Useful Programs

[Just Me]

After Nitewalker listed Vulture's Eye and Alien Arena and Umbra mentioned Nexuiz without Moderators' complaints I guessed it could be useful to introduce more fine free full version games. Maybe this thread should be named 'useful software' to involve all genres of recommendable free bits and bytes.

[Leprechaun]

http://www.orbitdownloader.com/
Orbit Downloader is devoted to new generation web application downloading and provides a total solution to download music and video. So you can download streaming media, social music, social video, movie, flash and file from anywhere include Pandora, YouTube, Yahoo, Myspace and Rapidshare more simple and easy.

http://www.download.com/Free-FLV-Con...-10744177.html
Search and download movies from YouTube, DailyMotion and Google for free. Free FLV Converter will let you search youTube, dailyMotion, Metacafe, Google videos, Stage6, Spyke without opening your browser and you can even watch the videos using the built-in video player. This software can convert the videos to Avi, Ipod, iphone, 3GP or Psp format (MPEG4 and H.264). This software can also convert all your videos (divx, xvid, mpeg, dvd, avi) to FLV video.

[DubSalute]

Originally Posted by drssfp

Does anybody know a good program to rename groups of files at once?

Rename 1.1.4.4 [14.10.2009: current version is Rename 1.2.0.2 (419.04kB)]

Very basic and good, no install just unzip to a folder and double click on the .exe to run, when you first run it a small window will pop-up asking you to donate, click on 'I've already donated ...' to disable it (see screen 1).

Choose Files (or drag and drop) ... > Check and set a option > Rename Files ... (> Undo when you want or need)

Rename will let you rename all your files and folders, but with a lot more options. Can batch rename files, add or remove strings to filenames, change file extensions, numerate filenames sequentially, convert to uppercase or lowercase, trim characters, and replace strings. Works with multiple directories, supports Drag and Drop and works from the command line. Also has undo function for last rename done.

Freeware
Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP
Limitations: No limitations
Install: just unzip to a folder and double click on the .exe to run. (uninstall: remove the folder)

Download Rename 1.1.4.4: (i highly prefer this (older) version, it has much better layout)
http://download.cnet.com/Rename/3000...-10472294.html

Download Rename 1.2.0.2: (latest version)
http://download.cnet.com/Rename/3000...-10472293.html

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[Anu]

Password Corral is a popular freeware password manager. With a clean, easy to use interface, strong encryption and all the features you would expect from a program you'd have to pay for, it's no wonder thousands of people have made it their choice for password management!

• Clean, easy to use, standard Windows interface
• Secure Blowfish or Diamond2 encryption
• Multiple password accounts on a single PC
• Create detailed descriptions, usernames, URL, e-mail and comments for each password entry
• Group password data into custom groups you define
• Customizable random password generator
• Hyperlinks in the comments field will launch your web browser
• Password expiration notices
• Create encrypted export files of your password data for backup or import to another PC
• Customizable "time-out" feature to secure the program and your data after a period of system inactivity
• Print hard copies of your password information
• Many Customizable interface elements and security parameters

MediaMonkey is a music manager and jukebox for serious music collectors and iPod users. It catalogs your CDs, OGG, WMA, MPC, FLAC, APE, WAV and MP3 audio files. It offers an intelligent tag editor which looks up missing Album Art and track information via Freedb and the web, and an automated file and directory renamer to organize your music library. It includes a CD ripper, CD/DVD Burner, and audio converter for saving music, and manual or automated playlist editors for creating music mixes. Its player automatically adjusts volume levels so that you don't have continually fiddle with the volume control and supports hundreds of Winamp plug-ins and visualizations; or if you prefer, it can use Winamp as the default player. It also includes portable audio device synchronization that allows you to quickly synch tracks and playlists with iPods, MP3 Phones, and other portable audio devices.

The Wonderful Icon is a small Windows utility that resides in your PC's taskbar tray.

