CHRISGROOMS.net

This is a list of free software that everyone should know about. A lot of it is essential to have, such as anti-virus and anti-malware applications so that you can protect yourself now. Then there are applications that you need to know about quickly in an emergency. Or you might just need a free way to create Word documents.

All of these applications should not install any additional software without your permission or perform any kind of malicious activity. If you have reason to believe otherwise, let me know. One intended purpose of this list is to provide you with alternatives to most software that is either not free, contains spyware or installs other applications without your approval. One example of this is Real Player, of which I recommend the use of Real Alternative instead.

Note: This list is still currently being updated with new additions. Your suggestions are requested in the comments section below.

* = I use and recommend this software

WEB BROWSING AND EMAIL

Mozilla Firefox* (web browser) [mozilla.com] [Wikipedia] - The award-winning Web browser is now faster, more secure, and fully customizable to your online life. With Firefox 2, we’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better. Firefox is free. Thousands of very useful add-ons are available online, such as NoScript or AdBlock Plus. Including themes to change the appearance of the browser.

Mozilla Thunderbird [mozilla.com] - Mozilla’s Thunderbird 2 email application is more powerful than ever. It’s now even easier to organize, secure and customize your mail. Intended as an alternative to Microsoft Outlook Express for one example.

Opera (web browser) [opera.com] - Not as popular as Firefox, with less add-on options and community support, but still a popular alternative to Internet Explorer.

INSTANT MESSAGING AND CHAT

Pidgin [pidgin.im] [Wikipedia] - Originally named GAIM, Pidgin is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client that allows you to use all of your IM accounts at once. Supports AIM, IRC, MSN, MySpaceIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, ICQ and other IM accounts. Versions are available for Windows, Linux, BSD and other variant operating systems.

X-Chat2* [silverex.org] - Multi-platform IRC chat software.

Trillian Basic* [trillian.cc] - Multi-protocol instant messaging client for Windows. Another application which allows you to use all of your IM accounts at once.

Miranda [miranda-im.org] - A modular open-source multi-protocol instant messenger for Windows that maintains an database of community developed plug-ins that add functionality.

FILE DOWNLOADS

Utorrent* [utorrent.com] - µTorrent is a lightweight and efficient BitTorrent client for Windows with many features. This software is preferred over others (such as Azureus) by a lot of people that I know.

Azureus [sourceforge.net] - Azureus implements the BitTorrent protocol using java language and comes bundled with many invaluable features for both beginners and advanced users.

MEDIA CODECS

Quicktime Alternative* [codecguide.com] - QuickTime Alternative is a trimmed down version of QuickTime that contains only the essential components needed for playing QuickTime content that is embedded in webpages.

Real Alternative* [codecguide.com] - Real Alternative is a codec pack created for playing RealMedia files on Microsoft Windows operating systems without installing RealPlayer. The pack can be used with any DirectShow-enabled media player, such as Media Player Classic, which is included as part of the package. The pack was designed by KL Software using Real Media Splitter, an open source video filter, and Real Media Codecs.

DISK UTILITIES AND RECOVERY TOOLS

The Ultimate Boot CD* (UBCD) [ultimatebootcd.com] - Over 100 PC hardware diagnosis tools in one bootable CD to analyze and repair hard drives, hardware and boot problems. Includes TestDisk, Darik’s Boot and Nuke and the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor.

Read the rest of this entry »

When you delete a file, format your hard drive or erase any data on any type of media in the traditional manner, you might be surprised to know that the file still exists. In this way, you can think of files on a hard drive as a phone book. You can see the files in a listing (such as what is shown in My Computer or Windows Explorer). Each listing in a phone book lists the address and phone number for that person so that you can reach them, and by removing the listing from the phone book, it doesn’t mean that your friend doesn’t live there anymore.

Deletion basically removes the “directory listing” for that file, but the file still exists. So, now it’s difficult to “get in touch with”, because the listing is not there and you can’t get access to it anymore without recovering it. The file still physically exists and will until other data is written where the original file resided.

It is possible for the file or parts of the file to be recovered even after new data is written onto the same area of the hard drive where the original data resided. Though the process at this point is so difficult you have to pay for data recovery. The service is very expensive, because it requires specialized equipment and software. Only experts may be able to recover data at this point.

Read the rest of this entry »

These come in very handy for playing different formats of multimedia, conversion of many different formats such as DVD, AVI, MOV, WMV, and damn near anything else you can imagine.

These are not only my personal recommendations after years of trial and error, but I’ve also included recommendations by many others. This is an excellent list and I intend on updating it with newer items later. Please feel free to comment if you have any additions to the list.

See the entire article for links and descriptions.

* = My personal recommendation.

AutoGK* - DivX / XviD backup utility. Support for DVD, MPEG2 (such as DVB captures and transport streams), MPEG1 sources, along with AVI/DV sources.

DVDShrink* - Backup your DVD disks. You can use this software in conjunction with DVD burning software of your choice to make a backup copy of any DVD or create a DVD image.

GOMPlayer* - GOM Player supports most popular codecs (AVI, DAT, MPEG, DivX plus many more) with its own embedded codec system that you won’t have to look for appropriate codecs every time. It also supports FLV files (for example: saved YouTube videos) and does the best job of any FLV player I’ve found. It’s hard to find a good FLV player, because most have lots of issues and will not allow you to maximize/resize the video.

VirtualDub* - Video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms (95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP). It lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere, but is streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. VirtualDub is mainly geared toward processing AVI files, although it can read (not write) MPEG-1 and also handle sets of BMP images.

Read the rest of this entry »

You have seen those advertisements on television boasting amazing speed increases for dial-up Internet, or those saying that Cable or DSL is faster. What is the truth? Those claiming to increase dial-up speeds are nothing short of a lie. I’m going to explain the truth, facts and lies that you have been told about both dial-up and broadband.

LIE: The 56KBps modem

It is a 56Kbps modem and is capable of 56Kbps speeds, but dial-up connections are limited to 53Kbps due to a limit imposed on phone lines. A DSL connection uses the phone lines, but is not subject to the same limit. When you buy a 56Kbps modem, you are actually buying a modem which will connect you at 53Kbps or less.

Most actual ISP connections are between 36Kbps and 48Kbps according to what I saw in my time working for an internet service provider. It requires near ideal conditions to connect and transfer files at 53KBps.

At 48Kbps it would take you about 10-15 minutes to download a single three minute song. If you want to watch a YouTube video, you might as well click and go have lunch while the video loads. One of the major benefits of broadband is that the connections are so fast that you can watch streaming videos almost instantly with no interruption.
Read the rest of this entry »