Freeware Reviews »
Here you will find detailed reviews and recommendations on freeware software that cover every different category, from Personal Information Managers, to Image Editors to Desktop Managers…and more!
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NirLauncher: Portable application launcher for 100+ portable NirSoft (and SysInternals) programs
Made popular by his password recovery tools and maintained popularity with a boatload of lightweight, and portable utilities, NirSofer is a developer that makes dozens (hundreds?) of useful programs; some of which I am sure dotTechies have heard of or used in the past. In fact, a few NirSoft programs [...]
Read More »Convert .DOCX files to .RTF files with Docx2Rtf
Recently I posted about how to get Ashampoo Office 2008 for free. For all its good, the only problem with Ashampoo Office is it cannot read the new Microsoft Office 2007 formats (.DOCX, .PPTX, and .XLSX). So to help out those dotTechies who are using Ashampoo Office, I went looking [...]
Read More »Wake up your computer from standby or hibernation, perform an action, and send it back. Automatically.
Being able to automatically make my computer come out of stand by has always been a novelty idea for me. Being able to make it come out of stand by and hibernation is like heaven. Being able to do tasks and send it back to standby or hibernation is like [...]
Read More »Computer crashes have you down? Test your RAM for problems with Memtest86+.
Computer crashes have you down? Random blue screens making you sing the blues? The problem could be your RAM. Try out Memtest86+, a free open source piece of software that runs stress testing on your RAM. Often when your computer randomly stops working, it can be the fault of a [...]
Use very user-friendly Tag2Find to tag and organize all your files
Are you an unorganized personality like me? Yes, I must say, it is really hard for people like us to keep track of all our files… especially the ones we download. I often find myself, amongst other things, downloading my lecture notes, and later being unable to find them because [...]
WirelessKeyView: Never worry about forgetting your wireless network security password/key ever again
The other day at work I overhead the following conversation:
Person1 with a new laptop that has not been connected to the wireless network yet:
“Do you know what the password is to the wireless Internet?”
Person2 with an older laptop that is connected to the wireless network:
“No I
[...]
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Customize your Windows Explorer right-click context menu with FileMenu Tools
Back in July I wrote about Send To Toys – a software which allows you to customize the “Send To” submenu of your Windows Explorer right-click context menu. In a comment for that article APPitizer, a friend of dotTech, mentioned FileMenu Tools as being similar to, yet more powerful than, [...]
Read More »ManicTime: powerful time management utility that helps you keep track of how you spend your time on the computer
Update: When I wrote this article ManicTime was purely a freeware program. Now it has freeware and shareware editions.
“Welcome to The 21st Century. How may I take your order?”
“How about… 3 hours of sleep, 1 hour of eating, and 20 hours of computer!”
Seriously, in today’s day and [...]
Read More »Instantly hide files and folders with WindMend Folder Hidden
A few posts ago, Ashraf thoroughly covered a couple of heavy duty serious encryptors called AxCrypt and TrueCrypt. If you’re looking for a way to hide your files/folders in a more simple, lightweight and less FBI/CIA style, then WindMend Folder Hidden might be just what you need.[...]
WHAT IS
Read More »[Review] EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition
{rw_text}Software reviewed in this article:
EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition
Version reviewed:
v6.5.2
System Requirements:
Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 (x32 and x64)
Price:
Free for “home users” ($0)
Software description as per the developer:
As Partition Magic alternative, EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition is a FREE ALL-IN-ONE partition solution and disk
[...]
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Quick Cliq is a multi-function, portable app launcher and productivity tool
You have done it all to try to be more efficient in your work (or play); you have tried organizing icons on your desktop, using the Quick Launch folder, or even Windows native program hotkeys feature. However, all your efforts light up in flames for one reason or another. Quick [...]
Need to encrypt your files? Let AxCrypt or TrueCrypt do the job for you.
File encryption is a tricky business. We all have some files that we would like to keep encrypted so they are kept out the reach of others. Yet, there are so many encryption software out there. Which one should we use? Which ones can we trust? (After all, we don’t [...]
Read More »[Firefox] Open your current page in another browser with “Open With” add-on
Have you ever felt the need to open the web page you’re looking at in other browsers, for whatever imaginable reason, while using Firefox? If you’re nodding your head up and down at the screen, I’ve got good news for you in the shape of a Firefox add-on called Open [...]
Read More »[Firefox] Safe (an add-on) makes it easier to recognize secure (HTTPS) sites
Regardless of what browser you use, you want to know that any site on which you enter personal information is secure. You can spend time looking for the famous lock or to see if it says “https” instead of the usual “http.” Or, instead of spending time [...]
Browse, convert, edit, and watermark images with FastStone Image Viewer
With all of the hype I have heard lately about FastStone Capture, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about another great program from FastStone – FastStone Image Viewer.
What is it and what does it do
FastStone Image Viewer is a freeware program from FastStone that [...]
Read More »[Firefox] Save and restore tabs/windows with Session Manager
Firefox comes with a built-in session manager. This session manager remembers the tabs and windows you you had opened the last time you were using Firefox, which can then be restored manually or automatically in the event of a crash. The issue with Firefox’s session manager is a) it only [...]
WinUtilities Free Edition: New freeware version of WinUtilities comes with many useful features
WinUtilities is a popular name, especially among dotTechies, not only because it is continually given out on GOTD but also because it is a featured filled an reliable software. Although there was a short attempt by the developer of WinUtilities to make a freeware version of WinUtilities available last year, [...]
