Vista - Free Software List for Vista

**cpemma** · 02-12-2008

USB Disk Ejector.

Nothing clever, just a handy icon for the desktop, click twice to "safely remove hardware" as Windows puts it for pendrives, MP3 players, etc, plugged into a USB port. Saves a few seconds, various switches.

d3ridinghigh · 02-13-2008

A really impressive list! Nice work!

**glob** · 02-18-2008

If you haven't taken to the new Backup software in Windows Vista and want something more traditional where you can actually choose the specific files and folders you want to backup then this piece of software is perfect ... and free

AceBackup: The free Backup Software

I especially like the backup approach where it copies (compresses and encrypts) the files you want backed up and can be set to only refresh the files in the backup that have changed.

Edit - 10th June, 2008 - started having a few problems with this program. For some reason it started to ignore files and give some strange errors. I think things got corrupted. I now use Cobian Backup 9.

**cpemma** · 02-19-2008

CutePDF Writer
My old JawsPDF Creator has been playing up in Vista, tried the free Cute one and it worked out of the tin. Claimed Vista 32/64 compat, I can only speak for 32.

**twoteles** · 02-19-2008

Staying with PDF I also believe that this site is worth a look:

Foxit Software

Certainly does not take up as much space as Adobe Reader and, in my mind, is a lot faster.

**ree1** · 02-23-2008

I'm the new guy in the community and I am surprized that no one has mentioned the still incredible Proxomitron

jphoto · 03-01-2008

Some really important omissions here, as I think some of these are possibly the best freeware in their field(s).

Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic - freeware antivirus, better then AVG and Avast (not knocking them, but they're "good for being free" which isn't quite as good as the paid ones), but the catch is, once per day it'll display a nag screen as it updates itself. Well worth it for better protection, imo. Using it right now on Vista x64 Ultimate.

CDBurnerXP - CD / DVD burning software. One of the rare free programs that looks and feels as richly made as the better paid ones. I dropped Nero for this a couple of years ago, and it works great in Vista x64 (runs on .Net framework which you must install first, if you don't already have it).

xplorer2 - file manager / windows explorer replacement - two-pane FTP-style file management.

FastStone Image Viewer - Remember the old ACDSee before it became huge and bloated, and when you still loved it? This is just like that.

FileZilla - The most well-rounded (free) FTP client for Vista that I know of. There's a 64-bit one in the works, I hear, but this works fine as-is on Vista x64.

Gadwin PrintScreen - if SnagIt was free also, I'd still like Gadwin's better. A very elegant program that will make people actually use the Print Screen button again!

Recuva - undelete software from the same folks as CCleaner. I've used it and it works nicely.

Exact Audio Copy - the mother of all CD-rippers works great in Vista x64 (you'll have to download the LAME encoder to plug into it, also, if it's not already on your drive somewhere).

Trillian Basic - Multi-client instant messanger that connects to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. Skinnable too.

VideoLAN (or VLC) - Lots of people swear by this so I included it, but it's only 2ed favorite video player. See...

Combined Community Codec Pack (or CCCP) - imo the best video player (media player classic) + codec pack available, but that's just me. Try them both.

That's pretty much it for now.

VideoSpin - I'm a noob at video editing, but basically, from what I understand, this is the "easy one" and VirtualDub is the more advanced one. Again, this is not my area of knowledge...I do simple edits of .avi files from our digital camera and that's it. Maybe a real video editing geek can add something to this and correct me if needed.

Enjoy.

**cpemma** · 03-01-2008

Quote: Originally Posted by jphoto

FastStone Image Viewer...

FileZilla - The most well-rounded (free) FTP client for Vista that I know of.

The Faststone Capture program is worth having as it can capture images larger than the screen;

Quote:

It allows you to capture anything on the screen including windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular / freehand regions and scrolling windows / web pages.

version 5.3 linked is free for non-commercial use but the latest version 6 is $20 shareware.

