The All New Tech Page
Best of the best recommended software - 2009 Edition
This is a consolidation of the “Best of the Best” links found on G4TechTV’s Tech Support message boards.
There have been many contributors to this post and many of them have given these links out countless
times. These links have proven themselves valuable time and time again. It’s my sincere hope that this reference will provide solutions to; your computer problems.
If you don’t have any outstanding computer issues to address, then feel free to explore the fruit of the research of many technicians and computer enthusiasts.
Most of the software found here is free. There are upgrade versions available for many of them,and better programs may be available, but software is most likely to be used when it’s free. If you have any concern about the quality of the software listed here, rest assured that it’s been painstakingly tested by many people and has proven itself to be either equal or almost equal to any software you can buy.
Some of this software is Shareware, Donation-ware, or requires registration; in these cases please support the authors if you can afford to do so.
Remember that some software, such as registry cleaners, make backups of the registry changes they make.
Therefore, if you delete a bunch of registry entries and then uninstall the program, you lose the ability
to restore those changes if you find out you needed them. Thus be careful what you uninstall.
Startup Utilities:
Startup managers are programs that help you control the way your operating system starts up. With these programs you can enable or disable programs and services that automatically run each time you start your computer. You can control what runs on startup for better performance,more features, or just to see what something does. I need to warn you though, making changes to the startups that are too radical can get you into trouble. You may have to boot into safe mode and restore your settings back a day if you significant changes to your startups and XP refuses to restart properly.
Also; Heed the warning about MSConfig. Especially if you have an newer version of windows such as XP or Vista.
Why you should not use MSCONFIG to control startup entries in XP and Vista
If you have been using MSConfig as a startup manager please read this.
A1…Codestuff Starter
Starter is a startup manager, that allows you to view and manage allthe programs that are starting
automatically whenever Windows boots. It lists all the hidden registry entries, as well as the common Startup Folder items as well. You can choose to safely disable selected entries, edit them or delete them altogether (if you know what you are doing). Expert users can even add their own entries.
A2…Startup Delayer
Startup Delayer allows you to specify which programs to start first and which ones to delay. You can set a custom delay for each one, even drag the visual display graph which shows you exactly how your programs are starting and allows you to easily modify the order or adjust delay times.
A3…Mike Lin’s Startup Control Panel Startup Control Panel is a nifty control panel applet that allows you to easily configure which programs run when your computer starts. It is simple to use , very small and won’t burden your system.
A4…Bootvis Bootvis is a tool for experts, used to help figure out what causes a boot delay.
A5… SysInternals AutoRuns for Windows (ID’s the most registry startups of all programs)
Hardware and Software Utilities:
Need to find out something about your computers hardware or software? These utilities will provide information,benchmarks, speed tests, find problems, check for outdated drivers, and tell you your computers operating temperature.
B1…Sisoftsandra
B2…Everest Home Free edition
B3…PC Pitstop system analysis
B4…The free Belarc Advisor Hover over Free download and select download
B4…SIW System Information for Windows by Gabriel Topala
Computer Security:
Keeping your computer safe is not limited to the internet. You also need to keep it secure when you are not on the internet. Opening files of dubious origin always involves risk of infection or hijacking, but you never know about the ones that your friend brings . Often it’s someone else using your computer that infects it unwittingly. Peer to Peer file sharing is also a major source of infection. While in the past most viruses targeted security holes in Windows or Internet Explorer; now most take advantage of social engineering to lure you to click to install something or exploit holes in third party applications like java, flash, acrobat reader, winzip etc. These “zero day” exploits can allow a malicious site to install software silently without your antivirus being able to detect or block them. Keep up to date.
Internet Security: Keeping your computer secure is your first line of defense against hackers, viruses, trojans,hijackers, spammers, and adware. These programs and sites will help you make the a little bit easier. They will also educate you about the threat and your computer, and is one of the most important parts of computer maintenance you can do.
Free Protection:
C1…Avast Home Edition free for home use
C2…Configuration Tutorial for Avast
C3…A Squared anti-trojan
C4…Avira Free Antivir antivirus
C5…Comodo BOClean Anti-Malware 4.27
C6…DR Web anti-virus link checker A FireFox Add-on
C7…FireLogXP This is a simple program for people using the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) in Windows XP. It will read the log file and show you who is trying to get into your computer, and through which ports. The data can be filtered to include/exclude protocols, connection types,and TCP flags.
