Recommended Windows Software

Great Freeware & Shareware

The programs listed below are just some of the great freeware and shareware software available. These programs are highly recommended.

Choose from a category:

E-mail - Web Browser - Text Editor - Firewall - Antivirus - Antispyware
Disk Cleanup - Graphics Viewer - Free Office Suite - Free Zip Utilities

When installing this software, be sure to carefully read each of the option pages checking for addons like toolbars (not recommended for privacy reasons). You then avoid future problems with unwanted software and addons.

Why Purchase Shareware?

There's a lot of excellent freeware but the software developer can often only justify their time invested in making new improvements or fixes if there is income as a result.

E-mail Programs

PocoMail (shareware) - Thunderbird (freeware)

PocoMail: A Better E-mail Program

Built From The Ground Up to Be Safe

Outlook and Outlook Express have weaknesses that are readily exploited by hackers, viruses and spammers. PocoMail and related products were built from the ground up to avoid these problems and to provide a safer e-mail environment.

Worthwhile Investment

While not free, PocoMail provides many extra features that make it a worthwhile investment; the best e-mail alternative to the what is built into Windows.

It is very easy to use, fully featured and incredibly configurable.
Powerful scripting and junkmail filtering capabilities help you to deal with spam and the sorting of legitimate mail.
It is built to be secure, yet is easy to customize.
Bayesian filters "learn" how to deal with your junkmail with 98% accuracy.

Get More Information

This site has more information about Pocomail and Barca products including how to configure them, import information from other programs and dealing with problems.

Purchase PocoMail

There are several variations of Pocomail, each designed with a specific task. They include:

PocoMail 4 (US$39.95) provides you with an excellent e-mail client and contacts manager (updated in Pocomail 4).
Barca 2 (US$59.95) is an all-in-one Personal Information Manager (PIM), adding to Pocomail a calendar, planner and diary.
If you currently own Barca or Pocomail 3, you can upgrade to current versions for less in the Poco Systems Upgrades + Specials section (you'll need to enter your license code).
30-day money-back guarantee.

Thunderbird: Companion to Firefox

Reclaim Your Inbox

Looking for a good free alternative to Outlook Express?

Thunderbird—Reclaim Your Inbox—is a powerful, yet easy to use, free stand-alone e-mail program from Mozilla that works great in conjunction with the Firefox browser.

Thunderbird 3 Released

New & improved features in Thunderbird 3:

Tabbed email, and a new set of search tools to help you find your email faster.
Choose the look and features you need or want. Smart folders help you to keep multiple e-mail accounts organized.
Mail Account Setup Wizard makes it easier to get started. You don't have to know all the technical terms to set up your accounts.
The new junk filters are improved and remote images aren't downloaded automatically, preserving your privacy.

Other E-mail Programs/More Information

There is more information about other e-mail programs, including security and other concerns, on my E-mail Software & Issues page.

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Firefox Web Browser

Firefox is a safer and faster alternative to Internet Explorer and other browsers for exploring the Web.

Firefox is designed so that Websites cannot install software without your consent. This makes Firefox safer than any other Web browser available.
Firefox has configurable popup-blocking built right in and excellent privacy tools.
Firefox Extensions give you the ability to add features to Firefox and to customize your Web experience. The Web Developer Extension is invaluable for Web designers to ensure their Websites are standards-compliant.
Firefox is standards-compliant today, which means that it is ready for tomorrow's Web content today.
Already running Firefox? Check to see if your Firefox plugins are up to date.

Over 1,280,257,311 Firefox downloads have been recorded so far (not counting updates). There were 8,002,530 copies of Firefox 3 downloaded in a single day on June 18, 2008.

Firefox is the first browser to seriously challenge Internet Explorer for dominance of Web browsers for quite a number of years. Firefox is simply better.

More Information

There is more information about other web browser programs, including security and other concerns, on my Web Browsers & Plugins page.

