This is a list of programs that the average user will never need, but
since you are here looking in the advanced section, you will probably
like them. Be careful, if you don't know what you are doing, you might
screw up your computer.
If you haven't heard of one of the best and most popular open source programs, take a look. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It has tons of features, filters, brushes, and tools. It supports many different types of files. It can be extended even further with plugins. This is one powerful image editor! read the full description...
Allows you to run a copy of a CD from your hard drive. This is very handy for games because your hard drive is much faster than a CD ROM. It emulates many copy protection schemes.This program is also great for developers who wish to test a CD before burning it. read the full description...
They say it "disables the default threats of a Windows XP installation". Here are some of the things it does: disable Windows from calling home, disable questionable Windows services, disarms Internet Explorer, disarms Windows Media Player, allows you to remove Windows Messenger, improve privacy and security, and improves the performance of your computer (slightly). read the full description...
This isn't really a freeware program, but a site full of freeware utilities. I only recommend these utilities for advanced users only. These utilities provide tons of information about your system and are great if you are a programmer or if you just like to know what your computer is doing. The ones I find most useful are Autoruns, Process Explorer, Registry Monitor, and File Monitor. read the full description...
This wonderful web page creation software is the nicest non-WYSIWYG html editors in existence. Its power can be extended through use of the many available plugins. read the full description...
KompoZer is a WYSIWYG HTML editor based on NVU which is based on the Mozilla source code. While it is quickly becoming the best and most popular free WYSIWYG HTML editors, I still feel that it is a long way from being a complete replacement for Macromedia Dreamweaver. read the full description...
Check your website for broken links, including scripts, style sheets, pictures, plugins, and about anything else that can be linked. It detects redirects and can optionally report them as errors. It is fast and small. It supports ssl but does not a honor robots.txt file. read the full description...
FileZilla is an open source FTP and SFTP client with loads of features and yet easy to use. It supports speed limiting, download resuming, and has a transfer queue. read the full description...
Novice users should probably leave this program alone. This program is a collection of Tweaks for Windows. It also has some tweaks for Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office. It isn't the largest collection of tweaks I have seen, but it does contain most of the important ones and is very easy to use. read the full description...
If you have ever tried to delete a file and Windows said it was in use by another program, this will allow you to remove the lock that Windows puts on the file so you can delete it without any further headaches. read the full description...
Create a setup program (installer) for your software. Many different settings such as disk spanning and single file installer. I think this is easier to use than Nullsoft's Installer which is also freeware. read the full description...
An integrated development environment (IDE) that allows you to program in C#, VB.NET, Java, XML, etc. It doesn't have nearly as many features as Visual Studio, but it has enough for me and it is free. read the full description...
An IDE for the GNU C compiler that can create Windows GUI or console programs. Why use a commercial product to create freeware? It has integrated debugging, code completion, a class browser, and a project manager. read the full description...
A program that can create and check .SFV and .MD5 files. Those files are checksums which are used to make sure downloaded files were not corrupted. If you have a clue what this means, you probably don't need this. read the full description...
A sound editor for WAV, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis, and MP3 files. Unlimited undo and many built in effects make this a must have if you need to edit audio files. read the full description...
This utility can log off / reboot / standby / hibernate / lock / shut down your computer at a scheduled time or when a program is finished. read the full description...
Excellent proxy server that allows you to filter web pages (to remove ads and popup's). It sits between the internet and your browser and can remove banner ads, popups, cookies (selectively), scripts, and web bugs. A little time spent learning and configuring this program will leave you with a much more enjoyable internet surfing experience.
read the full description...
This program allows you to create nifty computer generated graphics with a small amount of code. I have no idea how it works but it looks awesome when it does. Check it out. read the full description...
Cobain Backup is an open source file backup utility. It supports compression and encryption of files, it can use the ftp protocol to backup to a network computer, it has a scheduler to perform automatic backups, and it can be run a Windows service. read the full description...
A nice diff program that will show you the difference between two files. Handy tool to have if you are a programmer and work with other people. read the full description...
Vispa is not a program to use if you do not know what you are doing, but here are some of the things it can do: disable Windows Vista from calling home, disable questionable Windows services, disarms Internet Explorer, disarms Windows Media Player, allows you to remove Windows Messenger, improve privacy and security, and improves the performance of your computer (slightly). read the full description...
