations and incompatibilities with certain websites.
    
    
  • [ANCHOR]Songbird[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W,M,L) - "Songbird is a desktop Web player, a digital jukebox and Web browser mash-up. Like Winamp, it supports extensions and skins feathers. Like Firefox, it is built from Mozilla, cross-platform and open source." - Firefox and Winamp had a baby bird. A clever idea however, very resource intense. I imagine with the new performance gains of FF3, this will also improve. Large footprint, ~140MB, but compatible with iTunes/iPod.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Gizmo5[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(2/5)(W,M,L) - "Gizmo Project uses your internet connection (broadband or dial-up) to make calls to other computers. With the click of a mouse, you're connected to friends, family, and colleagues anywhere on earth. It's just that simple. You talk clearly. For as long as you want. For free." - Think Skype only for all operating systems. It is cheaper than Skype Service, but I can't argue better. As of yet, there are still bugs to be worked out. I have this because it comes on my Nokia770. Supports voice and video chatting, computer to phone calling, voice mail, as well as voice mail- for a small price.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Skype[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(2/5)(W,L) - "Skype is software for calling other people on their computers or phones. Download Skype and start calling for free all over the world." - A popular and widely used internet to phone communication system. Supports voice and video chating, computer to phone, call in, and even voice mail- for a low price.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Thunderbird[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,M,L,+) - "Thunderbird is a great email client from the same people who brought you the Firefox browser. Thunderbird gives you IMAP/POP support, a built-in RSS reader, support for HTML mail, powerful quick search, saved search folders, advanced message filtering, message grouping, labels, return receipts, smart address book LDAP address completion, import tools, and the ability to manage multiple e-mail and newsgroup accounts." - I do everything with the 'Boid, include manage my schedule with Lightning.

• [ANCHOR]Flash Player[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(3/5)(W,M,L) - "Adobe Flash Player is the high-performance, lightweight, highly expressive client runtime that delivers powerful and consistent user experiences across major operating systems, browsers, mobile phones, and devices." - It's required for a lot of internet sites and applications.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Free Download Manager[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(4/5)(W) - "It is a powerful, easy-to-use and absolutely free download accelerator and manager. Moreover, FDM is 100% safe, open-source software distributed under GPL license." - It is a really easy interface for new users. Capable of resuming broken downloads (if the site offers this). It supports downloading Youtube videos and converting them. It however does not distribute bandwith efficient when one is downloading different types of files (ie HTTP/FTP, BitTorrent, Youtube, etc).
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Google Toolbar[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W,M,L,+) - "Keep the power of Google search close at hand. Google Toolbar puts a search box in your browser, making it easier than ever to find anything you want on the Web." - Add a little more power and security to your browsing.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Hamachi[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(1/5)(W,M,L) - "With Hamachi you can organize two or more computers with an Internet connection into their own virtual network for direct secure communication. Access computers remotely, use Windows File Sharing, play LAN games, run private Web or FTP servers or communicate directly." - Is super when making private VPNs for gaming or file sharing between family/friends over the internet!
  
  
• [ANCHOR]Shockwave Player[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(3/5)(W,M) - "The Shockwave player allows you to play dazzling 3D games and entertainment, interactive product demonstrations and online learning applications. Shockwave Player displays Web content that has been created by Macromedia Director." - Needed for a lot of internet applications.
  
  
• [ANCHOR]uTorrent[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(Filehippo)(5/5)(W) - "uTorrent is an efficient and feature rich BitTorrent client for Windows sporting a very small footprint. It was designed to use as little cpu, memory and space as possible while offering all the functionality expected from advanced clients." - Really efficient and stable bit torrent downloader. Comes with a bunch of plugins you can opt into installing too to make it feel more llike the other utilities. :paranoid::thumbsup:
  
  Torrent Downloading Application Alternatives   click to show 

  • [ANCHOR]Deluge[/ANCHOR] (Homepage)(5/5)(W,M,L,+) - "Deluge is a lightweight, Free Software, cross-platform BitTorrent client." - Another efficient torrent application. It is better than most (I have used) because of its advanced proxy settings. Still in early development, so a few bugs here and there.

• http://www.filehippo.com/img/ex/111__foxit.gif Foxit Reader (****)(W) - "Foxit Reader is a free reader for PDF documents. You can view and print PDF documents with it." Faster than Adobe stuff. I use it.
  
  
• https://addons.mozilla.org/img/addon-icn.png Lightning (*****)(W,M,L,+) - "Manage your daily schedule directly within Thunderbird." Makes Thunderbird more like the all in one office utility that Microsoft Outlook is. I like it as it allows me to no longer use Rainlender. Just a reminder: this is a Thunderbird plugin.
  
  Calendar Alternatives   click to show 

  • Sunbird [Mozilla] (****)(W,M,L,+) - "a cross-platform calendar application, built upon Mozilla Toolkit. Our goal is to provide you with full-featured and easy to use calendar application that you can use around the world." It is part of the same Mozilla Calendar Project. Having the same look and feel as the Lightning Plugin for Thunderbird, one has no problem understanding the interface when switching from one to the other. These are separate programs.
    
    
  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/127__rainlendar.gif Rainlendar (*)(W) - Rainlendar is a customizable calendar..." I use it to keep track of my schedule. Helpful, lightweight.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/767__notepad2.gif Notepad++ (*)(W) - "Notepad++ is a free source code editor (and Notepad replacement), which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment." Nifty little tool, hander than notepad and Wordpad combined.
  
