PowerArchiver 2000 v6.1.1 -- Win9x, Win2K
PowerArchiver is the best freeware archiver available. While version 7.0 has been released, it is no longer freeware. However, version 6.1.1, the last freeware version, includes an astoundingly broad array of features including Windows shell integration. The interface is similar to Winzip and just as easy to use. PowerArchiver 2000 has earned the coveted Five Clicks of Merit award. You can download version 6.1.1 here.

Get PowerArchiver2000 v6.1.1  

Enjoy the best freely distributable freeware compression utility available. (Download link posted by permission.)

EnZip v3.0 -- Win9x, Win2K, WinME
I use PowerArchiver 2000, but that doesn't mean there aren't other freeware archiver utilities out there to choose from. EnZip v3.0 is a freeware zip compression utility for Windows and is also still in development, just like PowerArchiver. It certainly appears to be at least as full-featured as any ZIP utility out there. If you haven't selected an archiver yet, EnZip just might be what you were looking for.
(Last updated: 12/31/00)

ZipCentral -- Win9x, WinME, WinNT4, Win2K, WinXP
While both PowerArchiver 2000 and EnZip handle a great variety of different compression schemes, ZipCentral works exclusively with ZIP files. The claimed goal of ZipCentral is to be the most robust freeware zip-package available. Reliability isn't a problem with the other archivers mentioned, but it is a great tool for the beginner as well as the expert. ZipCentral now supports Windows XP
(Last updated: 12/1/01)

602 Pro PC Suite v2002 -- Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
When I first heard about a free (and freely distributable) office suite, I honestly didn't think there would be much to look at. I mean, how good could it be? For free? I paid a pile of money for Office 2000 and it's a great suite, and that's the yardstick by which I would measure any suites, free or otherwise. Well, slap my butt and call me Sally if 602 Pro PC Suite isn't the best free office suite I've ever clapped peepers on. Not only is it complete and full featured just like Microsoft's Office, it reads, saves and edits files in the defacto MS Office standards: DOC, XLS and all the rest. This suite is good enough to be considered as a viable replacement for MS Office at home and at work.

Update 12/7/02: The new version includes a whole slew of changes and improvements. This is definitely worth checking out.
(Last updated: 12/7/02)

OpenOffice.org -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K, Linux, Solaris (Intel & SPARC)
OpenOffice is an off-shoot of the Star productivity suite project. StarDivision, the original author of the StarOffice suite of software, was founded in Germany in the mid-1980s. It was acquired by Sun Microsystems during the summer of 1999 and StarOffice 5.2 was released in June of 2000. Future versions of StarOffice software, beginning with 6.0, will be built using the OpenOffice.org source, APIs, file formats, and reference implementation. Unfortunately, Sun Microsystems began to charge for StarOffice in early 2002. However, OpenOffice, an open-source project, is available at no charge. OpenOffice 1.0 is available for download in many languages for many operating systems. My experience with it has been positive. In fact, at present, it's a better product than StarOffice v5.2.
(Last updated: 6/20/02)

HTMopener -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K, WinME
These days everyone has a CD burner. These devices have improved the ease and quality of data backups tremedously, and they're great for music CDs as well. In addition to such personal uses, there's no reason why you can't create a professional quality presentation CD. Harnessing the incredibly broad capabilities of HTML should be easy. Simply create your presentation in HTML format, like you would any web page, complete with text and images, and even with movies and javascripting if you wish, then place the entire HTML structure on a CD. The problem is, how do you get it to launch automatically in the user's computer? HTMopener.exe is a tiny executable that you can "call" with the autorun.inf file placed in the root directory of your CD. It will launch your HTML file and your presentation is available to users just like that. Use the following syntax when creating your autorun.inf file:

[autorun]
OPEN=HTMopener \directory\presentation.html

Change to the appropriate path on the CD, and rename presentation.html to whatever you've named your HTML file. The easiest way to use HTMopener.exe is to place it in the root directory of the CD, but you can place it in a subdirectory if you like. Just change the path to HTMopener.exe accordingly. An example might be:

[autorun]
OPEN=\Subdirectory\HTMopener \directory\presentation.html

Considering the space available on a CD for graphics and movies, and the speed with which your computer can access a virtual web site locally (on a CD ROM, not over some crackly phone line, through some dawg-ass slow modem) you should be able to create some magnificent presentations. HTMopener.exe is the key which allows you to spring your creative genius upon the world.

