# The best Utilities



## Tarn76 (Jan 28, 2005)

I recieved a new notebook computer for xmas and was wondering what are some of the best "can't-live-without-it" utilities I should be looking for. Anybody have any Suggestions? I already have Adaware, Spybot, and a full corporate edition of symantech anti-virus. 
Thanx in advance...
TB


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

See this thread here.

http://forums.techguy.org/t323262.html


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## Cheeseball81 (Mar 3, 2004)

Spyware Blaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html


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## dugq (Jul 16, 2004)

A different browser than IE, namely Firefox or Opera
A firewall, both Zone Alarm or Sygate are free


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

An image editor is always useful.
I use Irfanview a lot..free:
http://www.irfanview.com/

Have started using PhotoFiltre..free..but it's not as stable as it should be:
http://photofiltre.free.fr/download_en.htm

PaintShop Pro is very good and the next best thing to PhotoShop IMO
Not free, I use version 8 and like it for photo restorations
http://www.jasc.com/products/default.asp

Paint.net is out for win2k and winxp
Haven't tried it as I'm on 98se, but have heard it is excellent
free:
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/downloads.html

An RSS feed reader for quickly scanning news and info sites online
free:
http://www.rssreader.com/

File Compression tools:
WinZip is nice, not free. 
WinRar is also good, not free
Tugzip, Iceows and 7-zip are free.
I don't use compression tools much. I 'own' WinZip and it works well.
I've used the free ones out of curiosity and they worked well, also.

Real Alternative to replace Real
free:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm

MWSnap is a good free screen capture app:
http://www.tucows.com/preview/222629.html

A download manager .
I use an older version of GetRight.

ShortKeys is nice for hotkeying script into text documents
free version:
http://www.shortkeys.com/lite.htm


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

PSP7 and Animation Shop, Free download

http://com-puterworks.com/Free_Downloads.htm

Heard this is a free working version. 
Guees they are giving away there older version now but then again the newer version is now own by Corel.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Fantastic find hewee :up:
I know someone that needs something just like that and is short of funds.
I'll pass it along

Thanks


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## Fidelista (Jan 17, 2004)

Cheeseball81 said:


> Spyware Blaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html


 Good advise Cheese :up: :up: :up: Tarn, this is a "must have". I am a fan of javacool software because it WORKS and with no problems.. This program should be used by all. Spyware guard by Javacool is another option you may want to consider.  >f


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Stoner said:


> Fantastic find hewee :up:
> I know someone that needs something just like that and is short of funds.
> I'll pass it along
> 
> Thanks


Yes and I heard back from someone that has had it a couple months now so it did not stop working.

To bad more software company's did not gave away older versions of there software. 
Sure they would lose some money but then again if it is a older version that is years old then people could use it longer and then maybe learn some things and like it and then want to buy the newer version.

I started out with a free Ulead GIF Animator 2 from there own web site. Before that it was a morph program from Ulead that I got for $1.00 on a floppy and then on a CD back when it was all shareware.

He hee I wonder if I could use the ACDsee that I got on one of those shareware CD's where it cost only $10.00 to get the paid version and you got free upgrades for life.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

I know what you mean, hewee.
I bought a Zoom usb modem some time ago, and it came with PaintShop pro on the install disc. I think it was version 4. Liked it and bought version 7 and then got a nice upgrade rebate on version 8. I might have gone with somebody else's if I had never tried out the version that came free with the modem.


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## Izme (Mar 4, 2004)

Quite afew of my programs are free... I use AdAware SE - Spybot Search & Destroy - Aida 32 - Easy Cleaner - My Uninstaller - Zone Alarm - registry Mechanic - Hijack this............etc. 

I also have some free imaging programs and some bought after I checked out the demo....Adobe Photoshop 7 - Photo Impact 10 - PSP7 - Anim8or - Caligari true space 3.2 & 6.6 - unfreeze - irfanview - Alice 3-D animator - Avery design pro - painter 23 - Morpheous - image majik - Storyboard viewer and visualizer - Convert 3D........there is even more LOL Many of those you can find on the web for free! :up:


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Yea it works great giving out older versions stoner. Like Wacom tablets gave out Paint Clasic so I am sure others pay to get the newer version. They just changed it so now after Corel took over Painter you get "Adobe Photoshop Elements 2, Corel Painter Essentials 2, nik Color Efex&#65533; Pro 2 IE from nik multimedia" with there tablet.

