TweakHound

***THIS PAGE HAS MOVED HERE: The Windows 7 Freeware Machine

 

(last updated 06 September, 2011)

This is a Windows 7 version of the previous articles I wrote called The Freeware XP Machine, and The Vista Free Machine. This version is Windows 7 specific and has several additions and deletions of software I have tried based on recommendations of readers (and THANKS for the suggestions).
This is not a comprehensive list of freeware apps, there are lists like that all over the place. This is a list of apps I use and/or recommend. The goal of this list is to hopefully make your computing experience a little better and less expensive. I know that many of you already use a lot of these programs but perhaps this list would be something you might want to pass on to friends and family to help them out.

You are free to recommend a FREE program but you must list exactly why you think it is better. i.e. – If you say it uses less resources then provide a concrete example (with stats), if you call it bloatware then show why, etc. Since people seem to be ignoring this request. If you suggest an alternative to be programs listed and do not show its advantages I will just delete the post.

VERY IMPORTANT – The amount of bloatware in apps, especially free ones, is on the rise. Adobe, Apple, and many others are forever trying to add crap you don’t need to the installs. Freeware authors are increasingly adding toolbars, browsers (chrome), and other software to the install files. Many of these are selected to be installed by default. It is therefore critically important that you pay exacting attention to each screen during the install. Don’t just keep clicking “Next”.

The Install
I do most of my installs based on the method here: Installing Windows 7.
My machines are then tweaked using Tweaking Windows 7.

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Office

LibreOffice – (download) Highly usable in the home environment. You may run into small compatibility issues (formatting) when sending documents to Microsoft Office users. It isn’t Microsoft Office, that can be a good or bad thing depending on your point of view. It is the only real alternative to Microsoft Office. (note – This is a fork of OpenOffice. Google / Wiki it for more info.)

To just view and print Office documents in their native format:
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats – “By installing the Compatibility Pack… you will be able to open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats.” You should run Windows Update after installing any of these for important security updates, there are a lot of them.

PDF Viewer (Please see my article Adobe Reader vs. Foxit for important information about these products!)

Adobe Reader X – (download) Contains a new Sandboxing feature for better security. Full compatibility across all types of PDF’s.

Foxit Reader – (download) “a free PDF document viewer, with incredible small size, breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set.” I have yet to find a non-Adobe PDF viewer that renders and prints PDF documents as well as this one. Pay attention during install. You do not need the toolbar and don’t let it change your home page.

Kompozer – (download) WYSIWYG web page editing.

UBitMenu – Get the old menus back in Office 2007 / 2010!

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Multimedia

File associations are key! When I speak of file associations I mean file types that are not specific to that app.

A file association refers to what type of file opens with a particular program. Many applications will try to be the default application for a particular type of file. That is, what application loads when you click on a file. For instance: iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player will all try to be the default for opening a .mp3 file. Each subsequent application install will try to overwrite the previous system settings. That is why it is important to decide which application you want to handle which type of file from the start (during install).

To fix or configure file associations, see here: Change which programs Windows uses by default

Multimedia – Codecs (choose only one)
*** 64-bit Users – download 64-bit versions from the software authors site.
Codec definition at Wikipedia.

K-Lite Codec Pack Standard – (download) – This is the program I usually use. I do not install Media Player Classic.

Multimedia – Audio Players

MediaMonkey – (download) I prefer listening to and managing music with this app (including my iPods and Android Phone). No file associations.

Foobar – (download) I use this only for “quick playing” or previewing mp3 and wav files. The only associations allowed are .mp3 and .wav.
OR
WinAmp Lite – (download (lite version is towards bottom of page)) I use this only for “quick playing” or previewing mp3 and wav files. When installing do not install; Winamp Agent, anything to do with CD’s, User Interface Extensions, Visualizations. The result is a very fast launching app that uses very little resources. The only associations allowed are .mp3 and .wav.

iTunes (w/Quicktime) – I use this only to occasionally manage my iPods (usually just to restore them) and on a very, very rare occasion shop the store (I prefer Amazon MP3). No file associations. Turn off the look for speakers, T.V.’s etc. Important – See Ed Bott’s – The unofficial guide to installing iTunes 10 without bloatware for a guide on installation. No file associations. It should be noted that iTunes is far and away the biggest resource hog of any multimedia player I’ve seen. Both in terms of the install size and the amount of CPU and memory used.

Multimedia – Audio Editing

Audacity – (download) Sound recorder and editor. Audio geeks, be sure to install lame and check out the plugins. No file associations.

