QOTW: Which free PC software should everyone be using?

[HEXUS]

There are plenty of hidden gems out there, so let's hear your suggestions.

Read more.

[iamlorro]

Ninite isn't really software, as such but it's good and useful at downloading and updating multiple apps that would otherwise take a while - and you don't have to worry about crapware/advert stuff.

Virtualbox is a pretty good and easy VM application for those wanting one to play with those.

Teamviewer is great for remotely controlling a pc.



Can you tell I work in IT Support?

[Jacxel]

I'm sure most people have heard of/used all these but they are some of the programs i tend to immediately install on a fresh OS.

keepass : password manager
7zip : file archiver
notepad++ : basic text editor
VLC : media player
libreOffice : Office suite
Gimp : Photo Editor
Audacity : audio editor

[crossy]

Sigh I'm going to be predictable and suggest that LibreOffice and VLC are both worth a look.

And Vim (for Windows) is pretty decent if you need to edit - especially if you're also lumbered (grin) with Linux/Unix boxes.

Of course, speaking of "software solutions" - how about Linux itself, especially as gateway to all those lovely free-but-still-good applications?

[DavyJ]

Libre Office. It's supported on most pertinent platforms - including Google docs. Germany has adopted it officially. I'm not willing to subscribe to Microsoft Office. There are compatibility issues between Libre and MS Office, but if everyone used LibreOffice it wouldn't matter, and the whole world would save money every month.

[Lee H]

Video : Davinci Resolve
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/davinciresolve

[Nifl]

SpeedFan is nice to reduce fan noises and check temps. The Sysinternals Suite is also extremely useful sometimes. Offers an enhanced task manager for example.

[entigy]

+1 for LibreOffice and Notepad++

Also, Classic Shell - still not a fan of the Windows 10 start menu.
Irfanview, for viewing and cropping images etc
And LastPass, so I don't have to keep remembering all my internet passwords...

[bridges009]

Pot Player: a powerful, highly configurable media player.
Everything: miles better than Windows search function
DVDfab Passkey Lite: removes DRM on DVDs and Blu-rays in real time so you can play them with your prefered media player rather than have to use PowerDVD or some other clunky rip-off program.

[bridges009]

Libre Office. It's supported on most pertinent platforms - including Google docs. Germany has adopted it officially.

Munich adopted it, not Germany.

[Biscuit]

Foxit. Bloody hate Adobe acrobat reader

[NaciremaDiputs]

Notepad++, 7zip, CCleaner, and Malwarebytes are all a must one of my computers.

Some more optional choices would be CoreTemp and Gimp.

[SUMMONER]

Pathsync - portable folder sync utility for ad-hoc use, ideal for your USB stick

Cobian Backup - The Swiss Army Knife of scheduled data backups

Speccy - find out what hardware is inside a computer without opening it

TeamViewer - Best free (for non-commercial use) ad-hoc support software

CCleaner - clear temp files, manage start-up items in a nice big window and even secure erase the empty areas of your hard drive

Hardwipe - Secure erase files and folder via the context menu in Windows File Explorer

Multipar - its parity files have saved my bacon more than a couple of times

Desktop Restore - simple context menu to save/restore icon positions

[outwar6010]

Media info is quite nice

[pastymuncher]

Foxit instead of acrobat reader.
CCleaner- excellent system cleaner

CPU-Z
GPU-Z
Hardware Monitor
Realtemp/Core Temp - all to keep a eye on things

Open office - it's free and does all I need

Asus Realbench - stability testing

[conkli]

Flux