So it is good to have working older versions or limited in how they may work even. Where some limit the image size or gray out some things or have demo on any images you save. But if they keep working you have time to cheack them out to see if you can learn to use it and if your like it and then buy it.
Worse case on a demo I ever had was you could only use it for 10 days or 10 tries or something like that and it it was a hard program to learn and I open it and try it out and close it so it lasted me only one day before it stop working because I had opened the program the 10 times.  That is not good because why would I want to by something that I could not use because I never got to learn anything it does.


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## bkpeck (Jan 6, 2005)

Thank you hewee for PSP 7


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Your welcome bkpeck


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## past tense (Apr 25, 2004)

hewee said:


> PSP7 and Animation Shop, Free download
> 
> http://com-puterworks.com/Free_Downloads.htm
> 
> ...


thanks for the link,just got done with D/L.
being on dialup I need to get psyched up for these massive downloads.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Your welcome past tense.


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## woodrow (Dec 20, 2003)

I just saw paint shop pro 9 for free at freegiftworld.com.


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## bkpeck (Jan 6, 2005)

Do you uninstall psp 7 before installing 9??


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## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

Here are some categorized free utilities I have found useful:

Audit (Installed Software) Tool:
Belarc Advisor: http://www.belarc.com

Atomic Clock Synchronisation Tool:
Atomic Clock Sync: http://www.isbister.com

Checksum Tools:
CRCFileChecker: http://www.createwindow.com
CRCTextChecker: http://www.createwindow.com
MD5 Checksum: http://come.to/hahn

Compression Tools:
7-Zip: http://www.7-zip.org
BZip: http://www.muraroa.demon.co.uk

CPU Id Tool:
CpuId: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Encryption Tool (block cipher: Allows variable-length keys up to 448 bits):
BlowFish: http://www.schneier.com/blowfish.html

File Monitor Tool:
FileMon: http://www.sysinternals.com

FTP Tool:
FileZilla: http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla

Port Tools:
Port Blocker: http://www.analogx.com/
Port Monster: http://www.portmonster.com

Process Tools:
Process Explorer: http://www.sysinternals.com
KillBox.exe: http://www.thespykiller.co.uk/files/killbox.exe

Realtime Registry Monitor Tool:
RegMon: http://www.sysinternals.com

Realtime TCP/UDP Monitor Tool:
TDIMon: http://www.sysinternals.com

Secure (SSH) Telenet Client Tool:
PuTTY: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty

Spyware Tool (helps against hijacks and re-directions):
About Buster: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4289.html

Startup List Tool (reveals obscure startup places in registry):
AutoRuns: http://www.sysinternals.com

Text Search Tool:
Grep32: http://www.wingrep.com

TCP Parameter setting Tool:
Cablenut: http://www.cablenut.com

Ultimate Boot Tool:
Ultimate Boot CD: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com


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## MyDoomVictim (Feb 12, 2005)

Try these:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm

Personally I'm using

Firefox
Thunderbird
Explorer Lite
Open Office

and there are many more good ones.


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## bkfdbarbara (May 22, 2005)

Wow, I am so impressed with all that you download. When I download something, it seems that days later, my computer acts up. Recently, I downloaded a game (TwoFeet Texas HoldEM) from Blue Mountain/Oberon and had nothing but a month of problems. After much anger from me, they finally refunded my money. I stay away from those two companies now, because they just didn't care that I had problems. It scared me off. (Icanseemyfeet.com came to my rescue with this problem.) I also had SpywareBlaster and had problems, such as computer freezing. I also can't use systems tools now, as the defrag stops working, saying something is running on the computer. But I have NOTHING on the computer that I am aware of. In my fear, I have taken most things off. So, I have this lovely computer, this desire to use it creatively and in a fun way (i.e. games) and here it sits, empty. The mouse now works spastically and the computer freezes. Oh, to have the knowledge that you all have, to use these tools that are out there. (By the way, Hi Sacramento...I move from Holland to Bakerfield next year.) 
Is there anyplace I can go and get some good advice? I've tried paying 3 people here, but my Dutch and their English clash. I have had no luck with computer help at all. I waited six months for someone to teach me how to download from my Kodak Easyshare to computer and then to CD's. ...I'm still waiting. Thanks for listening to me gripe  Barbara in the Netherlands


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Hi bkfdbarbara,
You might try posting your problems in the 'security' forum at TSG.
http://forums.techguy.org/f54-s.html

For your photo questions try :
http://forums.techguy.org/f60-s.html

There are many generous people here that give good advice and help.


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## bkpeck (Jan 6, 2005)

I had to remove Kodak Easyshare because it screwed a lot of things up!! I just use what came with XP.