  
• Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats [Microsoft] (*)(W) - "Open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007." You are going to see alot more of DOCX and XLSX files. Now you don't have to wonder what to do with them.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/114__openoffice2.gif OpenOffice (*****)(W,M,L,+) - "OpenOffice.org is an open-source, multiplatform and multilingual office suite comparable with MS Office." Pretty good considering it is free. Also, I have little need for MS Excell since I perform most of my data analysis though MATLAB anyways.
  
  
• PDF Split and Merge (**)(W) - "A free open source tool to split and merge pdf documents." Just like its name implies. I use it plenty now.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/822__PDFCreator.gif PDFCreator (****)(W) - "PDFCreator is a free tool to create PDF files from nearly any Windows application." It acts just like a printer, in fact, is seen by windows as a printer!
  Print Document to PDF Alternatives   click to show 

  • http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/830__CutePDF.gif CutePDF (*)(W) - "free version of commercial PDF creation software" Very basic, and requires an additional program that is not included with the installer. However, it works on my computer... unlike PDF Printer...
    
    
  • http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/653__primoPDF.gif PrimoPDF (****)(W) - "Convert to PDF from any application by simply 'printing'" Currently my replacement to PDF Printer, which for some reason had issues with the GUI when printing, and now freezes when printing. This is pretty good, however, it is not has clever as PDF Printer.

• http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/719__blender.png Blender (*)(W,M,L,+) - "the open source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback." Never personally used it, however all of my graphic design friends that are learning 3-D animation with the "pop program of the week that wont be industry standard next week" teach themselves to use Blender. It is free, it is open source, it is muli platform compatible, and therefor it is always available to them.
  
  
• Exifer (*)(W) - "...features regarding IPTC editing and viewing EXIF data." I use this to edit time and date data for photos all the time. Does batch processing for groups of photos. For a more detailed explaination visit this thread, Changing Photo Time Stamp, Bulk Editor.
  Time Stamp Editing Alternatives   click to show 

  • iPhoto (?)(M) - "iPhoto automatically organizes your photo library and makes editing as easy as clicking your mouse — so you can get the most out of even the biggest collection." Never used it, but was recommended by Redlemon as a solution to my problem but for the Mac user. It doesn't appear to be freeware...
  
  
• FastStone Image Viewer (***)(W) - "FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping and color adjustments."
  
  
• http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/92__paintnet.png Paint.NET (***)(W) - "free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools." It is very nice, and has become my photo-editing tool of choice.
  
  Photo editing tool alternatives   click to show 

  • GIMP (*)(W,M,L,+) - "GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages." Does what it says. Used it once and only once, but I still trust it.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/718__googlesketchup.png Google SketchUp (*)(W,M) - "Google SketchUp (free) is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D." Really great for drafting simple plans for lofts, tables, etc.

• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/959__CCv2.gif CCleaner (*****)(w) - "CCleaner (formerly Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's fast! (normally taking less than a second to run) and Free." Really great for cleaning temporary files and finding registry issues.
  
  
• FastKake (**)(W) - "will create a set of handy and useful shortcuts which will give you full control of your Windows operating system and simplify your computing life." I use this to lock my computer screen when I log in from a reboot.
  
  
• http://www.filehippo.com/img/fhlogo2.gif filehippo.com Update Checker (**)(W) - "The Update Checker will scan your computer for installed software, check the versions and then send this information to filehippo.com to see if there are any newer releases." I like hippos.
  
  
• HashTab (**)(W) - "HashTab is a Windows shell extension which adds a tab called "File Hashes" to the Windows Explorer file properties." Rather nice when download sites include the hashes of the download for validity. Simple... should be standard in windows.
  
  
• http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/1006__jkdefrag.gif JkDefrag (*****)(W) - "a disk defragmenter and optimizer for Windows ... Completely automatic and very easy to use, fast, low overhead, with several optimization strategies, and can handle floppies, USB disks, memory sticks, and anything else that looks like a disk to Windows. Included are a Windows version, a commandline version (for scheduling by the task scheduler or for use from administrator scripts), a screensaver version, a DLL library (for use from programming languages), versions for Windows X64, and the complete sources." A really great tool. I have set it up as my screen saver to defrag stuff while the computer is at rest. It is fast and low memory footprint.
  
  Defragmentation Tool Alternatives   click to show 

  • http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/1005__defraggler.gif Defraggler (***)(W) - "quickly and simply defrag the files you want to, without having to process the whole drive" Just like it says. It is good if you only need certain files to be defragmented.
  
  
• Open Command Window Here (**)(W) - "This PowerToy adds an "Open Command Window Here" context menu option on file system folders, giving you a quick way to open a command window pointing at the selected folder." Enough said. Use it a lot when testing command line programs.
  
  
• Power Calculator (*)(W) - "With this PowerToy you can graph and evaluate functions as well as perform many different types of conversions." Enough said.
  
  
• http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/786__recuva.gif Recuva (****)(W) - "freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer" It is really nifty. Made by the same people that make CCleaner, it does what it says and looks simple to use.
  
