Zatara214
10-25-2008, 06:37 PM
I've been visiting File Hippo for the last couple of days and I've found some absolutely great alternatives to software we all know and love. Use these at your own digression, and if they are still in beta, don't worry yourself over it, because I am currently using all of them flawlessly (in Vista Ultimate x64). All of the following are completely free.
Firefox Replacement - Flock
Flock is a browser built on Firefox 3 with several added features. You can set your Facebook and Myspace accounts to be readily available, and set your web mail to be automatically checked in certain (set) time intervals. Plus, I like the UI better. I still haven't discovered most of the usefulness of this browser, as I just got it last week, but I can tell you now that I like it much better already. Oh, and PS, it's compatible with all Firefox add ons, so don't worry about migrating.
AIM, Trillian, or Pidgin replacement - Digsby
ANother great piece of software that's still in beta (but I have yet to see issues with), Digsby has all of the features of Pidgin or Trillian, with added support for Web Mail, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Linkd, and even Facebook chat. All of your settings are stored remotely with a single log on, and so when it's installed on a seperate computer, one screen name log in will get you all of your accounts. I highly recommend this to everyone I know, especially because new features are constantly being added (noticably quickly)
CCleaner
Most people in these forums know what CCleaner is already. For those of you that don't, I have been using this tool for the last 3 years, and it is still the most useful one I have. CCLeaner will clear out all temporary files left on your computer. Whether it be cookies from the internet, program cache, or just a temp folder for an RAR file that you were extracting, CCleaner will free up gigabytes of space on your computer that you never even knew you had.
Windows Defrag Replacement - Defraggler
From the same people that made CCleaner. Have you realized that the defrag tool that comes with Windows has gotten worse with each new version? Well, Defraggler is a great tool that I recently downloaded that is just as good as any f those pricey defraggers, without... well... the price. You can set your priority to background so it doesn't interrupt you while you're doing something, and you can set a schedule to defrag on. You can also defrag individual files, which was supposedly a big deal, but I have yet to find a real life situation in which I need it lol...
FFDShow
This is the last codec you will ever need. It can basically decode any media file you can get your hands on, and it's gotten to a stage in which the development is solid, so it's FAST. You can increase the quality of your videos without re-encoding, and even incease the resolution (though it takes some effort to get through all of the options.
WMP 11 Replacement - KMPlayer
I just downloaded this yesterday, and I already love it. I used to use a combination of Windows Media Player and FFDShow, but this one player replaces both of them. It has all of the powerful options of FFDSHow with the player capability of WMP 11. As with Flock, I have yet to discover most of this player's features.
iTunes Replacement - Media Monkey
Yet another piece of software that I got yesterday, I actually replaced my copy of iTunes with the beta of Mozilla Songbird originally. However, after getting Media Monkey, I saw that it was much better than even Songbird (which will be out of beta next month FYI). Media Monkey has all of the add on and script capability of Songbird, with the simplicity, iPod support, and several other features from iTunes. So far, I love this player, and will continue to use it until I find something better.
uTorrent Replacement - Vuze
I know that there are no software pirates in here, and so it should be safe to recommend a bittorrent client. I used to use utorrent, but it would slow down my connection to such a rate that the internet was unusable. Vuze has yet to render my internet usuable, and it's just as simple and easy to use. Plus it looks nicer.
LimeWire Replacement - FrostWire
For those of you downloading non-copyrighted files from the LimeWire network, you're in luck! FrostWire is an open source alternative to LimeWire, which is safer, easier, and most importantly FASTER. FrostWire downloads at the same rates as LimeWire Pro, and so that alone is a reason to switch over.
McAffe or Norton Replacement - AVG Free
AVG is a completely free antivirus product that uses FAR less resources than the other two products mentioned above. It works just as well, if not better, and is sure to keep your computer safe from intrusion with daily updates and a scheduled scan capability. I've been using AVG for years, and have yet to have a SINGLE VIRUS on any computer I have ever owned, so, you could say it works quite well.
Internet Download Manager
Ever wonder why, when you're downloading a file, it will go at anywhere between 50 - 500 kbps, but when you start another, it goes at the same speed? Why, then, can you not use that extra speed to download one file at a time? Now you can, with IDM! IDM will split your download into 8 seperate parts, and then put it all back together when it's done. My downloads went from 100 kbps to 800 kbps, and so it's definitely worth trying. IDM is NOT FREE, but it will allow a 30 day trial to see if you like it.
Recuva
Again from the people that make CCleaner is another tool, Recuva, which will, as the title implies, allow you to recover data that you accidentally deleted. Not much more to explain here... it works really well.
File Hippo Update Checker
I posted a thread about this already, but I figured I'd include it here. In order to keep all of these programs up to date, you can get this tool, which will automatically check File Hippo for a new version of all of the software on your computer. It does NOT have any spyware in it, which IMO is the best feature as compared to similar products, and it does work.
Nvidia Control Panel Replacement - RivaTuner
For those of you with Nvidia cards, this tool will control all of your advanced options and settings to your personal preferences. Set AA, AF, Mipmap, and other options that I don't understand with ease and simplicity. It updates pretty often, so you'll be sure to have a version compatible with the newest Nvidia driver.
