Required freeware capabilities (from memory):
- Browse the web with Firefox to replace IE
- Email with Thunderbird to replace OE
- Create PDFs with CutePDF to replace Acrobat
- View photos with Irfanview & edit with Paint.NET
- Firewall with ZoneAlarm to replace Windows Firewall
- AntiVirus with Avast to replace McAfee
- Archive with IZArc to replace WinZip
- Office documents with Sun OpenOffice to replace MS Office
- Security with TrueCrypt to replace PGP
- Usenet with XNews to replace google groups
- Torrent with Bittorrent to replace ftp
- Ipod with SharePod to replace ITunes song transfer
- Audacity & MultiID3 tag editor to replace iTunes editing
- Backup dvds with DVDFabDecrypter
- Convert avi to DVD with DVDFlick
- Burn DVDs with ImgBurn
- Maps with GoogleEarth
- RealAlternative to replace RealPlayer
- QuicktimeAlternative to replace QuickTime
- Media Player Classic to replace Windows Media Player
- GNU Flash Alternative to replace Macromedia Flash Player
- Skype to replace land lines
- AdAware, SpywareBlaster, & Spybot Search & Destroy for privacy
- Ccleaner to maintain a clean PC & registry
- Any others?
I'm sure I missed a half-dozen or more critical freeware necessities for a
typical laptop. Can you help me refresh my memory.
What other freeware do most people need to set up a decent Windows XP PC?
Re: New boot disk - What freeware to reinstall (here is my list, for starters)
Erica Eshoo wrote:
> Unfortunately, my kid lost his boot disk recently and I had to reimage
> WinXP and now it's time to add all the freeware back.
>
> Silly me - in addition to no backups, we don't have a well defined
> list of freeware that was installed - so, we're starting from
> scratch, again.
>
> I wish I had kept a list. I'm trying to remember from memory what
> needs to be installed on a laptop to make it useful.
>
> I think these are the required software additions for my NEW running
> list of freeware aps that must be on a typical windows XP pc.
>
> Mandatory Operating System Patches (for laptops):
> - Windows XP SP2
> - Wireless encryption http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917021
> - Any others?
>
> Required freeware capabilities (from memory):
> - Browse the web with Firefox to replace IE
> - Email with Thunderbird to replace OE
> - Create PDFs with CutePDF to replace Acrobat
> - View photos with Irfanview & edit with Paint.NET
> - Firewall with ZoneAlarm to replace Windows Firewall
> - AntiVirus with Avast to replace McAfee
> - Archive with IZArc to replace WinZip
> - Office documents with Sun OpenOffice to replace MS Office
> - Security with TrueCrypt to replace PGP
> - Usenet with XNews to replace google groups
> - Torrent with Bittorrent to replace ftp
> - Ipod with SharePod to replace ITunes song transfer
> - Audacity & MultiID3 tag editor to replace iTunes editing
> - Backup dvds with DVDFabDecrypter
> - Convert avi to DVD with DVDFlick
> - Burn DVDs with ImgBurn
> - Maps with GoogleEarth
> - RealAlternative to replace RealPlayer
> - QuicktimeAlternative to replace QuickTime
> - Media Player Classic to replace Windows Media Player
> - GNU Flash Alternative to replace Macromedia Flash Player
> - Skype to replace land lines
> - AdAware, SpywareBlaster, & Spybot Search & Destroy for privacy
> - Ccleaner to maintain a clean PC & registry
> - Any others?
>
> I'm sure I missed a half-dozen or more critical freeware necessities
> for a typical laptop. Can you help me refresh my memory.
>
> What other freeware do most people need to set up a decent Windows XP
> PC?
I don`t think you missed any critical, you can always find ones you
need as and when you need them. And add them to your list.
I consider a cd burning one like CD Burner XP, and ones for playing
media, and irfanview, as most critical. You have those covered really,
I would add..
SUPER by eRightSoft <-- for converting media, including converting one
to a more compatible format so even standard WMP can read it
VLC VideoLAN <-- a media player that plays almost anything, though
cannot always jump around as in WMP. It does play more than WMP Classic
or quicktime alternative.
I prefer Xananews as a news client. I prefer it to Forte for example,
which somebody mentioned.
Google Groups is good though, and has a searchable archive which is
crucial/critical.
Infact, if you had typed freeware into Google Groups you`d have got
that newsgroup I mentinoed below, and there you would`ve seen those 2
links mentioned.
You can try alt.comp.freeware too, they would also have lists.
If any freeware is critical, you already mentioned it.
Re: New boot disk - What freeware to reinstall (here is my list,for starters)
In article <13isjptf4fo5a8@news.supernews.com>,
bluerhinoceros <bluerhinoceros@humanzoo.invalid> wrote:
>Erica Eshoo wrote:
>> Mandatory Operating System Patches (for laptops):
>> - Windows XP SP2
[ ... ]
>You may have taken it for granted and not mentioned it, but either
>Automatic Updates, or regular visits to Windows Update...
[ ... ]
Or, manually download each update and save it in your installs folder.
That way Microsoft doesn't get to slide through another unauthorized
spyware installation when you have auto-install turned off.
Re: New boot disk - What freeware to reinstall (here is my list, for starters)
Erica Eshoo <evesunflor@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:8ZqXi.18808$JD.18447@newssvr21.news.prodigy.n et:
> Unfortunately, my kid lost his boot disk recently and I had to reimage
> WinXP and now it's time to add all the freeware back.
>
> Silly me - in addition to no backups, we don't have a well defined
> list of freeware that was installed - so, we're starting from scratch,
> again.
