# Recommend some shareware and freeware **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290 "2002-05-04T20:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/1 "2002-05-04T20:28:51Z")
I recently upgraded from Windows 98 to Windows XP, and I’m installing bits and pieces of software. So far I’ve added ZoneAlarm, AdAware, TweakUI, DAP and AVG (although the latter doesn’t work with XP). I’m downloading Trillian since it seems fairly popular. Anyone have any other shareware / adware / freeware recommendations? I’m not fussed about file-sharing apps, since I’m limited to a 56k dial-up and only about 2 gig of free space, but any ‘must-haves’ would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/2 "2002-05-04T20:41:33Z")
Maybe things are different now, but Ad-Aware and DAP together in one sentence doesn’t sound right. I though Download Accellerator Plus was **known** spyware.😕 ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/3 "2002-05-04T20:46:06Z")
I hadn’t heard that about DAP, but Ad-Aware is completely up to date and hasn’t alerted me to any problem with DAP. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/4 "2002-05-04T20:52:26Z")
Ohhhh. Forgot to mention my favorites. If you’re into video/pictures, [Ifranview](http://www.irfanview.com/) is a great freeware addition. Some of Freeware link pages: [Snortworld](http://www.snortworld.com/freeware/fwmain.html) [Pricelessware](http://home.att.net/~willowbrookemill/pricelessware.html) Pricelessware advertises as spyware free, but after each install, I’d run adaware just to be sure. 😉 You may be right about DAP, they may have changed. I last used it several years ago. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/5 "2002-05-04T20:54:41Z")
Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/6 "2002-05-04T22:45:43Z")
[Sandra](http://www.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/sandra/) is a nifty program. It’s a diagnostic program that examines your computer and provides stats for every last bit of it imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![neisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4bbf92/32.png) [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/7 "2002-05-05T06:18:44Z")
[Kazaa](http://www.kazaa.com/en/kmdstart.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2002, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/8 "2002-05-05T09:22:39Z")
Um, as I said in the OP, my connection doesn’t really make file-sharing apps viable, but thanks anyway. I’ll check out Sandra too. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/9 "2002-05-15T21:37:19Z")
I’m gonna go ahead and bump this baby, because: [list=A] [li]A similar thread I started got eaten in the Big Flush, and some of the suggestions were really cool.[/li][li]I just downloaded [Xnews](http://download.com.com/3000-2164-8508518.html?tag=lst-0-1), which is the best newreader I’ve ever used. There’s a learning curve, but it’s _way_ more powerful than your browser’s bundled Usenet app.[/li][li][StarOffice](http://wwws.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/6.0/) made an honest man outta me (thanks **Zette**.) I’ve actually removed all of the pirated MS Office apps from my system.[/li][/list] ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-shareware-and-freeware/107290/10 "2002-05-15T21:58:00Z")
AVG the antivirus program? I’ve got it on the home computer, which runs WinXP Professional, and it works just fine… MemTurbo at [http://www.memturbo.com/](http://www.memturbo.com/) is a decent app if you don’t have too much in the way of RAM; it’ll recover memory for you. I find it more useful to clean up stray \*.dll’s and other memory-resident clutter after a program crash. (If you have problems with a program not working right if you restart it after a crash, run MemTurbo and have it clean up your RAM: most of the time the program will run fine again.) * * * \<\< A computer’s attention span is as long as it’s power cord. \>\>