Best Freeware

[Besttechie]

So what do you think about superantispyware?

Hey The Duke, long time no see - welcome back!

Super Antispyware is actually pretty good, it's also a recommended program. I personally prefer Malwarebytes, but SAS (Super Antispyware) has shown very positive results as of late.

B

[sultan_emerr]

So what do you think about superantispyware?

I also use and like =

AVG Anti-Spyware Free = http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5

Spybot-S&D = http://www.safer-networking.org

[Pete_C]

I agree with the MalwareByte. It's excellent software and I have it in addition to the ones I listed. I suppose I degrade SpywareBlaster because it doesn't fit my style.

I'm a Defend after attack type of guy instead of try to prevent infections.

Additionally (back to CNET)

AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy are way more popular and have higher reviews both user and editor wise.

MBAM is also much newer thus the popularity differences. Nonetheless, MBAM's detection rates are much better (higher) and definitions are constantly updated (multiple times a day). It is by far the most advanced anti-malware application on the market to date.

B

Yep, popularity does not necessarily infer quality or competence.

Just because everyone is doing it , using it, or likes it does not make it best.

Spyware blaster / spyware guard work by using one of scissorhands favorite tricks, editing the registry . They place known bad sites in restricted zones preventing them from being able to auto install and autorun things. Pretty low demand there.

AdAware used to be very highly recommended; but now is not considered state of the art and has no realtime protection. (Well the paid version does). Also there was the whole "ask toolbar" debacle. In the old days, when the only two real players were ad aware and Spybot , the line shifted back and forth. One would update its engine ignoring definition updates and the other would update definitions but have no new versions of the application for prolonged periods.

But today there are many players , more focus on non Virus internet threats and more data being collected on these threats through hijackthis and combofix logs, and submissions to online scanners.

Spybot may be a bit behind on some aspects, but for a free application it is fine and the teatimer and resident shield make up for its shortcomings. They are a relatively low impact solution to keep things from auto installing or changing settings by just notifying you and requiring your okay before the change is made.

MBAM , in its free version is a great tool for removing a great many current malware infections; but it is well worth paying for the full version to get the real time protection . It is far more complete than Ad Aware as a removal tool in my opinion at least for right now. It is developed by the Pierre Szwarcs (Wrote the original CA Antivirus founding member of XTEQ x-setup team) of today; the up and coming computer science students who are taking a first hand interest in the war against malware as inspired by Merijn Bellekom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merijn_Bellekomwho wrote Hijackthis , KazaaBegone, and CWshredder.

SAS has real time protection or you can get the free threatfire (heuristic approach)

The new Norton Antivirus brings a new approach and is much less demanding than ever.

Well worth trying out, give the thirty day trial a run when you are ready to switch .

[flashh4]

Hey, just gonna throw in my 2 cents here. Jeff is correct about MBAM. At MWR and most HJT Universities the first thing we do is have user run the MBAM because it does a great job on a lot of baddies, then we use what other program that is appropiate to clean the infection. I would highly recommend everyone get it.

Later

Chuck

[Pete_C]

I think what I like best about MBAM is that like Mcafee stinger and Microsoft Malicious Software Removal tool; it is basically small and simple; that and the fact that it creates a good clear log which even if the user forgets to save a copy is easy to find and read.

Always nice to see in plain text just what a program did so if needed it can be reversed, and what it tried to do but couldn't so you know what else needs attention.

[mikex]

Best is only an opinion of the person giving said opinion. And everyone knows what opinions are compared to. No matter the program each has its downfalls. Now if the questions is which is the most popular with the users in this forum then you will see much of the same results, because again they are opinions.

Mike

[rhema7]

I'll start it out with the best defragmenter.

In my opinion the best defragmenter that is free is IOrbit's Smart Defrag.

Has a wide variety of excellent options

A. Power Down after defragment

B. Auto Defragment

C. Optimizes files (Moves most commonly used to the front)

It's also razor fast and can get the job done way faster than even auslogistic defrag.

I like JkDefrag

http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/

A. Portable No install

B. Light and Fast

C. Command line functionality if you like

D. Move all programs to front of drive

I also use WinContig

http://wincontig.mdtzone.it/en/index.htm

Good for Gamers defrag individual files (those game files and save files marked improvement in Sims 2 load times all expansions installed)

No install

A few of my other favorite free ware products are

EASEUS Partition Manager

http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/easeus-pa...rtitionman.html

as good as Partition Magic same feel

SyncBack

http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/index.html

Nice Little backup and sync tool I have considered buying the SE version but I don't need it as of yet.

IceSword Rootkit removal (drawback no help files)

Some Instructions at Castlecops

http://www.castlecops.com/t165203-IceSword...llustrated.html

another rootkit tool

Gmer

http://www.gmer.net/files.php

I have used all of these most I found through http://www.topfreeware.net/

I listed what I have used with results.

