Useful Software
Here are some very useful, free programs for your computer that make it more secure and easier to use. After trying many different programs, I found these to be the best:
Security:
Ad-Aware Spyware removal http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Great program used to remove any Spyware and suspicious cookies from your computer. Run occasionally to clean your computer of any of these nasty programs.
Zone Alarm Firewall http://www.zonealarm.com/
Top notch free firewall program the monitors both inbound and outbound traffic from your computer. Windows Firewall, which is included in XP, only blocks inbound traffic. Use this to control exactly which programs communicate with the Internet. The only downside is that is takes a bit a memory to run.
AntiVir Anti-Virus http://www.free-av.com/
Free anti virus program out of Germany that I have been using for years. Easy to use and run.
System Maintenance:
RegCleaner Registry and Startup Control http://www.dewassoc.com/support/useful/regcleaner.htm
Absolutely the best program to see the programs on your registry and remove them. Also has a list of all startup programs on your computer which you can list and remove. Highly recommended.
Process Explorer Process and Program Identifier http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html
This program allows you to see every process and program running on your computer and the files they are using to execute. This is very handy when you have some program on your system you cannot identify or that you are suspicious of.
Process Library Process Identification Website http://www.processlibrary.com/
Use this website in combination with the Process Explorer above to understand what the programs and processes are running on your computer. The site lists the exact purpose of each process and whether it is a threat.
Photos:
ReName Batch Renaming Program http://www.1-4a.com/rename/
Incredible program that allows you to rename all your pictures' files names in any way you like. You can have it number your photos, automatically date them, or a dozen other options. Great way to organize and name all those thousands of digital photos you have on your harddrive.
Audio:
The Godfather MP3 File Name and Tag Program http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/tutorials/01/index.html
Great software that allows you to rename and re-tag your MP3 audio files in batch. Not only the file names can be changed but also the ID3 tags in which iPods, Windows Media Player, and other devices/programs use to identify songs. Very useful to create a uniform naming scheme for all your music (i.e. 'artist - title' like "Beastie Boys - Sabotage" ) and for creating playlists where iPods will play the songs in the order your want them to.
Exact Audio Program CD Ripping and MP3 Conversion Program http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
Best program out there to convert (or "rip") your CDs into MP3 format so that you can play them on your computer or iPod device. It will even automatically name the files per your preferrence.
Video:
AVI2DVD Video Conversion to DVD format http://www.trustfm.net/divx/SoftwareAvi2Dvd.html
Best program out there to convert your video .avi files to .iso DVD file format.
DVD Decrypter Burn Video file to a DVD http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/DVD_Decrypter/1011845169/1
Use this to convert an .iso format file to physically copy to a DVD disk. Use this in conjunction with AVI2DVD above to convert .avi files to DVD disks. You can also use this program to backup any DVD disks in your collection.
ATI Tool Video Overclocking and Control http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/
Program for those with ATI Video cards to overclock their graphics. Also allows the user to monitor the graphics card temperature, set warnings, and create keyboard shortcuts to increase the gamma and brightness levels of your monitor.
3D Mark Video Speed Monitoring http://www.futuremark.com/
Use this to benchmark your video card speed performance. Used by many gamers to establish just how fast (or slow) their system is.
Useful:
Icon Restore Save Icon Layout on Desktop http://www.download.com/Icon-Restore/3000-2347_4-10163500.html?tag=foot_pub
Hate when your resolution changes on your monitor and your icons get all rearranged? This small utility restores your icon layout the way you like it.
