Sup Newgrounds. Exodus here.
Hate paying for programs?
Wish your computer was faster, more capable...better?
Well, I've compiled a list of helpful, safe, and effective free software ("Freeware") that I've found over my time on the internet.
To start, if you don't have Firefox, go download/install it right now. Seriously. Enough said. (Opera is fine too)
Feel free to comment on any of them, and I highly recommend you guys to add your own (Just provide a link, and short quick description.) Remember to keep it Spyware/Virus free...
...speaking about spyware and viruses:
Avast! Anti-virus is a great and very popular choice for free anti-virus software. Comes with updates, real time protection, everything you need.
AVG Free is another great option. It is just as good if not better than Avast!, but only lasts for a certain amount of time. I've purchased the full version of AVG and I am very satisfied with it.
Do you ever wonder what happens to all the temporary internet files and cookies you pick up on the 'net? Probably not. You won't have to anymore with these awesome programs:
Easy Cleaner is a nice, free program that cleans your computer of unnecessary clutter and finds registry errors (among other things).
CCleaner is very similar, with a slightly nicer/more modern interface. I keep both around, because they each find things the other doesn't.
Tired of MS Paint's outdated layout and limited features? Try Paint.NET, the constantly updated image editor which is easily superior to it's Microsoft counterpart.
If you download anti-virus software, yet still have problems with what seems like viruses? Your problem could be spyware, a similar form of malware that some perfectly good antiviruses fail to pick up.
But fear not! there are easy ways to protect yourself.
Try Spybot Search & Destroy, a free program with a great, constantly updated search (and destroy) tool.
Spybot S&D works great with Spyware Blaster, an awesome tool that provides you with Real-time protection against spyware (and other things).
For great media players, try:
VLC- a very nice video playing tool that comes with many codecs, is very small in size, and outperforms Windows Media Player. For additional codecs, try the massive and free K-Lite Codec Pack (codecs are codes that help you play some audio files that your computer is unable to play)
For listening to music, it doesn't get any better than Winamp. It comes with all the features of iTunes and more, is much smaller/easier to run, has a huge community and good support, and is much more customizable.
If you hear a song on Youtube, really like it, and want to download it, DVD Videosoft is there to help. This thing is awesome...I've gotten hundreds of songs of youtube, and it's a legal loophole in the United States (meaning it's legal for now!)
For defragmenting your hard drive and optimizing your system, there is not better than IOBit Defragger. Fragmenting your files is this automatic thing that your computer does which (I am quite sure) slows down your performance. Windows has a tool for this same purpose, but it is much slower and has almost no features. This can also work in the background, constantly keeping your disks defragmented.
If you ever wonder if your programs are out of date, but can't be bothered to check each individual program for updates, here is a quick and easy solution.
FileHippo's Update Checker checks its archives for newer version of programs that you have installed. Very quick and easy. It even finds beta versions.
Well...it's getting late. I will add more tomorrow, I promise. In the meantime, please contribute. Any kind of useful free software is appreciated! Good luck, and I hope I helped some of you.