  File Recovering Alternatives   click to show 

  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/102__filerecovery.png PC Inspector File Recovery (****)(W) - "data recovery program and file undeleter. Recover deleted files with this great freeware utility." Need I say more?
  
  
• http://rehash.sourceforge.net/images/rehash.gif Rehash (**)(W) - "ReHash is an easy-to-use console-based hash calculation tool written in standard C++. It may be freely distributed and modified under the terms of the BSD open source license." Supports tons of hash algorithms, and makes it easy for me to spot errors in my media archive.
  
  
• Remove Empty Directories (**)(W) - "RED is a little utility that allows you to remove empty folders recursively. (for Windows, build with Winbinder)" VERY USEFUL. Always changing music directories and FTP directories, so I need to clean the old empty folders out.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/51__7zip.png 7-Zip (***)(W) - "7-Zip is an open source file archiver predominantly for the Microsoft Windows operating system." Opens damn near everything, open source, and can be run through the command line. So far, 7Zip works best at archiving documents with the LZMA scheme to a 7Z archive (~60% reduction of PDFs).
  
  
• http://www.synergymx.com/imgs/logoSyncToy.gif SyncToy (**)(W) - "The easy to use, customizable application helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers." Perfect for backing up home pictures, music, or syncing folders and computers.
  
  
• TweakUI (***)(W) - "This PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more." Nice to tinker with. I set my school provided laptop to auto-login to my account always, then with FastKake, cause it to lock the screen. Preloading is Choice.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/662__Unlocker.gif Unlocker (**)(W) - "Unlocker is the solution to the following types of Windows error messages... cannot delete..." Great to get rid of those goddamned files you know you want gone!

• Bilderman (*)(W) - "Bilderman is a simple screen capture application."
  
  
• ClearType Tuner (****)(W) - "This PowerToy lets you use ClearType technology to make it easier to read text on your screen, and installs in the Control Panel for easy access." Makes things look quite a bit clearer in nearly all my windows applications.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/1029__launchy.gif Launchy (***)(W) - "Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes!" Wow it is really cool. I avoid my mouse and type commands at my machine, this makes it so much easier! Love it, love it, love it! The only reason it isn't a 5 star, is because it uses 20MB+, I think it ought to use less.
  
  
• Synergy (*****)(W,M,L) - "Synergy lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its own display, without special hardware. It's intended for users with multiple computers on their desk since each system uses its own monitor(s)." CHOICE. I used this with my desktop and laptop and geeked out every day I used it. It can even work between machines not of the same OS.
  
  
• Virtual Desktop Manager (***)(W) - "Manage up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar with this PowerToy." Really helpful, if you couldn't guess, I do a lot of things all at once, so I move to a new clean desktop with it.

• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/32__foobar.png Foobar2000 (*****)(W) - "Foobar2000 is an advanced audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include ReplayGain support, low memory footprint and native support for several popular audio formats." CHOICE. BEST DAMNED MEDIA PLAYER. Oh FooBar2000, how do I love thee.

  Let me count the ways:   click to show 

  1. Can play everything I can think of (minus RA... a dead codec to me)
  2. Advanced tagging operations (from online database, other tags, filename...)
  3. Customizable media library sorting
  4. Advanced physical library organization
  5. Native CD Ripper to any format or preferred ripping scheme (I use EAC for that now, please FB2K, forgive me!)
  6. Built in and customizable conversion tools, any codecs acceptable
  7. Customizable user interface
  8. uses about 36~40MB RAM

  but only for Windows (works in Wine).
  Lower Foobar2000's Memory Footprint   click to show 

  
  From HA Forum:
  Go to the installation directory of FB2K (usually "C:\Program Files\foobar2000") and remove all but the components foo_albumlist, foo_cdda, foo_input_std, and foo_ui_std. I recommend installing another instance of FB2K to another directory (Mine is "C:\Program Files\foobar2000\light\") and removing all but those components.
  Media Player Alternatives   click to show 

  • http://www.musikcube.com/images/prom...cube_15x80.png musikCube (****)(W) - "Don't be square. musikCube is an mp3 player for the modern generation." Damn great. Actually supports all formats I throw at it (with the help of some plugins on their site, except for images with CUEs). It has advanced playlist features to figure out what you like. It is lightweight, less than 10MB to run (7~9MB), and super fast. Comes with a media library. Excellent for the average and advanced user.
    
    
  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/751__songbird.png Songbird (*)(W,M,L) - "Songbird is a desktop Web player, a digital jukebox and Web browser mash-up. Like Winamp, it supports extensions and skins feathers. Like Firefox, it is built from Mozilla, cross-platform and open source." Like it says. It's pretty, it gets the job done, it supports some not so common formats. All OS's, however large footprint, ~140MB. If you don't like iTunes and are looking for a replacement, check it out.
    
    
  • More listed at the HydrogenAudio Forum, "Choice of Light Weight Music Player"
  Codec Alternatives for Windows Media Player   click to show 

  • Illiminable Directshow Filters (**)(W) - "Directshow Filters for Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Theora and FLAC" Not big into the super mega ultra codec packs since they often have spyware. Also, I use FB2K and VLC. If you just want to listen to tracks that are not your norm in WMP, install this.
    
    
  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/7__quicktime.png QuickTime Alternative (**)(W) - "QuickTime Alternative allows your system to play QuickTime movie files (.mov) without having to install the full version of the Quicktime Player." Again, not a fan of Apple... so this is the compromise if you don't like VLC. VLC plays MOV... and whatever else there is.
    
