I had a trojan appear on the kids XP machine, (Backdoor.Genlot.DX) and went looking for info on it. Stumbled across this on the McAfee site and it appears to be a great free tool for helping kids surf safely.

www.siteadvisor.com

When googling etc, it puts up a big green tick beside reputable sites, and a big red cross beside those that try to do anything nefarious.

Tell your kids to only access the green tick sites and its a major step to securing your machine. It works with Windows Explorer and Firefox.

Cheerio,

Many thanks for the link - it looks like a very useful tool!

:ok: :D

SD

not a free software, but free online converters (very convenient,actually)- www.vidflash.com

@ ©hris
 

You're not wrong - will save me tons of work hours trying to find stuff for home...

One more:

Internet Browser - Opera - Download button and Features page. Ruddy quick browser!

:ok:

Free Antispyware
 

I've probably got the most protected PC in the world. Or in our street, at least. All free.
Been using Ewido (trial program-antispyware) for it's resident shield and general very high standard. (Read several bad things from users of Windows Defender, which replaced the very good Giant application, which has just expired:{ , so decided not to "upgrade")
So searched for a new application, not hopeful at first, came across this little gem: http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Interesting reviews + download also here: http://www.download.com/Spyware-Term...ml?tag=lst-0-1
Don't know for how long this will stay free. It's BRILLIANT. But free it is!:8
(Running it plus Ewido[till it dies],Spybot's Teatimer, Winpatrol,SpywareBlaster+Guard and Avast antivirus. No conflictions/slowdown.) There is also an option to include an antivirus scanner.(Free) But it seems a bit less oomphy than Avast's, from user accounts.

Backup Tip - Cobian Backup
 

Well, not backup in the traditional Windows/DOS sense - more of a scheduled file copy with a good interface and tons of options. It's free, works nicely and seems written by someone who cares about software quality.

"Author: Cobian
Description: Cobian Backup is a multi-threaded program that can be used to schedule and backup your files and directories from their original location to other directories/drives in the same computer or other computer in your network. FTP backup is also supported in both directions (download and upload).

Cobian Backup exists in two different versions: application and service. The program uses very few resources and can be running on the background on your system, checking your backup schedule and executing your backups when necessary. Cobian Backup is not an usual backup application: it only copies your files and folders in original or compressed mode to other destination, creating a security copy as a result. So Cobian Backup can be better described as a "Scheduler for security copies".

Cobian Backup supports several methods of compression and strong encryption."

I use various different strategies for backup - one of them is setting up a cronjob to copy my active working files from my PC to Tom's PC and vice versa. I use Techsoft's incomparable MirrorFolder for this, but it does cost $39. Cobian Backup would be an excellent free alternative. I think it's first class!

Mac

GoodSync file synchroniser
 

Another excellent file synchroniser! Hidden away on the RoboForm - http://www.roboform.com/ - website (if you have lots of sites to login to then RoboForm is the secure dogs bollocks).

GoodSync is very cool, very flexible, lots of nifty little settings possible.

GoodSync - http://www.goodsync.com/ - is free for non-commercial use. Buy the Pro version for $19 and support free software.

UTorrent - Torrent client, faster than Azureus and if you enable the protocol encryption option it will stop your ISP from throttling torrent traffic which appears to be happening with all ISPs these days.

Opera - Fastest web browser available, and the best IMHO

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack - Codec pack that will play every single video file you will ever have. Good excuse to uninstall Quicktime and Real Player (Coz they is crap).

Browzar
 

www.browzar.com

A free privacy browser, a tiny download that runs on any modern windows PC. Leaving no browsing history, autocomplete data, cookies or cache data on the PC you run it on.

I have this as well after reading about it on our Forum and can thoroughly recommend it to all especially if you have your children using the computer on their own.

Re: Browzar
 

Browzar looks cute and may be a bit more secure than Incompetent Exploder but it still uses the IE engine, with all that engine's insecurities and possible MS dirty tricks.

