10 Free Essential Programs for Windows

Posted on September 22, 2009 at 5:36 am

After reading the title, you may think to yourself, “Only ten? There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of free programs for Windows.” This thought would be difficult to disprove as there are vast numbers of freeware programs available for the Windows operating system. This is simply short list of ten programs that will prove helpful when working with the Windows platform.

1. Firewall: Sunbelt Personal Firewall. This program can be found at Sunbelt’s website. It is easy to setup and does not consume too many system resources. A good firewall is an essential piece of security all computers need, and this one fits the bill for Windows. Additionally, when it asks you for permission to allow or deny a connection to something, it will remember your choice. There are other firewalls that suffer from memory problems when you instruct them to block a service, only to forget and ask you again at a later date.

2. Anti-malware: Microsoft Security Essentials. Even though it is not officially released as yet, Microsoft Security Essentials (code name: Morro) does quite well even as a beta product. Though the downloads have been cut off at the Microsoft Connect website, it can still be found at softpedia.com’s website. While some people may be apprehensive about using a Microsoft branded security product, Security Essentials has come a long way from the initial offering of Windows Defender from years past.

3. System Cleaning: CCleaner. A Windows computer builds up temporary and useless files daily with normal use. Surf the Internet, get temporary Internet files. Install and uninstall programs, your computer has leftover files that did not get removed. There are also other programs like Windows Update and Microsoft Office, which produce unneeded files periodically. CCleaner runs through Windows, and flags the excess files for removal. The user is able to select what that want to remove, or keep, and let CCleaner do the rest.

4. Search Tools: Google Desktop. Your three year old computer may not be as uncluttered as it used to be. Thousands of digital pictures, emails and other files later, it can be daunting to find things. Luckily, Google Desktop is there to help locate what you are seeking. Putting the power of the Google Search engine on your computer, and after it finished its initial indexing routine, finding files is much faster than clicking through folder after folder, or using Windows Search.

5. Image Editing: Paint.NET. When you need something better than MS Paint, balk at the price tag of Adobe products, and are overwhelmed by programs like the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), there is a third option. Paint.NET is light on system resources, but plenty of options for good image editing. The authors also have a message board and tutorials on their website for those who want to get further information on their software.

6. File Compression: TugZip. With the ability to compress to and extract from a sizeable list of compression formats, TugZip is a freeware must have for anyone needing a program for making ZIP type files. TugZip adds a list of formats to the Windows right-click menu, making the compression of a file or folder a simple two step operation. Additionally, TugZip gives the user the ability to create encrypted archives so they can safely store there computer files, without too much complexity.

7. Instant Messaging: Trillian. Having been available since 2001, and going through many updates, Trillian has place itself as an excellent tool for replacing brand specific instant messengers. By combining services like MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger, Trillian eliminated the need to run separate IM programs. It also covers the social networks of Twitter and Facebook, for posting; as well as the ability to tie into Skype.

8. Download Tool: Download Accelerator Plus. Though this software is Ad Supported, it is free. Accelerator Plus can greatly boost your file download times by attempting to get the data from multiple sources on the Internet. This program also has the ability to resume downloads if your connection experiences interruption, or the originating file location has issues.

9. Disc Burning: Ashampoo Burning Studio Free. When it comes to burning CDs and DVDs, the easier the program, the better. With a friendly graphical user interface, and a step through process for burning disc media, Ashampoo Burning Studio Free answers the call of the need for disc creation software at a practical price (free). This program can also create ISO files for those of us who need operating system discs; as well as other specialized disc formats.

10. File Restoration: Recuva. Made by the same group as CCleaner, Recuva helps people get back lost files. Whether you emptied the Recycle Bin, or pressed the Shift+Delete key combination with files highlighted, Recuva scans your hard drive(s) and looks to see what is still recoverable, and what is not. It does an excellent job of file recovery considering the price tag, free.

Have any other suggestions? Feel free to list them out in the comments. Enjoy!

» Filed Under Free Software Downloads

Comments

4 Responses to “10 Free Essential Programs for Windows”

Balaji Pooruli said on : September 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am

Hi,

Your list is good, but I prefer the following freewares in place of your recommendations.

File Compression : I prefer IZARC or 7-zip and there are portable versions available for these.

Instant Messaging : I know trillian is good, but I prefer pidgin these days. Pidgin can connect to lot more networks than trillian. Also note that trillian does not support gtalk.

Download Tool: Orbit is the best. It is fast, free and can download streaming videos from most of the websites like youtube, dailymotion etc.

Disc Burning: The interface of Ashampoo Burning studio is very good, but I have had problems with this. When I try to erase a DVD-RW, it performs the erase operation, but when I look the DVD-RW in windows explorer, I could see the files are there. It did not erase, but it mentioned that it did. I am using a Lite-ON DVD writer, and it could be an issue with the writer also. I am using Free CD/DVD burner and it works great. The interface is little quirky, but it does what it says.

Thanks,
Balaji.

Bill said on : September 22nd, 2009 at 3:13 pm

Re: Sunbelt Personal Firewall

Matousec”s latest comparative tests give Sunbelt a 5% rating:
http://www.matousec.com/projec.....esults.php .

If my child came home from school with a 5% on a report card, I would be furious, to say the least.

Perhaps you should reconsider your recommendation. Five percent says to me that I would be getting a false sense of security. I, for one, would be very reluctant to recommend an app like Sunbelt, which gives such poor performance.

Nevertheless, thanks for a stellar job in your blog!

OrbitalGun said on : September 22nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm

I also prefer 7-Zip for file compression and Pidgin for messaging.

I’m kinda shocked that you’d pick Microsoft’s beta security over a proven program like AVG, Avira or Avast (side note: what’s up with free security programs and the letter A?). Also surprised by your choice of Sunbelt’s firewall instead of Comodo, SoftPerfect or the old standard, ZoneAlarm.

I would also add an 11th program to your list: Revo Uninstaller. Removes all the orphaned files and registry entries that Windows’ uninstaller leaves behind.

Walter said on : September 23rd, 2009 at 12:59 am

For System Cleaning, I would prefer Glary Utilities by Glarysoft. There are many tools in Glary which help me speed up my computer.