Favorite Software Titles

A new Windows computer can have a lot of functionality without dropping a lot of green. Here is a list of software that I find invaluable. A lot of the titles are free. Some are worth paying for. Perhaps the list will introduce something new to you.

7-Zip - Free
A compact utility to manage compressed archives like Zip, RAR, and others.

Adobe Flash - Free
You can’t browse the Web without it.

Ant Renamer - Free
Renames files very easily. Especially good for renaming digital photos by date and time.

AnyDVD - Not Free
Disables DVD and Blu-ray encryption implementations. Also allows you to bypass previews and go straight to the movie.

Any Video Converter Free - Free
The free version of this software can convert a surprising number of media files easily.

Audacity - Free
You never know when you’ll need to record or tweak a sound file. Audacity is the best.

Camtasia Studio - Not Free
To capture the screen in video to create tutorials.

CCleaner - Free
A cleaning utility that can scrub a crufted registry, eliminate temporary files, and even allow you to control the applications that start with Windows.

CloneDVD - Not Free
Allows you to clone a DVD or Blu-ray disc or rip it to a hard disk drive.

CPU-Z - Free
A quick-reference for all the pertinent hardware specs on your computer.

Download Statusbar - Free
Add-in for Firefox that shows a progress bar in the statusbar for your downloads. Hovering over it show a wealth of information.

Foxit Reader - Free
A fast and solid alternative to Adobe Reader.

Google Chrome - Free
How do you ignore a browser made by the king of the Internet? You don’t.

GPU-Z - Free
A quick-reference for all the pertinent specs on your graphics card.

Handbrake - Free
Rips movies from optical media (DVDs, etc.) into other formats, like those compatible with mobile devices.

Image Resizer - Free
This clone of a Windows PowerToy works in Vista and Windows 7. Creates a renamed copy of a digital photo resized to a standard size or a custom one.

IntelliPoint - Free
Microsoft’s mouse configuration utility.

IntelliType Pro - Free
Microsoft’s keyboard configuration utility

JR Screen Ruler - Free
Get an exact or rough measurement of screen pixels.

Jungle Disk - Not Free
This application makes use of Amazon’s Simple Storage Solution (S3) to store offsite backups very inexpensively.  Jungle Disk can even map S3 as a network drive in Windows Explorer. Storing 1 GB of data per month at S3 will set you back US$0.15. Jungle Disk costs $2 per month. Access and transfer operations are pennies per hundreds.

LastPass - Free
Add-in for Web browsers that securely stores your passwords in the cloud, logs into Web sites for you, and can generate strong passwords and manage them for you.

LogMeIn - Free
Access your computer from any other computer that has a Web browser installed without any networking configuration.

Microsoft Office - Not Free
This mature application suite may not be very exciting, but it’s solid and gets work done.

Microsoft Research Image Composite Editor (ICE) - Free
While Windows Live Photo Gallery offers a photo-stitching feature, but ICE provides a dedicated solution that offers additional abilities to tweak the output.

Microsoft Security Essentials - Free
Microsoft’s free and solid anti-virus and anti-malware utility.

Microsoft SyncToy - Free
I handy utility that allows you to synchronize or backup files between two folders.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Not Free
This Integrated Development Environment is also an excellent assistant for creating and managing applications and Web sites.

Mozilla Firefox - Free
The best alternative to Internet Explorer.

Paint.NET - Free
Kind of like Photoshop Elements Lite.

PC Wizard - Free
This application provides exhaustive specs on your computer.

QuickTime Alternative - Free
If you like to avoid the Apple, Inc, Kool-Aid (and nags to pay for Pro), then this app is for you.

RocketDock - Free
Works like Apple’s dock in OS X. An elegant way to access your most-used applications.

SyncBack Free - Free
An excellent file backup and synchronization utility.

VirtualBox - Free
Sun Microsystem’s virtual machine with support for USB ports, networking, and 64-bit guest operating systems.

Wakoopa - Free
An application usage tracker of your very own. You can analyze your usage and share with the Wakoopa community, if you choose.

Windows Live Essentials - Free
A suite of applications that enhance any version of Windows. Includes instant messaging, blogging word processor, movie maker, photo manager/viewer, mail client, and more.

WinSCP - Free
This is an easy-to-use FTP program that supports secure sockets and encryption.

Xara (“CZAR-uh”) - Not Free
This is a vector drawing program. Lightning fast and powerful. And the learning curve isn’t too steep, either.

Xmarks - Free
Add-in for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome that will synchronize your bookmarks across computers and store them in the cloud, accessible via any Internet-connected PC.

Zune Sotware - Free
It’s hard to compete with Apple’s dominance with the iPod, and Zune can’t. But its software is elegant and intuitive. The players are, too. Even if you don’t use own the Zune device, the software can still manage your media collection, including video and podcasts.