    
  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/6__real.png Real Alternative (**)(W) - "Real Alternative allows your system to play Real Media files (.ra .ram) without having to install the full version of RealPlayer." Very nice. I am not a fan of Real Player, or their codecs... so this is the compromise. Plus, VLC doesn't not play RA and RAM
  Media Information Alternatives   click to show 

  • Mr Questionman (*)(W) - "Mr QuestionMan is an audio inspector. You can browse through your audio collection and it will show you useful information, like average bitrate, used encoder and settings, etc. It supports many audio formats." It is handy to have around when checking music files. It supports plenty of non standard codecs.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/108__vlc.png VLC Media Player (*****)(W,M,L,+) - "VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols." My personal favorite video player. Supports all OS's, small RAM footprint, but no library. Still great.

• AccurateRip (*****)(-) - "It gives a confidence when storing your CD collection onto computer that the resulting audio files are free from error, without having to listen manually to each track." The technology in short: the audio data of each track ripped is hashed (CRC32) and submitted to a GIANT database. Your results are compared to the database, instantly giving confidence that your rips are accurate, or inform that your rips are incorrect and you must rerip. A time and trouble saver. Currently only supported by two rippers: EAC and dBpoweramp.
  
  
• Spoiler: DVDFab HD Decrypter (*****)(W) - "It copies entire DVD movie to hard disk, and removes all the protections (CSS, RC, RCE, APS, UOPs and Sony ARccOS) while copying. It also comes with full HD-DVD and Blu-Ray support (Removes AACS)." Really good when your DVDs have a lifespan of 3 months because of roommates, parents of roommates, and /or kids. Please be smart if you use this program! :paranoid::thumbsup:
  
  
• Exact Audio Copy (EAC) (*****)(W) - "Exact Audio Copy is a so called audio grabber for audio CDs using standard CD and DVD-ROM drives." Choice. Undoubtedly one of the best audio rippers. Supports many features. Secure ripping schemes. Image based ripping styles. Audio editing tools. AccurateRip database support. Multi-rip-encoding processor REACT2. Go to Hydrogen Audio Forums for real in depth help and advice.
  
  CD Ripping Tool Alternatives   click to show 

  • CDex (*)(W) - "Open Source Digital Audio CD Extractor" An open source version of EAC (uses the same secure rip technology) that no one wants to keep up to date anymore (damn them!).
    
    
  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/755__dBpowerAMP.gifdBpowerAMP (*)(W) - "Often called a Swiss army knife of Audio, dbpowerAMP is able to: Digitally Rip Audio CDs and compress to a multitude of audio formats, Convert between audio formats whilst preserving ID Tags. Practically every audio type is supported: mp3, mp4, m4a, Windows Media Audio (WMA), Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Monkeys Audio, FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC) and many others from Codec Central..." A really intuitive solution for advanced audio ripping/encoding. I do not use this program, but I once did. It supports AccurateRip like EAC. Can use MAREO to have REACT like abilities. I currently use EAC, REACT, and FB2K to handle all my audio media concerns.
    
    
  • Deep Ripper (*)(W) - "DeepRipper is freeware utility that is capable of converting audio CD tracks to a first-grade MP3, OGG or WAV files. It features a number of presets for less experienced users and full set of manual settings for experts." A very simple and quick solution for ripping tracks.

• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/90__audacity.png Audacity (***)(W,M,L,+) - "Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows." Bingo, use it a lot when I need to edit gaps and tracks for mixing.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/97__dvdshrink.png DVD Shrink (*****)(W) - "DVD Shrink is a freeware tool for fitting a DVD-Video disc on a single DVD-R." Yeah another good one. I use it to compress home movies that I convert to DVD, real intuitive to use. :paranoid::thumbsup:
  
  Enable Batch Processing of DVD Shrink Jobs   click to show 

  • MultiShrink (***)(W) - "A small tool to enable DVD Shrink batch processing" Damn I use this one at Christmas time to batch process home videos of/for family and friends. Somewhat counter-intuitive, but simple nonetheless. One need only have multiple DVD Shrink jobs waiting at the backup screen just before DVD Shrink actually begins processing a job. You run Multishrink and it will start those jobs one at a time.
  DVD compression alternatives   click to show 

  • http://i.filehippo.com/img/ex/105__shrinkto5.png ShrinkTo5 (*)(W) - "the new, powerful and fast DVD copying engine." The not so new, not so open-source, DVD shrinking application. It takes out most of the work required with DVD Shrink, however with untested results. I will do a future comparison of Shrinkto5 and DVD Shrink later.
    
  • http://filehippo.com/img/ex/103__ratdvd.gif ratDVD (**)(W) - "You can directly play back the .ratDVD file in Windows Media Player or any other compatible player - with all the options the original DVD movie would give you." Really Great if you have a Media Center PC!!! :paranoid::thumbsup:
  
  
• FLAC (***)(W,M,L,+) - "FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an audio format similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality." A very good lossless audio codec. Supports embedded CUE-sheets, embedding album art, lyrics, and tons of other metadata elements.
  