Facebook finally rolls out Facebook Messenger for Windows — but there’s a catch
You use Facebook on a daily basis and whenever you are online someone messages you over Facebook Chat. Often times this gets in the way ofwhat you are doing whether it is posting on a group, playing a game, or even saying “happy birthday” to your aunt; you don’t hate [...]
Speccy provides detailed information on what is under the hood (i.e. your hardware)
Quick, what CPU does your computer have? RAM? Hard drive? Audio card? Graphics card? What you don’t know? That is a darn shame. Sounds like you need to give Speccy a try.
Speccy is a Piriform – the developers of CCleaner – creation which provides detailed information on the insides [...]
Read More »Jumplist Launcher: Excellent program launcher that mimicks Windows 7 Jump Lists
Not so long ago, I found myself on a restless search for the best program launcher ever know, so far, by mankind. I’m glad to announce that I’m taking a break from my endeavor now that I’ve found Hedgehog’s Jumplist Launcher.
I’M SORRY, HEDGE WHO?
Hedgehog. Not sure if [...]
Read More »[dotTech Analysis] Kingsoft PC Doctor vs CCleaner
We all know how well CCleaner works; it is a take-no-prisoners cleaner that is the benchmark for reliability. Kingsoft PC Doctor is the new kid on the block, looking to usurp CCleaner’s throne. Will we have a new king of the land or will the forces of Piriform be victorious? [...]
Add minimize-like-but-different-function buttons to windows with eXtra Buttons
Minimize, maximize, and close. These are the three buttons we see in most all windows in Windows. Ever wish you had more buttons up there? Maybe a button to minimize window to system tray or to make a window always stay on top? Or how about move window to another [...]
Create and edit screenshots with feature-rich Screenshot Captor
Need a screen capture program that can grab, manipulate, annotate, and share screenshots without costing you a penny? Screenshot Captor may be for you. There are several freeware and shareware screenshot programs to choose from, so what makes Screenshot Captor standout above the crowd? Let’s take a look.[...]
What is
Read More »NetWorx: Monitor your bandwidth usage to verify you’re being billed properly by your ISP
Many people run on what is known as a “bandwidth-limited” Internet connection (okay, I admit, I don’t know if that is the official name… I just came up with it on the spot); people on these plans are only allowed to use X amount of GB in regards to bandwidth [...]
Read More »Get brilliantly designed, light on resources desktop widgets with XWidget
Many of you already know what widgets are. For those who don’t, widgets are little programs running independently on a widget engine. They are those things that float around on your screen, typically your desktop. There are many widgets/widget programs out there but few match the level of quality of [...]
Easily search 14 popular video hosting websites (youtube, metacafe, veoh etc.) at once.
Update: New Ashampoo ClipFinder version (HD v2.01) is out with new features and a new look. Click here for more details.
Doing my usual reconnaissance of the internet I stumbled upon a free software that acts like a search engine for 14 popular video hosting websites. You can either search [...]
Read More »What’s That Preference helps users understand about:config preferences [Firefox]
About:config in Firefox is an interesting place. Anyone with the proper knowledge can use about:config to make handy customizations to Firefox, such as forcing Firefox to display HTTP:// in the address bar. The key phrase in that last sentence is proper knowledge. Most of the preferences in about:config aren’t [...]
Create a portable version of any software with P-Apps
Nowadays more and more programs are coming in installer and portable versions, allowing users to select which version they want to use. However, still there are many programs that are available in installer form only. This is where P-Apps comes in.
What Is P-Apps And What Does It Do?
P-Apps [...]
Read More »Insync is Dropbox for Google Docs
We all know and love Dropbox. Indeed Dropbox, with its free 2-20 GB of storage space and cross-platform and multi-device support, is hard to beat — except when it comes to purchasing storage space. Insync is a new file sync service that leverages the power of cheap Google cloud storage [...]
Youtubian: Improve YouTube with a simple bookmarklet
Have you ever looked at the YouTube interface and thought, “this could use a face lift”? Or perhaps you thought, “a download link and some fancy drop shadows would be nice”. Well, then, let me introduce you to Youtubian.
Youtubian is a simple bookmarklet that can improve YouTube by cleaning [...]
Read More »Note Mania: excellent sticky note app with unique features
During the summer I proclaimed Stickies to be one of the best sticky note application out there; and the praise for Stickies is well deserved considering how feature filled and easy to use it is (I especially like the ability of Stickies to share notes over a network). Note Mania [...]
TrIDNet: Identify the file type of files without extensions
Have a file that has no extension? Or maybe you have a file with the wrong extension (e.g. Word cannot open a file that appears to be .DOC)? You can pander around trying to figure out the proper extension for the file or you can use TrIDNet.[...]
What Is
Read More »Share one mouse and keyboard across multiple computers with Synergy [Multi-Platform]
There is TeamViewer for those that need remote access or remote control or screen sharing capabilities. However, TeamViewer is not ideal for sharing one mouse and one keyboard across multiple computers in a local network. For that purpose there is Synergy.
Synergy Is…
Synergy is an open source, cross-platform [...]
Read More »AutoSensitivity: Configure different pointer speeds for mouse and touchpad
Anyone that has used a laptop with a touchpad and external mouse knows using the same pointer speed (“sensitivity”) for both is not ideal. Unfortunately, Windows does not allow users to customize different speeds for touchpads and external mice. That is why AutoSensitivity was created.
What Is It
AutoSensitivity is [...]
Read More »Recover application windows after you accidently close them
How many people here have ever accidentally closed an application window? Maybe Firefox? Word? Chat window? [Insert window here]? Don’t worry; it happens to the best of us. Maybe our mouse slips. Maybe our hands slip. Maybe we meant to close that other window. Whatever the case may be, the [...]
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