Well we all love free things and why not get some of the best out there. This list is going to be a General list as the title implies. Not a big list yet but, I will add more than just system utilities on here in a bit, I am going to make a comprehensive list and post it. Give me time you won't be disappointed. Soon there will be categories and everything will be separated much nicer. This thread is a work in progress, watch out for falling debris and wear your safety hats, you are in a construction zone.
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System Utilities
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hijack Thishttp://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/From the website:
Trend Micro HijackThis is a free utility that generates an in depth report of registry and file settings from your computer. HijackThis makes no separation between safe and unsafe settings in its scan results giving you the ability to selectively remove items from your machine. In addition to this scan and remove capability HijackThis comes with several tools useful in manually removing malware from a computer.
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 users can use HijackThis to remove unwanted settings or files.
Using HijackThis
To analyze your computer, start HijackThis and run a scan. See the Quick Start Guide [link to Quick Start, FAQs and Feedback] for help in running a scan. HijackThis will display a list of areas on your computer that might have been changed by spyware. Do not change any settings if you are unsure of what to do. There are many popular support forums on the web that provide free technical assistance by using HijackThis log files to diagnose an infected computer.
Not an expert? Just save the HijackThis report and let a friend with more troubleshooting experience take a look. A large community of users participates in online forums, where experts help interpret HijackThis scan results to clean up infected computers.
This includes our forum, the techs will help you the best we can right here.Super Anti-Spywarehttp://www.superantispyware.com/download.htmlTheir slogan, "Remove ALL spyware, NOT just the easy ones!" This is a powerful tool for removing any and all spyware from your system. It detects and removes spyware, has real time protection, constantly updated and finds even the most elusive of intrusions. Combine this with some of the other freeware on this list and clean your PC completely.
Combine this with Malwarebytes to get every instance of spyware/adware off of your system.
ClamWin Portablehttp://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/clamwin_portableThis is an anti-virus that gets installed onto a USB/Flash drive. It is designed to reside on a portable flash drive and run on any computer from the flash drive. When you download it, install it to your flash drive, then navigate to the new ClamWin folder on your flash drive and launch PortableClamWin.exe this will update the virus database and anything else that needs to be updated. After this you have a powerful portable anti-virus you can use anywhere at any time.
Avira Antivir http://www.free-av.com/Since I posted a portable one here is one for your computer/laptop. This is yet another powerful anti-virus it constantly scans your computer, has on access protection, and of course, has regular updates. One thing you might not like is that when it updates it does show an ad to upgrade to the Pro version. This ad though is just like any other anti-virus that pops up a dialog box and let's you know that it updated, all you do is click "OK" and it disappears. They do not just send random pop-ups or anything. It isn't intrusive at all you won't even notice the program most of the time. I use Antivir myself and love it, hasn't wronged me yet.
EASEUS Partition Manager http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htmA partition manager that does quite a bit:
* Resize/Move partitions without data loss
* Extend system partition easily and safely
* Create, Merge, Split, Delete and Format partitions
* Support up to 2TB partition or hard drive
* Disk Copy, Partition Copy, Dynamic Disk Copy to protect or transfer data
And best of all it can update your drives WITHOUT restarting your computer, very nice. No need to restart to see the changes you made inside of Windows. EASEUS is fast and does the job well. Another program I use very often.
Software Update Monitor SUMohttp://www.kcsoftwares.com/index.php?sumoThis one falls between Sys Util/Task Simplifier but, it keeps you system software up to date so I figured it should go here.
From the site:
Summary
SUMo, which stands for Software Update Monitor. Thanks to SUMo you'll be able to keep your PC up-to-date by using the most recent version of your favorite software ! Unlike build-in auto update features, SUMo tells you if updates are available before you need to use your software.
Features
* Automatic detection of installed software
* Detects required updates / patchs for your software
* Filter / authorize Beta versions (user setting)
* Ignore list : only tracks software YOU want to track
* More compatibility and less false positive than others Update Monitors (according to users feedback ;-)
* Internationalization support.
CCLeanerhttp://www.ccleaner.com/CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning 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. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!
A must have for any PC.
Malwarebyteshttp://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=buttonMalwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware. In our product we have compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well kwn anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to detect. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware monitors every process and stops malicious processes before they even start. The Realtime Protection Module uses our advanced heuristic scanning technology which monitors your system to keep it safe and secure. In addition, we have implemented a threats center which will allow you to keep up to date with the latest malware threats.
Combine this with Super Anti-Spyware to get every instance of spyware/adware off of your system.
Recuvahttp://www.piriform.com/recuvaRecuva recovers your deleted files from any drive even your memory card in your phone.
From the site:
Accidentally deleted an important file? Lost something important when your computer crashed? No problem! Recuva recovers files deleted from your Windows computer, Recycle Bin, digital camera card, or MP3 player. And it's free!
Works well and is easy to use I have used it a couple times when deleting songs a bit too quickly on my phone and have been able to recover them no problem.
Autorunshttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspxThis 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. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP. (I have looked around and this version is compatible with Vista/Windows 7)
Defragglerhttp://www.piriform.com/defragglerFrom the site:
Use Defraggler to defrag your entire hard drive, or individual files - unique in the industry. This compact and portable Windows application supports NTFS and FAT32 file systems.
A much better tool to use than the one bundled with Windows does the job better and quicker.
Process Hackerhttp://processhacker.sourceforge.net/From the site:
Process Hacker is a feature-packed tool for manipulating processes and services on your computer.