• Assign hotkeys for common tasks such as minimize windows, restart Windows, etc.
• Minimize programs onto the taskbar tray instead of just onto the taskbar, either by a keystroke or by right-clicking a window's Minimize button with your mouse
• Configure a menu of easily-accessible commands
• Increase or decrease speaker volume with the press of a button
• Automatically run programs at start-up, and hide them, minimize them to the taskbar tray, etc.

MacroMaker allows you to create macros or recordings to automate most anything that you already do by hand. MacroMaker was written more for the use of people who regularly use computers and programmers rather than the casual PC user. Most anything you know how to do by hand can be translated into a macro or recording in MacroMaker. If you are having to perform repetitive tasks, this program will help you out tremendiously. The user can simulate a series of keystrokes, mouse events, play back previous recordings of keystrokes and mouse events or execute some built-in functions with just a keystroke. You can even store content from the clipboard in internal MacroMaker buffers for later use.

PSPad - editor for developers for Microsoft Windows systems. The universal freeware editor, useful for people who:

• work with plain text - the editor has a wealth of formatting functions, including a spell checker
• create web pages - as a web authoring editor, PSPad contains many unique tools that save your time
• want to use a good IDE for their compiler - PSPad catches and parses compiler output, integrates external help files, compares versions and much more...

The editor supports many file types and languages, with syntax highlighting. There are macros, clip files and templates to automate repetative tasks. Integrated HEX Editor, Project support, FTP Client, Macro Recorder, File Search/Replace, Code Explorer, Code page conversion... these are just some of the many features that PSPad offers.

Scanner uses a unique concentric pie chart to display the usage of your hard disk or other media. The chart shows all major files and folders from all directory levels at once.

[DubSalute]

Avidemux 2.4 Final

It has two different looks (in the Windows non install .zip version i use) so two previews: (GTK (left) and QT4 (right))



Simular to VirtualDub but works on more platforms. Like VirtualDub it is also not easy, needs some getting used to.
Freeware
Operating Systems: 32-bit MS Windows (95/98/NT/2000/XP), Mac OS, Linux and Ubuntu
Comes with build in video and audio encoding codecs like: XviD, x264, mpeg2enc, MPEG-2, LAME, AC3, etc. and several filters.
To convert VOB files you will first have to copy them to your HD.

Avidemux is a free video editor. It is not really designed for beginner so if you have no experience with video editors this is probably not he right application to choose.

Avidemux is available for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows and is designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files and MP4.

Avidemux homepage: (with link to the download page)
http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/


Some manuals:
http://en.flossmanuals.net/Avidemux/
http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/inde...itle=Main_Page
Guide to encoding types:
http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/inde...encoding_types

(added info and screens from the reply below)

When you run Windows you can try the 2.4.1 ZIP (non install) version you can unzip it to a folder and run both the GTK and the QT4 version by clicking on avidemux2_gtk.exe or avidemux2_qt4.exe. When the program doesn't suit you can remove it otherwise you can give it a location and some (desktop) shortcuts.

[DubSalute]

Originally Posted by drssfp

Here's my contribution to this great, and very useful thread. It's a program called Picup, which makes uploading images to imagevenue and other hosting sites a delight! I copied a description of the program from another forum:

This one is nice: IIIUploader - v.1.7.7 (was already linked by Gemini37 but with less info)



Freeware
Windows XP (32bit (x86)) (don't know if it will also run on other Windows versions)
No install just unrar and double click exe to run.
You will need to have Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed.
When needed you can find and download it via Windows update website from the Custom updates > Optional section:
http://www.update.microsoft.com
or on this page:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/r...DisplayLang=en
Download IIIUploader - v.1.7.7 (229kB):
http://www.hqcity.ru/soft/IIIU.rar
(http://hqcity.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=20949)

Uploads to: (will enable to upload large sets in one go (use .jpg))
- imagevenue.com
- shareavenue.com
- radikal.ru
- largeimagehost.com
- allyoucanupload.com
- pixhosting.info
- **********.us
- imagepile.net
- freeimagehost.eu
- imagehigh.com
- supload.com
- pictiger.com
- *******.com
- pixup.info
- hqcity.com
- hqcity.net
- heyimage.com
- xs.to

You can drag and drop imagefiles or complete folders on the program window to add and queque the images to upload, when a folder is dropped it will automaticly give the set the name of the folder.

