DrDeath
12-01-10, 03:44
Know What Is Running On Your Computer
Process Hacker (http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/)
Process Hacker is a feature-packed tool for manipulating processes and services on your computer. It is very much like windows task manager but many more features and indeed you can replace task manager with it . Click above link for more information . This is powerful and useful but you need to read about it to get to know all its features.
Process Monitor (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx) Microsoft tool
Process Monitor is an advanced monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity. It combines the features of two legacy Sysinternals utilities, Filemon and Regmon, and adds an extensive list of enhancements including rich and non-destructive filtering, comprehensive event properties such session IDs and user names, reliable process information, full thread stacks with integrated symbol support for each operation, simultaneous logging to a file, and much more. Its uniquely powerful features will make Process Monitor a core utility in your system troubleshooting and malware hunting toolkit.
Process Explorer (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx) Microsoft tool similar to process hacker
Autoruns (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx)
This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
Autoruns' Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option helps you to zoom in on third-party auto-starting images that have been added to your system and it has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts configured on a system. Also included in the download package is a command-line equivalent that can output in CSV format, Autorunsc.
You'll probably be surprised at how many executables are launched automatically!
Network , Connection , Router Issues
DMTtool (http://dmt.mhilfe.de/) for connection analysis and altering some settings on router. Don't alter things unless you know what you are doing .
TCP Optimizer (http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php)
Description: The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run.
The program can aid both the novice and the advanced user in tweaking related TCP/IP parameters in the Windows Registry, making it easy to tune your system to the type of Internet connection used. The tool uses advanced algorithms, and the bandwidth*delay product to find the best TCP Window for your specific connection speed. It provides for easy tuning of all related TCP/IP parameters, such as MTU, RWIN, and even advanced ones like QoS and ToS/Diffserv prioritization. The program works with all current versions of Windows, and includes additional tools, such as testing average latency over multiple hosts, and finding the largest possible packet size (MTU).
The TCP Optimizer is targeted towards broadband internet connections, however it can be helpful with tuning any internet connection type, from dialup to Gigabit+ :)
Speedtest (http://www.speedtest.net/) Test your upload/download speeds
PingTest (http://www.pingtest.net/) Assess ping, jitter, QoS
Quality Of Service (QoS) (http://www.qostest.com/)
The Internet Quality of Service Test was created to measure quality of service from a user perspective to services on the Internet. This benchmarking tool is targeted at end hosts (consumers) to assist them to quantify their Internet Quality of Service Experience by focusing on broad Internet services performance rather than end-to-end statistics. To do so, the tool utilizes existing services already on the Internet (such as HTTP, DNS or ICMP Ping) and quantifies the quality of service experience based on simulated performance tests to each service commonly accessed by Internet users. This method of testing allows for a wide geographical coverage which gives us a good representation of the Internet as we know it from the user's viewpoint. The tool runs as a Java applet within an Internet browser for ease of use.
PortForward.com (http://portforward.com/) is great for info on how to forward ports on your router and what ports to forward for games etc . "Our ultimate goal is to have a write up for every hardware router and firewall available and instructions for every application that Internet users have difficulty getting to work through their router or firewall so that you can do simple port forwarding." They have instructions for port forwarding for pretty much all routers and all games .
Anti-Virus , Anti-Malware , Anti-Bloatware etc
CCLeaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/)
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)
Spybot search+destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html)
Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware and more. I have posted a link to the English version of the site but you can get multiple languages HERE (http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html)
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php) Free Anti-Malware :Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware. In our product we have compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to detect. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware monitors every process and stops malicious processes before they even start. The Realtime Protection Module uses our advanced heuristic scanning technology which monitors your system to keep it safe and secure. In addition, we have implemented a threats center which will allow you to keep up to date with the latest malware threats.
VirusTotal (http://www.virustotal.com/sobre.html) Upload files for scanning HERE (http://www.virustotal.com/)
VirusTotal is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by antivirus engines.
Specs:
Free, independent service
Use of multiple antivirus engines
Real-time automatic updates of virus signatures
Detailed results from each antivirus engine
Real time global statistics
It uses up to 40 different anti-virus engines to scan your file .
a-squared free (http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/) Free anti-virus/anti malware
Avast free (http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download) Free anti-virus solution
AVG Free (http://free.avg.com/gb-en/download-avg-anti-virus-free) Free anti-virus solution
Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/) Free microsoft anti-virus solution
ZoneAlarm free firewall (http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-gb/free-upgrade-security-suite-zonealarm-firewall.htm) Free firewall solution
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/cc184924.aspx) Improve your security management process by using MBSA to detect common security misconfigurations and missing security updates on your computer systems.
