There follows a collection of links to lots of extremely useful (and more importantly - free!) software. I am open to suggestions for inclusion into this list, but please note this is primarily a list of the software that I have used and found to be helpful. This list represents a love affair with open source and freeware software that has spanned many years. I originally compiled this list for the free technical support forum, Computer Hope. The list below is more up to date than that at CH, but it is still a good place to go for help.
Note that some software here is only free for personal use, or may be limited in some way. The majority however is completely free and unfettered.
| Name/Link | Description |
| Ant Renamer | Clever multiple file renamer |
| Eraser | Secure total file eraser/shredder |
| FreeCommander | Excellent two-pane file manager |
| GParted | Partition editor - can recognise, amend and resize most file systems |
| JDiskReport | Disk/space analysis |
| JkDefrag GUI | Front end to an exceptional defragger |
| FIPS | DOS/FAT non-destructive partition resizing tool |
| IsoBuster | CD/DVD data recovery tool |
| KillBox | Delete stubborn files |
| Smart BootManager | Boot from any device, even unsupported CDROMs |
| NTFSDOS | Access NTFS partitions from DOS |
| Ultimate Boot CD | Boot CD with lots of diagnostic tools |
| Ultimate Boot CD for Windows | As above, but completely "Windows-ised" version |
| Unlocker | Automatic locked file management |
| Name/Link | Description |
| The Gimp | Photoshop-rivalling bitmap editor |
| IconShop | Manage ICL and EXE icon libraries |
| Inkscape | Open Source scalable vector graphics Editor |
| Irfanview | Graphics viewer with HUGE feature set |
| Paint.net | Paint Shop Pro-rivalling bitmap editor |
| Picasa | Picture album/organiser from Google |
| Name/Link |
| Testdisk - generic free data recovery tool |
| Fujitsu |
| Hitachi |
| Maxtor |
| Samsung |
| Seagate |
| Toshiba |
| Western Digital |
| Name/Link | Description |
| Aida32 | System information, diagnostics and benchmarking |
| CmosPwd | BIOS password recovery |
| Everest Home Edition | System inspection |
| Memtest86 | Stand-alone memory diagnostic |
| Prime95 | A program to find prime numbers, commonly used for stress-testing |
| SiSoft Sandra | Information & diagnostic utility |
| System Information for Windows | And again! (This one is quite up to date.) |
| Name/Link | Description |
| Angry IP Scanner | Quick IP and port scanner |
| ejabberd | Jabber server (instant messaging) |
| ePrompter | Auto-check web, POP3 and IMAP email |
| Firefox | Open Source tabbed Internet Explorer replacement |
| FileZilla | FTP client/server software |
| FTP Surfer | Excellent FTP program |
| HOSTS Secure | Automatically update hosts file to assist in blocking ads etc. |
| HTTrack | Recursive website copier |
| Karens WhoIs | A useful lookup tool |
| KompoZer | WYSIWYG HTML editor derived from NVu |
| LogMeIn | Another remote control program |
| NetMeter | Realtime bandwidth monitoring tool |
| NetStumbler | Wireless network discovery |
| Opera | Another good web browser |
| PeerGuardian | Blocks government etc spies |
| POPTray | Reads POP mail on the server |
| Psi | Client for Jabber (instant messaging) |
| PuTTY | Telnet/SSH program |
| Sam Spade | Comprehensive collection of network tools for Windows |
| UltraVNC | Remote control PC software |
| Name/Link | Description |
| eLibPro | Excellent book inventory software |
Software relating to audio/visual creation, editing and playback.
| Name/Link | Description |
| Audacity | Advanced audio recorder/editor – Cross platform |
| AudioGrabber | Audio CD ripper, MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis encoder |
| CDEx | Audio CD ripper |
| dBPowerAmp | Audio conversion tool |
| HACP Audio CD Player | Tiny, efficient CD player with FreeDB support |
| KRISTAL Audio Engine | Multitrack audio mixer and sequencer |
| MediaCoder | Convert between many audio/visual formats |
| ScreenShotAssistant | Take screenshots in MS Windows |
| SUPER | All-format multimedia file converter |
| The-Codecs | All the codecs you'll ever need |
| VLC Media Player | Extremely compentent DVD/Audio/Media player and LAN streamer |
| Name/Link | Description |
| DOSBox | Intel x86 emulator |
| FreeDOS | MS-DOS compatible OS |
| Knoppix | Complete OS on a CD - useful for diagnostics |
| Microsoft Virtual PC | Run multiple virtual OSes on one machine |
| Microsoft Virtual Server | Run multiple virtual servers on one machine |
| Name/Link | Description |
| FreeMind | Mind-mapping (idea-linking) software |
| Keynote | Powerful tree-based notebook/information store |
| OpenOffice.org | Free MS Office Pro replacement |
| Name/Link | Description | |
| A² Free | Anti trojan/malware scanner | |
| Ad-Aware | Adware detector/remover | |
| AVG Free | Personal anti-virus | |
| Clam for Windows | Fully open source antivirus | |
| ewido | Anti trojan/malware scanner | |
| HijackThis | Startup/browser hijack detector | |
| IE-SpyAd | Bad IP safeguard | |
| Spybot Search & Destroy | Ad/Spy/Foistware detector/remover | |
| SpywareBlaster | Browser hijack prevention tool | |
| X-Cleaner Free | Malware Detector/Remover Plus |
| Name/Link | Description |
| CCleaner | Cleans temp folders redundant registry entries etc |
| Dial-a-fix | Easily fix many problems with 32-bit Windows |
| Win9x Power Toys | Tweaks and addons for Windows 9x |
| XP-AntiSpy | Fixes annoyances and loopholes in XP |
| XP Power Toys | Very useful tweaks for XP |
| Name/Link | Description |
| 7Zip | Archiver |
| AutoHotKey | Macro scripting/keyboard shortcuts/etc. |
| Convert | Unit conversion program |
| DeepBurner | DVD and CD burning program |
| Foxit Reader | Acrobat Reader replacement |
| Notepad++ | Notepad replacement/syntax-highlighting programmers' file editor |
| Notepad2 | Notepad replacement |
| Notetab | Tabbed notepad replacement |
| PrimoPDF | Save from any application to PDF |
| TClockLight | Enhance the system tray clock |
| Weather Watcher | System tray weather forecast |
| ZipGenius | User-friendly zip/archival tool |