OffByOne is a very fast standalone micro-browser that offers a tabbed interface, optional SSL support and full HTML 3.2 plus many HTML 4.0 extensions. It leaves no browsing history, autocomplete data, cookies or cache data behind when it closes.

http://offbyone.com/offbyone/ob1_overview.htm

More trustworthy I'd venture.....

That K-Lite Codec pack-you have to join to download it.

Is there a way of getting it free?

Brl Try http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...Codec_Pack.htm

Downloading myself now.

Free Comodo Firewall
 

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.c...istration.html

Used XP firewall. Adequate for most; no outbound protection. (VG inbound protection.)
Tried Filseclab (free). Pretty good, has failed a few leak tests though.
Comodo ver 2.3.6.81 passed https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 (Shields Up online firewall test) 100%, and gets good reviews.

Firewall program
 

If you have an old box (486 will do job) and 2 network cards lying around then i would recommend downloading smoothwall it is a free firewall program including the linux based operating system from www.smoothwall.org it is only about 45mb. It acts as the first line of defence between the internet and your local network. i have been using it for over 2 years now without any problems. there is also a great support forum if you get into strife. Much better than installing seperate firewall software on all your computers on your lan. passed all tests on shields up & symantec. I would highly recommend it and best of all it is FREE.
Allen

Photo organiser and tweaker
 

Free from google...


http://picasa.google.com/


It's a great little programme for filing your phots and doing some alterations on them... does not move photos from any folders they are already in, but lists them chronologically.

FMS Radio Controlled Flight Simulator
 

If anyone is looking for a good FREE Radio Controlled model helicopter and plane simulator then i would give FMS a try. It can be downloaded at http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html
Also you could try Flightgear flightsim from www.flightgear.org it is also FREE and it runs on both windows and Linux.
Allen

FSAutoStart
 

you could try running a program call FSAutoStart. It disables unnessasery resourses too allow your program to run at peak performance. Might be worth a look. http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/S...utoStart.shtml
Allen

Business Software Suite
 

If you want to have your very own SAP or Oracle suite of applications, I can recommend OfBiz. It does need a fair bit of reading of the support web sites to get it running (well, it did for me) so it's not for the feint hearted or IT challenged.

It covers most business requirements from CRM through stock control, wages and web portals to name but a few.

Lots of material on-line as well for tutorials and documentation.

ST

Genealogy
 

I've been using Brother's Keeper for several years and it is constantly being developed by its author. The BK Support forum is very good and quite active.

If there's a feature that isn't already part of the application and you think it's a good idea to have it, the author will consider it and, if appropriate, will develop the solution and it will appear in a later version.

It is shareware, but once you pay a relatively small fee, extra features are opened. Having said that, if you just want to try it out, and not register it, it is probably the best featured (and NOT time limited) application of its type out there.

ST

Amateur Radio logging, satellite tracking & rig control
 

Last one from me for today - honest :oh:

Completely free - the guy doesn't actively seek any payment or donation. A saint.

Ham Radio Deluxe is an integrated suite of programs that will cover a lot of a radio ham's hobby needs for software.

It allows real time tracking of satellites and even corrects the tx and rx frequencies on rigs that allow external control so that Doppler effect is negated.

This is another one that is being constantly developed, and the author responds pro-actively to any request for additional features or improvements.

ST

http://www.wisdom-soft.com/products/...order_free.htm

Free screen capture recorder.
Works well to record anything on the computer screen.
Save Youtube videos (Any streaming video) and similiar.(i.e. TV card output as seen on screen).
Can even save whole screen.

The above company offers this free...so what do they get out of it??

AVG
 

Just love this product. Downloaded it for free a copule of years ago. Received word today, via the normal daily download process of fixes to new viruses, that starting in January 2007, the current version will expire and I will have to buy the new version if I want to keep using it.

Anybody else receive this notification?

