www.bootdisk.com

This is a really handy site with a huge range of different boot disks available to download. Now not everyone needs this sort of thing but for those who do, they’ll find boot disks for DOS, Windows9X/Me/NT/2K/XP, different Linux variations, driver free disks for anyone who is flashing their BIOS and more. There is also some good guides (including how to boot from a CD) and links to handy sites for drivers and DLL files. They also have a utilities page that links to a whole heap of different system utilities.

DVD Decrypter is a great program for backing up video DVDs to your hard drive. The download is less than 1MB but there is no official site anymore, you can find plenty of mirrors on Google but here is a good one - www.dvddecrypter.org.uk

Features include;

• Decrypt copy-protected movies
• Burn decrypted DVDs to blank discs
• Change the region settings on DVD files
• The ability to backup to an ISO image (which you can use with Alcohol 52%)
• Stream ripping and more!

It is starting to age (the last release was in 2005) but it’s still holds up as an excellent program. A more detailed guide for using DVD Decrypter can be found here at the doom9 site

nliteos.com

nLite is a great application for anyone running Windows or planning to install it anytime soon. It basically lets you cut out all the parts of Windows you don’t need so you can run a leaner, faster version of Windows. You can slipstream service packs and also include specific drivers as part of your installation, so you don’t have to add them post-install. You can also integrate additional programs that will be installed as part of the Windows install process (check out the nLite forums for Application Add-ons).

Other parts of the Windows installation process you can customise include pre-adding a CD key and location & language settings, to make your installs completely unattended, meaning you can just boot from the nLite CD you create and leave it alone until Windows is up and running for you. There is a massive amount of other settings and tweaks you can make and the program comes with a pre-loaded “safe” setting so you can get the hang of using nLite before you really trim down your Windows to the bare essentials.

Notable tweaks and options include ;

• removing Internet Explorer (so you can just run the web browser of you choice, such as Firefox)
• removing unused languages and keyboard layouts
• removing the annoying ‘error reporting’ that usually appears when an application crashes
• the ability to control what services run by default
• get rid of unwanted utilities such as the Internet Connection Wizard and Desktop Cleanup

…plus a laundry list of other feature

If you run Vista, there is a different version for that called vLite (http://www.vlite.net).

www.primopdf.com

While there are other free PDF conversion programs out there, most of them are lacking one important feature (especially for business use) and that’s the ability to make secure PDF files for free. This is exactly what PrimoPDF is for, it not only allows you to create PDF files but let’s you secure them as well. Security options include being able to stop others from editing your documents, removing pages or even prevent them from printing. These options are very important for protecting your files from plagiarism and manipulation, as well as letting you keep your electronic archives secure (for legal requirements).

PrimoPDF is able to do a lot more than other free programs like CutePDF. The list of features also includes;

• Different quality settings for your PDF files (with clear explanations of each setting)
• Add extra information in your files such as Author, Title, Keywords etc.
• Able to add to existing PDF files, so you can combine multiple documents into a single file
• Can automatically attach your PDF to an email, ready to send
• Automatic updating

In regards to performance, the initial PDF conversion screen can take a few seconds to load up, otherwise performance is fine. PrimoPDF runs on Windows (98/NT/2000/XP/Vista) and the download is around 11MB. PrimoPDF does requires the .NET 2.0 Framework, if you don’t have it already you can download it automatically during setup (but this can be slow, it’s probably better to download & install it directly, it’s available at Microsoft.com)

infrarecorder.sourceforge.net

When it comes to CD/DVD burning software, Nero is probably the most well known software but there are plenty of free Nero alternatives to choose from. InfraRecorder is a free alternative to Nero and other commercial burning applications that will burn both CDs and DVDs with enough features to make it a complete burning solution for almost everyone. You can make data discs (including multi-session burns), music CDs and video DVDs (including dual-layer burning if you’re drive supports it). It also supports rewritable discs and will burn image files easily (ISO and BIN/CUE).