  
• Gordian Knot (**)(W) - "...[A]n integrated package or tool for the entire process of DivX/XviD encoding." Some words that describe GK. Confusing. Convoluted. Backwards. Powerful. Semi-automated. Use this to convert DVD video to portable AVI/OGM/MKV video in popular DivX/XviD/x264 codecs. I recommend getting your feet wet with AutoGK first.
  
  DVD to Video Alternatives   click to show 

  • AutoGK (***)(W) - "This site is a homepage for THE tool for DivX / XviD backup utility. With support of DVDs, MPEG2 (such as DVB captures and transport streams), MPEG1 sources along with AVI/DV sources encoding into your favourite MPEG4 format was never as easy as now!" A fairly powerful DVD to MP4/AVI program, built as a parallel to the popular but convoluted Gordian Knot, sacrificing some control of your video for much needed simplicity. Exceeds my expectations of a one click program, superior quality for/from the average encoding user.
    
    
  • DivX (***)(W,M) - "DivX for Windows gives you everything you need to create and play high-ality DivX videos on your PC and beyond." I use Dr. DivX all the time to convert FLVs I download from YouTube with FDM.
    
    
  • Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer (SUPER) (*)(W) - "If you need a simple, yet very efficient tool to convert (encode) or play any Multimedia file, without reading manuals or spending long hours training, then SUPER © is all you need." Eh, it is OK, not my favorite and not as powerful as AutoGK or GK. Simple as all hell though.
    
    
  • VOB2MPG (*)(W) - "VOB2MPG goes through a whole DVD VIDEO_TS folder and joins up the various vobsets to produce mpgs for the different titles." This tool is not much good, unless you are converting video clips into something else with programs that do not accept DVD vobsets as input. When that happens just use this.
  
  
• LAME (****)(W,M,L,+) - "LAME is considered the best MP3 encoder at mid-high bitrates and at VBR, mostly thanks to the dedicated work of its developers and the open source licensing model that allowed the project to tap into engineering resources from all around the world." Highly regarded at Hydrogen Audio Forums, I used it extensively before switching to Vorbis. MP3 is a proprietary format. This means if you wanted to sell MP3s of your music, you must pay some of your earnings to Fraunhofer, the patent owner of MPEG-III codec. Please: root for the the underdogs: WavPack, FLAC, Vorbis. You must download a windows encoder from RareWares.
  
  
• [Windows] Media Encoder (*)(W) - "Windows Media Encoder is a powerful tool for content producers who want to capture audio and video content using the many innovations in Windows Media, including high-quality multichannel sound, high-definition video quality, and support for mixed-mode voice and music content." Used a lot when I would take VOBs from DVD clips and needed them to be WMV for Movie Maker. Really helpful at times.
  
  
• REACT (*****)(W) - "REACT (Run EAC Tasks) can be used in conjunction with Exact Audio Copy (EAC), as an external compressor. It is, however, not an encoder ... REACT allows you to run multiple tasks on the audio extracted, instead of only one." Definitely one of the greatest things to come along for audio archiving. I have mine configured to do many tasks for my media library such as: zip-archive to be burned to DVDs, audio hashing for extra security, file hashing, it is loaded.
  
  Multi-Format Rip Encoder Alternatives   click to show 

  • MAREO 6 (?)(W) - "special program for CD rippers and other audio compression frontends that has the ability to execute multiple encoders for each track ripped, allowing to encode to multiple audio formats at the same time." I never got to use this since I prefer to rip to images. While I don't use this, it is highly regarded at HydrogenAudio Forums. You must download it from here.
  
  
• Vorbis (**)(W,M,L,+) - "Ogg Vorbis is a completely open, patent-free, professional audio encoding and streaming technology with all the benefits of Open Source." My favorite low-bitrate lossy encoder. Similar to MP3 but performs better at low bitrates for my bad ears. I support it because it is free to use, and works well.
  
  
• WavPack (***)(W,M,L,+) - "WavPack is a completely open audio compression format providing lossless, high-quality lossy, and a unique hybrid compression mode." My favorite lossless codec. To me, faster than FLAC with almost all the same features (minus embedding album art), and a unique hybrid mode which provides high bitrate lossy files, comparable to MP3 at 200kbps, which can be returned to lossless with the WVC, WavPack Correction file.

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Dvdisaster.png DVDisaster (**) - "dvdisaster stores data on Compact Disc/DVD in a way that it is fully recoverable even after some read errors have developed." Really great since I am an audio buff and want to preserve my lossless Compact Disc rips for a long time.
  
  
• http://filehippo.com/img/ex/630__imgBurn.gif ImgBurn (*****)(W,L) - "ImgBurn can write most types of Compact Disc/DVD images and it supports all the latest writers ... ImgBurn is a lightweight Compact Disc/ DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit!" I use this program all the time. It is great for ISO images, DVD video, plain data to DVD jobs, now includes audio support for many formats and lots of audio file types. Supports a test feature which ensures the data you burned is bit identical to what is on your hard drive. Am I paranoid? Do I get the job done right on the first try? Yes and Yes.
  