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## iaavagent (Jan 11, 2004)

Anybody know anything about the {seems to be} all in one tool on CD at pcbeginner .com= http://www.pcbeginner.com/tools/pcdoctor.htm
I find it hard to believe that it can do all they claim it does, even clones???
The CD is indicated to be 650MB in size which does seem to be a bunch!

Anybody know if they're ligit or a scam ie; a CD just loaded with basic utilities and many sites to go get downloads of various other utilities?

Just curious, Thanks


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## bkpeck (Jan 6, 2005)

I'm be waiting to see what the gods think of this one!!!


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## hl5 (Sep 24, 2004)

> Anybody know anything about the {seems to be} all in one tool on CD at pcbeginner .com


I saw an ad for them and was wondering the same thing. I sent them an email but they didn't respond, so my first instinct would be to stay away from them. (Go with the Ultimate Boot CD instead. Someone will send it to you for about $10.) The PC Beginner disc includes Disk Genius, which looks like it could be useful for partitioning and things, but they are mysterious about what else is on the disc.

Two programs I like a lot:

*StartEd* (shareware $17) - a simple, easy to use startup programs editor. It's like MSCONFIG but I like it a lot better. If you install a new program, run it and it will highlight the new startup items in yellow in case you want to remove one. (Not a replacement for HijackThis, but useful for normal startup program changes.)

*PolyEdit* - a lite word processor / text editor. When Word has too many features and Notepad doesn't have enough. Shareware $27.95 although there is an older free version called CryptEdit (it can encrypt and compress a file, saving space and giving you privacy).

And here's a funny one:

*WinMorph* - you may need to play around with it to figure it out but it's relatively easy and lets you morph one image into another or "warp" an image. Includes a pretty good animated tutorial. Freeware.

You can also find some good programs here:

http://www.anova.org/software/
http://aumha.org/free.htm
http://www.wugnet.com/

Also, this place has some decent stuff and will usually tell you whether a download has spyware/adware. Look for the no spyware logo or the adware/spyware warning in the program description.

http://www.softpedia.com/

And these guys make lots of useful system utilities if you know exactly what you're looking for. It's all freeware although they make some powerful commercial products too.

http://www.sysinternals.com/

One final thing I recommended to someone on here recently is *Restoration*, a freeware program for undeleting stuff you accidentally deleted.


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## bkpeck (Jan 6, 2005)

Thanks Hl5 I picked up a couple new programs from those sites!!


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## Mastertech (Dec 11, 2004)

The best Free utilities can be found here:

For Performance: Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide

For Everything Else: XP Media - A Windows XP Media Guide


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## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

Tarn76 said:


> I recieved a new notebook computer for xmas and was wondering what are some of the best "can't-live-without-it" utilities I should be looking for. Anybody have any Suggestions? I already have Adaware, Spybot, and a full corporate edition of symantech anti-virus.
> Thanx in advance...
> TB


Look here for the absolute best free utilities in all software categories:
http://www.thefreecountry.com/

-- Tom


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## dennis20 (Dec 22, 2005)

Season's Greetings  

What is a REALLY good non-resident antivirus for PCBeginner?


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Maybe I missed this - but I didn't see any mention of Quicktime Alternative to go with Real Alternative ...
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alternative.htm


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## dennis20 (Dec 22, 2005)

NoyB,

What was that a reply to?


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## CouchMaster (May 26, 2003)

This is not exactly a utility but every Windows user should have a copy of Knoppix in their computer tool box. If your system crashes and you can't boot into Windows you can try to repair, or salvage data, with a good old Linux disk...


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## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

dennis20 said:


> Season's Greetings
> 
> What is a REALLY good non-resident antivirus for PCBeginner?


Hi dennis20,

I don't normally scan for posts in this forum, but today I did.

You can find an independent review of AVs at http://www.av-comparatives.org
The last two reviews were in August/Sept 2005 and November 2005, which are different kinds of reviews - start with the earlier one first. Click on the Comparatives link in the left-hand panel.

Avast! appears to be the leading (freeware) AV, but there are others. It is my understanding that you want an on-demand scanner instead of one with resident realtime protection. Most Avs can have their resident scanners disabled.

I can't encourage you enough to have some form of resident protection or HIPS to protect your computer, system files and registry. HIPS stands for Host Intrusion Prevention System.

Most AVs use signature based scanners which means that the latest virus signature is not yet known and may be able to infect lots of computers. Heuristics is another tool employed by the AVs that is independent of signatures. One very formidable AV is AVK that combines two AV engines - one from Kaspersky and one from BitDefender, thus using perhaps the best of both signoature detection and heuristics. However, AVK is resident based.