Newarksmells

newark
Just download AVG Free 7.5 and continue as normal.:ok:

This is surprising. But then, maybe not. http://www.grisoft.com/doc/39275/lng/us/tpl/tpl01
All else fails, try Avast or Avira.

Try here to get the free version.

Regarding the Free Screen Capture program mentioned by BigEndBob I went to the site and McAfee SiteAdvisor flashed RED as a warning that the site was a definite risk.
Did not proceed any further, so unable to comment on the actual program.

Site advisor score for auto recorder
 

I've found SiteAdvisor pretty good, in a "master caution light" sort of way, but just because a site is red or amber flagged doesn't necessarily mean the download of a particular program is fraught.
Here are the SiteAdvisor resulkts, for the program concerned (AutoScreenRecorder) http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/wis...nloads/488007/ Came up clean.
And for the site generally http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/wisdom-soft.com
Many links to "red" sites.

Thank you for your enlightened comments Markjoy.
Very useful indeed.

More than welcome, HR. :)

May as well give my secret away.

If you wish to backup your DVD's, Dvdycrypter is now owned by macromedia and has been withdrawn from the public domain. However, if you download 'ripitforme' and the the other programs that are needed (it tells you where and what to get) you can backup all your DVD's. ALL these programs are free, don't be fooled into buying them.

This works everytime.

Then ccdcovers : - www.cdcovers.cc/covers.php

Stick it through NERO (might have to buy this one) and away you go.

Tack :)

Tacklebury
 

Thanks for sharing that with us; ripitforme is found here:

http://www.ripit4me.org/guide.html#installation

I followed the guide carefully and was able to manage a DVD backup after some time.

The process is lengthy however.


Regards
Exeng

If a TV card fails to work with your OS, there's a brilliant piece of free software that is almost guaranteed to work.

It's called DScaler and you can get it from http://www.dscaler.org

Huge quantity of excellent stuff at

The Free Country.

Including Winmerge - http://winmerge.org/ - mentioned in a recent thread.

Also extremely valuable is the GNU FSF/UNESCO Free Software Directory at http://directory.fsf.org/. Lots of excellent stuff ported to Windows as well as Unix.

SD

Convert between formats
 

This is a great thread, and has given me lots of valuable tips. Thanks to all.

In return here is one I just stumbled across: http://media-convert.com/ This site allows you to upload an amazing variety of different file types from different applications, and it converts it to a file type you require. It converts documents, audio, picture and movies (although there is a limit on file size) and spits it back as a either a download file, zip file or just a link.

I know it's not really "Free Software" as such, but could be a bit useful (and still free to use) for any of us wanting to use our free files in paid applications or vice versa. Took about 30 seconds to convert an old Star Office .sxw file to a Microsoft Word .doc so I could e-mail it to someone else. :ok:

Free TV anybody - and that on your PC
 

For those of you with a fairly good broadband connection - free TV on your PC. At present I can certainly recommend this link as getting around 40 channels with acceptable picture quality - it does depend on what you are doing with the PC besides just watching TV.;)

Thanks for a great thread guys.... I guess soon it will be time to consolidate the data into a new front end sticky - hint:ouch:

Gofer, like the post. Have you tried -

www.alluc.org ??

This is a website that links to thousands of sites that host TV programs. Every kind imaginable, from TV Soaps to Documentaries.

No more downloading your favourite American shows!!!!

Tack.

Gofer - feel free to do the collating, I'll happily sticky the result!

Quick everyone, take one step back! Gofer, where do you think you are going?

;)

SD

Dastardly to the core
 

Was expecting that :eek: - but at least it was nicely asked / challenged. Now that I have a tame moderator....

OK will do ..... but - as we all are - am up to my ears in muck and bullets at present. So no promises as to timeframes for the finished product (sorry not finished product - just next version:ugh: )

Do you want the 340 version or the 2K version:D

Cheers Gofer

P.S.: If U people out there want to give me any help - happy to accept also - mail me !:cool:

Screen recorder - CamStudio.
Free.