For FTP I've found WinSCP very good. Although designed for high security it can be set to plain FTP for hosts not supporting the default SFTP. I like the way I can right-click on a file and 'Send To' my webspace.

I'll try CDBurnerXP, I'm getting cheesed off with Nero 7's insistence on installing stuff that tries to run at start-up (Scout) plus I'm not paying for a vast suite of second-rate bloat in Nero 8.

**.Joe** · 03-03-2008

Shawn,

Fantastic list. Have already downloaded and installed several tools. Many thanks

**hawkwind** · 03-26-2008

Returnil Virtual System 2008 Personal Edition v2.0

This is one program that i consider a must have on my systems.
A re-boot and all changes made to the OS are gone

Quote:

Product Description
***************************************************************************
The Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition is a powerful virtualization technology that completely mirrors your actual computer setup and it can create a virtual storage disk within your PC where you can save documents, data, and files while using the System Protection feature.
The security of computers connected to the Internet remains a problem. Despite the efforts of major Anti-malware companies, a high proportion of computer infections remain undetected, Internet crime continues to grow and new malware is being discovered at the rate of many tens of thousands of items per day. The situation is getting worse, proving that existing security technologies, whilst useful, are inadequate.
Even if you have a properly configured Firewall, an updated and frequently used Anti-Virus, practice safe surfing, never open attachments or click unfamiliar links, you will still likely become infected. Why? Because Anti-virus and Anti-spyware scanners are not able to cope with the enormous volume of new malware; estimated by recent surveys to be more than 30,000 new items appearing each day.

The Returnil Virtual System provides an altogether different and highly complimentary level of defense. It is designed to protect your computer from all types of software, downloads, websites or anything else that might harbor viruses, spyware and other malicious programs. How does it achieve this?

Returnil virtualization technology clones a computer’s System Partition and boots the PC into this system rather than native Windows, allowing you run your applications in a completely isolated environment. Hence the session and all activity, malicious or otherwise, will happen in the virtual environment, not in the real PC environment. If the PC is attacked or gets infected, all you need to do is to simply reboot the PC to erase all changes. After reboot, the system will be restored to its original state, as if nothing ever happened. All of this without sacrificing computer performance or usability while helping to reduce technical support intervention and the need for routine maintenance.
Layered security needs a stable base to be effective, and like your favorite chair, it simply will not stand on two legs. The Returnil Virtual System provides the third and arguably most important part of a true layered approach, the cure! Stop the endless, performance hogging cycle of filtering, detection, and removal. You can finally sit comfortably and start enjoying your computer.
Features
***************************************************************************
The Returnil Virtual System:
> Keeps your System Partition safe when browsing the Internet
> Viruses, Trojans, Worms, Adware, Spyware, and unwanted content disappear with a simple reboot
> Enforces settings and protects your internet privacy
> Helps reduce overall disk wear by using memory rather than HDD cloning technology
> Saves you time, money, and lost hair by maintaining or improving peak computer performance
> Reduces or eliminates the need for routine disk de-fragmentation of your system partition
> Your spam filter is strong, but not infallible – Returnil will eliminate the consequences of opening infected e-mail and/or attachments
> Leaves absolutely no traces of computer activities
> Eliminates all activities even if your computer is powered-off or crashes
> Eliminates the danger of evaluating new software that does not require a reboot to install
> Offers stronger, simpler and smarter protection for your PC
> Seamless integration with supported Windows Operating Systems
> Easy to use, simple to configure, and the one tool in your arsenal that will be there to save the day when all else fails!