The interface is simple and straightforward, allowing you to create and save projects and get disc information quickly. InfraRecorder runs on Windows only and is also available in a portable version, so you can always have a CD burning application handy. The download is around 3 MB in total and is also open-source (available from the official download page or it’s SourceForge project page).

The latest version of the award-winning Firefox web browser is set for release, on June 17th 2008 the official release of Firefox 3 will be available to download. Firefox is a great alternative to Internet Explorer and Firefox 3 promises more great new features to make your browsing experience easier, safer and faster! Firefox is already packed with great features like tabbed browsing, great security, easy customization and a massive amount of add-ons available, Firefox 3 adds one-click bookmarking, the smart location bar, enhanced security, improved add-on management and more!

To celebrate the release of Firefox 3, spreadfirefox.com are encouraging people to download Firefox 3 within its first 24 hours of release in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloads within 24 hours. Just click on the Download Day banner and you can sign-up to be notified when Firefox 3 is available to download or head to the official Firefox site anytime after the release to download it direct.

AVG Download Page
(This link should take you directly to the download page)

The fantastic free anti-virus program AVG has just come out with a major update. This latest update brings AVG up to version 8 and brings with it an updated interface plus a few new features. This freeware now helps protect your PC from SpyWare even more with it’s new SafeSearch feature, which provides extra information in your Google searches letting you know which sites are safe and warning you about the ones that are potentially dangerous with unobtrusive icons next to your search results (ofcourse you can turn this feature off if you’d like).

You also get the same great features you are used to from AVG like great virus protection, automatic updates, a scan scheduler & more. So anyone who is already using AVG, make sure you update to version 8 and for anyone in need of a new anti-virus program, now is a good time to switch to AVG.

www.videolan.org

VLC is a free media player that will play almost any video or music file you want. It’s packed with other great features too and will run on Windows, Mac OS and Linux. VLC plays a massive amount of file formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3 and a whole bunch more, without the need to find and download extra codecs. Just download and install and you’re media is up and running. It will play your DVDs and VCDs plus various streaming media from the web (like online radio). VLC can also play most .iso files and even many incomplete files, so you can get a preview of what you are downloading before it’s finished.

In addition to simply playing your media files, VLC can also act as a streaming media server/client so you can use it as part of a home theatre setup and it even features multicast capabilities. The download is only 9MB and it comes in a portable package (without the installer) so you can carry VLC Media Player around with you on a USB stick or similar device and then you’ll always have a great media player handy.

www.dvdshrink.org/
Download page (and some extra info)

DVD Shrink is a Windows programs that lets users back up DVD movies. It also (as the name suggests) can “shrink” regular dual layer (8.5 GB) DVDs so that they will fit on a single layer (4.7 GB) disk. It can do this by reducing the quality of the movie or getting rid of extra stuff from the DVD you probably wont need, like foreign language tracks or special features you don’t want to see again. As usual, it’s also free.

You will need a burning program to burn DVDs, such as Nero or DVD Decrypter.

www.mustangpeak.net

Most users of Windows are used to browsing through their files using My Computer & Windows Explorer and while Vista has at least added a few new features, such as drop-downs and links in the breadcrumb bar, the features available are still limited. UltraExplorer is a Windows Explorer replacement that gives you a whole lot more to help you browse your files and folders faster and easier.

Browsing files will still feel familiar but the experience is greatly improved with numerous additional features including;

• Fast access to all your drives and viewing options with a click of a toolbar icon
• ‘Favorites’ window for fast access to all your most used folders and files
• Option to display folder sizes (similar to WinDirStat but not as advanced)
• Fast command line access (and folder syncing)
• The ‘Drop Stack‘ window which lets you drag files and folders and then move around into different folders with ease
• An FTP style dual window view, great for moving files around

There is a lot of other useful features in UltraExplorer other than what is listed above, plus you can select different browser themes and extra plug-ins are available too. Everyone, from the casual PC crowd right up to the power user should find something they like in UltraExplorer.