The Big Useful List Of Free Useful Programs To Use Usually For Free

[entropy13]

So here's my attempt at such a list.

I'm certain that there are others with several suggestions, which I would be waiting to get.

Disk Defrag - Disk Cleanup - Disk/File Management/Recovery/Encryption/Backup - System Information

Spoiler: Click this--->

Disk Defrag
MyDefrag
Defragmenting tool with numerous options, useful for different types of disks (in terms of use - "system disk" or "data disk" and physically - a USB thumb drive or a usual internal hard drive). Not exactly for the Average Joe however.

Defraggler
A simpler defragmenting tool that also allows defragmentation of individual files. Piriform has other useful programs besides this (which would be making an appearance later on).

Auslogics Disk Defrag
Another alternate choice for disk defragmenting needs.

Disk Cleanup
CCleaner
Another program from Piriform, arguably the primary disk cleanup program of many.

Disk/File Management/Recovery/Encryption/Backup
Recuva
A file recovery program from Piriform.

Double Killer
Is a "fast and easy to use application for finding and removing duplicate files."

Advanced Renamer
Rename multiple files quickly with this program.

True Crypt
A free open-source disk encryption software.

Teracopy
Copying files made faster and easier through this application.

Space Sniffer
Know which file occupies how much space where with this program.

TreeSize Free
Scan directory sizes and spot space hogs quickly with this application.

Cobian Backup
Free software for your "backupping" needs.

Bacula
And here's another.

System Information
CPU-Z
Usually comes first to mind when thinking about such programs.

HWMonitor
From the creators of CPU-Z, focusing more on temperatures, voltages and fan speeds.

GPU-Z
Foremost choice for information on your GPU(s).

Real Temp
A "temperature monitoring program designed for all Intel single Core, Dual Core, Quad Core and Core i7 processors."

Core Temp
A CPU temperature monitoring program alternative.

Speccy
A system information program from Piriform.

Blue Screen View
View BSOD information in your system's dump files.

SpeedFan
Versatile program which also allows fan control.

HWINFO32
"It is a professional hardware information and diagnostic tool supporting latest components, industry technologies and standards. Designed to collect and present the maximum amount of information possible about computer's hardware which makes it suitable for users searching for driver updates, computer manufacturers, system integrators and technical experts as well. Retrieved information is presented in a logical and easily understandable form and can be exported into various types of reports."

System Explorer
A free program for exploration and management of System Internals.

CrystalDiskInfo
A HDD/SSD utility software which supports S.M.A.R.T. and a part of USB-HDD.

File Compression/Decompression - Media Players, Codecs and Media Servers- Media Files Conversion, Creation and Editing - Video Card Utilities

Spoiler: Go click go!

File Compression/Decompression
7-Zip
My first choice for file compression/decompression.

WinRAR
Congraturation, you are WinRAR.

WinZIP
And here's another one.

Media Players, Codecs and Media Servers
Winamp
Audio and video player. I usually restrict its use to audio files however.

CCCP
The codecs pack that will choose you. In Soviet Russia, it is not you who choose the codecs, for the codecs choose you!

Media Player Classic - Home Cinema is included, the best media player out there today.

VLC media player
An alternative...alternative media player.

Foobar2000
Another one, also a popular choice.

Media Jukebox
A totally free media center.

PS3 Media Server
A transcoding media server that works with more than just the PS3. it is also cross platform, working on Windows, Linux or Mac.

Tversity
Another option for a media server. Works better with other devices if you don't need advanced subtitle support.

Media Files Conversion, Creation and Editing
SUPER
A program with a comprehensive list of files to convert to and from.

HandBrake
Included here to add variety.

MediaCoder
Another choice for the alternatives.

Virtual DJ
It's free. That doesn't mean it's easy to use and quick to get the hang of it though.


Video Card Utilities
Afterburner
Now the primary option for video card tweaking. And yes, it works even with non-MSI cards.

Rivatuner
The program which forms the basis for Afterburner.

Internet Browsers - Desktop Customization - Productivity Suites - Image Editors

Spoiler: Nothing else to do but click 'Show'...

Internet Browsers
Firefox

Chrome

Opera

Safari

Lunascape

Internet Explorer 9
IE9 is included as I'm under the assumption that you haven't updated IE yet and you have either Vista or 7.

Desktop Customization
Rainmeter
Can be either easy to set-up or a nightmare to use, depending on the amount of time you have free. Does not measure the amount of rainfall in your area.

Rocket Dock
A dock for your shortcuts in your desktop.

RK Launcher
Another useful dock program.

Productivity Suites
OpenOffice

LibreOffice

CutePDF Writer
Create PDF files and make them cute.

PDF Creator
Alternative PDF creation here.

Foxit Reader
An alternative PDF reader.

