Freeware Bonanza!

Well, the old thread had died and the useful bits in it were all scattered about. Thus, I compiled them all into one quick reference for y'all. Enjoy!

A/V-Related

• Audacity - Sound recorder and editor.
• Avidemux - A simple video editor
• CDex - Rips CDs to many different formats.
• Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP) - Codecs for obscure video formats often used in distributed Anime fansubs/fandubs.
• dbpoweramp - File format converter.
• FairStars CD Ripper - Rips CDs to many different formats.
• ffdshow - Codec pack supporting a large number of formats.
• FileWriter Output Plugin for Winamp - Writes .WAV, .MP3, and everyone's (read: every geek's) favorite, .OGG from anything playable in Winamp. Requires lame.exe and oggenc.exe.
• Foobar 2000 - Low-footprint A/V player.
• Gspot - Checks video files against compatible video codecs on the system.
• Easy Audio Copy - Rips CDs to many different formats.
• Matroska Pack - Codecs for obscure video formats often used in distributed Anime fansubs/fandubs.
• Media Player Classic - Small-footprint media player with support for a large number of formats.
• MP3Gain - MP3 volume normalizer.
• MPlayer - Video player, recorder, and encoder.
• Quicktime Alternative - Plays QuickTime formats and also supports embedded contact.
• Highly customizable A/V player
• Real Alternative - Plays Real-based formats without the bloat of Real software.
• VCDGear - Converts VCD, SVCD, and BIN/CUE files into MPEGs.
• VirtualDub - Video capture and processing utility.
• VLC - Video player with built-in codecs.
• Winamp - Highly customizable A/V player.
• XMMS - Plays OGG and MP3 streams.

Disc Utilities

• Daemon Tools - Mounts and runs CD images virtually from the hard drive.
• DeepBurner - Disc burning tool.
• ImgBurn - Image burning tool.
• dvd+rw-tools - DVD burning tools.
• DVDShrink - Back up DVDs onto a single DVD with negligible quality loss.
• K3b - Drag and drop disc burning for Linux.

File Sharing

• FrostWire - Java-based BitTorrent client.
• BitTornado - BitTorrent client.
• DC++ - DirectConnect clone.
• eMule - Accesses the eDonkey network.
• FrostWire - Feature-filled file-sharing client, good for those concerned about LimeWire's propensity for spyware.
• LimeWire - Feature-filled file-sharing client.
• PeerGuardian - Provides security for P2P clients.
• Shareaza - Gnutella/Gnutella2 client.
• Soulseek - Good for obscure music and full albums.
• Transmission - BitTorrent client for Unix-based systems. Mac client is a Good Mac Citizen.
• µTorrent - Small BitTorrent client.

File Utilities

• 7-Zip - Extracts ZIP, RAR, TAR, CAB, 7Z, and other popular compression formats.
• QuickPar - Data recovery tool.
• UnFREEz - Animated GIF creation tool.

Gaming

• Cube - High-quality FPS in a relatively small download footprint.
• Home of the Underdogs - Archive of Abandonware - games no longer supported by or from no longer existant companies.
• Sauerbraten (Cube 2) - High-quality FPS in a relatively small download footprint.
• Soldat - A unique sidescrolling multiplayer shooter.

Image Tools

• GIMP - Fully-featured image editor; comparable to and supports formats from Adobe Photoshop.
• GIMPShop - Fully-featured image editor; aims to closely match the Photoshop experience up to and including its image formats and plugins.
• gphoto2 - Provides digital camera access.
• GQview - Single-click image viewer.
• Inkscape - Alternative to Macromedia FreeHand and Adobe Illustrator.
• Irfanview - Image viewer, converter, editor.
• Paint.NET - A stepping stone between Microsoft Paint and programs like Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro.
• PhotoFiltre - Easy to use image retouching program.