C8…Google pack includes Spyware Doctor
C9…IE Spyad
C10..LavaSoft Ad Aware
C11..Mcafee Site Advisor Needs Repeating, never leave home without it. Lets you know if sites in a search are safe to visit and if sites you visit are safe to download from.
C12..Scotty The Watchdog Winpatrol
C13..Spybot Search and Destroy
C14..SpywareDoctor With AntiVirus from PCTools Starter Edition Free for personal use.
C15..SpywareDoctor With No AntiVirus from PCTools Starter Edition Free for personal use
C16..Spyware Doctor Tutorial.A Tutorial for Spyware Doctor.
C17..Spywareblaster
C18..Spywareguard Immunize against malware sites.
C19..Super Antispyware
C20..ThreatFire Realtime heuristic malware defense.
C21..WOT warns you about risky websites…Never would I search without it.
Reference Sites:
D1…Top hundred security tools
D2…No hack dot net anti trojan warfare, Knowledge is power
D3…Counterexploitation.org fighting computer exploitation
D4…Spyware Warriors List of rogue(fake) anti-spyware apps Find out if you have installed a phony or rogue application which pretends to be good but is either trash or malicious itself. She also lists legitimate programs and their authorized clones at the bottom of the page.
Online Scanners and Update Software
E1…Bit Defender online-scanner Online Scanner is an on-demand virus scanner which incorporates the award-winning bitdefender scanning engines.
E2…jotti’s malware scan 2.99-TRANSITION_TO_3.00-R1 Virus definitions are updated every hour.
E3…Kaspersky free online-scanner The free virus scanner scans your machine while online, and uses the same technology as other Kaspersky Lab products. Our antivirus software protects against viruses and spyware.
E4…Panda ActiveScan Perform an online scan with Internet Explorer Only.
E5…Symantec Security Check Tests your exposure to a wide range of online threats.
E6…Trend Micro Housecall Housecall is a free online virus scanner
offered by Trend Micro, which checks whether a computer has been infected by viruses, spyware, or other malware.
E7… Appupdater
E8… Bernd Ott’s Software UpToDate Client
E9… CleanSofts Update Notifier
E10..DonationCoder DCUpdater (updates DonationCoder Software, plus makes all DonationCoder software available for download)
E11.. RadarSync 2009 (Free Edition) (updates drivers & apps)
E12.. Windows Updates Downloader (updates windows)
E13.. SSW Diagnostics (MS & other software updater)
E14.. Freeware Updater (downloads latest releases, select from a list of freeware & Open Source)
E15.. UpdateStar Free
Analysis tools: is the file a virus.
F1…Kaspersky file upload for scanning and analysis You can also scan specific files to see if they are infected without scanning the entire computer
F2…Virus Total file upload for analysis (This site will scan a file and tell you what each of several different virus engines identifies.) Virustotal is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by antivirus engines.
Do you have outdated vulnerable software or missing updates
G1…Calendar of Updates|
G2…FileHippo.com Update Checker
G3…Secunia Software Inspector Online software scan to test for outdated software with known zero day exploits. There is also a stand alone installable version. Download it here.
G4…SUMo, which stands for Software Update Monitor Is another great free tool for checking that your software is up to date.
Web Sites with Useful information
These web sites have information that can help people diagnose many common problems on their computers. They also have information that people commonly ask about.
H0…Doxdesk.com/parasite lists information about software parasites and other malware.
H1…SpywareGuide.com lists information about spyware.
H2…Spywareinfo Forums also lists information about spyware
H3…Answersthatwork.com lists common tasks that are running on your machine.
H4…BlackViper.com gives information about Windows Services.
H5…BIOS Power On Self Test (POST) Beep Codes
H6…Fdisk Radified gives information on how to use the Fdisk utility.
H7…Annoyances.org has a lot of information and tip on many subjects.
H8…Password Recovery for Windows XP, 2000, NT| Make sure you read the FAQ Before you do anything
H9…Vmyths.com is a web site with the latest news about Virus Hoaxes and Myths.