-- Tom


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## dennis20 (Dec 22, 2005)

Hello lotuseclat79

I have Avast32 on my system but wanted it on the PCBeginner cd as well. In the old days of Win98 I could have a boot floppy with Avast on it to get me back into the drive, especially if there were any virii in the startup.



lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi dennis20,
> 
> I don't normally scan for posts in this forum, but today I did.
> 
> ...


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## SIR****TMG (Aug 12, 2003)

i found most of these are great.................


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

One of the thread reminded me of Foxit Pdf reader. http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php

It sure beats the death out of using Acrobat to open pdf files. Acrobat is slow even when you disable most of the plugins. I consider it a must have for viewing PDF files on the web without slowing down.


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## CVDpr (Feb 23, 2005)

Ad-Aware
Avast!
Ccleaner
Sygate Personal Firewall
Opera,Firefox,Maxthon


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## AKA Arizona (Jul 22, 2003)

I was looking for a recomendation on a file syncin software that will work over networked drives, any idea's?


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## AKA Arizona (Jul 22, 2003)

Let me throw this in is there a utility that would automaticlly backup a drive, compress it send it to a networked drive then uncompress it to its original form at the new location?


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## Fidelista (Jan 17, 2004)

I have been really impressed with Ewido {free version}. A great scanner.:up: 
Best ran in "safe mode".
During the installation, under "Additional Options" uncheck "Install background guard" and "Install scan via context menu"-- when using free version.
>f

http://www.ewido.net/en/download/


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## j_hallgren (Mar 7, 2005)

Re-awakening this old thread...
The most impressively supported shareware product that I've EVER seen is a file manager replacement known as XYplorer from Donald Lessau at http://www.XYplorer.com !

The rarely occurring bugs are often fixed via a beta version within HOURS! Yes, you read that right! I've had some minor bugs fixed in less than 4 hours!

The main reason I found this product SO handy is that it can run rings around Windows Explorer! For example, it can find files that were modified in the last 15 minutes very easily so if you want to find a file just created by some application, this will help you greatly.

It has extensive previewing capabilities so you can find the desired file quickly, and...
runs just great as a portable app from a thumb drive as NO mods to Registry!

Check out more details at the new WiKi (created by one of the power users from the active support forum) : http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Main_Page


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I see it is not free but it does say...
Entitles one single person to install and run XYplorer on one or more computers.
This is a lifetime license and includes all future updates.

So nice that you get free updates for life.


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## j_hallgren (Mar 7, 2005)

Hewee, while it's true XYplorer is not free, but I think IF you try it, you'll be as hooked as I was!
The product is changing almost daily (beta vers) and improving each time...sometimes a bit, sometimes a lot! And...the author very actively takes feedback from us XY-fanactics in making the improvements...I've seen a fair amount of software in my years of PC'ing and this is the FIRST one that I've gotten SO involved in helping it along...

Updates are free for life but I could possibly envision, at some point (and this is STRICTLY MY opinion), maybe a minimal annual maint fee (like $5), which would be VERY well worth it! I'd likely send the author a few bucks every year just for all the work he's doing


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Yea it does seem like a very nice program and sure tells you a lot more then 98 does.
Plus all the added options it has on it is nice.


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## Castle_Rock (May 15, 2005)

Everyone should check this site out, it is the best FREE site out there ever! I myself downloaded and e-mailed the webmaster of the site because it has everything from Alternative Web Browsers,Security protection, Photo imaging and even MORE! Check it out and I suggest everyone who downloads something sends an email to the guy who owns the site!

Here's the link: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm#1


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## j_hallgren (Mar 7, 2005)

Nick_Coffey said:


> Everyone should check this site out, it is the best FREE site out there ever!.......
> Here's the link: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm#1


The monthly newsletters that he writes are even better than the info on the site itself! One of THE best that I've seen...subscribe and see! :up:


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## Castle_Rock (May 15, 2005)

Thanks, - As a matter of fact, I did! I can't wait till it comes out!


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## j_hallgren (Mar 7, 2005)

In the meantime, you should find some good reading at:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/issues/back_issues.htm
I spent a few hours perusing these...learned a few things along the way


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## Spider111 (Oct 2, 2006)

Software I can't live without(Short List):
Dr Web
icq lite
bsp player
vlc media player
Alarm utility(very useful thing)
Winamp
Skype
True image
Outlook firewall


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