Jeremy's Picks
This is a list of Windows freeware and shareware programs I use regularly. Each entry has a link to the author's download page, and a link to where you can download it from me. I do my best to make sure I keep the latest versions on my server.
Updated 12/12/2011
| Program | Description | Download | |
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All CPU Meter w/ CoreTemp | I'm not a giant fan of the gadgets dock in Windows Vista and Windows 7. But I do like a few of the gadgets - this one especially. It's nice to keep an eye on your CPU and RAM usage along with your temperatures. | All CPU Site CoreTemp Site Download from me (Zip) |
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Auslogics Disk Defrag | I don't know why, but I like it better than the Window's defragmenter. It just seems to work better. Maybe the interface is just prettier. I don't know. But I prefer it over the age-old Windows defragmenter. | Auslogics Site Download from me |
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Auslogics Registry Cleaner | Optimize your computer's performance by cleaning up all of the crap that gets left in the system registry over time. | Auslogics Site Download from me |
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Autoruns | I use this in place of msconfig - one of the most powerful system settings tools included on any Microsoft OS since Windows 98 (except for Windows 2000). Allows you to selectively disable or enable startup services and processes. This tool has many options that are not available in msconfig. | Download from Microsoft Technet Download from me |
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AVG Free | The most effective free antivirus program I have used. Simple to setup and customize. It is a tad heavy on the resources, but if your processor is over 2.0GHz and you have more than 1GB RAM, you shouldn't notice any change in performance. Gets good reviews from av-comparatives.org | AVG Site Download from me |
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Avira AntiVir | - Another favorite free antivirus program of mine. I typically install this on older and slower machines, as it doesn't seem to be as resource heavy as AVG. Gets OK reviews from av-comparatives.org | Avira Site Download from me |
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Piriform CCleaner | A well-known favorite of mine. Deletes junk files, repairs registry errors, and has an interface to remove programs and disable startup items. A must-have for anyone's computer maintenance kit. | Piriform Site Download from me |
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CD Burner XP Pro | If you need a CD or DVD burning program that "just works," then this is for you. I've used it in many cases where the built-in utility for Windows or the Windows Media Player refused to burn a disc properly. I like the interface better too. | CDBurnerXP Site Download from me |
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Clonezilla | Opensource disk imaging utility. Ideal for creating an image for mass computer deployment. | Clonezilla Site |
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ComboFix | Nice malware remover from BleepingComputer.com. I'll use this after I've run Malwarebyte's and HijackThis! if the computer still seems to be infected. Not my favorite anti-malware program, as it used to be very complicated to use. In newer versions, it seems to have been simplified a bit. But it gets the job done. | Bleeping Computer Download from me |
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CPP Product Key Finder | Published by Aporah. A C++ Product Key Finder program. I use this when I need to wipe out somebody's computer. This way I can get their product-key for Office and Windows (and whatever else). Very handy. | Download from Cnet Download from me |
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Easy MP3 Alarm Clock | By DeepCom. Exactly what it sounds like - an alarm clock for your computer that plays MP3s. Very simple to use. | DeepCom Site Download from me |
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Foxit Reader | A nice sleek PDF Reader alternative to the bloated Adobe Reader (which wants to install a dozen other Adobe programs alongside it.) | Foxit Site Download from me |
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Furmark | GPU Stress Test and OpenGL Benchmark. Stress-test your GPU! I use this when I suspect a graphics card may be failing. | oZone3D Site Download from me |
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GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) | The GNU Image Manipulation Program. Think of it as an open source Photoshop. I love this program. I made all of the graphics for this site using GIMP. The interface is a little funky, but if you'll take the time to learn it, you will have a powerful image manipulation proggie for life. | GIMP Site Download from me |
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HijackThis! | Another core program for any computer technician's toolbox. Allows you to view different registry keys and file settings often changed by malware, and delete them if you wish. The common user should be careful with this one. If you're not sure what the results of your HJT scan mean, it would probably be best for you to just save a log file and post it on an active tech forum, such as ComputerForum.com | TrendMicro Site Download from me |
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ImgBurn | I use this for ripping and burning CD/DVD/BluRay ISO files. Works great! | ImgBurn Site Download from me |
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MagicDisc/MagicISO | Awesome program combination. MagicDisc creates virtual CD/DVD drives on your computer which can mount ISO files and other disc image files. I use MagicISO to create ISO files from discs. | Magic ISO Magic Disc Download from me (rar) |
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Malwarebyte's Antimalware | Another well-known favorite of mine. This is the first program I run on any malware-removal job (after rkill). If you update the definition files upon installation and run this thing in Safe Mode, it will identify and remove 95% of known malware files without issue. Another must-have for anyone's computer maintenance kit. | Malwarebytes Site Download from me |
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PassMark Performance Test | Awesome program to stress-test and rate your entire system. You may then download comparatives and see how your hardware matches up to other computers. The only program of its kind that I have found. | PassMark Site Download from me |
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PC Wizard | Excellent program from CPUID to tell you everything about your system. I use it for identifying hardware that Windows cannot identify, as well as just to get a general overview of the system. | CPUID Site Download from me |
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PuTTY | The Telnet and SSH client for Windows by Simon Tathman. I use it to connect to all of my Linux boxes. | PuTTY Site Download from me |
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OpenDNS | This isn't really a program. It's a free web-content filtering solution. I highly recommend it for churches, day-cares or for families with young children. | OpenDNS Site |
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rkill | Great little program that will kill known running malware processes. I always use this before I scan for malware, and sometimes have to run it before I can even install a malware scanner. Very handy for repairing badly infected computers. | BleepingComputer Download from me |
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SpeedFan | Monitor your computer's temperatures. It also has the option for manually setting fan speeds, though I don't usually mess with any of that. | Almico Site Download from me |
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Stardock ObjectDock | I love this program. Make your desktop pop with this awesome utility. I use it to replace the boring Start bar on Windows XP and below, and use it for a program launcher on Windows Vista and above. You have to customize it to make it look nice. See the screenshots. | Stardock Site Download from me |
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TeamViewer | This is my new favorite tool for remote desktop support. Free for individual use. Easy setup, simple interface. All your client has to do is read you their nine digit ID generated by the program and their four digit password, and you're in! | TeamViewer Site Download from me |
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TextPad | Excellent shareware program for editing code. Recognizes HTML/PHP/Java/C/C++ and others. This is what I use to build my website. | TextPad Site Download from me |
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VideoLAN VLC Media Player | From the VideoLAN site: The media player that fulfills all your needs. It handles DVDs, (S)VCDs, Audio CDs, web streams, TV cards and much more. - With VLC, there is no need to continually update many different codec packs. VLC comes with nearly every codec built in! - And what's more, VLC can play back your files, even if the media is damaged! Missing or broken pieces won't stop VLC. All the video and audio information that remains can be played. |
Download From Cnet Download from me |
Updated 12/12/2011
