A list of free Windows software

[AznTechie]

So here's a list of free software for the Windows operating system; many of you probably already know most of this stuff, but it may be useful to those that don't.



Antivirus Programs
NOTE: Using one or more antivirus (not antispyware or antimalware) may cause interference between the two.

Avast! Free is the entry-level antivirus and antispyware program provided by Avast Software. It is generally regarded as the most well-featured free antivirus. However, there is a required (free) 1-year subscription that must be renewed every year.

Avira AntiVir Personal is the entry-level antivirus and antispyware program provided by Avira GmbH. It is relatively lightweight on resources and has a very high detection rate.

Comodo Antivirus is the entry-level antivirus program provided by Comodo Group.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a very lightweight antivirus offered for free by Microsoft that is surprisingly good.



Antispyware and Antimalware Programs

Spybot: Search and Destroy is a lightweight antispyware program.

SUPERantispyware is an excellent antispyware program.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is an excellent antimalware program that offers good detection rates and is overall lightweight.

HijackThis is a powerful antimalware scanner that can also thoroughly log scans.


Image Editing Software

Paint.NET is a free raster graphics editor with support for layers, blending, transparency, and plugins

GIMP is a mid/high-end free raster graphics editor.

FastStone Image Viewer is a free image viewer and editor capable of cutting, resizing, hue changes, etc.

Inkscape is a vector graphics editor that has recently resumed active development in order to add more features to the program.


Audio Editing Software

Audacity is a free full-featured audio editor with plug-in support.

Jokosher is a free audio editor that aims to be simple to use and delivers a good amount of features easily to beginners.

Traverso DAW is a free digital audio workstation that supports multi-track audio editing, recording, and mixing.

LMMS is a digital audio workstation that features a combination of trackers, sequencers and synthesizers.


Video Editing Software

VideoPad is a video editor aimed at newbies that offers more power than Windows Movie Maker.

Jahshaka is a video editor that supports post-production digital motion graphics and compositing.

Avismith is a video editor that is aimed at video post-production.

VLMC is a free video editor based on the VLC Media Player.

Zwei-Stein is a free video editor that offers lots of powerful features.

ZS4 is an update on Zwei-Stein. Still the same tools, just a diffferent name.

Lightworks is a free video editor that provides strong features (including multiple layering and the like), making it a much more streamlined variant and a very suitable replacement for Windows Movie Maker for anyone needing something with a bit more power, but not as interested in a steep learning curve.


File Archivers and System Tools

7-zip is a file archiver and a free alternative to WinZip/WinRar.

PeaZip is a file archiver and a free alternative to WinZip/WinRar that is optimized on 64-bit operating systems.

CCleaner is a disk cleanup program that can also change startup programs as well as registry and program uninstallation.

Defraggler is a small defragmentation tool.

WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool.

Smart Defrag is a defragmentation tool and disk optimization tool.

Speccy is a tool that gives detailed information about the computer, such as CPU and hard drive temperature, peripheral data, etc.

Recuva is a file recovery tool that can be used to recover deleted data.

CPU-Z is a program that shows detailed information about the computer's CPU.

GPU-Z is a program that shows detailed information about the computer's GPU.

Core Temp is a lightweight tool that measures CPU temperatures and frequencies.


Productivity Software

IBM Lotus Symphony is a small software suite featuring a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program.

KOffice is an open-source office suite developed by KOffice.

LibreOffice is an open-source office suite developed by The Document Foundation.

Adobe Reader is a PDF reader developed by Adobe Systems.

Foxit Reader is a lightweight PDF reader developed by Foxit Software.

Thunderbird is a free e-mail and news client that is more secure than Microsoft Outlook.


Media Players and Encoders

foobar2000 is a lightweight music player with support for some uncommon audio types as well as the common ones.

GOM Player is a video player that supports most file types.

VLC Media Player is a video player that supports most file types.

Songbird is an audio player that supports iPods.

GOM Encoder is a free media conversion program.

DivX is a media player with media conversion features.


3D Modeling Programs

Metasequoia is a free 3D modeler with an option to pay for extra features.

Blender is a 3D graphics application that supports video editing, 3D modeling, animations, etc.

Unreal Development Kit is the Unreal Engine 3 in all its glory and released for free for educational or recreational usage. Commercial usage of the UDK will require additional licensing and fees.


Screen Recording Software

Taksi is a free game recorder that supports multiple codecs.

CamStudio is a free lightweight desktop recorder.

Virtual Dub is a free video capture and encoding program.

MSI Afterburner is a GPU tool that includes a record function.

Xfire is a communication tool targeted towards the PC game community, and includes a video recording feature.


Other Interesting Stuff

Mumble is a free VoIP program that performs better than Ventrillo on many accounts.

Raidcall is another free VoIP program.

RK Launcher is a lightweight dock.

Rainmeter is a Windows customization program.

RocketDock is a dock program that has a growing add-on database.

XWindows Dock is a dock that aims to imitate the design and feel of the dock native to OSX.

Fences - A widget on the desktop meant to help the user organize the desktop icons into separate categories to his/her liking.

[Jeffreydao09]

Nice job on the list
Very large