Secunia online (http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/)
Secunia personal (http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/) Scan your PC to see if all your programmes have the
latest patches released for them eg. adobe reader,flash player and so on . useful !
Adobe's online flash settings tool (http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04.html) Set your Flash Player settings. Flash player keeps tracking cookies that are NOT deleted by clearing cookies in your browser.
ShieldsUp (https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2) Test your firewall with various checks on ports etc. Click "proceed."
Useful Utilities
Auslogics Disk Defrag (http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag) a freebie disk defragger that in my opinion is better than the windows utility . I am not sure though that defragging makes much difference .
Norton User Account Control tool (http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=labs_uac&header=0&depthpath=0) will replace parts of the Windows Vista UAC system. It will utilize the UAC security feature from the Windows Vista architecture, while simultaneously improving user-friendliness significantly. The tool prompts recommendations based on an assessment on the user-action i.e. the signature information of the executable. The tool also has a “remember me” feature that allows users to suppress future prompts from the same action.
mIRC (http://www.mirc.com/) mIRC is a popular Internet Relay Chat client used by millions of people, and thousands of organizations, to communicate, share, play and work with each other on IRC networks around the world. Serving the Internet community for over a decade, mIRC has evolved into a powerful, reliable and fun piece of technology.
Allmyapps (http://www.allmyapps.com/windows-vista/) Allmyapps makes software installation a breeze. No matter how many applications you need, 1 click is all you need to have all your favorite applications installed on your PC.
Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/) Online file backup and synchronisation. 2 GB storage for free , after that you have to pay. Synchronise files between multiple computers, backup from multiple devices, accessible from multiple devices.
Game Booster (http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html) Designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play in the latest PC games with the touch of a button, Game Booster helps achieve the performance edge previously only available to highly technical enthusiasts.
GBoost (http://www.gzero.com/gboost/home.html) A Free windows game booster service that allows you to temporarily strip down your slowing PC to its bare essentials for gaming. This improves the overall speed of your game including frame rate drops and lag spikes as well as alt tabbing out of games faster and generally more responsive gaming. Similar to Game Booster but Game Booster now charge for a "premium" version.
DPC Latency Checker (http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml)
Thesycon’s DPC Latency Checker is a Windows tool that analyses the capabilities of a computer system to handle real-time data streams properly. It may help to find the cause for interruptions in real-time audio and video streams, also known as drop-outs. The program supports Windows 7, Windows 7 x64, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows 2000. Read how to use it on their site . Essentially helps to identify latency/lag in your hardware system (ie. not your network ).
SlimDrivers (http://www.driverupdate.net/) Scan Your PC for missing, broken or out-of-date drivers. There is a paid for version that does it all for you whilst free version means you have to manually install.
WinDirStat (http://windirstat.info/) I love this. WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Microsoft Windows. The treemap represents each file as a colored rectangle, the area of which is proportional to the file's size. The rectangles are arranged in such a way, that directories again make up rectangles, which contain all their files and subdirectories. So their area is proportional to the size of the subtrees. The color of a rectangle indicates the type of the file, as shown in the extension list. The cushion shading additionally brings out the directory structure. Gives a nice visual representation of files on your hard drives as well as the usual text based representations.
Technology / IT / Computer Sites
TechReport (http://techreport.com/) A good site with hardware reviews , news articles etc . The daily "shortbread" is well worth reading and picking out news/reviews etc you might find interesting .
Bit-Tech.net (http://www.bit-tech.net/) Magazine style news, hardware reviews
Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/#redir) Similar to above two
Beyond3D.com (http://www.beyond3d.com/) Another tech site for news and reviews etc
SourceForge.net (http://sourceforge.net/) SourceForge.net (http://sourceforge.net/) is the world's largest open source software (http://opensource.org/) development web site. We provide free services that help people build cool stuff and share it with a global audience
Portable Computing
Portableapps.com (http://portableapps.com/) A Great suite of apps for your USB stick or other portable device
PortableApps.com Suite™ is a complete collection of portable apps (http://portableapps.com/about/what_is_a_portable_app) including a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client, antivirus, audio player, sudoku game, password manager, PDF reader, minesweeper clone, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably. Just drop it on your portable device and you're ready to go.