02-12-2008	#31 (permalink)
cpemma Home Premium 32 SP1 54 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista USB Disk Ejector. Nothing clever, just a handy icon for the desktop, click twice to "safely remove hardware" as Windows puts it for pendrives, MP3 players, etc, plugged into a USB port. Saves a few seconds, various switches.
My System Specs

02-13-2008	#32 (permalink)
d3ridinghigh Vista Ultimate x64 1 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista A really impressive list! Nice work!
My System Specs

02-18-2008	#33 (permalink)
glob Ultimate x64 28 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista If you haven't taken to the new Backup software in Windows Vista and want something more traditional where you can actually choose the specific files and folders you want to backup then this piece of software is perfect ... and free AceBackup: The free Backup Software I especially like the backup approach where it copies (compresses and encrypts) the files you want backed up and can be set to only refresh the files in the backup that have changed. Edit - 10th June, 2008 - started having a few problems with this program. For some reason it started to ignore files and give some strange errors. I think things got corrupted. I now use Cobian Backup 9. Last edited by glob; 06-09-2008 at 07:07 PM..
My System Specs

02-19-2008	#34 (permalink)
cpemma Home Premium 32 SP1 54 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista CutePDF Writer My old JawsPDF Creator has been playing up in Vista, tried the free Cute one and it worked out of the tin. Claimed Vista 32/64 compat, I can only speak for 32.
My System Specs

02-19-2008	#35 (permalink)
twoteles Vista Home Premium 12 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista Staying with PDF I also believe that this site is worth a look: Foxit Software Certainly does not take up as much space as Adobe Reader and, in my mind, is a lot faster.
My System Specs

02-23-2008	#36 (permalink)
ree1 Vista Home Premium 32bit 9 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista I'm the new guy in the community and I am surprized that no one has mentioned the still incredible Proxomitron
My System Specs

03-01-2008	#37 (permalink)
jphoto Vista Ultimate x64 1 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista Some really important omissions here, as I think some of these are possibly the best freeware in their field(s). Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic - freeware antivirus, better then AVG and Avast (not knocking them, but they're "good for being free" which isn't quite as good as the paid ones), but the catch is, once per day it'll display a nag screen as it updates itself. Well worth it for better protection, imo. Using it right now on Vista x64 Ultimate. CDBurnerXP - CD / DVD burning software. One of the rare free programs that looks and feels as richly made as the better paid ones. I dropped Nero for this a couple of years ago, and it works great in Vista x64 (runs on .Net framework which you must install first, if you don't already have it). xplorer2 - file manager / windows explorer replacement - two-pane FTP-style file management. FastStone Image Viewer - Remember the old ACDSee before it became huge and bloated, and when you still loved it? This is just like that. FileZilla - The most well-rounded (free) FTP client for Vista that I know of. There's a 64-bit one in the works, I hear, but this works fine as-is on Vista x64. Gadwin PrintScreen - if SnagIt was free also, I'd still like Gadwin's better. A very elegant program that will make people actually use the Print Screen button again! Recuva - undelete software from the same folks as CCleaner. I've used it and it works nicely. Exact Audio Copy - the mother of all CD-rippers works great in Vista x64 (you'll have to download the LAME encoder to plug into it, also, if it's not already on your drive somewhere). Trillian Basic - Multi-client instant messanger that connects to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. Skinnable too. VideoLAN (or VLC) - Lots of people swear by this so I included it, but it's only 2ed favorite video player. See... Combined Community Codec Pack (or CCCP) - imo the best video player (media player classic) + codec pack available, but that's just me. Try them both. That's pretty much it for now. VideoSpin - I'm a noob at video editing, but basically, from what I understand, this is the "easy one" and VirtualDub is the more advanced one. Again, this is not my area of knowledge...I do simple edits of .avi files from our digital camera and that's it. Maybe a real video editing geek can add something to this and correct me if needed. Enjoy. Last edited by jphoto; 03-01-2008 at 08:30 PM..
My System Specs