Sumatra PDF
Free PDF reader.

Image Editors
GIMP
A free alternative to Adobe's Photoshop.

Paint.NET
Another free image editor.

Inkscape
Alternative vector graphics editor.

Image Resizer for Windows
Exactly what it says in the title.

Greenfish Icon Editor Pro
It's free, very capable (like GIMP) and can handle more than just icons; has full support of the ICO format.

POV-Ray
"The Persistence of Vision Raytracer is a high-quality, totally free tool for creating stunning three-dimensional graphics."

Security - Emulation/Burning Software - Networking - Instant Messaging/Voice Chat

Spoiler: You should know by now what to do.

Security
Microsoft Security Essentials

AVG Free Anti-Virus

Avast! Free Antivirus

Avira Antivir Personal

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Spybot Search & Destroy

Emulation/Burning Software
DAEMON Tools Lite
Disc emulation and burning tool.

Virtual CloneDrive
A free virtual drive software.

ImgBurn
A lightweight burning application.

CDBurnerXP
Another program for your burning desires.

Networking
Wireshark
A network protocol analyzer.

Spiceworks
Networking management and monitoring software.

Instant Messaging/Voice Chat
Skype

Pidgin

Digsby

E-Mail Clients - Benchmarks - Miscellaneous

Spoiler: Click me, bro.

E-Mail Clients
Thunderbird
A free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client.

Benchmarks
wPrime

Prime95

IntelBurnTest

Super PI

MemTest

Unigine Benchmarks

3DMark 11

3DMark Vantage

3DMark 06

Final Fantasy XIV benchmark

Lost Planet 2 benchmark

AVP - Aliens vs. Predator benchmark

PCMark Vantage

PCMark 7

CrystalDiskMark

HDTune

Flash Memory Toolkit

ATTO Disk Benchmark

x264 HD Benchmark

CASE Lab Euler3d CFD benchmark

Miscellaneous
Soluto
"Soluto Beta allows you to understand your boot, discover which applications are slowing it down (and keep running later in the background, affecting your ongoing experience), and allows you to significantly improve it. While Soluto Beta focuses on the boot, it already researches for frustrations and helps map the PC Genome, allowing you to share your wisdom with others." Yes, it's still in Beta.

Notepad++
Tired with using Notepad? Use Notepad++ then.

Joomla
A free content management system for publishing content on the World Wide Web and intranets.

SeaMonkey
An all-in-one internet application suite.

4GB Patch
Patches x86 executables in order to let them have 4GB (instead of only 2) of virtual memory on x64 platforms.

 

[cheesy999]

can we add http://raptr.com/

it kind of brings together the multiplayer of all of the games across consoles and pc's alike - very usefull

 

[Frick]

Good idea! A program I'm using frequently due to it's simplicity is Bluescreenview which simply shows data about BSOD's. You can see this without the program, but it's so easy to use I've fallen in love with it.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Props for hilariously awesome thread title.

 

[Mr McC]

KMP and VLC should be included in media players.

 

[slyfox2151]

perhaps add NINITE?


its not really a program by itself, but its extremely useful and related.
http://ninite.com/



Definitely add VLC, best media player ever created ever, and thats a *fact



Virtual CloneDrive - alternative to daemon tools.
http://www.slysoft.com/en/download.html

Ultimate Defrag
http://www.disktrix.com/




TotalMedia Theater - Blu Ray playback. not free... but the best program i have found yet.
http://www.arcsoft.com/estore/software_title.asp?ProductCode=TMT5P


Micro Torrent AKA - U Torrent - Best torrent software known to Slyfox.
http://www.utorrent.com/


Steam - For all your gaming needs
http://store.steampowered.com/

Winamp - could be the next best thing since sliced bread?
http://www.winamp.com/

Teracopy - Stolen from digibucc i +1 this program
http://www.codesector.com/teracopy.php

Futuremark - For all your benching E-PEEN needs
http://www.futuremark.com/download/

Skype - ..... apparently people like to call other people to talk to them?
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/home


*you may not agree with the facts. if this is the case, then you are wrong.