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ZoneAlarm Firewall

Free Basic Firewall for Personal Use

ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall (firewall only, no automatic configuration) is FREE for individual and not-for-profit charitable entity use (excluding governmental entities and educational institutions).

More Protection Recommended

I strongly recommend a current version of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite or ZoneAlarm Extreme Security:

Special Internet Offer for ZoneAlarm Antivirus Protection!—Guards your front door — stopping hackers and other intruders in their tracks. (firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware USD 19.95 for up to 3 PCs (50% off))
Download ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and Save 50% —Essential antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall protection for your PC. (firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, more… USD 24.95 for up to 3 PCs)
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security — Save $20 Now! —The most comprehensive suite on the market. Protects your PC, your browser, and your data. (firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, hard drive encryption, more… USD 49.95 for up to 3 PCs)

All prices indicated are for a one-year subscription and subject to change.

More Information

There is more information about ZoneAlarm, including how to configure it and links to the deprecated Windows 98/2000 version on my ZoneAlarm Security page.

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AVG Antivirus

Free Home Protection

AVG has a free personal edition that plays nicely with ZoneAlarm (unlike current versions of Norton) and provides decent coverage for home users (this free version is not licensed for commercial use).

Version 9 now available with faster scanning and better protection. You can download two versions. Both of the following links will bring up an immediate download of the file, but the second AVG 9 Free version is a much larger download:

optimized for online installation (approx. 870KB — requires web access)
optimized for offline installation (approx. 74MB — a much larger file)

If you are downloading the free version, be sure to check out the Choose your protection level and AVG Free limitations to see the advantages of AVG Pro.

Hint: read all the screens carefully so that you get to the correct download page. Upgrades with a price indicated are not free (nor is TrialPay — you're required to purchase other products to get your "free" product). More information about antivirus software, including other products are available on my Anti-Virus Protection page.

Full (or Commercial Use) Protection

AVG Professional Edition provides for more control and separate versions for networks and servers and is licensed for commercial environments.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite Includes Protection

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite includes both antivirus and antispyware protection and is highly recommended for complete protection. There is more information in the Firewall section, above.

More Information

There is more information about viruses, hoaxes and various vendors on my Anti-Virus Protection page.

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Lavasoft Ad-Aware Antispyware

Lavasoft's Ad-Aware protects you against identity theft, online fraud, and other cyber crimes. It will do a deep scan of your system to check for spyware and malicious software on your computer to safely remove spyware from your system. A built-in updater keeps the database and software up to date.

Upgrade older versions to the new version released October 2009. You don't need to uninstall the old product to upgrade from the Anniversary Edition, but those with Ad-Aware 2008 or SE should uninstall those products first.

Three Versions

There are three versions of Ad-Aware for non-enterprise users:

Ad-Aware Free provides free basic protection for home users (the real-time icon is installed, but is not active). This freeware version is not licensed for commercial use.
Ad-Aware Plus adds automatic scans and real-time protection.
Ad-Aware Pro has all of Plus's features but adds features like network drive scanning and command-line features.

While the Plus and Pro versions have anti-virus protection included, you should see my recommendations for antivirus software.

Beware of Fake Spyware-removers

Watch out for ads on Websites that appear to "find" spyware on your system. They offer to remove it if you purchase their product. Don't fall for these tactics. Most, if not all, are rip-offs or fakes.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite Includes Protection

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite includes both antivirus and antispyware protection and is highly recommended for complete protection. There is more information in the Firewall section, above.

More Information

There is more information about spyware detection and removal as well as additional information about protecting your privacy on my Your Privacy At Risk page.

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Disk Cleanup

CCleaner

CCleaner, a free utility from Piniform, provides an excellent set of tools for cleaning up the stuff left behind in Windows.

Installing CCleaner

When installing CCleaner, watch out for the "extras" you don't need. These can change between versions, but I recommend:

Do not select the two options related to the context menus for the Recycle Bin.
Do not add the Yahoo! Toolbar (I'm not a fan of toolbars).
Do select the option to check for an update to avoid missing improvements available in new versions.