H10..Hoaxbusters is an Email hoax site. Learn why you should not believe everything you read.
H11..Troubleshooting Windows STOP Messages
H12..Giveaway of the Day What the name implies; each day they give away a copy of software you would have to pay big money for. You have 24 hours to download, install , and activate it with the key provided then they put something new up.
H13..How to Upgrade, Repair, Disassemble a COMPAQ Laptop or Notebook
H14..Disassemble, repair and upgrade Toshiba laptop yourself
H15..Laptop & Notebook Repairing, Upgrading and Modding Guides: by Manufacturers
H16..Win Planet
H17..List of Lists
H18..Software Sites
H19..FixYa
H20..LCD TV Calibration
H21..Gizmo’s List - the best freeware reviewed and rated
H22..Fresh devices Fresh and Free Utilities Download manager, Diagnostic Tool, Tweaking tool and multimedia manager.
H23..Last Freeware Version Site Index of and links to last freeware version of many commercial products.
Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles
These articles by Microsoft resolve issues that we often see on this board.
I0…KB 319585 Windows “Software
Update incomplete, This Software Update Did Not Update Successfully” Error Message When You Visit the Windows Update Site
I1…KB281679 You Cannot Open New Internet Explorer
Window or Nothing Happens After You Click a Link
I2…KB308421 How To Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
I3…KB148919 Windows Restarts Continuously
I4…KB311806 Windows Restarts When You Try to Shut Down Your Computer
I5…KB314057 NTLDR Is Missing Error Message When You Upgrade or Install Windows XP Over Windows 95, Windows 98, Or Windows Millenium
I6…KB302089 How to Prevent Windows Messenger From Running on a Windows XP Based Computer
These sites offer good information on how to install and repair Microsoft Windows.
J0…XP Clean Install
J1…How To Repair XP gives how to use the installation disk to repair Windows XP.
J2…KB 221829 How to Install Windows 98 on a Computer With No Operating System
J3…KB25586 How to Use the Fdisk and Format Tools to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk
Registry Cleaners, file shredders, and file recovery, disk and file management.
Securely deleting files, recovering deleted files, and cleaning the registry are common issues many people have asked about. I do not recommend blindly deleting registry entries even if you have 800 of them and they are all listed as bad entries. Too often a program will not run, or the OS becomes unstable because a valid entry was deleted. Go over each of them carefully to make sure they are not valid entries.
K0… Regseeker is a registry cleaner
K1… Eraser is the most recommended file shredder
K2… AnalogX Supershredder
K3… Ultrawipe
K4… AbsoluteShield Internet Eraser Lite is more of an internet privacy utility
K5… MRUBlaster Cleans up Most Recently Used entries for privacy on public computers
K6… Active@Killdisk hard drive eraser will wipe the entire hard drive
completely
K7… PC Inspector emaxx will wipe a hard drive well enough for the defense department.
K8… PC Inspector File Recovery
K9… RestorationFile Undelete Utility will recover files after they were removed from the recycle bin.
K10.. ISO Buster will allow you to recover lost data or files from
CD’s or DVD’s.
K11.. Disk Cleaner cleans out the temp directory and the internet temporary files. Works with Opera and IE.
K12.. Recuva -File Recovery
K13.. Revo Uninstaller For hard to remove programs. Contains Junk Files Cleaner, Windows Tools, Auto Run Manager, Browsers Cleaner, MS Office Cleaner, Windows Cleaner, Evidence Remover and Unrecoverable Delete tools!
K14.. Windirstat Drive and Directory usage display tool. Disk usage viewer tool for analyzing almost everything on the computer and allows you cleanup many found problems.
K15.. EASEUS Partition Manager 3.0 New Upgrade! Home Edition is a free Partition Magic alternative. A comprehensive hard disk partition management software for Windows Server 2000/2003/2008 and Windows 2000/XP/Vista partition to Resize and Move, Copy, Create, Delete and Format, Hide and Unhide server and non server partitions and much more.
K16.. Auslogics Disk Defrag Free , fast and works fine with Vista 64-bit also.
K17.. CCleaner Use caution with registry cleaning; always make a backup first.
K18.. PCTools Smart recovery Data recovery program for flash cards allows you to recover deleted files even from a formatted card for your camera.
