Favorite Freeware Repository (hopefully)

[CadetStimpy]

Obviously, LaunchBox heads-up everyone's list, so that doesn't really need to be in here. My first submission is a program called Everything. It's essentially a Search Engine for files on your PC. I probably use it every day. So what's the big deal? It's incredibly fast (much faster than Windows Explorer)! Pretty much as fast as you type, it finds all matches across your entire system. Currently, the program says I have a little over 1.4 million files (I'm not counting files on my External Drives). If I type, say the letter "T" in the Search Field, it instantly shows about 773,000 files (only the files that have a "T" are indexed/counted, obviously). And so forth. Anyway, it's crazy fast! (The initial indexing speed is quite impressive, too). Give it a try! I'm always up for tryin'-out spiffy Freeware (I donate a little to the ones I use), so please reveal some of your favorites! P.S. I'm rebuilding one of my Drives, so I currently have no games installed (well, actually the BigFish games have been reinstalled ). Once they're all back, I'll probably have twice as many files!

[SentaiBrad]

This is cool, but does it integrate where the Search bar goes? That would be my only question. I use W10, I hit start and just start typing. :P So I love this idea as well, I use a lot of stuff. When reinstalling fresh on a new machine I love to use https://ninite.com/ . It makes everything go so much faster. I also use FileHippo File Manager to help keep things updated including the codec pack that I suggest to people on the forums. It doesn't update everything, just stuff it has in its own repository, but for me it's actually quite a lot of stuff. The codec pack for the record (free): http://www.codecguide.com/download_k-lite_codec_pack_standard.htm http://www.filehippo.com/download_app_manager I use a program called Greenshot to take easy screenshots and it auto uploads them to imgur for me (you can download it through Ninite actually, it is how I found it). I use a program called Foxit (again I think in Ninite ironically) for a PDF reader and it is vastly superior. I actually use Foxit Phantom which is their tool for also creating PDF's. Another program I love is IOBit Advanced System Care http://www.iobit.com/en/advancedsystemcarefree.php So it's actually only got a free section, and some features are behind the pro license, but I think it is very much well worth it. https://i.imgur.com/yFo7vhn.png This is the scan I have it run ever other day. Every once in a while (especially on first scan) I will tell it to do a System Optimization, Security Defense and Vulnerability Fix Scan. The main draw for me though is it's Tool Box. https://i.imgur.com/8JDFOFe.png I use IOBit Uninstaller constantly. It uninstalls things better than the built in uninstaller does as it also scans and removes left over files from the system. Though, do not delete Steam games this way. If you have it scan and delete the remaining stuff, It will delete your entire Steam library as it thinks the other games are left over files. xD I've had that happen once... I use the other programs in the Toolbox consistently too, like Driver Booster. Really handy to keep drivers up-to-date.

[CadetStimpy]

SentaiBrad said This is cool, but does it integrate where the Search bar goes? That would be my only question. I use W10, I hit start and just start typing. :P

Well, there's an icon in the SystemTray, that when clicked once, opens the window for it and the cursor is waiting in the Search Field. Did that answer your question? Ooohhh, I knew you'd have some cool ones, Brad! With that Ninite one (pronounced as when you put your kid to bed? ), can you select where things are initially installed, or does it put everything in C:/Program Files? I was surprised when I went to the Website at how many of the programs listed in the middle of the page, that I already use, or at least know of. I use FileHippo File Manager, too. That's a good one. I'm gonna check-out your other ones, too! That Advanced SystemCare looks pretty slick!

[SentaiBrad]

With Ninite they are all silent installs, meaning you don't touch anything. So the only program there that I don't use through Ninite is Steam because I don't want that in my C directory.

[DOS76]

I've been using Everything on my server for about 2 years now and it's awesome. I try very hard to store as little as possible on the clients. As for freeware I like Clover for a more advanced Windows Explorer, Revo-uninstaller. KeepAliveHD which writes small txt file to your hard drive at a specified increment to keep it from spinning down was getting excessive head parking on all of my WD Green drives and this has slowed down the occasion that it happens. CDisplayEx as a Comic Reader. ARS Clip as a copy and paste tool. SpeedFan for temp readings. Bulk Rename Utility whose name pretty much says it all.

[CadetStimpy]

WinDirStat (also available on SourceForge) is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for various versions of Microsoft Windows. It's not fast, but it looks cool. When you first launch it, there are little Pac-Men going back and forth, 'gathering' the stats. As you can see in the upper-right, the files are color-coded by type. I've been using WinDirStat for over a decade! Each rectangle represents a file, with its size being 'to scale' with respect to the others. You can't see my cursor, but it's hovering over one of the red rectangles near the center of the whole thing. Anyway, if you look in the lower-left corner, you can see the name and location of the file it represents, which in this case is the movie, The Muppets, in MP4 format. In the screenshot below (C-Drive only), I have selected that monster purple rectangle, and can see it's my hiberfil.sys file (for when your system Hibernates). I find it a fun way to discover huge files you may not need.

