Below is a list of FREE software that I have found very useful.
The programs below are absolutely free (not shareware,
but freeware). There are some excellent utilities that make your
computing life a lot easier. Many of the programs come from one of my
favorite free software sites: Snapfiles.com http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/
Use the above link then scroll down to find the various
categories of free software.
Adaware http://www.snapfiles.com/get/adaware.html or Ad-Aware
AdAware is a privacy tool, that scans your memory,
registry, hard, removable and optical drives for known data-mining, aggressive
advertising, and tracking components. It then lists the results and offers to
remove or quarantine the components.
CCleaner
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy
tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster
and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online
activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast
(normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!
Dropbox
http://www.dropbox.com
Dropbox is a
service which allows you to store files online and retrieve them from any other
computer. It also allows you to sync two or more computers if you load
the program on those computers. Fast and easy. Drag files to your
Dropbox and they are instantly available to anyone who you have given access to
your account or to you from any computer that has an internet connection.
You get up to 2GB of for FREE storage on their website, more if you want to pay
for it.
SpyBot
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/spybot.html or Spybot Search & Destroy
Spybot - Search and Destroy is an adware and spyware
detection and removal tool. This includes removal of certain advertising
components, that may gather statistics as well as detection of various
keylogging and other spy utilities. In addition, it also securely removes PC
and Internet usage tracks, including browser history, temporary pages, cookies
(with option to keep selected) and more.
SyncBack
http://www.2brightsparks.com/download-syncback.html
SyncBack
is a flexible, and quite powerful backup and
synchronization program that allows to to maintain backup copies of
your files
and folder, or to synchronize them, so that both locations always have
a
complete copy (e.g Laptop/PC). It offers different types of actions
that let
you choose how older and newer files are processed, which files should
be
excluded (by mask) and more. It offers standard file comparison based
on the
date and size, as well as optional MD5 checksum, which will detect even
the
slightest modifications to files. SyncBack also supports scheduled
projects,
FTP and zip compression of backups, as well as network login,
simulation runs
and more.An excellent piece of freeware that allows you to synchronize
files,
directories or drives on the same computer or multiple computers. Also
has a stand-alone, non-installed version good for flash drives.
Belarc Advisor http://belarc.com/free_download.html
The Belarc
Advisor builds a detailed profile
of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus
status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks, and displays the
results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private
on your PC and is not sent to any web server. This is a great program
that tells you what is inside the "box", including all your software
and keys,
SIW http://siw-portable.en.softonic.com/?gclid=CMnIpLb87qwCFUvCtgod2nshKw
SIW is a system information tool, that gathers detailed
information about your system properties and settings. It includes detailed
specs for CPU, Network, TCP/IP, Memory, Hardware, Users, Network Shares, and
more, as well as real-time monitors for CPU, Memory and network traffic. SIW
also displays currently active network connections, installed codecs, connected
MS SQL and Oracle database servers (if any) and more. A standalone tool that
does not require installation. A good alternative or substitute for
Belarc.
Free
Commander http://www.freecommander.com/
freeCommander is an easy-to-use alternative to the
standard windows file manager. The program helps you with daily work in
Windows. Here you can find all the necessary functions to manage your data
stock. You can take freeCommander anywhere - just copy the installation
directory on a CD, USB-Stick or even a floppy disk - and you can even work with
this program on a foreign computer. Dual-pane capability is great.
This is a excellent program that really does work better that Windows
Explorer. I paid $50 for a program similar to this with less
functionality.
Skype - Use your computer to
call anyone in the world for free http://www.skype.com
Skype is a little piece of
software that lets you make free calls to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the
world. Also, until the end of the year you can also
make free calls to landlines and mobiles in the US/> and Canada/>/>
from Skype. And even though the calls are free, they are really excellent
quality. If you and your friends, family or business contacts are using
webcams, you can also make free video calls. You can even call landlines and
mobile phones at really cheap per minute rates.
Just like
instant messengers, you can also use Skype to chat and not just with one other
person at a time, but with up to 100 people in a group chat. If it¿s a really
nice group chat, you can bookmark it and find it later, which is handy for
persistent chats with family or business contacts.
Other Great Stuff
Check out this site to see lots of really good open source and free software
for Windows and Mac. http://opensourcewindows.org/
Open Source software to replace that expensive stuff:
For
free antivirus software here are some good sources:
Free firewall
Firefox
Web Browser