K19.. The PC Decrapifier Will uninstall many of the common trialware and annoyances found on many of the PCs from big name OEMs.
K20.. Speedefrag SpeeDefrag is a simple program, that restarts your computer and runs the Windows defrag.exe with optimized windows settings before loading your desktop, which allows for faster and more thorough defragmentation. Once the defrag process has finished, it can optionally shut down your PC, otherwise reboot it.
K21.. Norton Removal Tool The Norton Removal Tool uninstalls all Norton 2009/2008/2007/2006/2005/2004/2003 products, Norton Antivirus, Norton 360 and Norton SystemWorks 12.0 ALL NORTON PRODUCTS from your computer. If you use ACT! or WinFAX, back up those databases before you proceed.
K22.. Unlocker 1.8.7: Free Download Unlocker application was designed to be a very useful Windows Explorer extension allowing users with a simple right-click on a file or folder to easily get rid of error message such as error deleting file or folder, cannot delete folder:
K23.. FileAssassin 1.06 From Malwarebytes: FileAssassin can delete locked malware files on your system. It uses advanced techniques to unload modules, close remote handles, and terminate processes to allow the removal of the file. Simply download FileAssassin, unzip the file, and run the installer. Start FileAssassin and select a file by dragging it onto the text area or select it using the button. Next, select a removal method from the list. Finally, click delete and the removal process will commence. Version 1.06 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
Audio and Video conversion and editing
These websites give excellent information about converting video and making DVDs, VCDs, and SVCDs
L0…DVDRhelp.com has information on making DVDs, VCDs, andSVCDs.
L1…DVDRhelp convert has information on converting files into DVD, VCD,and SVCD formats.
L2…TmpGenc video conversion program.
L3…Irfanview will display and edit pictures and video in most formats.
L4…VirtualDub is geared toward processing AVI files. It can read (but not write) MPEG-1
L5…Audacity edits audio files.
L6…Photo Freeware dot net Your Photography related Download source for freeware.
L7…FastStone Capture 5.3 (last freeware version) Superb and again the Last Freeware Version should be bookmarked.
L8…PIXresizer 2.0.3
L9…SUPER Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer Use Internet Explorer for download.
L10..RawShooter Essentials 2006 1.2 RAW workflow software that sets new standards for digital photography. It is a fully functional RAW converter, which allows any level of user to get excellent results with the minimum of effort and knowledge. It provides the highest quality output and fastest conversion time for any RAW converter on the market today. Version 1.2 now supports 15 additional DSLRs and also includes support for the RawShooter Color Engine add-on, user-selectable Thumbnail appearances and image magnifier.
L11..GIMP 2.6.3 Released2008-11-22
L12..AVI2DVD Freeware one step conversion from AVI to DVD ISO or reverse. Slow but effective. Best option is just to buy a DIVX player.
L13..AVI2VCD Convert AVI to VCDs.
L14..WinAmp5.54
L15..Ashampoo Burning studio Free full featured CD/DVD/Blu-Ray burning suite that enables you to create data, music, video and audio discs. You can also create backups that span across multiple discs, rip music tracks from Audio CDs and create or burn disc images in ISO or BIN/CUE format.
L16..Picassa 3 Audio and Video conversion and editing…The easy way to find, edit, and share your photo.
L17..Quicktime Alternative
L18..Realtime Alternative These allow you to play quicktime and realtime media respectively without the proprietary players. No registration, advertising, annoyances, etc.
L19..ImageShack and Photobucket are free image hosting sites where you can save pics for your signature or to let friends see.
Other, Uncategorized Links
M0… www.dllfiles.com find missing dll files here.
M1… missingfiles has many of those files that your computer may be missing.
M2… 7-ZIP and IZARC
Are free alternatives to Winzip used to compresses and decompress most file formats.
M3… MozBackup Allows you to backup and restore bookmarks, mail, contacts, history, extensions, cache etc. It’s an easy way to do Firefox backup, Thunderbird backup …
M4… Digsby Instant Messaging…Superb IM, no need to log into
your e-mail accounts, informs you of the e-mail title, no need to chase a spam one.
