(last updated 31 August, 2014)
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 – It has gotten bad out there folks. The amount of bloatware in apps, especially free ones, is on the rise. Many programs are 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.
Ninite
Before you begin. There is a great free program that will install many of the apps in this guide.
It’s called Ninite. Check it out.
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.
Word Viewer
Excel Viewer
PowerPoint Viewer
UBitMenu – add Office 2003 type toolbars and menus to Office 2007, Office 2010 and Office 2013.
PDF Viewer (Please see my article Adobe Reader vs. Foxit for important information about these products!)
Adobe Reader XI – (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.
Web Page Creating / Editing
Microsoft Expression Web 4 – (download) Now available for FREE. WYSIWYG web page editor. Replaced Kompozer as recommended as it offers more features and is more up-to-date. However, development on this product has ceased.
Kompozer – (download) WYSIWYG web page editor. Hasn’t been updated since Feb. 10, 2010. It still does simple stuff well.
Notepad Replacement
Notepad++ – Calling it a notepad replacement is actually shortchanging the program. Check the features page for more info.
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 Basic – (download) – This is the program I usually use.
Multimedia – Audio Players
MediaMonkey – (download) I prefer listening to and managing music with this app (including my iPods and Android Phone). No file associations.
MediaMonkey used to be music only but now has video supported. This has caused the program to nearly double in size.
You can find the last non-video version here (MediaMonkey 3.2.5.1306): http://www.oldapps.com/mediamonkey.php?old_mediamoneky=6343
WinAmp Lite – 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.
As of this writing, Winamps future is uncertain but there is no reason not to continue to use it.
Winamp 5.666 Full (US English version)
Winamp 5.666 Full (Multi-national installer)
Winamp 5.666 Lite (basic 2.x-style mp3/cd player)
DrO’s Winamp Plug-ins (unofficial)
iTunes – 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.
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.
More about Lame Encoder here.
Multimedia – Blu-ray Disc Ripper
MakeMKV – “converts the video clips from proprietary (and usually encrypted) disc into a set of MKV files, preserving most information but not changing it in any way…There are many players that can play MKV files nearly on all platforms, and there are tools to convert MKV files to many formats“. I use Handbrake after that.
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 in Windows 7 & 8. 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 (leave the default GUI for lowest resource usage). 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 – 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).”
***Warning***CamStudio now contains foistware and/or malware. As of this writing, the old version at Major Geeks is still good. Version CamStudio_2.7_r316_setup.exe is what you are looking for. DO NOT update after installing.
Multimedia – Video Converter
TMPGEnc – Converts AVI to MPEG and does it well.
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 8 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.
Utilities
Utilities – CD/DVD Burning
CDBurnerXP – (download) It just burns CD’s baby!
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 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 8 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
You can find the latest AV ratings at AV-Comparatives.org and Virus Bulletin (for whatever they are worth).
Microsoft Security Essentials
Bitdefender – This seems to be the darling to the AV ratings world right now. I put his here for folks looking for a non-Microsoft alternative.
Firewall
Windows 7 built-in firewall is all you need.
Anti-Spyware Scanners
Windows Defender – Included with Windows 7. This is the one I use.
I only do manual scans with these. Real-time protection is only for the paid versions.
SuperAntiSpyware – “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.
File Encryption Software
AES Crypt – “When using Windows, the only thing you need to do is right-click on a file, select AES Encrypt or AES Decrypt, enter a password, and AES Crypt will do the rest.”
Drive Encryption Software
True Crypt – “Free open-source disk encryption software for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.” Support ended under mysterious circumstances.
Download & Info: GRC – TrueCrypt Final Release Repository
TrueCrypt Wikipedia Page
Sandbox
Sandboxie – Sandboxie runs your programs in an isolated space which prevents them from making permanent changes to other programs and data in your computer.
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). I highly recommend this tool.
Internet
Browser
*Opinion – Do not use Toolbars (Google, Yahoo, etc.). They are 100% completely unnecessary, slow your browsing, and track your usage habits.