Multimedia – Tag Editor

Mp3Tag – (download) Full-featured, wonderful app.

MP3 Tag Studio – I’ve been using this for years. Free version has an ad banner. (I paid for this program many years ago because I found it so useful, free lifetime updates)

Multimedia – Audio CD Ripper

Audiograbber – (download) Excellent tool. Audio geeks, be sure to install lame. The English language home page is down or abandoned. German language home page is still up. No development in over 2 years. Don’t know if project is dead or not.

Exact Audio Copy –  The only decent alternative to Audiograbber I can find.

FWIW – I don’t actively use these programs but install them for others. I use a pay-for program called dBpoweramp (free full use 30-day trial). Probably overkill for the average user.

IMHO – Do not use iTunes or Windows Media Player to rip CD’s. Better quality and control over the process can be had by using the above programs. If using the MP3 format always use the LAME encoder.

Multimedia – DVD Ripper

Handbrake – (download) “open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.“

Multimedia – Video Player

Windows Media Player 12 – Included with Windows 7. It works perfectly and has a good GUI. Plays everything you could want it to play (see Codecs above). Seems to use less resources than previous versions. Turn off all privacy options. File association’s, just what you want it to play.

VLC (VideoLan) – (download) Default GUI sux, fortunately it is skinnable. I like the Heaven and WMP11_B skins (when I use them). This program is fast and uses less resources than Windows Media Player 12. File association’s, just what you want it to play.

Multimedia – Video Editor

Avidemux – (download) The only video editor I’ve used and stayed with. Does the job quite well and improves with every version.

Multimedia – Video Converter

TMPGEnc – Converts AVI to MPEG and does it well.

Multimedia – Screen Recorder

CamStudio – “CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs).”

Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker 2011 – Part of Windows Live Essentials.  See the previous link for download and more info.

 

Multimedia – Picture Views, Editors managers

XnView – (download) Viewer, converter, editor. Try it, you’ll like it.

Paint.Net – (download) Editor. If you need more than this you should probably take up Graphic Arts.

Picasa – “Picasa is a software download from Google that helps you organize, edit, and share your photos. It’s free, and easy to use.“

Image Resizer for Windows – “lets you resize one or more selected image files directly from Windows Explorer by right-clicking.“

#1 way to screw up image viewing/editing and help bog down your computer – Install the software that came with your camera. The built-in picture viewer and the viewers/editors above are far better than the garbage that the camera makers put on that install CD. You don’t need that CD for anything. Just plug your camera in, Windows 7 will do the rest. The programs on the CD will also leave processes running on your computer. The last computer I worked on (vista) had both Canon and Kodak {hi/hers (hers-old, camera replaced by iPhone)} running in the system tray.

 

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Utilities

Utilities – CD/DVD Burning

CDBurnerXP – (download) It just burns CD’s baby!

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Utilities – Security

The best security you can have is you. Here are the basic steps for security. Yes my fellow Geeks, you and I know but obviously everyone else does not :

1 – Do not click on a link in an email from a source you do not know. For emails from folks you do know, if you put your cursor over the link, the actual address should show.
2 – Keep Windows 7 and your applications up to date. Even if you have auto update enabled you should periodically manually check for updates.
3 – Firewall. Both a hardware (router) and software firewall. Windows 7 comes with a good firewall that requires very little to no interaction or pop-ups.
4 – Use anti-virus and anti-spyware.
5 – Use that pop-up blocker in your browser.

I appreciate that many of you are, shall we say, highly security conscious. Many of the solutions that you have recommended can have a legitimate use in the right hands but in the wrong hands can also render a computer somewhere between a PITA to use , and unusable.
– It is my personal preference not to use 3rd party firewalls because I do not find them necessary. If that’s your thing then by all means go for it.
– I do not use any hosts based (as in the hosts file) security methods. I prefer to use browser/firewall solutions. Also, there is and has been considerable debate as to the usefulness of hosts based methods which I’m not even going to touch. If you are interested in such methods see here and here.

*I am not a security expert. If you know of a good, up to date, comprehensive guide for this topic, please let me know so that I can post a link to it here. To date I’ve not found a single decent guide.

Anti-Virus

Microsoft Security Essentials – This is what I’m running on 1/2 my machines (and the only free anti-virus I’m currently using). The only free anti-virus I’m putting on folks computers right now. Fast, low system resource usage, easy to use and manage. Once installed is tied in to/ replaces Windows Defender for anti-spyware. Free to install on multiple computers.