…….Aero Black skin for Digsby released…Is Beautiful
M5… Free Download Manager Is a powerful, easy-to-use and
absolutely free download accelerator and manager. Moreover, FDM is 100% safe, open-source software distributed under GPL license. Warning: beware of fake versions.
M6… Router Crash Test Tests your router for a vulnerability which would allow a malware site to remotely take control of it even if you changed the password and admin name. This vulnerability would allow a remote hacker to take control of the network that was previously protected by that router
M7… Ubuntu for Pendrive if you have a old 1GB or more flash drive laying around, please install ubuntu 8.10 to it
M8… Portable Apps Applications you can run from a USB drive without installing on the computer you are using them on.
M9… The Portable Freeware Collection Many more applications; although some require specific steps to run.
M10..Can Your Computer Run That Game?
Tweak Sites & Software
N0… Kelly’s Korner has so much information for solving so many computer problems that it’s actually had to find specific information here.
N1… Overclockers.com
N2… PC Pitstop can test your computers performance.
N3… Xteq Xsetup has lots of tweaks. Don’t forget to get the extra plugins.
……http://majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=127 and
……http://www.aplusfreeware.com/categor…V/X-Setup.html are the last free versions
N4… Jv16 utilities has many tweaks available for your system. Note: JV16 is now SHAREWARE &expires after 30 days. It can be purchased for $29.95 .
……http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/index.html is the last freeware version; which many consider superior.
N5… TweakUI also has many tweaks for Windows.
N6… The G4 TechTV vault Contains useful links like the old free file of the day and many old TechTV articles and videos; such as
…….Free file of the day AddRemove Pro
N7… How To Geek
N8… Razor512’s adblock filters A must have from Razor, Firefox Ad Block Filters is dynamite…
N9… Razor512’s guide to overclocking
N10..Razor512’s G4Forums Full Screen Fix
Assorted utilities.
O0.. InstallSpy/FireLogXP/SyncBack/FingerPrint
O1.. Notepad+ Notepad++ is a free (as in “free speech” and also as in “free beer”) source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL Licence.
O2.. Wootalyzer Welcome! You’ve stumbled across the home of the greatest deal-a-day tracker ever known to man. Wootalyzer is a little application which sits in your system tray, and periodically displays popups whenever a new “deal-of-the-day” is released. These deals come from big sites all over the internet, including Amazon, Newegg, Woot.com, and Yugster.
O3.. Push That Freakin Button Button pressing utility which runs in the background - usually its only on-screen presence is a mouse-shaped task bar icon. When a dialog causes irritation, you simply tell PTFB which button should be pressed, and it will handle the dialog in future.
O4.. EULALYZER Making EULAs Easy Discover if the software you’re about to install displays pop-up ads, transmits personally identifiable information, uses unique identifiers to track you, or much much more. EULAlyzer can analyze license agreements in seconds, and provide a detailed listing of potentially interesting words and phrases.
Networking
P0…Practically Networked
P1…Guides and tutorials at Port Forward.com| How to set up and configure your router as well as open and forward ports.
P2…Microsoft guide to setting up a home wireless network
P3…NetMeter 1.1.3 (stable) released
P4…Top 10 Wi-Fi Boosts, Tweaks and Apps
P5…Lifehacker Download of The Day
P6…Hamachi With Hamachi you can organize two or more computers with an Internet connection into their own virtual network for direct secure communication. Access computers remotely, use Windows File Sharing, play LAN games, run private Web or FTP servers or communicate directly. Hamachi is fast, secure and simple. It is also free.
VISTA
Q1…What is EasyBCD® Anyway?
It all depends on who you ask or what you want to get done, but EasyBCD is NeoSmart Technologies 100% free Vista bootloader modification tool to get your Vista working with Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, and dozens more operating systems without a headache! An IT Guy’s number 1 Vista-troubleshooting tool. A multiple award-winning application, used and recommended by the folks at Microsoft, PC World and more! he best way to do just about anything with Windows Vista before it even turns on!
Q2…Vista Start Menu, also works with all Windows
Q3…TweakVI for Windows Vista
Q4…Windows Vista Compatibilty Center
Q5…Compatibility database » Operating systems (Games) ; Windows Vista 64 Bit(x86_64)
Q6…Welcome to Vista Forums
Q7…Start 64 for 64-bit systems