Personal computing discussed

Moderators: renee, Flying Fox, Ryu Connor

 
TheDVDMan
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1276
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 2:34 pm
Location: Not TR anymore!

Sun Oct 10, 2004 1:36 pm

Klyith wrote:
I'm the king of freeware - at this point the only non-free software that I have installed on my computer is photoshop, games, and windows itself. I'm also a minimalist, which means I'd rather have three programs that each excell at a specific task than one program that does three functions badly.


I like the way you think! :)
[/posting]
 
Dirge
Gerbil Jedi
Posts: 1620
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 3:08 am

Tue Jan 11, 2005 6:05 pm

Audio Players
foobar2000

Codecs
How about mentioning ffdshow a general purpose DivX/XviD decoding filter.

ffdshow is known to consume way less cpu time than DivX

Data Verification/Recovery
QuickPar
Allows for file recovery via the creation or decoding of “stripe sets” of extra data files

Image Viewer
XnView

Optical Media Authoring
burnatonce

File Compression
WinRar is not freeware as far as I am aware
FDISK /MBR
 
Mightyflapjack
Gerbil
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 8:59 pm

Another Freeware Site

Wed Feb 09, 2005 7:26 am

Did a Google search and I found this site with 46 nice freeware apps, many have been listed here aleady, but a few had not...

I went there using Firefox with Adblock, I didn't see any annoying pop-ups or anything, YMMV.

Rather then plagerize their list, if you are interested go there -->

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46 ... lities.htm
 
carazariah
Gerbil In Training
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 12:35 pm
Contact:

Thu Feb 17, 2005 3:53 pm

Hi
I have quite a few favorites, but most of them are already listed:

But if you want a little cleaner interface than Gimp and something based on .Net technology

Then this application is great for Graphics and Photo Editing
Photo Editing
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/

The application is Paint.net and it's free
:)
 
TheDVDMan
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1276
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 2:34 pm
Location: Not TR anymore!

Fri Mar 18, 2005 6:08 pm

One of the most powerful and useful utilities I have ever seen: nLite:
http://nuhi.msfn.org/

What it does is take you Windows install CD, and lets you slipstream in service packs and drivers, remove the junk MS forces down your throat (ie, Internet Explorer, Media Player, Outlook, etc), and has a ton of tweaking options (which is awesome! Have your OS install already tweaked out like you want it!)...
[/posting]
 
BigMadDrongo
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 909
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 12:57 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:21 am

I'm surprised ZoneAlarm isn't on here. To be honest I've not tried either of the two free firewalls listed here, so I can't say which is better (and if anyone can I'm interested to hear arguments), but ZA has always done a good job for me and doesn't usually get in the way too much. (There are some respects in which I'd like it to be more configurable, but it's still effective.)

Personal firewall
ZoneAlarm Free

Also, shouldn't LAME be categorised under 'Audio encoding' rather than 'audio editing'?

UNIX command-line tools, X server and stuff under Windows (how's that for a category?)
Cygwin (because JBI hasn't posted it yet...)

Virtual desktop manager
Virtuawin: have multiple desktops in Windows. There are quite a lot of programs that do this, but VW is small, fast, does only what it says on the tin, and does it well. You can switch desktops by mousing off the side, you can assign key combinations to each desktop, make windows appear on all desktops, etc.
 
Tech
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 525
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 6:58 pm
Location: Great Britain

Sun May 15, 2005 5:52 pm

Registry Tweakage

What Is It? Does It Do?
RT.Net contains lots of registry tweaks. The GUI is checkbox/textbox based with 14 sections of tweaks to browse through. When you have selected all the tweaks you want you can click the compile tweaks button and they will be compiled onto the screen for you to view. There is also an option after you have compiled to save the file to your drive. In the new version you have the options to save your selections so you dont have to start from scratch all the time. It is also a standalone exe file and doesnt require installation.


I think its very very cool.
 
ShadowEyez
Gerbil XP
Posts: 348
Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:31 pm

Sun May 15, 2005 6:24 pm

Two more that might help:

DVD viewing
VaroDVD
http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/dvd_utils_3.shtml#VaroDVD%202000

Network Analyzer
Ethereal
http://www.ethereal.com
The finest tools are forged from the hottest fires
 
bwoodring
Gerbil First Class
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2002 10:20 am

Sun May 15, 2005 8:12 pm

TheDVDMan wrote:
How can you all forget this:

CD Ripping
http://www.cdex.n3.net/ - CDex, best CD ripper EVER.


Well... at least it's the best CD ripper that isn't EAC
 
flip-mode
Grand Admiral Gerbil
Posts: 10218
Joined: Thu May 08, 2003 12:42 pm

Sun May 15, 2005 10:23 pm

bah!!! crap. redundant data deleted.

also check out
http://www.mlin.net
http://www.karenware.com (karen is huge - I think she has pizza and coke delivered right to the computer desk)
http://www.sysinternals.com (everyone knows this one right?)
 
