Windows

Microsoft Windows is currently one of the most popular operating systems, it is run on servers, desktops, laptops and has been ported over to other devices like phones, games consoles etc in the form of WinCE. The operating system comes with many tools and applications built in though some are cut down versions, many fantastic applications are sold for Windows. Most start life / gain support as shareware / freeware (open source); this page lists URL’s to Microsoft Windows desktop OS freeware resources also known as open source. Using free software is the first step towards freedom, by using free software you are helping development of the OS / applications, community and future developers. For alternative operating systems see Linux, BeOS, Apple or DOS

Open Source software otherwise known as freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost. Freeware is often made available in a binary-only, proprietary free software. Proprietary freeware (Open source) allows authors to contribute something for the benefit of the community, while at the same time allowing them to retain control of the source code and preserve its business potential. Freeware is different from shareware, / proprietary software where the user is obliged to pay (e.g. after some trial period or for additional functionality)

Featured Software

Operating System : Abandonware computer operating systems

AdwCleaner : Remove toolbars, adware and similar browser-based pests.

CCleaner : CCleaner is a system optimization and privacy tool

Recuva : Recuva (pronounced “recover”) is a new file recovery tool

Teamviewer : Remote access

Skype : Free voice and video calls

Superantispyware : Advanced Detection and Removal

Ninite : The Easiest, Fastest Way to Update or Install Software (Recommended)

7-ZIP : 7-Zip is a file archiver with a high compression ratio.

Email : Temp email address anti-spam

AntiVirus

Microsoft Security Essentials : Free AntiVirus (Recommended)

AVAST : Essentials no longer supports XP so this can be a good option

Malware / Spyware Removal

Spybot : Spybot-Search & Destroy

Malwarebytes : Remove Malicious Software

Superantispyware : Advanced Detection and Removal (Recommended)

RKILLL : Command Line Tool

Microsoft Malware Removal Tool (new version released on the second Tuesday of each month)

Graphics

The GIMP : Graphic Manipulation Package
GIMPshop : Gimp with the Look And Feel Of Adobe Photoshop
Fotosizer : Batch Image Resizer Tool

Video Editing

Blender 3D : Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite

Freyja : Modeler and animator focusing on low polygon game content with wide range of model import/export plugins

Wings 3D : Wings 3D is a subdivision modeler inspired by Nendo and Mirai from Izware.

Cinefx : Cinefx is a suite of open source, cross platform media playback, encoding, visual effects and editing digital content creation tools.

Multimedia

DVDVideoSoft : DVDVideoSoft is a suite of programs

clipconverter.cc : Clip Converter – your YouTube to MP3, AAC, MP4… Recorder, Converter and Downloader!

VideoLan : The VLC media player that fills all your needs.

Play Blu-Ray with VLC in Windows 8 64-bit/32-bit : No Blu-Ray playback support from Media Player without 3rd party add-

Audacity : Recording And Editing Software

Productivity

Libre Office : Microsoft Office Alternative
Portable Apps : Run Apps from USB flash stick
Primo PDF Reader : View and edit PDF documents
PDF to Word : Standalone, don’t require Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat
PrimoPDF : PDF Creator (print driver)

Microsoft Office Web Apps

Visual Studio

CD \ DVD Burners

CDBurnerXP : CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.
ImgBurn : Lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application
ISO Recorder : ISO Image Recorder

Internet

Mozilla Firefox : Web Browser
Free hosting
http://www.multimania.co.uk
HTTrack : An easy-to-use offline browser utility

Utils

7-ZIP : Free alternative to Winzip & WinRar
SuperCopier : SuperCopier replaces Windows explorer file copy and adds many features:
Bytessence InstallMaker : Installer creator targeted at individual developers or small companies

AdwCleaner : Remove toolbars, adware and similar browser-based pests.