Running CCleaner

There are four tabs at the right of CCleaner.

Cleaner: cleans your system of temporary content, often removing megabytes of unneeded temporary files and log entries (don't delete these if you're experiencing trouble with a program).
Registry: checks for issues within the registry. I suggest selecting only one option at a time and backing up before cleaning (CCleaner simply removes the registry entry but doesn't offer an actual repair).
Tools: provide an interface to uninstall programs, change Startup programs and System Restore. I find the Startup most useful, but you must know what you are doing or your Windows may not start correctly.
Options: allows you to change the way CCleaner operates. Recommended only for those with the knowledge to understand the implications of changes made to your system.

I recommend that most users stick with running the Cleaner using the default values.

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NoteTab

Replace NotePad with NoteTab

Windows NotePad works OK as a quick viewer for .ini and readme files but has many limitations. It can open only very small files and you can only view a single file at a time, thereby limiting its usefulness in copying from one file to another.

Tame your text with NoteTab Light

I recommend that you download NoteTab Light (free) as your default text editor. Be sure to try out the advanced features, because if you're more than a casual user, you'll want to check out NoteTab Professional.

NoteTab is a Better Solution

It is truly a testament to the quality and usefulness of NoteTab that it continued to win awards in 2005—two years after the release of that version in May 23, 2003 and has won significant awards consistently since 1998.

There are 3 versions:

NoteTab Light;
NoteTab Standard; and
NoteTab Pro

I recommend NoteTab Pro for those that need the extra features or NoteTab Light for those looking for a simple text editor (replacement for Windows NotePad).

NoteTab Light

NoteTab Light (Version 6.2—freeware) allows you to edit and copy between multiple text and HTML (Web page code) files at one time using the unique tabbed index instead of one file at a time like NotePad and other editors.

NoteTab Standard

NoteTab Light users can try NoteTab Standard (Version 6.2—US$19.95) features for 30 days, but I strongly recommend purchasing NoteTab Pro for all the extras it offers.

NoteTab Pro:

NoteTab Pro (Version 6.2—US$29.95) is the ultimate editor for Web designers and programmers, adding a number of rich features. Strongly recommended for those wishing to build or edit Websites by hand (the only way to get the tight control over your design).

NoteTab Pro for Better Results

NoteTab version 6.2 offers a number of improvements to the already excellent program. There are many excellent features:

Multiple undo levels and a thesaurus and a multilingual spell checker help you do things right;
Full support with multi-user and network environments and runs reliably from a user "Limited Account";
Useful and editable clipbars assist you with your work;
Colour markup of HTML and URLs (view screenshot) making editing Web pages easier than ever;
Features for advanced Web designers and coders including XHTML compatibility and the new regex engine based on PCRE (Perl 5 compatible)—hand coding was never easier;
Improved support for Unicode and UTF-8 files;
A powerful text editor made for demanding users—as attested by consistent and significant awards.

This site was carefully hand-crafted using NoteTab Pro—without the use of any templates.

Upgrading

Free updates from version 5.x to the latest version (6.2) are available through NoteTab's "Check for Updates" feature, which is available from the Help menu.
If you own NoteTab 4.x, you can You can obtain your 50% upgrade discount to version 6.2 through NoteTab 4's "Check for Updates" feature, which is available from the Help menu.

Other Fookes Software

You might wish to check out some of the other software available from Fookes. Some of it is freeware, but all of it is quality software.

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A Quick Graphics Viewer

IrfanView is a fast image viewer/converter that works with a whole range of the most common graphics formats and is free for non-commercial use (see license, below).

IrfanView is excellent software for quickly viewing images and making simple conversions. If you need to do intensive graphics manipulation, you might wish to consider Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw.

License

IrfanView is provided as freeware, but only for private, non-commercial use (that means at home), for educational use (schools, universities and libraries) and for use in charity or humanitarian organisations. A commercial license costs US$12 (10 Euros). You donations are encouraged if IrfanView works for you to support continued development.