Get HTMopener.exe  

First Page 2000 v2.0 -- Win9x, WinNTx, WinME, Win2K
First Page 2000 is the best freeware HTML editor I've ever used. This is a professional caliber web builder, fully capable of creating and managing world-class Web sites. Its power and flexibility lets anyone create the web site they want. Thankfully, this is not a WYSIWYG editor. Ask any professional web builder and they'll tell you the sad stories behind using standard WYSIWYG editors. Professional web builders know that WYSIWYG editors never create clean html code which means they'll end up wasting more time fixing, cleaning and correcting code later on. With this common problem in mind, you'll be glad to hear that First Page never ruins HTML code. (Special thanks to Alex Byron for the heads up on this great product.)
(Last updated: 2/18/01)

Remind Me! -- Win9x, Win2K
How many times have you gotten into trouble by forgetting an important event? I know. You've tried reminder programs before. But you'll actually use this one. Remind Me! is simple. Just input the events you want to be reminded of and indicate how many days in advance you want the reminders to begin. That's it. You will be automatically notified of upcoming events whenever you start Windows.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

X-Find -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K, WinME
I've been looking for a file finder utility to replace the stock one that comes with Win2K. I know, the included file searching utility that comes with Win2K is very versatile and it can do all manner of amazing tricks and magic. I'm not impressed. In my opinion it's poorly organized, bloated and not very intuitive, especially for the novice user. Though I rarely use Win98 any more, I admit I prefer its simple, effective file finder utility. It could do everything I needed and more, and it was much easier to use.

While I don't know of a way to use Win98's file finder in Win2K, I did find a suitable alternative. Not surprisingly, it comes from the fine folks at X-Teq. They make a dandy little freeware file finder that goes by the name X-Find. Have a look at it. If you like it, add a keyboard shortcut to it (I used F+3) and you're all set.
(Last updated: 3/8/01)

DBXtract and MBXtract -- Win9x
A couple of my most savvy surfers have recommended this program. DBXtract for Outlook Express 5 users and MBXtract for Outlook Express 4 users, are small freeware programs that will extract Microsoft's proprietary mail files so that they can be saved.
(Last updated: 9/9/01)

rjhExtensions v1.3 -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
rjhExtensions is a simple utility that will add a number of useful functions to the context menu of Windows Explorer. rjhExtensions has an organizer that allows you to control the placement of several extensions. What a cool little util.
(Last updated: 3/6/01)

Error Buddy -- Win98
Now here's a handy util for those of you that fix computers for a living or just help others at places like a forum or bulletin board. Check out Error Buddy, a freeware util that tells you what all those weird, cryptic error codes mean in Windows.
(Last updated: 7/26/05)

Tree Copy 1.0 -- Win9x
Have you ever needed to copy and entire directory tree without the files? Well, Tree Copy 1.0 is just what you need. Take a look at it.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

ShutUp -- Win9x
PC Magazine released this superb lil' freeware util a few years ago and it's still a very useful util. ShutUp will automate tasks on shut down. Use it to eject CDs, delete your history and files from your Temp directories. You can also run Goodies like, ComClear v1.3, listed below, to help complete the clean up job, all automated.
(Last updated: 9/7/01)

InControl 5 -- Win9x
There are some very big and expensive programs out there for doing what In Control 5 does, but they aren't necessarily better, and they certainly cost more. PC Magazine's superb freeware util (written by Neil J. Rubenking and Rick Knoblaugh) records all changes made (including changes to the Registry) during the installation of a program and saves them in a report. Later, when you uninstall the program you can then track just how thorough the uninstall routine has been and edit as needed to surgically complete sloppy or incomplete uninstallations. I've used this util and never had a problem with it. Neil and the folks at PC Mag have done a great job.
(Last updated: 6/19/02)

2X Explorer -- Win9x
If you'd like to expand the abilities of Windows Explorer significantly then check out 2X Explorer. It has the dual pane advantages of old Windows File Manager but with all the power of the 32 bit Explorer. It's a Norton Commander type file manager for Win9x.
(Last updated: 5/31/00)

