Here's a list of free software (yes...totally free!) that I enjoy using and would recommend my friends to use. These all work under Windows.
In no particular order....
1. Mozilla Firefox (web browser)
Browsing the net is a very common part of my day. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that I use a fast, secure and robust web browser to do the job. Firefox is definitely my first choice when it comes to web browsers.
Visit the Firefox website(Honourable mentions:
Opera &
Google Chrome. I use these as a secondary browser)
2. Cobian Backup (backup software)
I use Cobian Backup 8 to backup important files to a remote server on a weekly basis. Setting up scheduled backups is a breeze. If you do not have a server for backup, you could alternatively backup your data onto another drive or folder.
I think only version 8 of Cobian is free of charge.
Visit the Cobian Backup website3. AVG (antivirus software)
The AVG Free Version has never let me down when it comes to protecting my computer against nasty viruses. The good news for home users is that it's free! :)
Visit the AVG website4. Microsoft Live Mesh (file synchronisation)
Once in a while, Microsoft produces some really good stuff for people to use. One of these is their Live Mesh service (yes, it's not just a software... but it's a whole service in itself).
Do you have files that need to be automatically synchronised on different computers? Live Mesh can do this for you! It also allows you to easily share files with your friends. And on top of this, you have 5GB to store your files online so that you could access them when you are away from your computer.
Visit the Live Mesh website and sign up!
5. PDF reDirect (PDF file creator)
There are a lot of free software out there that allows you to create PDF files on your computer. The one that I use is PDF reDirect v2.
Why create PDF files? Well, it's great for printing purposes.
Suppose that you want to send a friend a Microsoft Word document to print out, but they don't have Microsoft Word installed on their computer. One method to get around this is to turn the document into a PDF file. Your friend could then use
Adobe Acrobat Reader to open up your PDF file for printing.
Visit the PDF reDirect website6. Format Factory (media format conversion)
I discovered this program recently and found it an awesome tool to convert video, audio and even picture formats to other formats.
Do you have video files that need conversion to watch on your iPhone or PSP? Well, you can convert it using Format Factory!
Visit the Format Factory website7. Audacity (audio editing)
A great and reliable tool for editing audio files is an open-source software called Audacity. It's great for cutting and pasting audio snippets and to also add various effects.
Visit the Audacity website8. VideoLAN VLC Media Player (multi-format media player)
This is an extremely popular media player that you can use to view files of many different media formats. It beats Windows Media Player by a mile ;)
Visit the VLC Media Player website9. GIMP (photo retouching, image composition software)
For those of you who cannot afford
Adobe Photoshop (such as...me :P), GIMP is a good alternative to retouch photos and to create/edit images. Despite the fact that it's free (and the funny name), it works on many different platforms and is quite powerful by what you can do with it.
Visit the GIMP website10. Juice (podcast receiver)
Believe it or not,
iTunes isn't the only software that you could use to download podcasts. I always found Juice to be a more flexible program to download your favourite podcasts.
Visit the Juice websiteAnyway, that's it from me now... happy downloading ;)
Labels: free, software