A portable app is a computer program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod or other portable device is plugged in, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.
Microsoft Tools
Windows Command Reference (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5fb255ff-72da-4b08-a504-1b10266cf72a&displaylang=en&tm) This download describes the use of the command-line tools used to perform various tasks related to Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5fb255ff-72da-4b08-a504-1b10266cf72a&displaylang=en&tm)There is also a similar one for XP.
Windows Live Sync (http://www.foldershare.com/) sync files between computers so you always have the latest copy
Windows SteadyState (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx) Keep your computer the way you want it to be no matter who uses it. Stop the kids from messing things up .
TrueSpace (http://www.caligari.com/products/trueSpace/ts75/Brochure/intro.asp?Cate=BIntro)
trueSpace7.6 is a fully-featured 3D authoring package that will let you model, texture, light, animate and render 3D content. As well as traditional images and movies, you can also make 3D content for online shared spaces, and for Virtual Earth. This used to cost almost £400 but Microsoft bought the technology for virtual world and now they give it away for free .
RichCopy (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspx?pr=blog) A file transfer tool which is multithreaded (improving speed), allows you to customize what is copied and you can pause and resume.
VOIP Chat Software
Ventrilo (http://www.ventrilo.com/) home page and download link Here (http://www.ventrilo.com/download.php)
Teamspeak 3 (http://www.teamspeak.com/) home page and download Here (http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads)
Mumble (http://mumble.sourceforge.net/) Mumble is an open source, low-latency, high quality voice chat software primarily intended for use while gaming.
xFire (http://www.xfire.com/)Track, message, and talk to your gaming friends, join them in games, browse servers, take screenshots and download patches. supports over 2010 games ..."
Anyone is welcome to suggest how the text is presented and formatted (colours etc) , what I should put in here , suggest better categorisation and so on . Indeed anyone is entitled to suggest things I have not thought about and just about anything to make this a great thread . If we make it really good , the more hits we get.......................... you never know
This is only the beginning, please read second post . It will change and evolve and I will do my best to organise this first post with more useful info and better presentation .
Process Hacker (http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/)
Process Hacker is a feature-packed tool for manipulating processes and services on your computer. It is very much like windows task manager but many more features and indeed you can replace task manager with it . Click above link for more information . This is powerful and useful but you need to read about it to get to know all its features.
Process Monitor (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx) Microsoft tool
Process Monitor is an advanced monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity. It combines the features of two legacy Sysinternals utilities, Filemon and Regmon, and adds an extensive list of enhancements including rich and non-destructive filtering, comprehensive event properties such session IDs and user names, reliable process information, full thread stacks with integrated symbol support for each operation, simultaneous logging to a file, and much more. Its uniquely powerful features will make Process Monitor a core utility in your system troubleshooting and malware hunting toolkit.
Process Explorer (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx) Microsoft tool similar to process hacker
Autoruns (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx)
This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
Autoruns' Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option helps you to zoom in on third-party auto-starting images that have been added to your system and it has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts configured on a system. Also included in the download package is a command-line equivalent that can output in CSV format, Autorunsc.
You'll probably be surprised at how many executables are launched automatically!
Network , Connection , Router Issues
DMTtool (http://dmt.mhilfe.de/) for connection analysis and altering some settings on router. Don't alter things unless you know what you are doing .
TCP Optimizer (http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php)
Description: The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run.
The program can aid both the novice and the advanced user in tweaking related TCP/IP parameters in the Windows Registry, making it easy to tune your system to the type of Internet connection used. The tool uses advanced algorithms, and the bandwidth*delay product to find the best TCP Window for your specific connection speed. It provides for easy tuning of all related TCP/IP parameters, such as MTU, RWIN, and even advanced ones like QoS and ToS/Diffserv prioritization. The program works with all current versions of Windows, and includes additional tools, such as testing average latency over multiple hosts, and finding the largest possible packet size (MTU).