Ricardo Dawkins
Gerbil Team Leader
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Panama
Contact:

Fri May 20, 2005 9:42 am

Web Authoring (sp?)
http://www.nvu.com (NVU or New View)
Macromedia Dreamweaver competition
 
Splinter
Grand Gerbil Poohbah
Posts: 3223
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2003 1:28 pm
Location: Vancouver BC
Contact:

Sun May 29, 2005 10:17 pm

Xnews is a great freeware program for Usenet viewing
 
Ma10n3!
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1233
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 6:07 am
Location: US Territory

Sun May 29, 2005 10:38 pm

I thought somebody had already recommended this: Audacity for Sound Editing, even music creation when using some of the multitude of available compatible plugins, both freeware and commercial.

Edit: Oh, it was already posted by Klyith.
Napoleon Bonaparte: 1812--Height of power; Adolf Hitler: 1912--Beginning; Black Horseman: 2012--?; Yellow/Gray?
 
mikehodges2
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 936
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 12:27 pm
Contact:

Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:50 pm

File Compression

IZArc

Awesome program;

IZArc Website wrote:
IZArc is the ultimate archive utility supports many archive formats like: 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA, GZ, GZA, HA, IMG, ISO, JAR, LHA, LIB, LZH, MDF, MBF, MIM, NRG, PAK, PDI, PK3, RAR, RPM, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TGZ, TZ, UUE, WAR, XXE, YZ1, Z, ZIP, ZOO
.

:o
 
Kraft75
Gerbil
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2004 11:53 am

Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:59 pm

CD Ripping

FreeRIP

Rips to WAV, OGG or MP3, uses LAME and Ogg Vorbis encoders. CDDB lookup and submit option, great path and filename customization options. Automatic Gain Control option. Still in development.

The only bad thing I can say is that during setup, it gives you the option of installing my search bar. Of course just uncheck it. Within the program there's a Search toolbar for MySearch, which you can disable in the options. I ran both Spyware and Adware just to be certain, and both return zero spyware.

If you're like me, you'll just use it to rip cds anyway. My program of choice of CD ripping.

Kraft75
 
Fighterpilot
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2420
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 5:29 am
Location: your girlfriend's bedroom...

Free stuff-Screen Capture Utilty

Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:13 am

This is the easiest and most convenient to use screen cap program around,install it,hit your "print screen"key and its done.
This program works.Get it here:http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen
Regards,
Fighterpilot
 
Mastertech
Gerbil
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:39 pm

Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:18 pm

Some good freeware programs can be found here:

XP Media (sorted by categories)
 
IntelMole
Grand Gerbil Poohbah
Posts: 3506
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2001 7:00 pm
Location: The nearest pub
Contact:

Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:32 pm

Some file management/ghosting action for free too:
Xxcopy
Living proof of John Gabriel's theorem
 
jquindlen
Gerbil In Training
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:54 am

Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:54 am

I have found a new tool that helps people quickly review many websites. In addition it helps prevent you from going to sites with spyware, adware, viruses, or even just poor content. The tool is the ReviewToolbar which allows users to rate sites, so that legitimate sites with good content are easily distinguishable from malicious or poorly designed sites. The program embeds site ratings directly in the search results of the web's most popular search engines. The best thing is that like all good tools, it is free. It is available for free at http://www.reviewtoolbar.com
 
Usacomp2k3
Gerbil God
Posts: 23043
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2004 4:53 pm
Location: Orlando, FL
Contact:

Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:19 am

jquindlen wrote:
I have found a new tool that helps people quickly review many websites. In addition it helps prevent you from going to sites with spyware, adware, viruses, or even just poor content. The tool is the ReviewToolbar which allows users to rate sites, so that legitimate sites with good content are easily distinguishable from malicious or poorly designed sites. The program embeds site ratings directly in the search results of the web's most popular search engines. The best thing is that like all good tools, it is free. It is available for free at http://www.reviewtoolbar.com

?
 
Spike™
Gerbil XP
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:16 am
Location: New Zealand
Contact:

Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:30 am

Sounds like a spyware ad to me.
- I used to have an open mind, but my brain kept falling out...
 
jquindlen
Gerbil In Training
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:54 am

Tue Dec 13, 2005 11:42 pm

:lol: Understandable concern. I ran adware and Spybot Search and Destroy after I installed it and I'm all clean.
 
computron9000
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2420
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:21 pm

Wed Dec 14, 2005 12:47 am

jquindlen wrote:
:lol: Understandable concern. I ran adware and Spybot Search and Destroy after I installed it and I'm all clean.


That may be so, may not be so. With only 2 posts, it seems a bit impluasible to me that a real user's first messages would be borderline ad-copy about a questionable product.

However, if you're a person from that site or company and just want to spread your product, I understand the motive, but not the highly suspect approach.

Fess up, did you register to this site just to post some gibberish about a toolbar you may be involved with, or do you actually use this, and if so, do you realize there are only 58 sites listed? This is a review-project in severe infancy. I have more than 6,000 book marks, and this site only has 58??


http://www.reviewtoolbar.com wrote:
Total: 58 sites, 63 ratings, and 7 reviews


So, there are only 58 sites listed, w/ 63 ratings? 7 reviews? Do you work for these people / are you the guy that made this? If so cool, but why post under false pretenses? I wouldn't mind having a review site, and I wouldn't mind contributing some of the many thousands of web sites I've visited w/ the occasional review over time, but I'm not going to comply w/ a devious method to get me there.