Note: use .jpg files, make sure to uncheck 'Save for work ...' when uploading nude content to ImageVenue (or set that to default in 'Settings') also note it will sort all uploaded images in a set by filename when you upload more the one set of images then create a new set with a different name when adding them otherwise they will get mixed up.
It will add this Uploaded with IIIUploader link to every uploaded set but you can take that out, best to do that IMHO cause it will only give the download of the rar archive without any info.






The same set twice both uploaded with IIIUploader - v.1.7.7 one to ImageVenue one to FreeImageHost.eu.

ImageVenue:







Uploaded with IIIUploader < better to take this out.

FreeImageHost.eu:







Uploaded with IIIUploader < better to take this out.

[kumo]

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

StickyPad is an invaluable, easy-to-use tool that lets you place sticky notes on your desktop. You can type notes to yourself, set meeting and appointment reminders, keep track of a to-do list, and anything else you would do with paper notes. Your notes can be printed, pasted into other applications, or emailed to coworkers. You can even make notes translucent and have them float above your other windows, so you can see both your note and what you are working on. When you log off, StickyPad remembers all of your notes, and when you log back on, your notes are still there.



Thunderbird is a modern email client with features such as intelligent spam filters, a built-in spell checker, a range of themes and customisable layout. Thunderbird provides IMAP/POP support, HTML e-mail composing, quick search, address book, advanced message filtering, address completion, import tools, and the ability to manage multiple e-mail and newsgroup accounts. You can add a wide variety of extensions to Thunderbird to add additional features or tweak its behavior to suit your own preferences.



TightVNC is a remote control software that lets you see the desktop of a remote machine and control it with your local mouse and keyboard, just like you would do it sitting in the front of that computer. Ideal for remote administration, remote customer support, education, and for many other purposes, and because it works across different operating systems you can use almost any computer, from any computer.

Sumatra PDF is a flexible and lightweight PDF reader, with a minimalistic design that allows fast browsing and even faster loading times. It also remembers the last page of every PDF you read, so you can resume reading at any time in the future.



PDFCreator is a free tool to create PDF files from nearly any Windows application.

Key Features:

* Create PDFs from any program that is able to print
* Security: Encrypt PDFs and protect them from being opened, printed etc.
* Send generated files via eMail
* Create more than just PDFs: PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP, PCX, PS, EPS
* AutoSave files to folders and filenames based on Tags like Username, Computername, Date, Time etc.
* Merge multiple files into one PDF



TrueCrypt is a free open-source disk encryption software for Windows Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Main Features:

* Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.

* Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.

* Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).

* Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.

* Provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:

1) Hidden volume (steganography – more information may be found here).

2) No TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be distinguished from random data).

* Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: XTS.



Xenu's Link Sleuth checks Web sites for broken links. Link verification is done on "normal" links, images, frames, plug-ins, backgrounds, local image maps, style sheets, scripts and java applets. It displays a continously updated list of URLs which you can sort by different criteria. A report can be produced at any time.



Restoration is an easy to use and straight forward tool to undelete files that were removed from the recycle bin or directly deleted from within Windows, and we were also able to recover photos from a Flash card that had been formatted. Upon start, you can scan for all files that may be recovered and also limit the results by entering a search term or extension. In addition, it also provides the option to wipe the found files beyond simple recovery. The program is small and standalone, it does not require installation and can also run from a Floppy disk. Restoration works with FAT and NTFS as well as digital cameras cards.

[kumo]

Adblock Plus:
Right-click on a banner and choose "Adblock" from the context menu - the banner won't be downloaded again. Maybe even replace parts of the banner address with star symbols to block similar banners as well. Or you select a filter subscription when Adblock Plus starts up the first time, then even this simple task will usually be unnecessary: the filter subscription will block most advertisements fully automatically.