The TCP Optimizer is targeted towards broadband internet connections, however it can be helpful with tuning any internet connection type, from dialup to Gigabit+ :)
Speedtest (http://www.speedtest.net/) Test your upload/download speeds
PingTest (http://www.pingtest.net/) Assess ping, jitter, QoS
Quality Of Service (QoS) (http://www.qostest.com/)
The Internet Quality of Service Test was created to measure quality of service from a user perspective to services on the Internet. This benchmarking tool is targeted at end hosts (consumers) to assist them to quantify their Internet Quality of Service Experience by focusing on broad Internet services performance rather than end-to-end statistics. To do so, the tool utilizes existing services already on the Internet (such as HTTP, DNS or ICMP Ping) and quantifies the quality of service experience based on simulated performance tests to each service commonly accessed by Internet users. This method of testing allows for a wide geographical coverage which gives us a good representation of the Internet as we know it from the user's viewpoint. The tool runs as a Java applet within an Internet browser for ease of use.
PortForward.com (http://portforward.com/) is great for info on how to forward ports on your router and what ports to forward for games etc . "Our ultimate goal is to have a write up for every hardware router and firewall available and instructions for every application that Internet users have difficulty getting to work through their router or firewall so that you can do simple port forwarding." They have instructions for port forwarding for pretty much all routers and all games .
Anti-Virus , Anti-Malware , Anti-Bloatware etc
CCLeaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/)
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)
Spybot search+destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html)
Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware and more. I have posted a link to the English version of the site but you can get multiple languages HERE (http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html)
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php) Free Anti-Malware :Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware. In our product we have compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to detect. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware monitors every process and stops malicious processes before they even start. The Realtime Protection Module uses our advanced heuristic scanning technology which monitors your system to keep it safe and secure. In addition, we have implemented a threats center which will allow you to keep up to date with the latest malware threats.
VirusTotal (http://www.virustotal.com/sobre.html) Upload files for scanning HERE (http://www.virustotal.com/)
VirusTotal is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by antivirus engines.
Specs:
Free, independent service
Use of multiple antivirus engines
Real-time automatic updates of virus signatures
Detailed results from each antivirus engine
Real time global statistics
It uses up to 40 different anti-virus engines to scan your file .
a-squared free (http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/) Free anti-virus/anti malware
Avast free (http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download) Free anti-virus solution
AVG Free (http://free.avg.com/gb-en/download-avg-anti-virus-free) Free anti-virus solution
Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/) Free microsoft anti-virus solution
ZoneAlarm free firewall (http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-gb/free-upgrade-security-suite-zonealarm-firewall.htm) Free firewall solution
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/cc184924.aspx) Improve your security management process by using MBSA to detect common security misconfigurations and missing security updates on your computer systems.
Secunia online (http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/)
Secunia personal (http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/) Scan your PC to see if all your programmes have the
latest patches released for them eg. adobe reader,flash player and so on . useful !
Adobe's online flash settings tool (http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04.html) Set your Flash Player settings. Flash player keeps tracking cookies that are NOT deleted by clearing cookies in your browser.
ShieldsUp (https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2) Test your firewall with various checks on ports etc. Click "proceed."
Useful Utilities
Auslogics Disk Defrag (http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag) a freebie disk defragger that in my opinion is better than the windows utility . I am not sure though that defragging makes much difference .
Norton User Account Control tool (http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=labs_uac&header=0&depthpath=0) will replace parts of the Windows Vista UAC system. It will utilize the UAC security feature from the Windows Vista architecture, while simultaneously improving user-friendliness significantly. The tool prompts recommendations based on an assessment on the user-action i.e. the signature information of the executable. The tool also has a “remember me” feature that allows users to suppress future prompts from the same action.
mIRC (http://www.mirc.com/) mIRC is a popular Internet Relay Chat client used by millions of people, and thousands of organizations, to communicate, share, play and work with each other on IRC networks around the world. Serving the Internet community for over a decade, mIRC has evolved into a powerful, reliable and fun piece of technology.
Allmyapps (http://www.allmyapps.com/windows-vista/) Allmyapps makes software installation a breeze. No matter how many applications you need, 1 click is all you need to have all your favorite applications installed on your PC.
Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/) Online file backup and synchronisation. 2 GB storage for free , after that you have to pay. Synchronise files between multiple computers, backup from multiple devices, accessible from multiple devices.
Game Booster (http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html) Designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play in the latest PC games with the touch of a button, Game Booster helps achieve the performance edge previously only available to highly technical enthusiasts.
