Ad-Aware. Clean
your computer of intrusive commercial "adware"
which monitors your surfing & can activate unwanted
adverts.
Adobe Reader. Essential tool that enables you to
display and print PDF files. Keep your reader up to date by checking this link.
AVG Anti-virus. Protect your
computer from viruses with configurable automated daily updates
and scans - for nowt! Now includes spyware detection.
Copernic Desktop Search Find anything on your computer - instantly. Beats the others into a cocked hat - and it supports Firefox!
Cute PDF Writer From the same stable as the well known Cute FTP. Cute now bring their talents to this well-received PDF maker. Simple to use - just print your document to the PDF virtual printer.
Disk Identifier Discover the true manufacturer of your branded media.
Download Speed Test Check your connection at least three times to be sure of a reliable result. If, like an increasing number of us, you are getting a fraction of what you are paying for, complain to your ISP!
Filezilla FTP client from the Mozilla Foundation. Brilliant tool for server file management - simple file attribute control (CHMOD). Open source.
Firefox Web Browser. Open Source web browser from the Mozilla Foundation. Loads of features such as ad blocking. Highest standards compliance of any browser.
Now at version 3 - more great features and faster too.
Gibson Research Corporation Steve Gibson has been campaigning against the poor security of the Windows operating system for many years. His site has much useful information as well as many free tools. Be sure to check your port scan vulnerability with his "Shields Up" utility.
Google Chrome Beta. Paradoxically hiding the chrome, Google's browser offering is based on the open source rendering engine used by Apples Safari browser. Another quantom leap?
Groowe browser toolbar plug-in for Internet Explorer (and now as an extension for FireFox) that
just grew and groowe!
Housecall. Free on-line virus
scan from Trend Micro.
Microsoft IE8 beta 2 This is certainly not a recommendation, but for those of you who are curious about what Micro$oft has in store for Internet Explorer users in 2009 - be it on your own head!
Open Office. Open Source office application built from the ground up as one program. Is compatible with all other major office suites. Free to download, use, and distribute. Increasingly being adopted by governments in Europe.
Why should I use Open Office?
Opera Web Browser The coolest, fastest, and most secure free web browser available? That's what Opera claim. It's a long time favourite of discerning surfers, and it's very pretty! Good level of standards compliance.
PDF995 Export any document to the popular Portable Document Format. Why would you want to make a pdf? Well, with a pdf you can be sure that the recipient of the file sees it just as you intended it to look, instead of how their application renders it. Now how cool is that?
PDFCreator creates pdfs from any file that will print. Not only pdfs, but many image formats like png, tiff, jpeg and more. Open source.
Thunderbird. Open Source mail client with intelligent easy-to-use
spam filter. Excellent full featured application from the Mozilla Foundation. Why would you use anything else?
Smart FTP Easy to use
ftp client that's cool and free.
Registry Cleaner. Finds invalid
registry entries and facilitates removal.
Wikipedia. Online encyclopaedia that's free to use and free to edit. Open source.
Wiktionary. Online dictionary that's free to use and free to edit. Know a word that's not in? Add it yourself now! Open source.
WinRAR. File archiving (compression)
utility. Works with nearly all compression algorithms.
Free download.
WinAmp Media Player It's still
free, and still widely regarded as the best of the
free media players. And literally thousands of amazing skins - if you decide to select one by browsing, then set aside a whole day and surround yourself with essential supplies!
Zone Alarm. Free personal firewall
stands between you and potential hackers, dialers
and trojan horses. Unlike hardware firewalls, it controls stuff going out as well as in.