Remove It Permanently - useful addon to AdBlock. Permanently hide content from web pages using the Context Menu. Simply, click and &quot;Remove it Permanently&quot;. Now includes previewing of items before removal, support for IFrame as well as lots of advanced features to make it easy for anyone to remove annoying content from web pages.

NoScript provides extra protection for Firefox, Flock, Seamonkey and others mozilla-based browsers: this free, open source add-on allows JavaScript, Java, Flash and other plugins to be executed only by trusted web sites of your choice (e.g. your online bank), and provides the most powerful Anti-XSS protection available in a browser.

Mouse Gestures are a fast way to execute commands without using the keyboard, menus or toolbars. Instead, the user holds down a mouse button (usually the right one), moves the mouse in a certain way to form a gesture, then releases the mouse button.

Nuke Anything Enhanced allow hiding of almost anything via context menu 'Remove Object' or 'Remove Selection' with possibility of multiple undo of 'Remove Object'. You can also make a selection and chose "Remove everything else" to clear the page and only leave the selected text.

Reload Every reloads web pages every so many seconds or minutes. The function is accessible via the context menu (menu you get when you right click on a web page) or via a drop down menu on the reload button.

Linkification
Converts text links into genuine, clickable links.

DownThemAll lets you download all the links or images contained in a webpage and much more: you can refine your downloads by fully customizable criteria to get only what you really want.

Cooliris Previews gives you the power to browse and share Web links and rich media faster. Just mouse over any link, and the Cooliris preview window immediately appears to show you the content. To email it, just click.

* Preview web links, images, and videos without even clicking.
* NEW! View Google & Yahoo Image Search in ultra slideshow mode
* “Stack” previewed items into temporary bookmarks to quickly preview later.
* Instantly send links to friends and family with just a click.
* Automatically subsearch Google, Wikipedia, and many others by right-clicking on any phrase
* Customize preferences to control preview window activation, time delay, size & position, etc.

TorrentBar is a BitTorrent File Search Toolbar for Firefox. Allows to search numerous sites in a matter of minutes for needed torrent files.

FoxyTunes lets you control almost any media player and find lyrics, covers, videos, bios and much more with a click right from your browser.

Supports WinAmp, iTunes, Yahoo Music Engine, Pandora, foobar2000, Windows Media Player, Xbox Media Center, Musicmatch, Quintessential, J. River, jetAudio, XMPlay, MediaMonkey, Media Player Classic, Sonique, wxMusik, Real Player, XMMS, Noatun, Juk, Amarok, Music Player Daemon, Rhythmbox and many other players.

Translator is a web translation extension that allows you to translate any web page into nearly any language at the click of a button.

Currently supports the following online translation services:
* Google Translation
* Yahoo! Babelfish
* PROMT
* freetranslation.com
* Altavista
* Im translator

Web Developer adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools. Useful for testing created webpages.

Tab Mix Plus enhances Firefox's tab browsing capabilities. It includes such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. It also includes a full-featured session manager with crash recovery that can save and restore combinations of opened tabs and windows.

[bsluub]

for bulk file re-naming :
'Rename Master'
http://www.joejoesoft.com/cms/showpage.php?cid=108

for image duplication detection :
'VisiPics'
http://www.softpedia.com/progDownloa...oad-73331.html

for bulk file extension conversions :
'XnView'
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/pierre.g/xnview/enhome.html

[ptx4]

One more should be mentioned - DownloadHelper.
Its by far not as powerful as Bulk Image Downloader and I tought of unistaling it, but I realized its still quite useful. Its a small FireFox extension and is handy for quick download of galleries of anything _directly_ linked from page you are visiting. Thats good when you come across several mpg files forming one big movie, for example.
Consider using it. Its free, no limits or anything.

http://www.downloadhelper.net/