03-01-2008	#38 (permalink)
cpemma Home Premium 32 SP1 54 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista Quote: Originally Posted by jphoto FastStone Image Viewer... FileZilla - The most well-rounded (free) FTP client for Vista that I know of. The Faststone Capture program is worth having as it can capture images larger than the screen; Quote: It allows you to capture anything on the screen including windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular / freehand regions and scrolling windows / web pages. version 5.3 linked is free for non-commercial use but the latest version 6 is $20 shareware. For FTP I've found WinSCP very good. Although designed for high security it can be set to plain FTP for hosts not supporting the default SFTP. I like the way I can right-click on a file and 'Send To' my webspace. I'll try CDBurnerXP, I'm getting cheesed off with Nero 7's insistence on installing stuff that tries to run at start-up (Scout) plus I'm not paying for a vast suite of second-rate bloat in Nero 8.
My System Specs

03-03-2008	#39 (permalink)
.Joe Windows 7 RC 916 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista Shawn, Fantastic list. Have already downloaded and installed several tools. Many thanks
My System Specs

03-26-2008	#40 (permalink)
hawkwind 32bit Vista Premium 3 posts	Re: Free Software List for Vista Returnil Virtual System 2008 Personal Edition v2.0 This is one program that i consider a must have on my systems. A re-boot and all changes made to the OS are gone Quote: Product Description ************************************************************************* The Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition is a powerful virtualization technology that completely mirrors your actual computer setup and it can create a virtual storage disk within your PC where you can save documents, data, and files while using the System Protection feature. The security of computers connected to the Internet remains a problem. Despite the efforts of major Anti-malware companies, a high proportion of computer infections remain undetected, Internet crime continues to grow and new malware is being discovered at the rate of many tens of thousands of items per day. The situation is getting worse, proving that existing security technologies, whilst useful, are inadequate. Even if you have a properly configured Firewall, an updated and frequently used Anti-Virus, practice safe surfing, never open attachments or click unfamiliar links, you will still likely become infected. Why? Because Anti-virus and Anti-spyware scanners are not able to cope with the enormous volume of new malware; estimated by recent surveys to be more than 30,000 new items appearing each day. The Returnil Virtual System provides an altogether different and highly complimentary level of defense. It is designed to protect your computer from all types of software, downloads, websites or anything else that might harbor viruses, spyware and other malicious programs. How does it achieve this? Returnil virtualization technology clones a computer’s System Partition and boots the PC into this system rather than native Windows, allowing you run your applications in a completely isolated environment. Hence the session and all activity, malicious or otherwise, will happen in the virtual environment, not in the real PC environment. If the PC is attacked or gets infected, all you need to do is to simply reboot the PC to erase all changes. After reboot, the system will be restored to its original state, as if nothing ever happened. All of this without sacrificing computer performance or usability while helping to reduce technical support intervention and the need for routine maintenance. Layered security needs a stable base to be effective, and like your favorite chair, it simply will not stand on two legs. The Returnil Virtual System provides the third and arguably most important part of a true layered approach, the cure! Stop the endless, performance hogging cycle of filtering, detection, and removal. You can finally sit comfortably and start enjoying your computer. Features *********************************************************************** The Returnil Virtual System:** > Keeps your System Partition safe when browsing the Internet > Viruses, Trojans, Worms, Adware, Spyware, and unwanted content disappear with a simple reboot > Enforces settings and protects your internet privacy > Helps reduce overall disk wear by using memory rather than HDD cloning technology > Saves you time, money, and lost hair by maintaining or improving peak computer performance > Reduces or eliminates the need for routine disk de-fragmentation of your system partition > Your spam filter is strong, but not infallible – Returnil will eliminate the consequences of opening infected e-mail and/or attachments > Leaves absolutely no traces of computer activities > Eliminates all activities even if your computer is powered-off or crashes > Eliminates the danger of evaluating new software that does not require a reboot to install > Offers stronger, simpler and smarter protection for your PC > Seamless integration with supported Windows Operating Systems > Easy to use, simple to configure, and the one tool in your arsenal that will be there to save the day when all else fails!
My System Specs

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