Livin' Free: A Comprehensive Guide To Freeware

There are some really nice Antivirus programs on the internet. My favorite is AVG Antivirus. I also like Avira Antivirus and Avast Antivirus. I would suggest only having one of these installed at one time because they often interfere with each other. For adware and spyware I use Ad-Aware Anti-Spyware.

For burning CD/DVD's I like to use CD Burner XP. I have found that it actually runs smoother than some commercial software like Nero Suite. If I need to backup a DVD (non-copyrighted) I like to use DVDSmith Movie Backup or DVD Shrink. For virtual CD/DVD backup, Alcohol 52% is a very powerful tool.

There are tons of free design tools available for download. For photo editing the hands-down choice is GIMP. It is a full featured photo editing tool that I believe rivals Photoshop. If you're into making some simple animations, I would recommend Pencil. It's lightweight, but it does have some of the features of commercial programs like Flash. Faceworx is a really cool (and kind of creepy) program. It molds a snapshot of the side and front of your face into a 3D model. The controls aren't that great, but if you can get it to work, the results are pretty amazing. Phun is an interesting program that lets the user create different effects in a 2D physics environment. This program is ideal for a middle or high school physics class. Lastly, if you feel like bringing out the kid in you, checkout Lego Digital Designer, which allows you to create 3D Lego models and reminisce about that time in your life when putting together plastic blocks made you happy.

Desktop launchers are one of my favorite tools because they save me a lot of time when I'm trying to find a program. The two I use most frequently are Launchy and FARR. Many people swear by Launchy, but more and more, I'm getting to like FARR. If you're looking for a program dock, I would suggest LaunchBar Commander, Rocket Dock, or Object Dock. All of these docks are very solid and visually appealing programs. Also, checkout Vistart, a dynamic start menu replacement.

If you have not switched to the Firefox browser yet, now is the time. Firefox is free, fast, configurable, and secure. Google Chrome is a rising star in web browsers, and it does seem a little faster than Firefox. I use it as a backup browser when Firefox isn't working. For internet calling/video chat, I recommend Skype.

For playing music I use iTunes because it works the best with my iPod; however, many people love programs like MediaMonkey and Winamp for organizing, converting, and listening to music. Ruckus is a program that allows students attending certain colleges to download free and legal music. Ruckus has a lot of music to choose from, but the music can only be played on your computer.

Let's face it, Microsoft Office 2007 is pretty expensive for people (especially students). That's why OpenOffice is a great piece of opensource software. OpenOffice is a full-featured office suite. It has a word processor plus presentation, database, spreadsheet, and math programs. If you are familiar with Microsoft Office it shouldn't be too hard too switch over to OpenOffice. OpenOffice can also convert documents into other formats that will work with Microsoft Office.

If you are a programmer, check out Microsoft Visual Studio Express. It's a package of visual tools for a variety of programming languages. If you need to compile some C++ check out Dev-C++. Notepad++ is a powerful replacement for Window's built in notepad. If you want to learn how to program, or you want to get your kids interested in it, check out Scratch. Scratch is very simple and fun to use.

To tweak my system I use Mz Ultimate Tweaker, XdN Tweaker, and Fresh UI. To find a file fast I use Copernic Desktop Search instead of Window's built-in search program. To manage my processes I use AnVir Task Manager Free, Sysinternal's Process Explorer, and Task Killer. Belvedere is a great program for keeping your desktop and folders clean. DoubleKiller finds copies of your files and allows you to delete them. To backup up your drivers try DriverMax. Use Flash Renamer to rename a bunch of files quickly. To monitor your cpu/memory usage, checkout Moo0 System Monitor. PC Wizard allows you to check all of your computer's information. If Window's uninstaller isn't working, use Revo Uninstaller. To test a program before permanently installing it, use Sandboxie. If you need to defragment and clean up your hard drive I recommend Ultimate Defrag. To check for updates for your programs, use Update Notifier. WinDirStat is an excellent program that maps your hard drive, so you can see which files are taking up the most space. If you want a utilities suite, I would suggest Glary Utilities. It contains an uninstaller, disk cleaner, process manager, and many other useful programs.

Video Converters
Good video freeware is hard to come by. There is often a lot of "crapware" out on the internet. For light video converting I like to use programs like Any Video Converter, Quick Media Converter, and AVS Video Converter. These can usually get the job done if I need to convert a small video clip for my iPod. For bigger jobs I like to use my personal favorite, Handbrake, or my second favorite Super. These (especially Handbrake) can handle very large files superbly. Another great program is FormatFactory which can handle converting videos, pictures, and music beautifully.

Video Editors
To say it simply, there aren't a lot of powerful free video editors out there. Most of the editing software isn't a lot better than Window's own MovieMaker; however, if you absolutely can't stand MovieMaker, here are some alternatives: Avidemux, AVS Video Editor, VirtualDub, and Wax. I still have yet to see anything that compares with the power and simplicity of Apple's iMovie.

Video Viewers
In the land of video viewers, there is one program to rule them all...drum roll please...VLC Media Player. VLC is what freeware is all about. It can play a huge variety of audio and video formats(MPEG, DivX, XviD, DVDs, and many more). It is also very easy to use and can make life a lot easier by becoming the hub of your media.