Web Browsers have become the topic of many heated discussions amongst Geeks and Tech Pundits. Studies and counter studies tote the features, resource usage, speed, and security of each browser to the point where I don’t think anyone can tell the truth anymore.
All I can tell you is how I do it. I use 3 browsers: IE for shopping, Chrome for Gmail, and other things that require a secure connection, Firefox for browsing with Adblock and Noscript extensions. I have Java completely disabled in all browsers. See: How to disable Java in Internet Explorer, How to disable Java in Chrome, How to disable Java in Firefox.
Internet Explorer 11 – Download
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:
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.
Google Chrome – Google’s browser. I’ve begun using this for Gmail, iGoogle, and Chrome To Phone. Privacy folks and Microsoft hate it.
Plugins I Use:
Where to get popular browser add-ons (without the bloatware):
Adobe Shockwave Player
Adobe Flash Player
Java – Link removed. Java plugins are highly insecure. See How-To-Geek: How to Protect Yourself From Java Security Problems if You Can’t Uninstall It
FTP Client
FileZilla – (download) Fast, secure, all the features the average user needs.
FTP Voyager – Once priced around $50-$60, FTP Voyager is a professional and feature packed program. It may be overkill for the casual user, but for free you might want to grab it!
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.
System Tools
Cleaners:
CCleaner (slim) – (download) All-in-one System cleaner. Set it to auto-start. Opinion – Don’t use the registry cleaner.
***Pay attention during install. May attempt to install unwanted programs.
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\.
Startup Management:
Autoruns – View and configure what starts up with Windows.
Defragger:
The built-in Windows defragger is just fine.
Defraggler – Download. For those who want a 3rd party defragger.
***Pay attention during install. May attempt to install unwanted programs.
SSD users, do not use 3rd party tools. Windows builtg-in defragger will optimize your drive (run trim command) not defrag.
File Tools:
7-Zip – The best file archiver / extractor I’ve every used.
Renamer – (download) File renaming tool.
File Hash Checker – “This simple tool will allow you to compute the MD5 and SHA1 hash of any file.”
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).
Backup: System Image
CloneZilla – “partition and disk imaging/cloning program similar to True Image or Norton Ghost.”
Backup:
SyncToy – Excellent, fast, configurable backup tool.
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
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.
Speccy – Download.
***Pay attention during install. May attempt to install unwanted programs.
Belarc Advisor – “builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, network inventory, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, security benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser.”
HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 – Downloads. Hardware info tool.
Virtualization
VirtualBox – Allows you to run other Operating Systems within XP. See my article Using VirtualBox 4.
VMWare Player– Does post-XP operating systems better than VirtualBox.
Boot CD
Hirens – A warning about Hirens Boot CD. Yes I’ve used it but you should be warned that many AV’s flag it as containing malware.
Remote Control
TeamViewer– Control any PC or Mac. Android and iPhone apps available too.
The Cloud
***Luddite Warning – I don’t believe in the cloud, or more specifically cloud storage. While I find these services useful for frivolous stuff I would never store highly personal stuff there, encrypted or not.
Dropbox – “free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!”
Skydrive – same as above
Google Drive – same as above
There are many of these services. The above are all that I am going to list for now.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_online_backup_services
Password Management
LastPass – Free version is all you need for the desktop. I actually use LastPass Premium which is $1 a month and syncs with Android, iPhone, Firefox mobile, etc..
If you use this link then we both get a free month: Last Premium
Other Applications
Microsoft Windows Essentials – You can pick from the following during install Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, SkyDrive desktop app, Messenger, Mail, Writer, Family Safety
Tweaker
Ultimate Windows Tweaker
See: Tweaking Windows 8
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.
Pooper Scooper Specials
Tweaking programs, Optimizers, Memory Boosters, System Boosters, Registry Cleaners.
Horrible, rotten, nasty, misleading, wastes of time and money. Even the free versions aren’t worth the stuff in the pooper scooper.
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 Windows not booting. Then folks blame Windows somehow. If you want to use them then know what you are deleting.
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