  Configuring ImgBurn in Ubuntu through Wine   click to show 

  Quote:

  View: How to get ImgBurn working on Ubuntu 7.10 Source: Forum.imgburn created with FASS, the unofficial TFP post generator How to get ImgBurn working on Ubuntu 7.10 Nov 18 2007, 12:58 AM by LIGHTNING UK! Just so you know, I'm a complete n00b when it comes to anything Linux! This guide is actually being created at same time as I try to install Ubuntu 7.10 (DVD) and get ImgBurn up and running for myself. If I can do it, you can too wink.gif So... where to start?! At the beginning of course! Goto http://www.ubuntu.com/ and download the desktop edition of v7.10 from a location near you. Personally, I clicked on the 'Download' link, followed by one called 'complete list of download locations' at the bottom of the page. I then selected 'United Kingdom' from the 'DVD downloads' section right at the bottom of the page. I then opted to download the file called 'ubuntu-7.10-dvd-i386.iso' by clicking on it. Thanks to the University of Kent for providing the download mirror smile.gif Once that's finished downloading (it may take a while!), burn the image to a disc. With the 'bootable' Ubuntu disc inserted in the drive, boot up the PC you want to install it on. When presented with the startup menu, select the first option - 'Start or install Ubuntu'. Wait for it to load the desktop and then double click on the 'Install' icon on the left. Next you need to go through a 7 step wizard... Step 1 - Select a language for the installer. Step 2 - Tell it where you are. Step 3 - Select your keyboard layout. Step 4 - Configure your partitions. Step 5 - Unknown - only appears if you select 'Manual' on Step 4? Step 6 - Tell it who you are. Step 7 - Ready to install. So when you're done, click the 'Install' button and away it goes! All being well, it'll eventually finish and you'll see the following box: Do as it says and remove the bootable disc from the drive, then click the 'Restart now' button. That's it for the first part - well done, you just installed Ubuntu wink.gif Once the machine has restarted and Ubuntu has loaded back up, login using the name + password you entered back in Step 6. I guess the next thing to do is check for updates?! Updates are Good! biggrin.gif Click 'System' in the top menu bar, then hover over 'Administration' for a second until the next menu appears, then click 'Update Manager'. Next, click the 'Check' button and type in your password again if/when prompted to do so. Once it's found them all, click the 'Install Updates' button to install them. Ok, all done? In that case you should see this box: Click 'Close' and you're good to go. smile.gif At this point I chose to reboot the machine. I know it didn't actually tell me to (and I believe it does when it needs to), but I just feel happier doing it! If you haven't already figured it out, you can reboot by clicking the red power symbol in the top right corner of the screen. Now that's all done, it's time to install http://www.winehq.com. As taken from the Wine website, 'Wine is an Open Source implementation of the Windows API on top of X, OpenGL, and Unix.' - Yes, that includes Ubuntu tongue.gif ImgBurn is a Windows application, hence Wine is required to act as a go-between for it's code and the native Linux API. Normally when you want to install an application in Ubuntu you'd do so via the 'Synaptic Package Manager' which you'll find on the 'System' -> 'Administration' menu that we saw earlier on. The trouble is, at the time of writing this guide (and this will probably still be the case when you do it), the version of Wine available on there isn't actually the latest and greatest one. sad.gif To get the latest one we need to tell the package manager where to get it from. This page will tell you how to do it - http://www.winehq.org/site/download-deb For the sake of keeping it in one place, here's a copy + paste job... CODE First, open a terminal window. Then add the repository's key to your system's list of trusted APT keys by copy and pasting the following: wget -q http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/387EE263.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add - Next, add the repository to your system's list of APT sources: sudo wget http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/...t.d/gutsy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list As a hint for complete n00b's, you can find the 'Terminal' program under the 'Applications' menu and then 'Accessories'. smile.gif This is what my terminal window looked like when I'd finished: When you've done all that (hopefully I've not lost anyone?!), you can go ahead and install Wine. Ubuntu will now know where to find the very latest versions smile.gif As that last web page said (you read it properly yeah?!), you can install Wine in 2 ways. 1. Via the 'Terminal' window you already have open. 2. Via the 'Synaptic Package Manager' application. If you're feeling brave and are happy with the terminal window, simply type in the following: CODE sudo apt-get update That'll update the APT's package information, then type the following to actually install Wine: CODE sudo apt-get install wine If you want to go the Synaptic Package Manager route, load it up from the System -> Administration menu. Firstly (and this is very important), click the 'Reload' button in the top left of the window to update the package information. Now click the 'Search' button and type in 'Wine' (without quotes) before then clicking 'Search' again. You should then see a window like this: Locate the 'wine' package within the list and double click it. If you're prompted to mark additional required changes, just click the 'Mark' button. Now click the 'Apply' button. When prompted to 'Apply the following change?', just click the 'Apply' button again. Assuming everything went ok, you've just installed Wine smile.gif Bring up the 'Applications' menu at the top once again and you should see a new branch on it called 'Wine'. Go to it and click the 'Configure Wine' option. Click on the 'Drives' tab and click the 'Autodetect...' button. It may take a second or two but eventually it'll populate the box with something like this: Click the 'Ok' button so the window closes down. Right, now all that's left to do is download ImgBurn and install it! Load up FireFox, goto http://www.imgburn.com/ and click the 'Download' link. Select whichever mirror you want to and start the download. Firefox will ask if you want to open the file or save it. You should notice that 'Wine' is now the default application to open it with. With the 'Open with' option selected and 'Wine' as the application, click the 'Ok' button. You can then go through the normal ImgBurn setup wizard. When you're done with that, remove/delete the 'ImgBurn.lnk' file from your desktop (shown with the red arrow) - it's just the normal (Windows) ImgBurn shortcut file only they're not valid on Ubuntu. Wine will have automatically created a proper one for you. To run ImgBurn, simply double click the ImgBurn on the dekstop (shown with the green arrow). Hooray, ImgBurn running under Ubuntu 7.10 - give yourself a pat on the back wink.gif

  
  
• Virtual CloneDrive (*) - "Virtual CloneDrive works and behaves just like a physical CD/DVD drive, however it exists only virtually... Virtual CloneDrive allows you to enjoy the freedom of a virtual drive and is completely free." A paranoid friend of mine recommends it. It works so, I can't complain.

