It's robust, fast, safe, and most importantly, extensible. With thousands of add-ons available, the basic Firefox functionality can be significantly enhanced. In fact, addons are what makes Firefox unbeatable when it comes to customization, flexibility and security.
You can also find articles on how to configure Flash in Firefox on Linux platforms, how to install addons , how to backup the profile and extensions, SSL security, as well as some less known stuff like how to open. This is another open-source Gecko-based browser. It is very light and fast and will probably offer better experience on low-end machines than most other browsers.
Opera is another solid, lightweight browser. It runs well on weaker machines, it's fast and includes built-in mail, RSS reader and a torrent client.
Opera also has a portable version available. Note: On safe web habits, please check this long guide. Finding the right codecs for Windows is not easy.
It's a tricky task and you're likely to come across quite a few codec utilities that are bundled with unwanted programs or even malicious in nature. Your best bet for using codecs on Windows is the omnipotent VLC player. But if you must, here's a tiny selection of places that you may want to go. Note: Please keep in mind that I am NOT responsible for any possible direct or indirect damage that you may experience due to use of codecs, including those few recommended here.
This sites offers a range of useful, clean codecs. As the name implies, the Combined Community Codec Pack is a simple playback pack for Windows with the goal of supporting the majority of video formats in use today.
If you require Xvid codecs, like for instance in order to recompress videos using VirtualDub, then you should visit here. MD5Summer is highly useful in making sure the downloaded ISO files are in good shape before burning them. It works by stripping away components from the standard Windows disc, creating a custom version of your own, with only the parts you want or need.
There's also vLite, which does the same job for Vista. But if you're looking for a streamlined Vista, just wait for Windows 7 or stick with XP.
HDD Health is a program intended to monitor hard drives and predict their failures. It's one of the tools you should use to make sure your computer health is in good shape. This program will monitor fan speeds, voltages and temperatures of hardware components in computers with monitor chips. It is a tool designed for a power user and should not be used in vain. Just like CT scans are not performed on every patient with headache, you should consider using it if you think there might be a problem with your hardware.
Memtest86 is a memory diagnostics tool. It needs to be run from a floppy disk or a CD before the operating system boots. DOSBox is an x86 PC emulator, complete with graphics, sound, mouse, and modem, allowing you to run old DOS-based games that are no longer supported by modern operating systems. It also supports IPX and Serial multiplayer modes.
You can read a lot more about DOS games in my old games section. QEMU is an open-source processor emulator. It requires quite a bit of knowledge to be fully utilized. Nevertheless, it can be useful for creating virtual hard drives or converting virtual hard disk between different formats.
AxCrypt is a file encryption software, allowing you to protect your files and folders. AxCrypt can also create self-extracting executable encrypted archives that can be used on machines without AxCrypt installed.
For more on AxCrypt usage, you may want to take a look at my tutorial: Encryption - Part 1. TrueCrypt is an open-source disk encryption software, which allows you to encrypt entire partitions, hard disks or USB sticks.
I've explained the basic usage models quite extensively in the second part on encryption. Eraser is a secure deletion tool, allowing you to completely wipe information off your hard drives. This can be quite useful if you need to give away your old hard disks and want to make sure that no data will ever be retrievable.
Window Explorer is a relatively simple file manager and will do well in most cases. However, the lack of tabs of multi-pane views limits its usage with power users.
There is a large number of alternatives available, however I must admit my experience with most is rather limited. Your help would be appreciated here.
FreeCommander is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard Windows file manager. FreeCommander can also run from portable devices. Other options include Total Commander and xplorer 2 lite. However, Total Commander is a shareware program that you must register for within a month. Plus it will display a nag screen every time you launch it. The free version has fewer features than the professional one, can be used for private and academic purposes only, plus it offers an installation of a toolbar during the setup, which you probably do not need.
If you have other useful file manager suggestions, feel free to email me. Your contributions will go into the Users' recommendation section.
Of course, you can always refer to Ultimate Boot CD for Windows and grab a few file management utilities listed there. FileZilla is a fast, popular, cross-platform FTP client. There's also a server module available. KompoZer solves a number of bugs that existed in the previous incarnation and introduces new features. It is very easy to use, even by people who have little knowledge of web languages. This programs allows you to quickly manipulate batches of images, by converting their format or color map, resizing them, or rotating them.
It is very handy for people who frequently have to manipulate lots of pictures. GIMP is a powerful, comprehensive image manipulation program. It offers an extremely wide range of tools for graphic editing of images, although it does require extensive knowledge to be fully utilized.
ScreenshotCaptor is a very handy program for taking screenshots. It is also capable of taking screenshots of regions or full content of partially hidden windows. IrfanView is a very light, very fast and extremely powerful viewer.
It includes a media player and also has some very neat editing features. A range of plugins is available. You can read more about IrfanView in this tutorial. XnView is a powerful, cross-platform image viewer, capable of viewing, editing, converting, and organizing image and video files in a large number of formats. XnView is also highly customizable and available in many languages. Note 2: I've also heard good reviews of Paint.
NET and Snagit a free version , but I have little experience with these. If you have something to share on these, feel free to do so. Pidgin is a multi-protocol client and will allow you to connect to several networks, without using several often bloated and unneeded IM programs.
Skype is a VoIP, video conferencing and instant messaging software that uses a proprietary format for communication. In return, it offers encryption and good quality of service. Note: users of multiple IM networks may also want to consider the online meebo service, as explained in this article. Thunderbird is a cross-platform mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation.
