Free software list

When I was teaching at GSU, I discovered many of my students were not aware of some of the best free tools on Windows. Then I was thinking, why don't I set up a webpage and put up these nice resources so everyone can benefit.

Table of Contents

A. For common users
B. For techies
C. Resources

[View all in one page]

The programs listed here are either open source or free for personal use. They are very useful and can replace its commercial counterparts (if there are). I have been using them frequently, for quite some time. I definitely recommend them.

Recommended List of Free Software on Windows

Updated in Oct 2008

A. For common users >> B. For techies >> C. Resources >> [View all in one page]

A. Free Software for Common Users

These programs are for everyone.

1. 7-Zip logo

7-Zip is a very good file compression and decompression program. It supports the common .ZIP, .RAR, and .ISO format. I have been using this to replace WinZIP and WinRAR for quite some time now. Strongly recommended!

2. Daemon Tools Lite

This one is a very good CD/DVD simulation tool. You can use it to load CD/DVD images directly from hard drives; so that saves a lot of CD/DVDs. I use it all the time on every one of my computers. Strongly recommended!

3. Media Player Classic

This compact player mimics the look and feel of the old Windows media player. The best of all is that it is a green application - just one .exe file, no installation, and very portable. It supports Matroska (.mkv) files and multiple audio tracks (great for multi-linguists). A great supplementary tool - recommended!

4. Quick launch tools

Don't want to always go to "Start" and click several times to find and click on a shortcut? Here are some options:

  • Quick launch toolbar. The only problem is it is too small. But you can (in Windows XP) unlock it, detach it from the taskbar, move (dock) it to the edge of the screen and create a toolbar ribbon with large icons. In Windows Vista you need to do this:
    • From any Windows Explorer window (not maximized), navigate to the folder:
      %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer.
    •  Drag and drop the "QuickLaunch" folder to the edge of the screen; it will transform itself to a toolbar on the side.
    • Move it around to any side of the screen; adjust icon size and other settings.
  • App Launcher gadget for Windows Vista sidebar, or Application Launcher for Google Desktop: gadgets that only reside inside the sidebar.
  • Launchy: best for Windows XP, you can use it to search and launch programs, files, websites, etc.

5. Screenshot capture tools

For many reasons, we need to capture some screenshots. Here are two useful tools:

6. FlashGet

FlashGet is a downloading manager tool. It supports multi-thread downloading so that makes downloading faster if the server sets max bandwidth. It also can resume broken or paused downloads, which is good for very large files. I had been using this tool for some years.

7. Foxit PDF Reader

Foxit PDF Reader is a free reader/viewer for PDF documents. It is a green application, with one .exe file and needs no installation. It is super fast to open PDF files. Of course, Adobe Reader is also free.

8. Desktop management tools

Many Linux GUI provide multiple desktops so you can better organize task bars and open Windows. If you always open too many Windows but don't have enough big monitors, this type of tool is for you. Here are two of them:

9. MultiMon Taskbar

Having multiple monitors? No easy way to move the window to the desired monitor? Don't know which application on the taskbar will show on which monitor? Try this:

10. open office logo

OpenOffice.org is a open source office software which includes a word processing program, a spreadsheet program, a presentation program, a drawing program and a personal database program. It's an alternative for MS Office.

11. FireFox and IE

The other popular browser! Tons of add-ons, which IE should learn from! Also for developers, there is a good JavaScript debugging tool. For your convenience, you can get Internet Explorer here (also free). 

Honorable mention

Others

I know these are good programs, too. But I just haven't got a chance to test them. Will keep this page updated ...

  • Thunderbird and Sunbird/Lighting: a great alternative for MS Outlook and Windows Mail/Calendar, from Mozilla. I am not using them because I have been a long time user of MS Outlook (and Outlook Express, which is also free).
  • Chrome: Google's browser.
  • Paint.Net: an image processing program based on .Net.
  • Eraser: will completely remove sensitive files.
  • KeePass: a password management tool.