The following programs, listed in no particular order, all work very well, contain no spyware, and are free. I’ve used all of them extensively and recommend them with no reservations.<\/p>\n
Eraser<\/a>\u00a0will permanently<\/em> erase a file or folder. It will overwrite the filespace 35 times with random numbers, making the data stored there virtually unrecoverable. The only caveat I’ve found is using the “Erase all free space” option on the C:\\ drive may overwrite or damage NTLDR, which is a critical file on WindowsXP. Therefore, I recommend not using that option. The best\u00a0facet of Eraser is the ability to right-click on a file and choose Erase. Simple, easy, effective.<\/p>\n Allway Sync<\/a>\u00a0is a great folder syncronization program. It will keep a folder or directory on your hard drive exactly sync’d to one on another drive, say an external USB drive or USB thumb drive. You can even set it up so that plugging in a USB thumb drive will activate the program and sync files automatically.<\/p>\n Filezilla<\/a>\u00a0is my FTP program of choice. I like the Explorer-like interface and the drag-and-drop usability.<\/p>\n JDiskReport<\/a>\u00a0will lay out for you the space used by files and folders on a hard drive. It’s great if you’re trying to figure out where all your hard drive space went.<\/p>\n Beyond Compare<\/a>\u00a0is perfect for comparing two directories so you can see where they differ. It makes a pretty good backup system, too. Ok, it’s not totally free, but you get a fully functioning version for 30 days, which is great if you just need to compare directories once or twice.<\/p>\n GAIM<\/a>\u00a0is a multi-platform instant messaging client which works with all IM services. It’s\u00a0handy if you have friends using AOL, MSN, Yahoo, etc who can’t agree on one service.<\/p>\n Google Earth<\/a>\u00a0is just plain fun. You can see a map of an area and then flip to an aerial view or combine the two. The folks at Google are constantly updating the capabilities, so it gets better and better.<\/p>\n SDP Downloader<\/a>\u00a0allows you to extract video files from direct play links, like the ones in the post below about the space shuttle external fuel tanks. Just copy and paste the link to the website into SDP, and it will grab the video file and allow you to save it on your hard drive.<\/p>\n Rainlender<\/a>\u00a0is a very cool desktop calendaring program. I only use it at its basic level, just so I have a current calendar on my desktop. But you can really put\u00a0its many options to use for a fully functioning calendaring system.<\/p>\n