The Best Free Software For Your Computer – Part II

A week ago, I shared my best free software list with Connected Internet (CI) readers. That post generated some nice buzz and to date 27 individuals took the time and made some useful comments on the list I offered. Some of them even proposed additional free applications that could easily make it into my list.

After reviewing those readers proposals, I decided to put together a new best software list that comprises only Connected Internet readers’ picks.

So here they are, 10 Additional Best Free applications For Your PC, as recommended by CI readers:

• Notepad ++ : My favorite text editor. Although its User Interface’s a bit cluttered, Notepad++ offers a rich set of features, and everything for free.
• Paint.NET : An alternative to GIMP, Open Source Paint.NET offers a more intuitive user interface, and a similar set of features. Very recommended for newbies in the Photo Editing field.
• Irfanview : Maybe the most popular and best graphical viewer. Once using it i doubt you’ll settle for the standard Windows Paint and Image viewing utilities.
• Undelete Plus and JFile Recovery: Undelete Plus is imho the best free file recovery software in the market. It allows you to recover files that you deleted from the Recycle Bin as well as files deleted while holding down the Shift key (“permanent deletion”). JFileRecovery is a Java based utility that allows for a similar set of features, but given the fact it’s a lightweight utility, it’s look and feel is much basic.
• Foobar2000 and KMPlayer: Foobar2000 is a simple and relatively lightweight media player for Windows. It supports the standard audio formats. KMPlayer is a another non intrusive media player, with a skinnable user interface, and a simple but maybe non intuitive installation process (just unzip and use).
• Avira AntiVir® PersonalEdition Classic: A few readers didn’t agree with my pick of AVG as my preferred Antivirus utility and proposed the less common, but certainly ok Antivir by Avira. A fact to note when dealing with free Antivirus suites, is to look into their feature set. Most will protect your PC from the most known viruses and other malware, however will fail to handle adware and phishing web sites.
• PDF Xchange Viewer: Another alternative you should look into if you are fed of the extra annoying Adobe Reader. XChange Viewer is a fast, yet rich feature wise PDF viewer.
• File Shredder : A powerful utility that allows you to permanently delete a file from your Windows system. Files deleted using File Shredder can’t be recovered with utilities like Undelete Plus. My recommendation is to use such tools with caution, as there won’t be a way back :)

As you can see, CI readers prepared an excellent list of utilities, which usage you might definitely want to consider. What’s your take ? Comments are more than welcome. Enjoy your weekend!