In Pictures: 20 Must-Download Utilities For Windows 7

[njoy]

screw that list, MPC is missing

 

[Wheat_Thins]

Spybot.......?????

It conveniently ignores spyware from vendors that pay enough $$$$.

 

[Guest]

Total Commander was left out. Too bad as that is the BEST file manager.

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]gyves[/nom]Suggesting VLC over MPC-HC? Something is very wrong here.[/citation]

I used to use MPC exclusively. However, after numerous codec breaks and the like, I started using VLC and now I can't imagine going back. They really have improved it immensely since even a year ago. What I'm really confused about is recommending Spybot S&D over Malwarebyte's Antimalware. Must not have techs working for Tom's.

 

[belardo]

Media player classic is still a must. I never use that junk Windows Media Player.

Classic is easier to use, it doesn't do questionable things with your data. But the "cinema" it does log your videos and play times for itself. So when you change a video, like 45min into a movie, then play various other videos - when you get back to your movie - it continues where you left off (NICE!).

The interface is very basic. Pauses are nicer... and you have the ability to run more than one instance of classic. While WMP is just one window.

Other Win7 must haves:
Agent Ransack - gives you the ability to search for ANYTHING anywhere on Windows XP~7. Will find the files that Win7 skips.

 

[dennisburke]

It's nice to see free programs that will burn DVD's, but are there any free programs worth mentioning that will rip DVD's?

 

[ZakTheEvil]

[citation][nom]jimishtar[/nom]CCCP should definitely be on that list.[/citation]

VLC renders CCCP unnecessary.

 

[ZakTheEvil]

Oh, and I'm not touching anything made by StarDock. All their stuff makes Windows unstable and slow. There is nothing wrong with Windows 7 GUI anyway.

 

[Miharu]

You should have called this articles "20 differents tools that I use".

I personaly doesn't like all those apps.

The writer always use alternative like 7-zip for Winzip, Trilian for Messager, OpenOffice for MS Office, InkScape for Illustrator, GIMP for Photoshop, Essential for an antivirus, VCL for Media Player,...

At the end the only apps I agree with him is "Deamon Tools" since he doesn't use weird alternative.

He should have regroup apps by themes and list most of them.

 

[zak_mckraken]

Great list. I've used most of the programs in there over the past, but I just learned about some that I didn't know before. I'm definitely gonna give fences a try!

Thanks Tom's!

 

[JOSHSKORN]

The screen shots look as if they're taken from Windows Vista. That is, the tasks are not as square.

 

[Shin-san]

CCleaner isn't spyware/adware free since it comes with a toolbar.

 

[bourgeoisdude]

[citation][nom]ddragoonss[/nom]What about ImgBurn and uTorrent?And VLC is at least regular as a audio player?[/citation]

Yeah, ImgBurn at least definitely needed to be on the list.

I was surprised that I use 13 of these 20 programs already. I don't care for the desktop organizer programs though--I've been using Microsoft's OS too long to change. I'm used to the clutter

 

[bourgeoisdude]

[citation][nom]Shin-san[/nom]CCleaner isn't spyware/adware free since it comes with a toolbar.[/citation]

C'mon, all you have to do is uncheck the little box.

[citation][nom]JOSHSKORN[/nom]The screen shots look as if they're taken from Windows Vista. That is, the tasks are not as square.[/citation]

Yeah, I noticed that on some of the screenshots. Also noticed they had a screenshot of Spybot 1.4, when 1.6.2 has been out for bloody ages.

 

[tokenz]

[citation][nom]Wheat_Thins[/nom]Spybot.......?????It conveniently ignores spyware from vendors that pay enough $$$$.[/citation]

Yeah I haven't ran spybot for years. Seems like I would get infected. Scan Spybot. It would tell me what was wrong, and the not fix it. It would do this with everything it found, except the tracking cookies.

 

[marraco]

"...the software looks to promote piracy. After all, it can install virtual optical drives in My Computer and allow users to "mount" burned..."

Mounting images allows to load CDs much faster, and avoid natural attrition caused by handling the crappy optical media, so prone to scratchs and data loosing.

Also, Optical drives are prone to fail if used intensively.

Companies like microsoft distribute some of his software as ISO images, and is really annoying to burn them to use. mounting an image is far simpler (or decompressing with winrar).

 

[jabliese]

Microsoft Live. Really.

 

[Guest]

gimps?? WHAT ABOUT PAINT.NET ???????????????????

 

[Guest]

You should check out Rocket Dock !

 

[jasperjones]

WinCDEmu >>> Daemon Tools. WinCDEmu also doesn't try to install adware on your system.

SuperAntiSpyware >>> Spybot Search & Destroy

 

[xenol]

I personally prefer VirtualCloneDrive over DaemonTools since it feels more transparent. And I think it's a little lighter on resources too.

 

[hardwarekid9756]

Trillian is crap. Go Go Gadget Pidgin....SO much better.

 

[coldmast]

I use most of these, though thanks toms.

 

[azcoyote]

How did Audacity not make the cut?

 

[gitano]

PowerISO > daemon crap tools

since daemon gived me real headache messing up the boot of vista and w7 machines, installed poweriso and never looked back.