Firewall

Windows 7 Built-In Firewall

Anti-Spyware
Most pay-for anti-virus programs include this. For instance, I use AVG Anti-Virus (multi-computer license). This has anti-spyware / web shield /linkscanner included.

Windows Defender – Included with Windows 7. This is the one I use.

Anti-Spyware Scanners

I only do manual scans with these. Real-time protection is only for the paid versions.

SuperAntiSpyware – (download) “Detect and Remove Spyware, Adware and Remove Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers, Parasites, Rootkits, Rogue Security Products and many other types of threats.“

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware – Does pretty much the same thing as the program above.

Drive Encryption Software

True Crypt – “Free open-source disk encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux.“

Security – Other

Secunia PSI – “The Secunia PSI is an invaluable tool for you to use when assessing the security patch state of software installed on your system. It constantly monitors your system for insecure software installations, notifies you when an insecure application is installed, and even provides you with detailed instructions for updating the application when available.” I do not start this with Windows or leave this running but I do scans with it periodically. Also, I’ve set it up to only scan the C: drive by creating ignore rules (thanks Resin).

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Browser
*Opinion – Do not use Toolbars (Google, Yahoo, etc.). They are 100% completely unnecessary, slow your browsing, and track your usage habits.
I use 3 browsers on my machine.

Internet Explorer 9 – IE 9 is set to high security on my machine, default on other folks machines. I use it only for things like shopping. I do not browse in IE9.

Firefox – I am not one of those people who believe that Firefox is more secure than IE, especially after I add a bunch of plugins (in practice, if you strip it down and use noscript then you may have a point). With the plugins it is a feature rich browser and is the main browser I use. FWIW – Many security folks recommend the NoScript plugin.
Plugins I Use:
Security / Privacy
Adblock Plus – Ultimate ad blocker.
NoScript – “It allows JavaScript, Java and other executable content to run only from trusted domains of your choice” Can be a PITA for some users but I don’t surf the web without it.
Better Privacy – Cookie deleter, including those hard to get rid of “super-cookies”.
Other
DownThemAll – Download manager.
FlashGot – Multimedia downloader.
IE View – Open pages in Internet Explorer while in Firefox.

Google Chrome – Google’s browser. Lately Google Chrome has become a favorite of many Geeks. I’ve begun using this for Gmail, iGoogle, and Chrome To Phone.
Plugins I Use:
Adblock – Uh………blocks ads!
Chrome To Phone -“pushes links, maps, and currently selected text and phone numbers to your Android device.”

Where to get popular browser add-ons (without the bloatware):

Adobe Shockwave Player
Java Choose the offline installer. Most users will use the 32-bit vesrion unless you are using a 64-bit browser, even if your OS is 64-bit.

Browser Extra
iGoogle – highly customizable home page with gmail integrated.

Download Manager
Free Download Manager – (download)

FTP Client
FileZilla – (download) Fast, secure, all the features you need. What more could you want?

Instant Messenger

Pidgin – (download) Free, no ads, works with multiple IM accounts. Lots of cool plugins.

BitTorrent

Utorrent– (download) No Java, fast, highly configurable.

Email Clients

Thunderbird – Customizable, works with multiple email accounts. Easy to backup. Can also be run from a thumb drive.

Gmail – Lots of online storage. Good features. Access it from anywhere.

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System Tools

Startup Management:
Autoruns – View and configure what starts up with Windows.

Cleaners:
CCleaner (slim) – (download) All-in-one System cleaner. Set it to auto-start. Opinion – Don’t use the registry cleaner.

Bleachbit –  Advanced system cleaner. WARNING, this is only for advanced users. Pay careful attention to what boxes you are checking and their descriptions.

Cleaners Extra: You can get more cleaners by adding a file called winapp2.ini . A program called CCEnhancer can do this automatically for CCleaner. You can add this file manually to BleachBit . Right-click on the following link a choose Save As “winapp2.ini“. Then copy that file to C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\BleachBit\Cleaners\.

File Tools:
7-Zip – The best file archiver / extractor I’ve every used.

IZArc – Another excellent archiver / extractor.

Renamer – (download) File renaming tool.