[DOS76]

Yeah I've used that in the past when trying to figure out where my HDD space was going worked good.

[CadetStimpy]

DOS76 said As for freeware I like Clover for a more advanced Windows Explorer, Revo-uninstaller. KeepAliveHD which writes small txt file to your hard drive at a specified increment to keep it from spinning down was getting excessive head parking on all of my WD Green drives and this has slowed down the occasion that it happens. CDisplayEx as a Comic Reader. ARS Clip as a copy and paste tool. SpeedFan for temp readings. Bulk Rename Utility whose name pretty much says it all.

Derek, just between you and Brad, I've already got some hours of tryin' new stuff ahead of me! Thanks, guys!

[CadetStimpy]

P.S. Folder Size is a newer program that's somewhat similar to WinDirStat. Here's a screenshot of one view:

[CadetStimpy]

I think CCleaner (PC Optimization tool) and Speccy (advanced System Information tool) from Piriform are likable.

[SentaiBrad]

Advanced System Care has a lot of these types of programs in there, just their own versions. I use some alternatives too, I use ComicRack for cbr comics, Calibre for epubs, AngelVox for AudioBooks and Métamorphose for file renaming. http://file-folder-ren.sourceforge.net/ http://comicrack.cyolito.com/ http://calibre-ebook.com/ http://download.cnet.com/Angel-s-Vox/3000-2139_4-75001584.html

[CadetStimpy]

Another decent one for 'System Maintainence' is Glary Utilities. The Pro version is pictured, but the Free one is similar.

[DOS76]

Belarc Advisor is a good one to find out info about your system. It can even grab your license key for Windows if it isn't an OEM install if so it gives you a key but it won't help you reinstall. I have saved reports for every one of my PC's saved on my server. Also Ubooquity is awesome for setting up Comic Book and Ebook web servers it allows you to read ebooks (pdf only) and comics over the web and if you have epub books you can download them but not read them unless you have Firefoxes epud reader then it will read them from there

[CadetStimpy]

One of my Old School favs for wasting CPU cycles is LavaLamp. It's just an animated Lava Lamp (you can select different colors and speeds) that runs in your SystemTray. I uploaded the executable (and it said it was successful), but I don't see it in the Preview. P.S. You'll need Msvbvm50.dll to run it, but I couldn't upload that.

[SentaiBrad]

I used Belarc to get my W10 key after the upgrade. They say it doesn't matter anymore, but the second I need it I can't recover it. :P

[CADScott]

SentaiBrad said I used Belarc to get my W10 key after the upgrade. They say it doesn't matter anymore, but the second I need it I can't recover it. :P

You may find that the key that is extracted after you have upgraded is actually just a generic key and cannot be used to do a clean install. Had that issue on two different machines, tried to do a clean install, and the key I extracted was the same on both machines, ending in 3V66T. Had to call MS and convert one of my genuine Win7 keys to a new Win10 one. Back on topic, FreeFileSync is excellent freeware for syncing masses of files between multiple locations, I use it to backup my Launchbox and Game collection to my server.

[SentaiBrad]

Well I didn't have a legit W8 (neither did my Wife) and they gave us both 10, so it's not really based on anything...

[CadetStimpy]

Well, this isn't Freeware, in that it's just a Firefox Add-On, but it's pretty cool, IMHO. Flagfox It puts a little flag in the URL field, of the country where the Server is, and when you click on it you get something like this (LaunchBox Server here, in case you didn't look ):

[CadetStimpy]

If your current A/V solution doesn't offer a Bootable Flash-Drive option (only Rescue CD's) with current Virus Definitions, you may like this idea. Rufus (it's Free) + Avira A/V (Free or Pro) = Up-to-Date (even w/o Internet), Bootable, Anti-Virus Flash/USB Drive Rufus will 'prepare' your Drive to be Bootable using Ubuntu, and add Avira's A/V Definitions (it will retrieve current Definitions (on next Boot) from the installed Avira application). [Obviously, Avira needs to be installed ] Snag the ISO file for the Avira Rescue System, and when you run Rufus, point it to that ISO file. When you Boot off the prepared USB Drive, a nice 'n slick Ubuntu GUI will appear. Done!

[CadetStimpy]

SentaiBrad said Another program I love is IOBit Advanced System Care http://www.iobit.com/en/advancedsystemcarefree.php So it's actually only got a free section, and some features are behind the pro license, but I think it is very much well worth it.

So, out of all the System Cleaning/Tweaking programs, such as iolo's System Mechanic, Ashampoo's WinOptimizer, Norton Utilities, Glary Utilities, AVG's PC TuneUp, Uniblue's Powersuite, etc., etc., why did you select IOBit's Advanced System Care? I must admit, the Drive Booster program that comes with it was the only program I've used lately that found Drivers on my System that needed to be updated.