Key features of Process Hacker:
# A simple, customizable tree view with highlighting showing you the processes running on your computer.
# A complete list of services and full control over them (start, stop, pause, resume and delete).
# A list of network connections.
# Comprehensive information for all processes: full process performance history, thread listing and stacks with dbghelp symbols, token information, module and mapped file information, virtual memory map, environment variables, handles, ...
# Full control over all processes, even processes protected by rootkits or security software. Its kernel-mode driver has unique abilities which allows it to terminate, suspend and resume all processes and threads, including software like IceSword, avast! anti-virus, AVG Antivirus, COMODO Internet Security, etc. (just to name a few).
# Find hidden processes and terminate them. Process Hacker detects processes hidden by simple rootkits such as Hacker Defender and FU.
# Easy DLL injection and unloading - simply right-click a process and select "Inject DLL" to inject and right-click a module and select "Unload" to unload!
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Everyday Task Simplification
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lupas Renamehttp://rename.lupasfreeware.org/Got a bunch of files/folders to rename, not wanting to go through the tedious task? With Lupas Rename you can change multiple files/folders names in a matter of minutes.
Here are a few features to help you rename the files:
* Rename files and folders
* Rename files in recursive subdirectories
* Shell Integration (right click on a folder in the explorer to start LupasRename on these folder)
* Instant Preview (Optional)
* Undo the last rename operation
* Make a Batch file to rename from a DOS Console
* Make a Batch file for UNDO operation from a DOS Console
* Save and Load your options into an INI File
* Filter by any masks: *.mp3;*.mp2 or ???a*.txt...
* Load/Edit a Text Files in a Small Editor to help renaming files
* Sort Ascendent/Descendent by any column (name, path, size...)
New Folder Wizardhttp://www.newfolderwizard.com/If you've ever had to manually create large numbers of new folders in Windows you know how time consuming and frustrating it can be. New Folder Wizard can help you create thousands of folders (NOW including sub-folders) quickly and easily. Options include numbering the folders, prefix and suffix text, zero padding, and using a text file as the source for folders names. Use this program to help you organize images or other files of your choice by easily creating the folders for you. Using the text file option makes new folder creation as easy as typing. Or, if you use an external program like Microsoft Excel you can create your own naming and incrementing scheme. Simply export your list as a text file and let New Folder Wizard create the folders for you!
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Video/Audio/Imaging
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pixillion image converterhttp://www.nchsoftware.com/imageconverter/index.htmlPerfect for editing images to make wallpapers for your phone.
Pixillion is a free graphics file converter for Windows and Pocket PC. Your files can be converted to many other formats including jpeg, gif, png, bmp, jpg, nef and more. You can preview images before you convert, as well as current file parameters including file format and dimensions.
Put any photo, anywhere. The easy one-click process makes it perfect for converting your image files for putting on the web, emailing to friends, or displaying on your mobile phone.
Powerful features including batch conversion, advanced image resizing, and conversion to PDF. Pixillion also lets you convert images directly from the right click menu.
IrfanViewhttp://www.irfanview.com/Very nice image viewing program with a multitude of features this is just some of the many things IrfanView can do.
# Many supported file formats (click here the list of formats)
# Multi language support
# Thumbnail/preview option
# Paint option - to draw lines, circles, arrows, straighten image etc.
# Toolbar skins option
# Slideshow (save slideshow as EXE/SCR or burn it to CD)
# Show EXIF/IPTC/Comment text in Slideshow/Fullscreen etc.
# Support for Adobe Photoshop Filters
# Fast directory view (moving through directory)
# Batch conversion (with image processing)
# Multipage TIF editing
# File search
# Email option
# Multimedia player
# Print option
# Support for embedded color profiles in JPG/TIF
# Change color depth
# Scan (batch scan) support
# Cut/crop
# IPTC editing
# Effects (Sharpen, Blur, Adobe 8BF, Filter Factory, Filters Unlimited, etc.)
# Capturing
# Extract icons from EXE/DLL/ICLs
# Lossless JPG rotation
# Unicode support
# Many hotkeys
# Many command line options
# Many PlugIns
# Only one EXE-File, no DLLs, no Shareware messages like "I Agree" or "Evaluation expired"
# No registry changes without user action/permission!
VLChttp://www.videolan.org/vlc/VLC how do I love thee, let me count the ways...
Yes you can throw almost any format of audio/video at VLC and it will play it, no problem. VLC is so much more than just a media player. It is a powerful audio/video editing/streaming tool as well.
A short list of features includes:
1. Rip DVDs
2. Record videos
3. Play RAR files
4. Convert Audio and Video formats
5. Download YouTube and other online videos
6. Stream Video/Audio to portable devices and other PCs
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Uninstallers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PC Decrapifierhttp://www.pcdecrapifier.com/homeSo when you first get a PC it comes loaded with a bunch of software that just bogs down the system and is completely unwanted. When you use recovery disks/consoles to repair a computer, you end up with all that crap right back on there. You might even have some of it still lingering about forgotten just taking up hard drive space.
PC Decrapifier removes all the junk that is preloaded on most PCs today. You just download the .exe and run it there is no installer. It loads up in a "wizard" type interface and you select what you want to remove and it does it all for you. The way it is written your anti-virus may say it is a bad program here is the warning from the site:
If you have anti-virus software installed, it may complain about this program because it is written with a scripting language. These warnings can be safely ignored. Please see the FAQ for more details.
More to come check back for updates!!!!
