Here is a quick list of the free and open-source programs that you should know about and that I could not live without:
FOR EVERYONE:
Irfanview
Excellent photo editing program which I use alongside Photoshop
http://www.irfanview.com/
MagicIso
Quickly mount .iso files on a "virtual disc" to play them the same as if they were in a CD or DVD drive; easily burn .iso discs
VLC Media Player
Uninstall Windows Media player and never look back. Never worry about incompatible video formats again. Never worry about your video program slowing down your computer again.
RocketDock
Get the same cool "dock" like in MacOSX, for Windows.
CopyTrans (free version)
If you hate iTunes, this is for you. Only install the free part though, you don't need to buy the extras, you'll probably never use it. However, if they ever change this to not be free, then I'd suggest to find an alternative.
Audacity
Excellent free sound editor, I use it to crop out parts of songs which I otherwise really like the song, or create quick audio mixes of several songs.
iPhoneBrowser
For jailbroken iPhones: allows to directly access files on the iPhone. If you do not have an iPhone, you do not need this.
CCleaner
Cleans up Windows and fixes the registry; also removes bad programs and adjusts startup, with other features as well
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
Defraggler
By the makers of CCleaner, this is a better alternative to Windows' native defrag program. If you do not know what defrag means, you do not need this.
http://www.piriform.com/defraggler
Winrar
Unrar files and compress files into .rar format; also zips and unzips files (.zip). If you don't know what a rar file is, you do not need this.
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
7zip
More powerful than Winrar, although does not do anything with .rar files; great for very strong compression, especially for web servers (such as .gzip format).
http://www.7-zip.org/
Thunderbird
Okay I'll admit I didn't use this for the longest time. Now I regret it. Quickly and easily set this up and use it for emailing so you never have to go into your email account(s). Also makes it easily possible to download your emails to your computer.
Spybot Search And Destroy
Gets rid of malware. Use this if you're not a computer expert and tend to have computer problems despite having a good antivirus program.
WARNING! This is not an antivirus program, and should NOT be used in place of an antivirus program.
WARNING! This is not an antivirus program, and should NOT be used in place of an antivirus program.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html
___________________________________________________________UniversalThemePatcher by deepxw
Quickly and easily allows you to patch your theme files so you can use other themes in Windows. Now you don't have to try 30 different programs to do it, most of which are installing viruses on your computer instead of patching your theme files. I've found this one to be the best, and the only one that is legit.
TaskBar Shuffle (v2.5)
Only useful for XP and Vista. Makes it possible to move around the buttons in the taskbar like in Windows 7.
FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY:
Process Blocker
Easily block processes from ever starting in Windows, especially pesky ones like GoogleUpdate.exe and GoogleCrashHandler.exe, which serve no functional purpose except sharing your personal information with Google.
WARNING! If you do not know what a process is, then do not use this.
WARNING! If you do not know what a process is, then do not use this.
EASEUS Partition Manager (EPM)
Great Windows-side program as a much more powerful and accurate alternative to Windows' native Disk Management.
WARNING! If you have never partitioned a HDD before, or do not know what a partition is, then DO NOT USE THIS! =)
http://www.partition-tool.com/download.htm
GParted
Awesome and best program for disk partitioning; boot from the Live CD for massively greater functionality and features than Windows' Disk Management; fills in the blanks where EPM doesn't measure up.
WARNING! If you have never partitioned a HDD before, or do not know what a partition is, then DO NOT USE THIS! =)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/gparted/files/gparted-live-stable/
WinSCP
If you have a website, this is the best way to access your server through a secured SFTP or SSH management session.
WARNING! If you do not need this, do not install! It could open up your computer to a potential hacker attack if you do not know what you're doing.
http://winscp.net/eng/index.php
EasyBCD
Excellent (best) boot manager; recommended as absolutely essential if you have multiple operating systems (multiboot).
WARNING! If you do not know what a boot manager is, DO NOT USE THIS! =)
http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
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