GBoost (http://www.gzero.com/gboost/home.html) A Free windows game booster service that allows you to temporarily strip down your slowing PC to its bare essentials for gaming. This improves the overall speed of your game including frame rate drops and lag spikes as well as alt tabbing out of games faster and generally more responsive gaming. Similar to Game Booster but Game Booster now charge for a "premium" version.
DPC Latency Checker (http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml)
Thesycon’s DPC Latency Checker is a Windows tool that analyses the capabilities of a computer system to handle real-time data streams properly. It may help to find the cause for interruptions in real-time audio and video streams, also known as drop-outs. The program supports Windows 7, Windows 7 x64, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows 2000. Read how to use it on their site . Essentially helps to identify latency/lag in your hardware system (ie. not your network ).
SlimDrivers (http://www.driverupdate.net/) Scan Your PC for missing, broken or out-of-date drivers. There is a paid for version that does it all for you whilst free version means you have to manually install.
WinDirStat (http://windirstat.info/) I love this. WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Microsoft Windows. The treemap represents each file as a colored rectangle, the area of which is proportional to the file's size. The rectangles are arranged in such a way, that directories again make up rectangles, which contain all their files and subdirectories. So their area is proportional to the size of the subtrees. The color of a rectangle indicates the type of the file, as shown in the extension list. The cushion shading additionally brings out the directory structure. Gives a nice visual representation of files on your hard drives as well as the usual text based representations.
Technology / IT / Computer Sites
TechReport (http://techreport.com/) A good site with hardware reviews , news articles etc . The daily "shortbread" is well worth reading and picking out news/reviews etc you might find interesting .
Bit-Tech.net (http://www.bit-tech.net/) Magazine style news, hardware reviews
Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/#redir) Similar to above two
Beyond3D.com (http://www.beyond3d.com/) Another tech site for news and reviews etc
SourceForge.net (http://sourceforge.net/) SourceForge.net (http://sourceforge.net/) is the world's largest open source software (http://opensource.org/) development web site. We provide free services that help people build cool stuff and share it with a global audience
Portable Computing
Portableapps.com (http://portableapps.com/) A Great suite of apps for your USB stick or other portable device
PortableApps.com Suite™ is a complete collection of portable apps (http://portableapps.com/about/what_is_a_portable_app) including a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client, antivirus, audio player, sudoku game, password manager, PDF reader, minesweeper clone, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably. Just drop it on your portable device and you're ready to go.
A portable app is a computer program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod or other portable device is plugged in, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.
Microsoft Tools
Windows Command Reference (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5fb255ff-72da-4b08-a504-1b10266cf72a&displaylang=en&tm) This download describes the use of the command-line tools used to perform various tasks related to Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5fb255ff-72da-4b08-a504-1b10266cf72a&displaylang=en&tm)There is also a similar one for XP.
Windows Live Sync (http://www.foldershare.com/) sync files between computers so you always have the latest copy
Windows SteadyState (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx) Keep your computer the way you want it to be no matter who uses it. Stop the kids from messing things up .
TrueSpace (http://www.caligari.com/products/trueSpace/ts75/Brochure/intro.asp?Cate=BIntro)
trueSpace7.6 is a fully-featured 3D authoring package that will let you model, texture, light, animate and render 3D content. As well as traditional images and movies, you can also make 3D content for online shared spaces, and for Virtual Earth. This used to cost almost £400 but Microsoft bought the technology for virtual world and now they give it away for free .
RichCopy (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspx?pr=blog) A file transfer tool which is multithreaded (improving speed), allows you to customize what is copied and you can pause and resume.
VOIP Chat Software
Ventrilo (http://www.ventrilo.com/) home page and download link Here (http://www.ventrilo.com/download.php)
Teamspeak 3 (http://www.teamspeak.com/) home page and download Here (http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads)
Mumble (http://mumble.sourceforge.net/) Mumble is an open source, low-latency, high quality voice chat software primarily intended for use while gaming.
xFire (http://www.xfire.com/)Track, message, and talk to your gaming friends, join them in games, browse servers, take screenshots and download patches. supports over 2010 games ..."
Anyone is welcome to suggest how the text is presented and formatted (colours etc) , what I should put in here , suggest better categorisation and so on . Indeed anyone is entitled to suggest things I have not thought about and just about anything to make this a great thread . If we make it really good , the more hits we get.......................... you never know
This is only the beginning, please read second post . It will change and evolve and I will do my best to organise this first post with more useful info and better presentation .