Downloading Irfanview

Download and install Irfanview from one of the recommended sites. While Irfanview includes a number of plugins, I'd suggest that you also download and install the plugins to enhance the number of image formats that it can view.

Using Irfanview

When you open IrfanView you see a black work area and several icons.
Click on the folder icon in the toolbar and select the directory to search for your image. IrfanView displays thumbnails of your photos—easier than choosing by filename alone.
IrfanView has plugins (post-install addins) and the ability to acquire images from a camera or scanner.
It can print in a variety of ways. Once you click on Print (View ⇒ Print) then another dialogue box comes up with options to print the image in original size, best for page, etc. and an option to centre the image.

More Information

Check Irfanview's Frequently Asked Questions page for help, tutorials or more information.

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Open Office

Free Alternative to Microsoft Office

OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.

In fact, there are many large organizations and governments using OpenOffice.org products as their standard software. (This may be threatened in the future. Learn why.)

Extensions

OpenOffice.org Extensions provide additional features, customizations or slight tweaks to the OpenOffice.org suite of products. Not all will be suitable for you nor are all free, but they are worth checking out to see if you can add something you need.

Download It

Download the OpenOffice.org office suite.

System Requirements

OpenOffice.org runs on many operating systems including Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The Windows and Mac OS X (X11) requirements have been included below.

Minimum Requirements for Windows

Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista (enhanced Vista integration from version 2.2)
128 MB RAM
At least 800 MB available disk space for a default install (including a JRE) via download. After installation and deletion of temporary installation files, OpenOffice.org will use approximately 440 MB disk space.
800 x 600 or higher resolution with at least 256 colours

Java Requirements

The minimum JDK/JRE version required to use OpenOffice.org features that require Java is JDK/JRE version 1.3.1. For full functionality, jdk/jre 1.4.0_02 or newer or jdk/jre 1.4.1_01 or newer is required. You can download Java or test your current Java installation.

Say NO to Microsoft Office Broken Standard

Microsoft is trying to change the current Office OpenXML (OOXML) standard. This will guarantee Microsoft profitability, but is a bad deal for everyone else.

“Office Open XML is neither open nor XML, nor is it a general 'Office' file format, as it is specifically tailored to Microsoft Office 2007.” — noooxml.org

So far there have been many procedural irregularities in countries around the world.

Why Should I Care?

If passed, only Microsoft's Office 2007 will meet the proposed Office OpenXML standard. Multi-platform alternatives like OpenOffice.org may be unable to compete:

The OOXML is dependant on the Windows technology platform.
Operating systems other than current versions Microsoft Windows may be unable to support any office program that meets the standard.
Uncertainties about involved patents may make any competition unfeasible.

Learn More

Learn more about the proposed Office OpenXML, including how you can encourage fair participation by your country's representatives.

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Free Zip Utilities

Zip Function Built Into Later Windows Versions

Windows Me, XP, Vista and Windows 7 have built-in ability to handle zip files. Unless you are running Windows 98/98SE (or earlier), you won't need a program to deal with these files. That said, if you have a need to compress files smaller or in formats other than .zip, you might want to consider one of the following free products.

The products below do not contain spyware or adware.

7-Zip

7-Zip is a compression utility that works much the same way as the commercial WinZip product, but is free, even for commercial use.

As well as the common .zip format, 7-Zip has an enhanced 7z format which provides a very high compression ratio (smaller zipped files) that neither WinZip nor the Windows built-in file compression software can handle.

Download 7-Zip.

ZipGenius

ZipGenius is a free compression utility that zips and unzips files easily.

In addition to traditional ZIP files, ZipGenius will open the less common (but sometimes encountered) RAR and ARJ extensions. It also works with the 7-zip format, a much improved compression formula.

Download ZipGenius.

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Other Resources

You can always try the various resources listed on these pages to find other alternatives:

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www.RussHarvey.bc.ca/resources/software.html
Updated: July 23, 2010