Internet Browsers & Tools

• Adium - Multi-protocol chat client.
• AM-Deadlink - Scans bookmarks for dead links.
• JAP - Anonymizer. Requires Java.
• Pidgin - Multi-protocol chat client.
• GetRight - File download manager.
• httrack - Downloads whole domains according to file type.
• Miranda IM - Multi-protocol chat client.
• Mozilla Firefox - Next-generation web browser.
• Mozilla Sunbird - Calendaring application.
• Mozilla Thunderbird - E-Mail client.
• NVU - Cross-platform web authoring tool similar to Dreamweaver and Frontpage.
• Opera - Next-generation web browser.
• RSS Bandit - RSS feed reader with a small memory footprint.
• Skype - Internet-based phone software.
• Xnews - Usenet Browser.

Virtualization

• Bochs - Run x86/x64 OSes within your own.
• SheepShaver - Multi-platform PowerPC emulator.
• QEMU - Quickly and easily run x86/x64 OSes within your own.

Security

• Ad-Aware Personal - Spyware removal tool.
• AntiVir Personal Addition - Antivirus software.
• AVG Antivirus - Antivirus software.
• Autopatcher XP - Creates an installation disc for automatically downloaded XP updates you select.
• ClamWin - Virus scanner; provides no active protection.
• Fprot Antivirus for DOS - Antivirus software for DOS; good for clearing infected systems.
• Spybot S&D - Spyware removal tool.
• Spyware Blaster - Spyware removal tool.

System Tools

• CCleaner - Cleans up temporary and unused files, helps speed up older Windows installations.
• DOSBox - MS-DOS emulator, allows DOS-based software and games to run on modern operating systems.
• Fcron - Periodical command scheduler.
• FreeDOS - Installs DOS as well as provides a DOS boot CD.
• MBProbe - MB/CPU temperature monitor.
• PC Repair System - Collection of useful repair and recovery tools ready to be unzipped to a 32 MB Flash drive.
• Spacemonger - Visually depicts hard drive utilization.
• Ultimate Boot CD - Boot disc with DOS and Linux boots and a huge number of utilities.
• Unlocker - Unlocks "in use" files and shows what programs are supposedly using them.
• WCPUID - CPU/Chipset identifier.
• WinDirStat - Visually depicts hard drive utilization.
• X-Setup - System performance tweaker.

Text Editing

• nano - Console-based text editor.
• NeoOffice - Good Mac Citizen port of Open Office.
• Open Office - Fully-featured office suite compatible with MS Office formats.

Other Tools

• ComicReader - Daily comic harvester.
• Damn NFO Viewer - Displays NFO files.
• WordWeb - Dictionary, thesaurus, and word finder.

Other Freeware Lists

• The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
• 450+ freeware utilities, organized by function
• 400+ open-source utilities
• 101 best freeware utilities from PCWorld.Com
• Collection of utilities for flash drives
• Wordforge List of Freeware (go recursion!)

Special thanks to Ryan for starting the original thread! Also, thanks Aurora, Borgs, The Baba, dkehler, Ecky, FBI, Guffbox, jtkirk, Kevo, Liet, NAHTMMM, Powaqqatsi, Ramen, Reno Floyd, Rincewiend, Spider and Stewey for contributing the programs to this list. Please post more so that future WF denizens may partake in free software!

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Changelog:
15 October 2006 - Fixed Ad-Aware Personal link.
6 November 2006 - Updated with thread suggestions through today's date.
2 April 2008 - Updated with thread suggestions through today's date, removed dead links.

Wow.

Where to begin?

7-Zip is a must have IMO.

Just quoting this because it deserves publicity.

Also Aard who makes it is a cool guy, he's one of the long term regulars in the channel I usually reside in.

Sauerbraten's good, too.

PeerGuardian

And instead of LimeWire: http://www.frostwire.com/
And for BT I'd recommend either utorrent (it's supposed to be good...) or Azureus

Combined Community Codec Pack(CCCP) is a must-have if you download lots of obscure videos, or Anime also.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Combined_Community_Codec_Pack.htm

::Edit::

Forgot to include

Matroska Codec Pack http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Matroska_Pack.htm
- It's been able to play every Anime video that CCCP has trouble with.

NVU ('new view'):

I was considering trying that, but this really turned me off:

CM DiskCleaner - Freeware Disk Cleaner

http://www.cmdiskcleaner.com/

Removed close to 2GB of .TEMP files and a whole bunch of obsolete registry entries...