Especially when low-volume use and suspicious methods are present.

reviewtoolbar.com certainly has a suspicious WHOIS record:


Registrant:
Domains by Proxy, Inc.

DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: REVIEWTOOLBAR.COM
Created on: 13-Nov-05
Expires on: 13-Nov-06
Last Updated on: 15-Nov-05

Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration [email protected]
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599
Technical Contact:
Private, Registration [email protected]
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599

Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.REVIEWTOOLBAR.COM
NS2.REVIEWTOOLBAR.COM


Registry Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK


Using a "Domains by Proxy, Inc." registrar seems a bit cheesy right off the get-go. Seems like these people want to hide. Notice on the site there is no PERSON to contact, no COMPANY phone to contact, nothing. Just an e-mail form, which probably goes to some bogus hotmai account that never gets anwersed.
Last edited by computron9000 on Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
 
Spike™
Gerbil XP
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:16 am
Location: New Zealand
Contact:

Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:02 am

Thousands!? Jeeze how do you find what you are looking for ever? Do you organise them someway? Howso? /me Wants screenshot O.o
- I used to have an open mind, but my brain kept falling out...
 
computron9000
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2420
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:21 pm

Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:11 am

Spike™ wrote:
Thousands!? Jeeze how do you find what you are looking for ever? Do you organise them someway? Howso? /me Wants screenshot O.o


Well, I've saved all my files since about 1992. I have backups of old-school ones which are .URL files among more abscurity filed away somewhere. I have Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet files on DVDs, lol. I have new ones which are Firefox browser-readable-files. I use a basic system of orginization, but realize, I've been using the Internet for a long time :)... heavily. I was doing web design in unix vi before Notepad became hip. haha.

Seriously though, I have "Categories" in the menu. It's like.... basically a web directory. I have everything from a "Research --> Particle Physics --> String Theory" folder to a "Food --> Recipes --> Mixed-Drinks --> Whiskey" folder. Many of them are probably dead, but internet archives and google cache are nice. Plus, since I'm insane, I've saved important websites, in total form, since the mid-nineties when I was interested in them. It's harder now w/ dynamic content and ridiculous ads, but..... hehe..Plus, I have 120GB, 200GB, 400GB drives just laying around. I'm always working on hardware, so I will never run out of harddrive space.

There is NO BETTER SEARCH ENGINE THAN YOU STORING A DECADE OF DATA SYSTEMATICALLY! :)

Oh, and "how do i find what I'm looking for" can be answered in a few ways. I have certain terms which I use to categorize within categories, like, say, if I find something off-the-scale cool, I use the number "99" (as an example) somewhere in the file name. Then if I run a search in my bookmarks for "*99*" it pulls up cool stuff from past-present and future. I also use the "Links" or "Quick Links" as a temporary queue in Firefox / IE before I file bookmarks away into categories. Sometimes it can take months before I decide to file them, then I start again w/ main ones like Mail / Frequently Visited Sites / etc.
Last edited by computron9000 on Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
 
Spike™
Gerbil XP
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:16 am
Location: New Zealand
Contact:

Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:16 am

You crazy.

It'd be pretty interesting to see some of the older stuff you've saved
- I used to have an open mind, but my brain kept falling out...
 
paulWTAMU
Emperor Gerbilius I
Posts: 6257
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2004 5:14 am
Location: Dallas, Texas

Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:12 am

what's the point of saving crap that long? I can count on one hand the number of times I'v needed data that I haven't accessed in two or three years.
 
mikehodges2
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 936
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 12:27 pm
Contact:

Mon Jun 12, 2006 1:03 pm

Found via the Inq:

Unlocker - A free program that can help delete files/folders that would normally give you fun messages like:
    Cannot delete Folder: It is being used by another person or program..

    Cannot delete file: Access is denied

    There has been a sharing violation.

    The source or destination file may be in use.

    The file is in use by another program or user.

    Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
 
IntelMole
Grand Gerbil Poohbah
Posts: 3506
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2001 7:00 pm
Location: The nearest pub
Contact:

Tue Jul 04, 2006 8:19 pm

Just spotted this:
Desktop Manager Powertoy for XP
-Mole

edit: as an update to this thread, this powertoy is a bit funky. Or rather, I've noticed that some applications don't behave with it.

Of note:
- MSN windows don't update properly (big gaps where there should be bits of the chat window)
- MS excel has similar issues (half the toolbars get hidden).
Living proof of John Gabriel's theorem
 
tesmar
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1075
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:18 pm

Thu Jul 27, 2006 8:14 am

You can now add MS Virtual PC 2004 to the list.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

Yeah yeah it's not technically freeware but it is free, and that's the idea, right?
The world is indeed full of peril. But there is much that is fair. And though in all lands love is mingled with grief, it grows the greater. J. R. R. Tolkien

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