• http://boinc.berkeley.edu/logo/boinc32.bmp BOINC (*****)- "Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing: Use the idle time on your computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) to cure diseases, study global warming, discover pulsars, and do many other types of scientific research. It's safe, secure, and easy" Enough said. What do you support? >> GO!
  
  BOINC Projects I support   click to show 

  
  Artificial Intelligence System
  CERN's Large Hadron Collider Project, LHC@Home
  Cosmology@Home
  Einstein@Home
  Enigma@Home
  Milkyway@Home
  Predictor@Home
  Project TANPAKU
  Quantum Monte Carlo at Home
  Rosetta@Home
  SETI@Home
  Similarity Matrix of Proteins
  Spinhenge@Home
  World Community Grid
  - AfricanClimate@Home
  - Discovering Dengue Drugs
  - FightAIDS@Home
  - Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy
  - Human Proteome Folding
  
  
• Folding@Home (*****) - "Folding@home is a distributed computing project -- people from throughout the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world." Similar to BOINC but more specific. I ran it for two years, and am waiting for a BOINC compatible system to come out. Best thing, it runs on the PS3!!!
  
  
• http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/8...buntu32ek2.png Kubuntu (****)(-) - "a user friendly operating system based on KDE, the K Desktop Environment. With a predictable 6 month release cycle and part of the Ubuntu project, Kubuntu is the GNU/Linux distribution for everyone." Based on the Ubuntu distro of Linux, arguably one of the most user friendly distros. Kubuntu has the KDE desktop, a popular environment, as standard. Kubuntu packs everything you need to start using a free operating system.
  
  Operating System Alternatives   click to show 

  • http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/7403/debian32xj4.png Debian (***) - "Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run." My first successful Linux installation and longest running distro I had up and running. You never forget your first. Debian has has many other distributions based on it such as the popular Ubuntu, and DreamLinux.
    
    
  • http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7...linux32rd6.png Dreamlinux (?)(-) - "a modern and modular GNU/Linux system that can be run directly from a CD/DVD/USBStick and optionally be installed to a HDD" Another GNU/Linux simplified operating system designed for people to transition into the world of open-source OS. I never tried it myself but was recommended to me by someone that was well-off with Gentoo, and they had first hand experiment with DreamLinux. Again, this distro is based off of my favorite OS so far, Debian.
    
    
  • http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7628/fedora32jz2.png Fedora (?)(-) - "a Linux-based operating system that showcases the latest in free and open source software. Fedora is always free for anyone to use, modify, and distribute." Claiming to be a simple GNU/Linux distro... lots use it. At my university, it is either Gentoo, Ubuntu, or Fedora. Never tried it. Can be install to a USB drive.
    
    
  • http://www.ubuntu.com/themes/ubuntu0...con-ubuntu.png Ubuntu (**) - "Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more." This is one of the easiest distributions of GNU/Linux, and has spawned many distros derived right from it's code. It itself is based on the powerful Debian OS.
    
    
  • http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9...buntu32ne8.png Xubuntu (?)(-) - "pre-loaded with a wide selection of software, ranging from office applications to web browsing software, so your computer is ready to use immediately after installation... Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop environment, meaning that it will run fast while still delivering a user-friendly interface. Older computers feel lively again, while newer ones will run faster than ever before! " Another Ubuntu derivative. So you know it is simple. Uses XFCE environment as standard. If you are new, all these faces wont make much difference to you.
  Advanced Distros of Linux, not recommended for first instals   click to show 

  • http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5293/freebsdlq2.png FreeBSD (?)(-) - "FreeBSD is an advanced operating system ... derived from BSD, the version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley... FreeBSD offers advanced networking, performance, security and compatibility features today which are still missing in other operating systems, even some of the best commercial ones... makes an ideal Internet or Intranet server..." Got none really. Made for power users to tinker with.
    
    
  • http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1715/gentoozq4.png Gentoo (?)(-) - "can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need. Extreme configurability, performance and a top-notch user and developer community are all hallmarks of the Gentoo experience." User intense OS, I have been told once configured correctly, don't touch it again!
    
    
  • http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2...solarisyl2.png OpenSolaris (?)(-) - "fully functional desktop environment promises extreme data integrity, so you can code on the edge and never compromise your work." Solaris is widely used in infrastructures and software development.
  
  
• Partimage Is Not Ghost (***)(-) - "backup and restore whole partitions, an easy way. It sounds like Symantec Ghost(tm), but has even better features, and is totally free. " It is a little bit challenging to determine the full features of this application. I have created backups and restored them and am currently exploring the further potential of this backup utility.
  
