The Necessary Software Thread

#21

Name of the Software: StuffPlug for MSN
Where did you get it: http://www.stuffplug.com/
Cost: Free
What is it: Plugin for MSN messenger plug (previously mentioned at http://www.msgpl.us/)

I am still convincing a few people on my MSN list to install this. The main reason, is it allows animated gifs (custome emoticons) to be displayed in message windows at their original size...

#22

Media Player Classic along with appropriate codecs for Real Media and QuickTime

Media Player Classic is a kicking media player that can play stuff that WPC can't, either because they might be slightly damaged or for any other reason. It is also very light....

.... Excuse me but I HAVE to do this: Opposite to my work's window the flat where I had full view was emptied like 2 months ago and yesterday it got a new tenant. Of ALL the things: WHY oh WHY did the new tenant have to be a FAT, SHAGGY, OLDISH LADY who THINKS she can BEND OVER TO PICK HER LAUNDRY AND MOON EVERYONE WITH HER .... F#OI$UF)U#$FYOYH#@OFHOH#O AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry... Where was I ? Oh :oops:

... and takes very littyle space ass(SHAKIRAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!) well. With the appropriate codecs (AC3, divx 3.11, xvid, real alternative, quicktime alternative, vobsub) you can play just about everything there is out there.

License for MPC, RA, QTA: Free
Locations:
Media Player Classic: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfile ... p_id=82303
QuickTime Alternative: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Qui ... native.htm
Real Alternative: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Rea ... native.htm

#23

7-ZIP

http://www.7-zip.org/

King of Compression - almost every common format catered for.

#24

I use Trillian for my Instant Messaging.

WWW.trillian.cc

With this easy IM you can use AOL, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, and IRC all in one program. No more are the days of having to have 3-5 different messangers open and drag down your bandwidth. Use one and save time.

Free to all if you do Trillian basic.

For my cleaning I use CCleaner. It is free and the site links you to www.filehippo.com where you can download all kinds of other programs. Most of them are NOT free from there, but it is a cool site anyway.

http://www.ccleaner.com/

#25

Name of the Software: VLC
Where did you get it: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Cost: Free
Size: (7.9MB)
Version: 0.8.5
What is it: Video Player
Ease of Use: 10
Free Support: Yes

Advantage
Plays almost all Video format out there.
Light, does not consume too much cpu or memory

Disadvantage
IMO it looks bare.
Setting for Video Hue, Shade and Color cant be save in a customize setting.

VLC - the cross-platform media player and streaming server

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.

If i may add Download Realt as well for real media compatibility with real medias /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

#26

I sort of hate VLC since I find it a bit simplistic in it's options but I do keep it around since it'll play broken video files. I saw media player classic on here and here's something that compliments it very well along with what BlindG has.

Name of Software: ffdshow
Where to Get it: http://www.codecs.com/download/FFDShow.htm
Cost: Free (open source ftw)
Size: Varies with version usually between 2 - 5 MB
Version: As of this posting, 2006-12-32 build
What is it: Codec, supports nearly all open encodings (mpeg-4, h.264 ...etc.)
Ease of Use: 3
Free Support: Yes

If you want a filter/codec that can nearly do it all and with great speed and quality then ffdshow is for you. Beware you have to have had experience with encoding/playback configuration and know your way around encoding/playback options because ffdshow has ALOT of them. Note this IS a replacement for other codecs except Proprietary ones: QuickTime, RealMedia and Indio Therefore you should uninstall all codecs (such as builds of XviD) if you have them and replace them with this. While there are some performance concerns, they are fairly marginal and if you research enough you can find some builders who have hand optimized the code.

For the Less Technically astute:

Name of Software: CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack)
Where to Get it: http://www.cccp-project.net/
Cost: Free
Size: Varies with version usually between 2 - 5 MB
Version: As of this posting, 2006-12-15 build
What is it: Filter Pack, supports nearly all open standards (mpeg-4, h.264 ...etc.)
Ease of Use: 7
Free Support: Yes

I'm a huge supporter of these guys:
CCCP should be familiar with those who know what a .mkv file is or who watch fansubbed anime. CCCP uses a variety of Codecs that are tested for reliability and stability for use with out conflicts. Since it uses a it's own build of ffdshow you can basically install this if you tried ffdshow and couldn't get a feel for it. It's easier and more fail safe (You can reset all settings back to default and they have a simplified checklist as well as the full ffdshow checklist).
Besides the special FFDShow, this pack includes AC3 and Haali audio codecs so you will have to install all audio codecs that pertain to playback of movies as well.

Note: All notes written for FFDShow apply to this codec package as well.
For way way more info read the wikipedia page for them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_C ... Codec_Pack

Edit: CCCP Comes with Latest compatible Media Player Classic and Zplayer but these do not need to be uninstalled before installing CCCP (Zplayer has alittle bit more options but can be a pain sometimes)

#27

Name of Software: Irfanview
Where to Get it: http://www.irfanview.com/
Cost: Free
Size: Varies with version usually between 2 - 5 MB
Version: As of this posting, 3.99
What is it: Image Viewer
Ease of Use: 7
Free Support: Yes

My favorite image viewer, fast and supports endless formats with the ability to be extended with plugins. What VLC is to video media, this is to Image viewers. Does the same that your Windows Fax and Picture viewer does plus alot more with way more options.

#28

7-zip
Best program for compress/decompress files

#29

Hey, that DirLister program sounds like something I could use. I just downloaded it.

Some of my frequently used utility-like programs are Ad-Aware, MusicMatch Jukebox, SpyBot Search and Destory and Arles Image Web Page Creator.

#30

Name: CRAP CLEANER
Cost: Free
Found at: http://www.ccleaner.com/
What is it:
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Cleans the following:
Internet Explorer:
Temporary files, URL history, cookies, Autocomplete form history, index.dat.
Firefox:
Temporary files, URL history, cookies, download history.
Opera:
Temporary files, URL history, cookies.
Windows:
Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files.
Registry cleaner:
Advanced features to remove unused and old entries, including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more... also comes with a comprehensive backup feature.
Third-party applications:
Removes temp files and recent file lists (MRUs) from many apps including Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, MS Office, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and many more...
100% Spyware FREE
This software does NOT contain any Spyware, Adware or Viruses.

This is a great f*cking tool and you'll be amazed just how much crap it'll remove from your PC. It also has a startup manager to control what runs when you boot up!