 

[digibucc]

teracopy
http://www.codesector.com/teracopy.php
replaces/co-exists with windows file copy dialog. more accurate, more stable, faster. get it.

image resizer for windows
http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/
adds right-click context menu file resizing, simple and fast.

mozilla sunbird
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird//
great calendar app. add provider for google calendar to sync it to your gmail calendar. will not sync tasks with gmail.

cutepdf writer (printer)
http://www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/writer.asp
prints from any program to a pdf file you save. great to save docs without a printer

bacula
http://www.bacula.org/en/
open source, pc/network automated file backup

foldersize
http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/
open source, allows a folder size column

quicktime alternative
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/quicktime_alternative.htm
allows playing of quicktime files without... quicktime

autoit
http://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/
windows batch scripting, much more robust and capable than bat cmd scripting

sharpkeys
http://www.randyrants.com/2008/12/sharpkeys_30.html
remap any key on your keyboard with another, or a combo

fast duplicate file finder
http://www.mindgems.com/products/Fast-Duplicate-File-Finder/Fast-Duplicate-File-Finder-About.htm
what it says

fast file renamer
http://www.fastfilerenamer.com/
what it says

filemenu tools
http://www.lopesoft.com/en/fmtools/info.html
customizeable context(right-click) menu .. menu. tons of options

filezilla
http://filezilla-project.org/
ftp client

folder menu
http://foldermenu.sourceforge.net/
adds a folder menu into your taskbar(by clock), recent places, registry, etc. quicker.

picasa
http://picasa.google.com/
photo gallery/editor

pidgin
http://www.pidgin.im/
multi-network im app. i use it for sms2pc, to do texting with a keyboard and not my phone

tightvnc
http://www.tightvnc.com/
best, fast, simple vnc client/server

spiceworks
http://www.spiceworks.com/
network monitoring tool

z-screen
http://code.google.com/p/zscreen/
screen/text capture software, advanced clipboard replacement

hedgewars
http://hedgewars.org/
worms-like game, 2d, highly customizeable.

 

[Kreij]

Title words capitalized and thread stickied.
Very useful list, Entropy, thanks.

 

[AsRock]

Seamonkey is another great browser in fact like it over Firefox. Other apps that are good free ones Treesize, Cerbeus and Open Hardware Monitor.

 

[Bow]

nice list, I picked up a 3 allready

 

[Kreij]

@Entropy : If you remove the CR/NLs after the links and uses something like " - ", you can tighten up the original post so it's not so long.

for instance
Great Web Sites
TPU - TechPowerUp! Website.

Unparsed it looks like ...
[url="http://www.techpowerup.com"]TPU[/url] - TechPowerUp! Website.


You don't have to do that, it's just a suggestion.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

someone sticky this....like NOW

----


Oh shit -- someone beat me to it

 

[bbmarley]

hamster
http://www.hamstersoft.com/

video convertor
burning studio software
zip archiver



cdburnerxp
http://cdburnerxp.se/en/home

for burning cds/dvds etc

 

[Kreij]

@Entropy ... are you aware you can change the text of a spoiler tag?

Spoiler: Internet Browsers

Stuff

[spoiler="Text before button"]
Stuff
[/spoiler]

 

[FreedomEclipse]

TriXX for GPU utilities?


(well....ATi/AMD only GPUs)

 

[entropy13]

@Entropy ... are you aware you can change the text of a spoiler tag?

Spoiler: Internet Browsers

Stuff

[spoiler="Text before button"]
Stuff
[/spoiler]

Yes, the text are slightly smaller and cannot be underlined however.

 

[Kreij]

[size="+2"]

Spoiler: Something

Stuff

[/size]

Hmm ... you can underline it, but font resizing doesn't work. Oh well. Carry on.

 

[mtosev]

Speedfan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
FoxIt http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/
Dropbox http://www.dropbox.com/

 

[Drone]

System Information Viewer SIV

http://rh-software.com/

Windows utility for displaying lots of useful Windows, Network and hardware info - CPU info, PCI info, PCMCIA info, USB info SMBus info, SPD info, ACPI methods, Machine info, Hardware Sensors, Networked computers, Operating System Information and more.

http://mirror.szepe.net/siv/siv.zip


-------------------------------------

System Explorer

http://systemexplorer.net/

System Explorer is free, awards winning software for exploration and management of System Internals. This small software includes many useful tools which help you Keep Your System Under Control.

http://systemexplorer.net/download.php

 

[MT Alex]

I have been using this for years. Very handy.

Emulation/Burning Software

DVD Shrink 3.2

 

[Rock N Roll Rebel]

you should put comodo internet security
http://www.comodo.com/home/download/download.php?prod=cis

 

[hellrazor]

This little baby patches 32-bit .exes so they can use up to 4GB of memory. The possibilities are now slightly less limited.

 

[Drone]

Sumatra PDF

is a slim, free, open-source PDF viewer for Windows. Sumatra has a minimalistic design. Simplicity has a higher priority than a lot of features. It's small and starts up very fast. Options are a little thin on the ground but SumatraPDF provides a very comfortable environment for reading PDFs and you can print documents without much hassle.

http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/free-pdf-reader.html
http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/prerelease.html

 

[STCNE]

Great List, but its missing two little things

Media Centers:
http://mediajukebox.com/

CD Ripping:
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

 

[entropy13]

Added "Benchmarks", and I'll check out your suggestions and add them later.