DiskSpan -- Win9x, WinNT4, Win2K
This is a very handy utility: "DiskSpan is a simple utility that adds a choice to your SendTo menu allowing you to quickly and automatically move files anywhere on your computer. If you send a file to a disk, and the disk is too small, you can compress and span file(s) across multiple disks with ease. It uses regular in-house zip compression making the file compatible with other compression programs." Not bad considering how useful the SendTo Any Folder feature is for power users, this adds spanning capabilities as well.
(Last updated: 4/2/00)

ID -- Win9x, Win2K
How about an extremely good and efficient piece of software that's free that does what it is supposed to remarkably well and is only 26KB in size. Software needn't be huge and bloated -- regardless of size it should be focused and well executed. Welcome to ID. A program that shows the SCSI and ATAPI devices in your system, detailing their SCSI ID's, device type, manufacturer, description, internal revision number, and whether the media is fixed in place or removable.
(Last updated: 9/7/01)

Sphygmic Software Spreadsheet -- Win9x
How often do you find a stand-alone freeware spreadsheet program? There are many text editors, image editors, word processors ... almost everything you need to build your own little freeware office suite, except a spreadsheet program. Sphygmic Software Spreadsheet wants to know "why spend your hard earned cash on a spreadsheet program? Our Excel-compatible spreadsheet has over 100 functions and will easily cope with all of the requirements of 99% of business users."
(Last updated: 9/1/02)

The Constitution Notebook Program -- Win9x, Win2K
And now for something a little different. You've come to expect lightweight, fun and useful freeware here. This time though, let's have a look at something with a little more depth. The Constitution Notebook Program is a study aid with more than 100 pages of commentary. With it you can determine for yourself what the Constitution means. Download the Constitution Notebook Program and spend a little time learning about this most fundamental American document.
(Last updated: 8/27/02)

InfoTipX Extension v2.0.4.106 -- Win9x
Do you have IE4 or 5? How would you like to be able to see info about a file by simply hovering your cursor over the file in Explorer? InfoTipX Extension v2.0.4.106 does just that. You can see the effect by hovering your mouse over the "My Computer" or "IE" shortcut on your desktop. This util simply extends that feature to other files. Read all about it.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

HexEditor -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K!
HexEditor is a powerful editor, whose advanced features will strongly simplify the editing process. It loads files up to 2 GB in a couple of seconds and sports a multi-document, multi-window interface. You can open as many files as you want, as well as open as many windows per file as you want. Later you can use Copy(Cut)/Paste operations between opened files. Autorestore feature that helps you restore opened files after system failure.
(Last updated: 5/25/01)

Xtractor v1.0
Have you ever installed a program then wished you could re-install just one, specific file, without re-installing the whole program? XTract v1.0 will unpack those compressed files for you. This is one of those little gems that every hardcore tweaker should have in their utility arsenal. Scroll down to the downloads link in the left pane, click it and then scroll down to find XTractor.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

CallCenter -- Win9x, WinME, WinNT4, Win2K
CallCenter is a free 32-bit, integrated fax, voicemail and data communications application with a simple to use interface providing fax send and receive functionality, basic (single mailbox) answering machine capability, and sophistcated data communications. CallCenter won't work with ISDN or Cable modems. It's made for good old fashioned electronic document faxing.
(Last updated: 3/19/01)

Stupid Fax V1.1 -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
You look like you need an exceptionally simple FAX receiving utility. Stupid Fax V1.1 works with your Fax modem to automatically save incoming fax calls and print them out via the default printer for your Windows system. It's simple and foolproof and works like a charm if all you need is an incoming FAX machine.
(Last updated: 4/24/00)

TreePad Version 2.6.9c -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
TreePad Version 2.6.9c is a very intuitive database program, outline text editor and Information Manager. The usual database programs are not good at storing unstructured information, TreePad excels at this! It lets you define and impose your own structure.
(Last updated: 7/11/00)

Winkey -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
Over the years, the graphic nature of operating systems has rendered it less necessary to memorize keyboard shortcuts. However, navigating with the keyboard can be a far more efficient way to use your computer. Winkey is a free shell extension which allows you to define keyboard shortcuts with the Windows key. Kudos to Steve for alerting me to this little gem.
(Last updated: 7/11/00)

Tax Preparation Softwares: TaxACT -- Win9x, WinNTx, WinME, Win2K
One choice in freeware tax preparation software is a perennial favorite here. TaxACT provides a free version of their software, and it receives abundant accolades.
(Last updated: 11/11/04)

Click here to e-mail me about updates or broken links.   Thanks for the help.