File Hash Checker – “This simple tool will allow you to compute the MD5 and SHA1 hash of any file.“

Backup:
SyncToy – Excellent, fast, configurable backup tool. Please see my article: Backup Files Using SyncToy
Cobian Backup 10 – Please see my article Freeware Data Backup – Cobian Backup 10
List of the latest articles from Backup Article Greatest Hits – Vol. 1:
Backup Using Windows 7 Backup And Restore
Using Windows 7 System Image
Windows 7 Backup Options
Freeware Data Backup – Cobian Backup 10
Backup Files Using SyncToy
Backing Up Mozilla Firefox
Backing Up Google Chrome
Backing Up Internet Explorer
All-In-One Free Email Backup- MailStore
Manually Backup Web Mail
Backing Up Mozilla Thunderbird
Backing Up Microsoft Outlook

System Information:
Detailed info about your hardware and software. These tools also have a “Portable” version. This means you do not have to install it. i.e – You can run it from a file on your hard drive or USB thumb drive. I recommend the portable versions over the installer.
SIW – Downloads
HWiNFO32 – Downloads. I am increasingly using this app instead of SIW.
64-bit users see HWiNFO64.

Virtualization:
VirtualBox – Allows you to run other Operating Systems within XP. See my article Using VirtualBox 4.

Application Launcher:

RocketDock – (download) OS X style application launcher. I love this thing.
Some of the icons I use are in a zip file here: my_rocketdock_icons
I recommend putting them directly into the Program Files\RocketDock\Icons folder ( 64-bit users: Program Files (x86)\RocketDock\Icons).

Desktop Customization
Classic Shell – Can make Windows 7 more XP like, including the Start Menu! See here for more info and screen shots.

Network Activity Animator – Get an XP style network icon back!

WinBubbles – (download) Change icons. Though this program does more, I only use it to change icons.

Replace Librarie Icon – Replace the Windows 7 Library icons.

UxStyle – Allows you to apply custom (non-Microsoft) themes.

Windows 7 Start Orb Changer – Allows you to change your start orb. See here for a guide and more info.

DeviantArt – Is where to find icons, themes,start orbs, etc.

Tweaker

Ultimate Windows Tweaker – This is the only Windows 7 tweaker I recommend.

See – Tweaking Windows 7
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Sidebar Gadgets
Most of them aren’t very good. Some of them have memory leaks. These are the only ones I use consistently:

SysInfo (System Information)
Weather Channel Sidebar Gadget
System Control
Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor
Volume Control (does not work on Windows 7 64-bit) Spectrum Analyzer does (just a display, no volume control)

Where to find other gadgets (rather than the Microsoft website) – DeviantArt gadgets

*tip – Uninstall gadgets you have no intention of using.

Boot CD
UBCD4Win – This is my #1 PC diagnostic and recovery tool. I have used this CD and it’s tools to rescue people’s computers and files for several years now.

UBCD4Win is a bootable recovery CD that contains software used for repairing, restoring, or diagnosing almost any computer problem. Our goal is to be the most complete and easy to use free computer diagnostic tool. Almost all software included in UBCD4Win are freeware utilities for Windows…UBCD4Win is based on Bart’s PE. Bart’s PE builds a Windows “pre-install” environment CD, basically a simple Windows XP booted from CD. UBCD4Win includes network support and allows you the ability to modify NTFS volumes, recover deleted files, create new NTFS volumes, scan hard drives for viruses, etc. Our download includes almost everything you need to repair your system problems.

Finishing Up
After installing and configuring all the programs I:
– Run Autoruns
– Boot into safe mode and do an advanced disk cleanup.
– Reboot and run my defragger.
– Then I boot with my Acronis True Image Boot Disk and make an image.

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Windows 7 Help

Microsoft Answers – Microsoft’s own help site.

Windows 7 Help & How-To

 

FAQ’s

Q – Why do you recommend against using registry cleaners?
A – Because in the hands of the non-Geek they can produce any number of problems. These can be from programs acting “strange” to Vista not booting. Then folks blame Vista somehow. If you want to use them then know what you are deleting.

Q – Why is there no freeware defrag utility in the list?
A – IMHO none of them do as good a job as Windows 7’s built-in defragger (or at the very least they are no better). I do use pay-for defraggers (PerfectDisk) but that isn’t what this list is about. See Engineering Windows 7, Disk Defragmentation – Background and Engineering the Windows 7 Improvements for more info.

Q – Why no free disk image software?
A – Imaging software isn’t an easy thing to create. Especially when you factor in that it is useless without a boot CD that has both the ability to create and restore images. I have yet to find a non-free disk imaging product that has good hardware compatibility on the boot CD’s, much of this is related to the Linux kernel since that is what the boot CD’s use. If it works for you great but a quick search via the web or the products forums will show many problems with these programs. Even the pay-for programs sometimes have issues. Although I do use a BartPE type disk (UBCD4Win) and hardware compatibility is better in that environment I cannot recommend a product that would require you to create these disks since they can be difficult for the non-geek to create.

*Important – Comments for this version of the article go here.