  System Backup Alternatives   click to show 

  • http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/258/nlite32mf5.png nLite - Windows Installation Customizer (?)(W) - "a tool for pre-installation Windows configuration and component removal at your choice. Optional bootable image ready for burning on media or testing in virtual machines." Configure your WinXP or Win2003 machine with components you want or do not want. I have never used this but my roommate did, and he was successful in creating his own WinXP boot discs.
    
    
  • http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1879/vlite32db9.png vLite - Vista Lite (?)(W) - "a tool for customizing the Windows Vista installation before actually installing it." No experience with this one, however heard of users that use the nLite application. I know nLite worked for a former roommate so I can see why this one wouldn't.
  
  
• http://www.rockbox.org/rockbox100.png Rockbox (*) - "Rockbox is an open source firmware for mp3 players, written from scratch. It runs on a wide range of players..." Choice. When I get a new DAP (Digital Audio Player, a.k.a. "MP3-Player"), it will be Rockbox'able!

1. A direct HTML to PDF "printer." I currently use PDF Printer extensively but I require a program that will take exactly what the webpage looks like and makes it into a PDF, colors and all.
2. A calculator program with CAS (calculator algebraic ... system, syntax, something- works with variables), doesn't need to be like the ti-89 but it would be nice.
3. I had another program I was looking for... when I remember it I will get back here.

1. A direct HTML to PDF "printer." I currently use PDF Printer extensively but I require a program that will take exactly what the webpage looks like and makes it into a PDF, colors, still graphics and all.
2. A calculator program with CAS (calculator algebraic ... system, syntax, something- works with variables and numbers), doesn't need to be like the ti-89 but it would be nice.
3. A program with Mathtype like abilities. Something that can make good math graphics.

http://filehippo.com/img/ex/134__keepass.gif KeePass (****) - "KeePass is a free/open-source password manager or safe which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way." Choice. Built in random password generator, password folder structure for different systems, auto-types user name and password, and master password for locking the program. Helps me manager all my identities, because there is a whole internet outside my safety zone, TFP.

Quote:

http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/images/logo.gif [Click image for link] Synergy lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its own display, without special hardware. It's intended for users with multiple computers on their desk since each system uses its own monitor(s). Redirecting the mouse and keyboard is as simple as moving the mouse off the edge of your screen. Synergy also merges the clipboards of all the systems into one, allowing cut-and-paste between systems. Furthermore, it synchronizes screen savers so they all start and stop together and, if screen locking is enabled, only one screen requires a password to unlock them all. Learn more about how it works.

• Ad-Aware
• Adobe Reader
• AutoSizer
• Avast
• BitComet
• Clock Tray Skins Lite
• FileMenuTools
• Firefox w/ the following extensions:
  • Ad-Block Plus
  • Bookmarks' Full Titles
  • IE Tab
  • Menu Editor
  • Toolbar Buttons
• Hide Menu Bar
• IrfanView
• Limewire Pro
• OpenOffice
• POP Peeper
• Roboform
• Shockwave
• Stickies
• The Weather Channel (Desktop)
• Thunderbird
• TweakUI
• Zoom Player Standard

• HouseCall is an application for checking whether your computer has been infected by viruses, spyware, or other malware. HouseCall performs additional security checks to identify and fix vulnerabilities to prevent reinfection.
• HijackThis™ is a free utility which quickly scans your Windows computer to find settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs. HijackThis creates a report, or log file, with the results of the scan.
• TrendProtect is a FREE browser plug-in that helps you avoid Web pages with unwanted content and hidden threats. TrendProtect rates the current page and pages listed in Google, MSN, and Yahoo search results. You can use the rating to decide if you want to visit or avoid a given Web page.
• Trend Micro CWShredder is the premier tool to find and remove traces of CoolWebSearch – the name for a wide range of insidious browser hijackers– from your PC.
• Transaction Guard is FREE software that protects you against spyware while performing sensitive online tasks on a public computer, like Internet banking or other financial transactions. Transaction Guard has two components:
  • Spyware Monitor – Monitors for spyware and notifies you of any intrusions.
  • Password ClipBoard – An on-screen keyboard for securely entering user names and passwords.
• TrendSecure is just four of their programs, one of which is not released yet except in the form of a beta. HouseCall™ Free Scan, RUBotted (Now in Beta), Trend Micro™ eMail ID (Beta), and HijackThis™.

• TweakUI (or have your computer set to automatically log into a user)
• Fastkake
• USB or other portable memory device

1. Use TweakUI to set your computer to auto login into your account ("Logon" > "Autologon")
2. Have a file on your USB drive that you will never rename or get rid of
3. Install Fastkake to somewhere on your computer
4. Open Notepad and type out a code similar to this one
   
   Code:

   ---

   @E~CHO O~FF
I~F E~XIST "J:\Augi_Database.kdb" copy /V /Y "J:\Augi_Database.kdb" "D:\My Documents\Augi_Databse.kdb"
I~F N~OT E~XIST "J:\Augi_Database.kdb" "C:\Program Files\fastkake\FastKake.exe" lockscreen

   ---

   • remove the "~"
   • Replace the directory and file specific stuff with your own stuff
     Save that file as "lock_my_screen.bat" ("any file", with quotes) to... your desktop
5. Go to your Start button, right click, and click "Explore"
6. Navigate to "Startup" ("Programs" > "Startup")
7. Move the BAT to that directory.