Thunderbird can manage multiple accounts, including email, newsgroups and RSS feeds, and supports encryption. Like Firefox, its basic looks, functionality and security can be extended through the use of add-ons. For email security, please check this long guide. System maintenance is a tricky business, as every wrong choice can have implications on system health and performance.
The best example of how fragile and delicate the balance between system optimization and system damage is, in my original Windows collection, I recommended CCleaner as a tool for keeping the system in trim shape, only to have it backfire on me by corrupting the network stack somehow. For the sake of completeness, I've decided to list a number of these, but please note that they may not work as expected or even cripple your machine.
You've been warned! Do not ever use these tools without a solid, proven backup procedure in place, including data backup to external media and a full system image! If you ask me, system maintenance is more about the right choice of programs than anything else.
If you install the right kind of programs, e. Still runs as fast as the day it was placed on the machine. What kind of maintenance do I run on it? Well, some basic cleaning with ATF-Cleaner, plus monthly disk defrags.
Everything else is perks. If you must, you may also want to defrag your pagefile. But please be careful when using registry cleaning tools. There's no consensus whether they do more harm than good, any harm, any good, or anything at all. It's all about personal experience.
To sum it up, plan ahead, use decent programs, clean the temporary files once in a while, defrag the disk once in a while, and you'll be fine. The emphasis is on making the right choice of programs. That's why you're reading this article :. ATF-Cleaner is a simple utility to clean temporary files, junk and leftovers from your machines, freeing up valuable disk space.
CCleaner short for Crap Cleaner is a system optimization and privacy tool. It allows you to clean browser caches, delete cookies, remove corrupted or unused files and erase tracks of your online activities. It also has the ability to clean leftover registry keys and values - use at your own discretion.
Important note 1: Due to a problem with CCleaner version 1. Meanwhile, I've continued testing the program on numerous machines and have not had the problem since. Therefore, I've decided to re-include the program in the list. But remember my lesson! Important note 2: CCleaner has several versions available. The default one comes bundled with a toolbar.
The portable and the slim builds do not have the toolbar included. JkDefrag is a free, open-source defragmentation utility for Windows. It is now offered as MyDefrag and includes a GUI that shows the progress of the defragmentation process.
JkDefrag works with all major versions of Windows and can also be used in Safe Mode. It will try to place the most often used files at the out sectors of the disk, to improve performance, and will leave extra space around the files to allow for growth and reduce future defragmentation. The utility is also quite fast. PageDefrag is a utility developed by WinInternals, formerly SysInternals, used to defrag the pagefile. If you're using a dynamically expanding pagefile and often exceed the RAM limitation in daily use, you probably have a badly defragment pagefile, which slows down the performance when used.
PageDefrag will try to unite all the bits into a single continuous unit, in order to improve performance. Just like disk defragmentation, only against the pagefile.
RegSeeker is a powerful registry cleaning and system optimization tool. You can use to tweak the look and feel of the system, manage services and installed applications, disable startup programs, search through registry, as well clean the registry, which is the major aspect of this utility. Ashampoo Burning Studio 6 free. This is an older version of their most current, payware product line, but still a great utility with all the features you need.
Conversion tools are utilities for converting files from one format to another. However, this simple, generic process can take many forms, including all sorts of exciting games, like converting files to Flash and embedding them into web pages, converting documents to PDF format, creating screensavers from still images, working against online services like Youtube, and so forth. In this section, we will focus on multimedia only.
Meanwhile, you may want to read my three Multimedia editing tutorials to get a better idea of what the tools listed below actually do. The first part deals with Flash, everything from downloading files from Youtube and stripping music from Flash videos to converting Flash to standard video and back, and more. The video tutorial teaches how to work with video files: splitting and joining them, changing encoding and compression, fixing bitrate discrepancies in audio and video, and other tasks.
The third tutorial teaches us how to manipulate audio files: convert between different music formats, like. What more, my Multimedia section has many other useful tutorials, including how to record your desktop and creating Flash animations, how to embed or edit subtitles in movies, how to rip DVDs or create movies in DVD formats, how to obtain the right codecs, reviews of popular applications, and more.
Audacity is a powerful cross-platform sound editor, allowing you to edit and record audio files. It also has a number of plugins available, including LAME mp3 encoder. GameStop PS5 in-store restock. Baby Shark reaches 10 billion YouTube views. Microsoft is done with Xbox One.
Windows Windows. Most Popular. New Releases. Desktop Enhancements. Networking Software. Trending from CNET. Get this suite of utilities, power toys, visualizations, skins, effects, and more for Windows XP. Service pack for Microsoft Windows XP. Style XP Free to try. Patch Windows XP to use unsigned visual styles. Remembering an old software with nostalgia is an excusable romantic exercise, but it has no practical utility.
In computer science, evolution is ruthless, as it has no mercy with the old software. An old movie is completely enjoyable a century later, but an operating system 20 years ago, today is a real torture: slow, limited and prone to hanging on to the slightest opportunity. Nobody in their right mind would use Windows XP in well, except for the million computers that still use it.
But what would Windows XP look like if it had been released in ? The attractiveness of Windows XP Edition is in its simplicity and redesign. It is not Windows 10 with the Windows XP interface. The square and raised edges of the original windows have been replaced by the flat design, by layers and primary colours, which is now carried in modern operating systems. The photos and animations of the Start Menu disappear, showing only the monochrome logos of the different applications. It is a relaxing, almost healing vision.
The assault of images, news and publicity towards our eyes replaced by information, without sweeteners. It helped us in the searches or at least it tried because the search engine of Windows XP was a disaster.
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