What if we put posts about individual pieces of software in the other freeware thread, so this one doesn't become as disassociated and badly organized as the other one?

I would agree, but I hate seeing old threads necroed. How about once a month, I go through and edit the original posts and add the new ones?

Great tool, unlocker.

If you ever get that annoying "cannot delete/rename file because it is already in use" error in windows, and you can't figure out what the fuck is using the file, this program lets you easily figure it out and regain control.

Half the time the culprit is some hidden window of explorer.

Theres a ton of other features in this program too, so you'll just have to check it out.

http://www.percussionking.com/ChangeVideoInfo/

Let's you batch-process all those videos you have in iTunes and change their tags. Really annoying part of iTunes is it doesn't allow you to change your videos from "Movies" to Music Videos or TV Shows easily (To be correctly organized in your video ipod by Show->Season->Episode rather than 1 huge folder of movies). You have to do each one manually which is a pain in the ass.

This allows you to change itunes video type of many files at once. It even changes show title, season, and episode #, and will increment them if you specify. So when you rip and encode 4 seasons of futurama for your ipod from DVDs, you can correctly tag them all in just 4 steps instead of manually setting all those fields for each episode.

Image editors.

I'm sure by now everyone has heard of the GIMP. GIMP is free and powerful. However it is a pain in the ass to use. If you want something that has usability closer to Photoshop, but you don't want to pay, check out gimpshop.

Another good alternative (windows only) is the free Paint.NET.
I have attached a screenshot. It's got pretty solid features, although very little when it comes to filters. However, like everything else in this thread, the price is right.

I'd add imageburn to the list.

USB PC Repair System

http://www.dailycupoftech.com/usb-drive-systems/3

More USB programmes:
http://www.rewardprograms.org/thefr...sb_drive_into_a_digital_swiss_army_knife.html

Not freeware but:
Free Email Providers Guide
http://www.fepg.net/

What is an FPS and why do I want one?

Only thing that comes to mind is "first Person Shooter"...right?

I think it's gamer speak for First Person Shooter.

Kyle, a bit of a belated thanks for posting the links to the sites with freeware available.

I recently discovered that I could update the firmware on my Sony Blu-Ray DVD player. Unfortunately because there is no port on the player itself I had to download the firmware to my computer and then burn the image onto a CD.

Well wouldn't you know it. Dell being the cheap bastards that they are installed a basic version of Roxio. It is so limited that will not burn images. It can copy cd's, dvd's and create data discs. But, it will not burn images. In order to do that it wanted me to upgrade to a higher version of their software for $69.99.

Fortunately I remembered the sticky here with freeware. I was able to track some software and download it to my computer and successfully burned the image to a CD-R and installed it on my Blu-Ray player.

Well, in honor of my new abilities to edit posts that are a year and a half old, I've gone through and added the few suggestions from the thread since the last update and scrubbed out all the dead links. I've also added some new software in there as well. Enjoy, and post more if you come across 'em!

KMPlayer. It's a Winamp clone without the annoyances or the bloat, but with lots of codecs already installed. I like it. Terribly slow server, tho (Korea).

http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/ is a free space sim in development.
http://www.agdinteractive.com has kq1 and kq2 vga remake. also qgf2 in beta right now.

http://www.dosbox.com very good dos emulator has vesa support.

http://www.abandonia.com lots of old dos and 3.1 games.

Anyone know of any decent freeware programs to keep score and track stats for baseball games?

I am looking for Video editing s/w that will allow me to do time-sync'd split-screen videos using two different file sources--one for each side of the frame. Anyone got any recommendations?

for those with an iPhone or iPod Touch: Stanza (on the App store) an ebook reader with a couple thousand free ebooks for download (classic titles mostly) as well as some for-pay. Less than a week in and it's justified the cost of the phone for me.

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/FreeSpace_Open_Installer installer for freespace open.

Virtual Piano is cool.

http://www.pablosoftwaresolutions.com/html/virtual_piano.html

ImageJ - image analysis and processing