Preston

[Honda_Boy]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but I like to use Comodo Firewall. It's incredibly ANNOYING but it's just trying to protect your system. The newer version is less annoying than the old version I used to use but still can be a tad annoying. it's a good firewall and I'll continue to use it.

And I also use a free CD burning program. I use CDBurnerXP. Despite it's name, it works in Vista as well (I use it on Vista x64). The only problem with it is it does not have support for burning DVD video. I burns Data DVD's though.

A good CPU/Mobo/Chipset/RAM identifier that's good to put on a thumb drive is CPU-Z. I use it to learn exactly what each computer I work is.

I used to use the free version of Winamp for music. It has great library and playlist organization. I have since though paid for the full version so I could rip my CD's in MP3 format.

FRAPs is great for gamers to see what framerates they are getting in their games. I have since paid for the full version of it too so I could record unlimited in game video.

Audacity is a good freeware audio editing program. I've used it to add effects to audio, cut up songs for ringtones, and other stuff.

The Combined Community Codec Pack (aka the CCCP) is the one stop codec pack for all your video needs. I use this for watching my anime since it has support for h.264 video with soft subtitles and AAC audio but it works for practically any video format. It comes with 2 free video players too. It comes with Media Player Classic Homecinema and it comes with Zoom Player. I like Zoom Player personally due to it's ease of use. It however is the free version missing a few of the full version features that I don't mind not having.

VLC Media Player is a good media player that comes with its own codecs that also support H.264 video but it doesn't work quite as well as CCCP (not all .mkv videos work and it occasionally has trouble with soft subtitles) but it does support DVD playback which is my primary use for it. I also use it to take video screen shots.

the GIMP is a free but powerful image editor much like Photoshop. Personally if I had the cash, I'd much rather have PS CS4 x64 but for free, you can't beat the GIMP.

Older versions of 3DMark and PCMark are free with limitations but recently the new Vantage line can only be run once on a system without paying. The basic versions are really cheap though and I have paid for basic license of 3DMark Vantage. But again, the first use is free which typically is all you need but since I plan to run on more than one system, more than once, I just went ahead and paid for it.

Of course, we have good ole Firefox which I'm sure I don't need to mention but guess what, there's also Thunderbird, FireFox's email cousin. It's quite nice. I even have MS Office Outlook and don't use it. I prefer Thunderbird.

Since I have Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate, I no longer use this but it's still quite nice for the price. OpenOffice. I used it before my school switched to Office 07. The main reason I switched though was that I was able to get the Ultimate version of Office for only $60 through a school program.

ObjectDock gives a Mac like dock to put icons on. I like to have shortcuts readily available but my desktop was getting cluttered so I moved all my main apps/utilities to it (FF, TB, avast!, CDBurnerXP, Comodo, uTorrent, etc.) and left all my game icons on the desktop.

uTorrent is one of many torrent programs out there but uTorrent is lightweight and quick. I like it a lot more than BitTorrent.

And my probably most used free program next to FireFox. StepMania. A fun DDR like game for the PC that you download and add songs too. It's a good time killer.

There. A list that's probably a little longer than it shoulda been.

Edited December 14, 2008 by Honda_Boy

[rhema7]

I have always been a big fan of Comodo (I leave the defense mode off it is annoying)

Hey I noticed in the commonly rec. Programs pin the left out

Inkscape

(a nice vector graphics program simular to Adobe Illustrator or freehand)

http://inkscape.org/download/

and

Scribus

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.p...ckage_id=136924

(page layout/ desktop publishing)

In the graphics area.

Ad these two to in conjuction with GIMP and you have a powerful answer to the costly

Adobe Creative Suite (nothing wrong with Adobe CS" but the average person may not want to pay for something there will use for a parttime hobby)

Edited December 14, 2008 by rhema7

[rhema7]

Poor Mans Creative Suite

PhotoShop replace with GIMP/ Gimpshop http://www.gimp.org/windows/ Beginner tutorial http://www.scribd.com/doc/3668699/Gimp-Course

Illustrator replace with Inkscape http://inkscape.org/download/ Beginners manual http://www.scribd.com/doc/7710450/Inkscape-Manual-Basic

Indesign replace with Scribus http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.p...ckage_id=136924 Tutorial http://www.scribd.com/doc/8745015/Scribus-Tutorial

Dreamweaver replace with NVU http://net2.com/nvu/ Beginers manual http://www.scribd.com/doc/7331543/Nvu

Acrobat replace with CutePDF http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp (not as versitile but very serviceable)

Good thing is most are cross platform

Add to the list maybe we can help some budding artists get their foot firmly in the door.

Preston

Edited December 14, 2008 by rhema7

[Matt]

Best Office Suite:

OpenOffice.org

Free, open, and can save/open microsoft formats