Free computer software

[Simon Pieman]

List any useful freeware programs you use here, a brief description for what it is (e.g. email client software) and a virus free download link.

I'll try and make a comprehensive list for the computer FAQ and tidy things up a bit.

[Simon Pieman]

I'll kick things off:

Firefox - An alternative web browser to Internet Explorer: http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/firefox/

Thunderbird - An alternative email program to Outlook: http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Open Office - Free office suite which allows you to create, open and edit office documents e.g. Word & Excel: http://download.openoffice.org/

VLC Media Player - A free media player which plays every video format I've ever thrown at it, without needing additional codecs: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html#win98

Sharepod - Itunes alternative which avoids all the syncing difficulties, good for getting stuff from your ipod to the pc without losing anything: http://www.getsharepod.com/about/

Foxit reader - A faster and more efficient alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader: http://download.cnet.com/Foxit-Reader/3000-10743_4-10313206.html?tag=mncol

[Rustle]

Program unlocker,this unlocks programs or folders you can't delete off you're desktop in an instant.

It's a simple program to use all you do is right click on the object and scroll to unlock to delete.

http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

[Simon Pieman]

CutePDF Writer - Installs itself as a printer, so when you select it when you print, it outputs as a pdf file. Useful if you need to create a document which cannot be easily tampered with: http://www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/writer.asp

MyDefrag - Disk Defragmenting tool which moves files in zones according to the type, resulting in much better results than any other disk defragmenting tool I have seen: http://www.mydefrag.com/Manual-DownloadAndInstall.html

Quick Media Conversion - Convert audio and video files in a variety of formats: http://www.cocoonsoftware.com/download/INSTALL.zip

[Chubbs]

Opera- An alternative web browser to Internet Explorer http://www.opera.com/

[Peter Venkman]

A few utilities I can't do without -

Malwarebytes Anti malware.
http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button

Superantispyware.
http://www.superantispyware.com/downloadfile.html?productid=SUPERANTISPYWAREFREE

NCleaner - set up lots of windows variables easily.
http://www.nkprods.com/ncleaner/

Defraggler - much better than windows defrag.
http://www.piriform.com/defraggler/download/standard

HW Monitor - see the voltages and temperatues in your PC.
http://www.cpuid.com/download/hwmonitor/HWMonitor_114_setup.exe

CPU-Z - find out the manufacturer of your motherboard/memory/graphics etc without opening your case.
http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz/cpuz_152_setup.exe

K-Lite Codecs - play any media with any Codecs on Windows Media Player.
http://www.codecguide.com/download_mega.htm

[The Artist Billy Paynter]

Important note: Only install one antivirus on a computer at any one time, installing two or more can cause your computer to become unstable and crash!


1. Avira AntiVir Personal

A top scorer in antivirus testing done by www.av-comparatives.org, the free version of this paid-for software offers protection against viruses, worms, trojans, dialers and phishing, but NOT against spyware and adware (only available in the paid for version).

http://www.free-av.com/



2. avast! Home Edition

Another high scoring free antivirus including the famous GMER anti-rootkit technology. Requires registration to obtain a "free" license key.

http://www.avast.com/eng/free_virus_protectio.html



3. AVG free edition

Probably the most well known of the free antivirus programs, AVG offers protection against viruses, and a safe search feature which will scan search results and give them a green/yellow/red rating and advise you of any possible security risks they found on that site. Does not have anti rootkit in the free version.

http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download-...s-free-edition



4. BitDefender 10 Free edition

Created by a well known Romanian antivirus company, BitDefender also forms the basis for a number of well known anti virus products including GData Antivirus.

http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-1...e-Edition.html



5. ClamWin

ClamWin is a free, open source antivirus initiative.

http://www.clamwin.com/



6. PcTools Antivirus Free edition

PcTools, creators of "Spyware Doctor" and now owned by Symantec Corporation, have created a free version of their "PcTools antivirus"

http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/



7. Comodo Internet Security

Complete protection including antivirus and firewall from creators of the Comodo Firewall Pro.

http://antivirus.comodo.com/



8. Dr. Web CureIT (Standalone utility)

Dr. Web CureIT is a standalone scanner created by the russian antivirus company Doctor Web. It is not a replacement for a resident antivirus, but can be used alongside your current antivirus for periodic scans. Has full cleaning abilities, but no built-in updater, so a new copy must be downloaded each time to have the latest virus signatures. Handy for cleaning out badly infected machines as it requires no install, and can be run from a flash drive.

http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/



9. Kaspersky AVPTool

Well know Antivirus company "Kaspersky Lab" has developed a free utility, called AVPTool which can scan and clean machines using the same signature database as the paid for Kaspersky Anti Virus. The utility does not have a built in updater, so a new one must be downloaded each time to have the latest virus signatures.

ftp://ftp.kaspersky.com/devbuilds/AVPTool/index.html



10. SUPERAntiSpyware Free edition

A free, easy to use spyware scanner. Comes with regular updates and removes most types of spyware including antivirus 2009 and zlob.

http://superantispyware.com/download...NTISPYWAREFREE



11. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware free edition (Anti spyware)

A program created by some of the web's leading security community members. MalwareBytes Anti Malware is a relatively new program, but is already making a serious reputation for itself, keeping up to date with most recent spyware threats and cleaning them with ease.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php


12. Rising Anti Virus Free Edition

Brought to you by a Chinese security company, a popular Asian antivirus- Rising AV.

http://freerav.com/

[Simon Pieman]

Important note: Only install one antivirus on a computer at any one time, installing two or more can cause your computer to become unstable and crash!

Errrm, which one do you recommend then?

[The Artist Billy Paynter]

I Use Avast home edition as anti-virus, with Zonealarm firewall.

Malwarebytes is a must also.

couple more,

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
like this programme as it runs in the background, its free just needs manual updates. stops alot of crap getting on your machine in the 1st place.

AFT Cleaner
http://www.atribune.org/

similar to CCleaner.

[jayohaitchenn]

nLite - Excellent utility for slipstreaming service packs into bootable MS Operating System disks.

Filezilla - a very good free FTP server/client

Putty/Teraterm - telnet/ssh client. If using Putty then Putty Connection Manager is a must as well.

AngryIP - IP range scanner.

[Fred Elliot]

thanks for that John

[jayohaitchenn]

No problem.

Forgot to mention WinSCP, a secure FTP program to blast files from your Windows desktop to a UNIX server.

[Simon Pieman]

Right I will try and organise these into catagories at some point within the next week

[Batch]

Wireshark - Network sniffer and protocol analyser. A bit unlikely many people will need it but its the best money can't buy  - http://www.wireshark.org/

[Samdy Gray]

Paint.net - The best free alternative to Photoshop

http://www.getpaint.net/download.html