Freeware

Thought I'd throw out a list of my favorite freeware (and 1 shareware) that I have gathered over the years, in hopes of passing good stuff along and also of getting some other good stuff from other folks.

KillProcess http://orangelampsoftware.com/
Not only will show you what applications are running and allow you to kill any one of them, but will allow you to create a kill list that will automatically end any process whenever that program tries to run. This program allows me to no longer have Windows helpsvc.exe firing up at random times to hog all of the CPU cylces - for no apparent reason. Can be dangerous...but so can Windows!

SuperF4 http://www.snapfiles.com/get/superf4.html
This will instantly terminate the foreground Windows process when you press CONTROL-ALT-F4. Has helped me numerous times with annoying programs that suck up all the CPU cycles and refuse to end. Avoids the annoying CONTROL-ALT-DELETE "End Now" window that does not know what the word "Now" means. (I really don't think Microsoft knows what preemptive multitasking is).

Crimson Editor http://www.crimsoneditor.com /"> http://www.crimsoneditor.com/
A pretty good text editor - does a very good job with macros.

PDFill Freeware Tools http://www.pdfill.com /"> http://www.pdfill.com/
They have several free programs that do some handy things with .PDFs very well.

BravaReader http://www.bravaviewer.com/reader.htm
For .TIF and .PDF viewing. They also have a free .DWG viewer.

AutoIt3 http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/index.shtml
For programmers only. The very best programming tool to slap Windows around and get it working the way you want it to.

XnView http://www.xnview.com/en/index.html
Lots of folks like IrfanView for images, but I think this is much better.

PhotoFiltre http://photofiltre.en.softonic.com/
A pretty good image editor.

Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net /"> http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
A pretty good audio editor.

MP3MyMP3 http://www.mp3mymp3.com/
Save anything that goes to your PC speaker as an .MP3 or .WAV file.

DeepBurner http://www.deepburner.com/?r=download
A nice and simple drag-and-drop CD burner.

EncryptOnClick http://www.snapfiles.com/get/EncryptOnClick.html
Pretty good file encryption.

MediaPlayerClassic http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/
Way more betterer than Windows Media Player.

SnapFiles http://www.snapfiles.com/
Best place for freeware/shareware

Total Commander http://www.ghisler.com
My vote for the best Windows program ever. A program that is an invaluable tool for both the non-technical user and for the power user (an amazing feat of programming). Not freeware - costs about $38. Never a charge for upgrades (we have been using this for nearly 15 years and have never paid a cent for newer versions).

Suave http://www.blinken.com/suave.php
Best freeware game ever.