>
> I wish I had kept a list. I'm trying to remember from memory what
> needs to be installed on a laptop to make it useful.
>
> I think these are the required software additions for my NEW running
> list of freeware aps that must be on a typical windows XP pc.
>
----deleted list ---
>
> I'm sure I missed a half-dozen or more critical freeware necessities
> for a typical laptop. Can you help me refresh my memory.
>
> What other freeware do most people need to set up a decent Windows XP
> PC?
I use Faststone for an image browser
and Winamp for multimedia (also has a tag editor and iPod support).
Also look into Autoruns and Process Explorer by Sys internals.
> SUPER by eRightSoft <-- for converting media, including converting one
> to a more compatible format so even standard WMP can read it
WOW! Thanks for the referral to this incredibly SUPER
software. I've been looking for something like this, and
over time have spent a lot of money on products that are
incompetent, incompatible with Vista, or hard to use.
Re: New boot disk - What freeware to reinstall (here is my list,for starters)
Ike wrote:
> jameshanley39@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>
> > SUPER by eRightSoft <-- for converting media, including converting
> > one to a more compatible format so even standard WMP can read it
>
>
> WOW! Thanks for the referral to this incredibly SUPER software. I've
> been looking for something like this, and over time have spent a lot
> of money on products that are incompetent, incompatible with Vista,
> or hard to use.
>
> Super is well-named.
>
> Ike
it takes some looking to find the download link on the site, sometimes
the link looks more like an advert.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/alt...frm/thread/ca6
08a10ede5d1e3/f7d9d02939bbe706?hl=en&lnk=st&q=jameshanley39+supe r#f7d9d0
2939bbe706
links to alt.comp.freeware, thread- How to Burn & Play an AVI File
I`ll paste what I wrote there, here
with a file that plays in some i.e. VLC but not others. Or suppose
you don`t have VLC. You might find it plays in WMP classic, but not
others like WMP.
there are 2 logical options..
-try different players - maybe one will support the file
or
-convert the file to a format, that is compatible.
You can convert the file using SUPER by eRightSoft to a form of mpg or
avi or whatever, that is compatible with all/most players. I have
done that and find they then always play even in plain old WMP(windows
media player).
You drag the file onto SUPER, then check the box, click "Encode". See
if that makes a file that even WMP can read. You may have to choose a
different "output container" - dropdown menu, then click Encode.
Hopefully instead of just "encoding", a window will pop up and say
"Rendered file optimizer- select one of the following FourCC - DIVX -
all players compatible, DX50 .... "
You choose "DIVX all players compatible". Then let it encode and it
will work.
I don`t know why it uses terms like "encoding" or "output container"
or "FourCC" , exactly what is meant, but it works. But I get generally
what it means. Encoding is making the file, output container is the
format mpg, avi, e.t..c FourCC is to do with the type of codec it uses
to make the file.
I did once have a file that was not reading in , maybe only in VLC.
For the hell of it I checked it with gspot, to see what codec it used.
I said "divx" I think it said it in lowe rcase. Still, converting it
with SUPER fixed it. THen it said DIVX in upper case. The
thechnicalities are a load of ******** that don`t interest me greatly.
But the process - converting the file to a more compatible format,
that makes sense and works.
Re: New boot disk - What freeware to reinstall (here is my list, for starters)
On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 21:38:12 GMT, Erica Eshoo
<evesunflor@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>Unfortunately, my kid lost his boot disk recently and I had to reimage
>WinXP and now it's time to add all the freeware back.
>
>Silly me - in addition to no backups, we don't have a well defined list of
>freeware that was installed - so, we're starting from scratch, again.
>
>I wish I had kept a list. I'm trying to remember from memory what needs to
>be installed on a laptop to make it useful.
>
>I think these are the required software additions for my NEW running list
>of freeware aps that must be on a typical windows XP pc.
>
>Mandatory Operating System Patches (for laptops):
>- Windows XP SP2
>- Wireless encryption http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917021
>- Any others?
>
>Required freeware capabilities (from memory):
>- Browse the web with Firefox to replace IE
>- Email with Thunderbird to replace OE
>- Create PDFs with CutePDF to replace Acrobat
>- View photos with Irfanview & edit with Paint.NET
>- Firewall with ZoneAlarm to replace Windows Firewall
>- AntiVirus with Avast to replace McAfee
>- Archive with IZArc to replace WinZip
>- Office documents with Sun OpenOffice to replace MS Office
>- Security with TrueCrypt to replace PGP
>- Usenet with XNews to replace google groups
>- Torrent with Bittorrent to replace ftp
>- Ipod with SharePod to replace ITunes song transfer
>- Audacity & MultiID3 tag editor to replace iTunes editing
>- Backup dvds with DVDFabDecrypter
>- Convert avi to DVD with DVDFlick
>- Burn DVDs with ImgBurn
>- Maps with GoogleEarth
>- RealAlternative to replace RealPlayer
>- QuicktimeAlternative to replace QuickTime
>- Media Player Classic to replace Windows Media Player
>- GNU Flash Alternative to replace Macromedia Flash Player
>- Skype to replace land lines
>- AdAware, SpywareBlaster, & Spybot Search & Destroy for privacy
>- Ccleaner to maintain a clean PC & registry
>- Any others?
>
>I'm sure I missed a half-dozen or more critical freeware necessities for a
>typical laptop. Can you help me refresh my memory.
>
>What other freeware do most people need to set up a decent Windows XP PC?
New boot disk - What freeware to reinstall (here is my list, for starters) 
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