If anyone else has anything to add feel free. Also, since I'm still in the middle of my software escapades, I'll be sure to come back and add things that I find.
Firefox Replacement - Flock
Flock is a browser built on Firefox 3 with several added features. You can set your Facebook and Myspace accounts to be readily available, and set your web mail to be automatically checked in certain (set) time intervals. Plus, I like the UI better. I still haven't discovered most of the usefulness of this browser, as I just got it last week, but I can tell you now that I like it much better already. Oh, and PS, it's compatible with all Firefox add ons, so don't worry about migrating.
AIM, Trillian, or Pidgin replacement - Digsby
ANother great piece of software that's still in beta (but I have yet to see issues with), Digsby has all of the features of Pidgin or Trillian, with added support for Web Mail, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Linkd, and even Facebook chat. All of your settings are stored remotely with a single log on, and so when it's installed on a seperate computer, one screen name log in will get you all of your accounts. I highly recommend this to everyone I know, especially because new features are constantly being added (noticably quickly)
CCleaner
Most people in these forums know what CCleaner is already. For those of you that don't, I have been using this tool for the last 3 years, and it is still the most useful one I have. CCLeaner will clear out all temporary files left on your computer. Whether it be cookies from the internet, program cache, or just a temp folder for an RAR file that you were extracting, CCleaner will free up gigabytes of space on your computer that you never even knew you had.
Windows Defrag Replacement - Defraggler
From the same people that made CCleaner. Have you realized that the defrag tool that comes with Windows has gotten worse with each new version? Well, Defraggler is a great tool that I recently downloaded that is just as good as any f those pricey defraggers, without... well... the price. You can set your priority to background so it doesn't interrupt you while you're doing something, and you can set a schedule to defrag on. You can also defrag individual files, which was supposedly a big deal, but I have yet to find a real life situation in which I need it lol...
FFDShow
This is the last codec you will ever need. It can basically decode any media file you can get your hands on, and it's gotten to a stage in which the development is solid, so it's FAST. You can increase the quality of your videos without re-encoding, and even incease the resolution (though it takes some effort to get through all of the options.
WMP 11 Replacement - KMPlayer
I just downloaded this yesterday, and I already love it. I used to use a combination of Windows Media Player and FFDShow, but this one player replaces both of them. It has all of the powerful options of FFDSHow with the player capability of WMP 11. As with Flock, I have yet to discover most of this player's features.
iTunes Replacement - Media Monkey
Yet another piece of software that I got yesterday, I actually replaced my copy of iTunes with the beta of Mozilla Songbird originally. However, after getting Media Monkey, I saw that it was much better than even Songbird (which will be out of beta next month FYI). Media Monkey has all of the add on and script capability of Songbird, with the simplicity, iPod support, and several other features from iTunes. So far, I love this player, and will continue to use it until I find something better.
uTorrent Replacement - Vuze
I know that there are no software pirates in here, and so it should be safe to recommend a bittorrent client. I used to use utorrent, but it would slow down my connection to such a rate that the internet was unusable. Vuze has yet to render my internet usuable, and it's just as simple and easy to use. Plus it looks nicer.
LimeWire Replacement - FrostWire
For those of you downloading non-copyrighted files from the LimeWire network, you're in luck! FrostWire is an open source alternative to LimeWire, which is safer, easier, and most importantly FASTER. FrostWire downloads at the same rates as LimeWire Pro, and so that alone is a reason to switch over.
McAffe or Norton Replacement - AVG Free
AVG is a completely free antivirus product that uses FAR less resources than the other two products mentioned above. It works just as well, if not better, and is sure to keep your computer safe from intrusion with daily updates and a scheduled scan capability. I've been using AVG for years, and have yet to have a SINGLE VIRUS on any computer I have ever owned, so, you could say it works quite well.
Internet Download Manager
Ever wonder why, when you're downloading a file, it will go at anywhere between 50 - 500 kbps, but when you start another, it goes at the same speed? Why, then, can you not use that extra speed to download one file at a time? Now you can, with IDM! IDM will split your download into 8 seperate parts, and then put it all back together when it's done. My downloads went from 100 kbps to 800 kbps, and so it's definitely worth trying. IDM is NOT FREE, but it will allow a 30 day trial to see if you like it.
Recuva
Again from the people that make CCleaner is another tool, Recuva, which will, as the title implies, allow you to recover data that you accidentally deleted. Not much more to explain here... it works really well.
File Hippo Update Checker
I posted a thread about this already, but I figured I'd include it here. In order to keep all of these programs up to date, you can get this tool, which will automatically check File Hippo for a new version of all of the software on your computer. It does NOT have any spyware in it, which IMO is the best feature as compared to similar products, and it does work.
Nvidia Control Panel Replacement - RivaTuner
For those of you with Nvidia cards, this tool will control all of your advanced options and settings to your personal preferences. Set AA, AF, Mipmap, and other options that I don't understand with ease and simplicity. It updates pretty often, so you'll be sure to have a version compatible with the newest Nvidia driver.
If anyone else has anything to add feel free. Also, since I'm still in the middle of my software escapades, I'll be sure to come back and add things that I find.