CCleaner : CCleaner is a system optimization and privacy tool

exFAT : Info – Use the exFAT File System and Never Format Your External Drive Again

Audio & Video Codec

Real Player : Audio and Video Codec
DivX : Default format of internet video
Quick Time

System Info

Manuals : Online manuals and documentation
Event ID : The Event ID database

Back Up

Dropbox 2GB of Dropbox for free, with subscriptions up to 100GB available.
Combo Time Machine : Comodo Time Machine (CTM) is a powerful system rollback utility that allows users to quickly restore their computers to an earlier point in time.
MozyHome : You shouldn’t have to think about backup. Backup should be set up once, and then work automatically. and be able to back up open and locked files .Free/2GB, PM Unlimited

Did You Know Windows 8 Has a Built-In Time Machine Backup?

More downloads

http://www.techradar.com

How to remove adware and pop-up ads (Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove Pop-up Ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1: Uninstall the program responsible for the pop-up ads
STEP 2: Remove adware from your computer with AdwCleaner
STEP 3: Remove browser hijackers with Junkware Removal Tool
STEP 4: Remove potentially unwanted programs and malware with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
STEP 5: Double-check for malware with HitmanPro
(Optional) STEP 6: Remove pop-up ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

If you are using an Apple Mac OS X operating system, please follow this Remove virus from Apple Mac OS X (Pop-up Ads and Adware) guide to remove pop-up ads from Safari

STEP 1 : Uninstall the program responsible for the pop-up ads

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

Go to the uninstall menu.
- Windows 10 or Windows 8
- Windows 7 or Windows Vista
1. To uninstall a program on Windows 10 or Windows 8, right-click on the Windows Start button and choose “Control Panel” from the pop-up menu.
2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
When the “Programs and Features” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall any suspicious programs.
Known malicious program: Dns Unlocker, Cinema Plus, Price Minus, SalesPlus, New Player, MediaVideosPlayers, Browsers_Apps_Pro, PriceLEess, Pic Enhance, Sm23mS, Salus, Network System Driver, SS8, Save Daily Deals, Word Proser, Desktop Temperature Monitor, CloudScout Parental Control, Savefier, Savepass, HostSecurePlugin, CheckMeUp and HD-V2.2.

The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. To view the most recently installed programs, you can click on the “Installed On” column to sort your program by the installation date. Scroll through the list, and uninstall any unwanted or unknown programs.

If you are having issues while trying to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.

If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.

STEP 2: Remove adware from your computer with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer and web browser for malicious files, adware browser extensions and registry keys, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

You can download AdwCleaner from the below link.
ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “AdwCleaner”)
Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and web browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.

If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.

AdwCleaner will now start to search for the any adware that may be installed on your computer.
To remove the malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.
AdwCleaner will prompt you to save any open files or documents, as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.

STEP 3: Remove any browser hijacker with Junkware Removal Tool

Junkware Removal Tool is a powerful utility, which will remove adware and browser hijackers from Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome.

You can download Junkware Removal Tool utility from the below link:
JUNKWARE REMOVAL TOOL DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download the Junkware Removal Tool utility on your computer)
Once Junkware Removal Tool has finished downloading, please double-click on the JRT.exeicon as seen below.

If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Junkware Removal Tool, please allow it to run.
Junkware Removal Tool will now start, and at the Command Prompt, you’ll need to press any key to perform a scan for malware.

Please be patient as this can take a while to complete (up to 10 minutes) depending on your system’s specifications.
When the scan Junkware Removal Tool will be completed, this utility will display a log with the malicious files and registry keys that were removed from your computer.

STEP 4: Remove potentially unwanted programs and malware with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free”)
Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.

To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for malware. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Remove Selected” button.

Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.

After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

STEP 5: Double-check for malware with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.

Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.
When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove malware.
Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.

(Optional) STEP 6: Remove pop-up ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

If you are still experiencing issues with the pop-up ads in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome, we will need to reset your browser to its default settings. This step needs to be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.

Reset Internet Explorer
Reset Mozilla Firefox
Reset Google Chrome

You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon” in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.

Your computer should now be free of pop-up ads and adware.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove malware from your machine, please do one of the following:

Run a system scan with Zemana AntiMalware.
Start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.