[rgarr]

In 2003 on another forum this generated hundreds of replies. It's been a long time since 2003 so I thought it might not only be a fun exercise but a very informative one.

Just list the one or two programs that you simply couldn't live without and state why with a link included if possible. This would be programs that are both free and paid and are compatible with Win XP 2 or Vista.

This is strictly voluntary and your choice whether or not you want to participate. I thought it might be fun because there are a lot of new programs out there that some of us don't know about. Thanks for your attention and I hope that you participate.

[JohnWill]

Moved to reviews, this really isn't a software issue.

[smeegle]

I really like this one http://www.ccleaner.com/ It cleans up a lot of MRU's.
I always run it before I run my anti spyware programs.

[PCcruncher]

Being rather short on ram, Speed it up Free helps keep my computer going by removing unneeded files in ram.

[charles7514]

WinPatrol

[Noyb]

Irfanview ... http://www.irfanview.com/
CCleaner ... http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
WinPatrol ... http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html
Audacity ... http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Tclockex .. http://www.rcis.co.za/dale/tclockex/index.htm .. (Vista in the classic mode only - darnit)
RPN Calculator .. http://www.educalc.net/326089.page

Sorry .. I have more than two.

[rgarr]

Thanks Everyone,

This is a great start and helpful to everyone...believe me. Webroot Spy Sweeper is one that I use a lot but it is not free. I'll post a couple more in the morning when I have more time and will add the links for you. Thanks everyone! This will be a great thread if people can find it!

[JohnWill]

Originally Posted by PCcruncher

Being rather short on ram, Speed it up Free helps keep my computer going by removing unneeded files in ram.

This actually slows the system down, it doesn't speed it up! Think about it. There is no benefit to having tons of free RAM, that translates to unused RAM.

For your reading enjoyment:

http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles...=41095&cpage=1

RAM RAM Optimizers/Defragmenters

Myth - "Increasing the amount of available RAM improves performance."

Reality - "RAM Optimizers have no effect, and at worst, they seriously degrade performance. Although gaining more available memory might seem beneficial, it isn't. As RAM Optimizers force the available-memory counter up, they force other processes' data and code out of memory. Say that you're running Word, for example. As the optimizer forces the available-memory counter up, the text of open documents and the program code that was part of Word's working set before the optimization (and was therefore present in physical memory) must be reread from disk as you continue to edit your document. The act of allocating, then freeing a large amount of virtual memory might, as a conceivable side effect, lead to blocks of contiguous available memory. However, because virtual memory masks the layout of physical memory from processes, processes can't directly benefit from having virtual memory backed by contiguous physical memory. As processes execute and undergo working-set trimming and growth, their virtual-memory-to-physical-memory mappings will become fragmented despite the availability of contiguous memory."

I suppose this could still qualify as a program you can't live without, but I sure don't know why you would want to live with it!

[PCcruncher]

After I've used my computer for a while I'll run it and sometimes it will remove up to 100-160 mb. (I don't do it when I'm in the middle of something but after I've closed a program I will) It seems to help a lot. Recently I did a system tweak which is supposed to dump the files connected with the program immediately instead of keeping them around. Which would do about the same thing.
Anyway I'll read the things in your post John will.

[rgarr]

Originally Posted by JohnWill

This actually slows the system down, it doesn't speed it up! Think about it. There is no benefit to having tons of free RAM, that translates to unused RAM.

For your reading enjoyment:

http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles...=41095&cpage=1

I suppose this could still qualify as a program you can't live without, but I sure don't know why you would want to live with it!

John Will, our moderator, is absolutely right. Remember folks, these 'little programs' are ones that are supposed to help us and not overload us. When I started out I d/l everything in sight that was free and some programs that were not.

Keep it simple and if you're running Win XP 2 like I am or Vista then after you have the little programs installed that will help you can tweak your system without putting a glut of software on your HD. Go here http://www.blackviper.com/ for help tweaking. Be careful...always backup first.

My rule is to never install something that you won't use.

A few basic programs that I use and that you might already use are: AVG...anti-virus-freeware, ZoneAlarm...firewall-freeware, ccleaner-freeware, CleanCenter...excellent-was free but I think it is now shareware and costs about $19.95. Ad-Aware 2007...spyware-free, Spybot Search & Destroy...spyware-free, Fastone Capture...best screenshot capture utility I've used-free http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...scription.html

[hewee]

WinPatrol
http://www.winpatrol.com/

Not a program but a hosts file.
You can get a hosts file manager to make it more easy to use and update your hosts file but they are not needed.
I use HostsMan.
http://www.abelhadigital.com/

Move on Boot
http://www.gibinsoft.net/gipoutils/
Old Version (Freeware) at bottom of page.

OpenExpert 1.40
http://www.baxbex.com/openexpert.html

[stantley]

xplorer² lite free for home and academic use.

Once you've used a dual-pane file manager you'll never use Windows Explorer again. It also has folder tabs and bookmarks which are very useful.

[blues_harp28]

Tiny Spell.
http://www.numerit.com/

[Elvandil]

Hace's Mmm!. Without it, I'd need to get rid of some of my 100+ context menu entries. FileMenuTools works well with it, though there is some duplication. But FMT allows control of all context menu entries.

And, in the same field, PowerMenu.

Process Tamer is another since it allows to easy control of priorities and reduces the priority of apps that tend to use a lot of CPU.

[Gizzy]

there's too many to name,

Sandboxie
The KMPlayer
Revo Uninstaller
Rocketdock
Rainlendar

but those are the main ones I really love,

and Elvandil that Mmm! program looks like it'll be going on the list for me I'll have to try it out my context menu is a bit long.