From audio recording to anti-virus, Windows isn’t perfect but these 10 freeware tools get it that much closer.

Every version of Windows Microsoft has released has always left its users wanting more – either more features, more control or simply more value. And that’s left a huge hole for the many computer programmers out there to fill. In the end, we think they’ve done an admirable job providing solutions for Windows gaps that Microsoft itself would have trouble improving on.

So if you’re sick of the way a particular feature works (or doesn’t work) in Windows, don’t put up with it – replace it with one of these ten freeware tools that should help to make Windows do what you want it to.

1) Xplorer2 Lite (http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm )

It’s only in the latest Windows Vista operating system that Microsoft has made any sizeable changes to Windows Explorer and in our opinion, those changes made haven’t been for the better. So here’s a freeware alternative we recommend - Xplorer2 Lite. This Lite version doesn’t have all the features of the full payware version but still, it’s a damn site better than Windows Explorer. Xplorer2 Lite gives you dual-pane view, export folder information for printing, split/merge/shred files, folder comparison and synchronisation and tabbed interface.

It’s free for private use and really does leave Windows Explorer behind.

2) Mozilla Firefox/Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ )

Microsoft has tried hard in the last little while to get Internet Explorer up to scratch but even IE7 has failed to excite Microsoft enthusiasts. The Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email client have become increasingly popular options for those looking for smaller, lightweight but still powerful alternatives.

Firefox comes with a growing number of extensions or add-ons and allows for tabbed browsing (add in Tab Mix Plus add-on for extra functionality) while Thunderbird has better controls for junk mail and phishing scams than Outlook Express.

3) AVG Free (http://tinyurl.com/fky54)

Up until recently, Windows didn’t come with any anti-virus and certainly Windows Defender hasn’t come up well in some reports in terms of viruses it can catch. However, that’s no problem – just use AVG Free. This free anti-virus tool is the perfect option for those looking for good protection without overly looking down your computer. AVG Free 7.5 works with Windows Vista and also offers daily updates so your PC is always protected. Grisoft has also come out with a free anti-spyware tool as well. While we don’t think it’s quite as good as AVG Free in its user-friendliness, AVG Anti-Spyware comes pretty close and for the price, it certainly helps Windows lift its security game.

4) Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ )

Let’s face it – the sound recorder Microsoft has been trundling out since Windows 3.1 has been a real kludge job. But if you need to record some audio, there’s a great open-source freeware tool called Audacity that is not only well featured but pretty simple to use too.

It works with any sound card and can capture audio up to 32-bit in depth. It supports WAV, OGG and MP3 (LAME) and the latest version supports multi-channel WAV output. The latest 1.3.3 beta now supports FLAC and it can even be used to import professional BWF (broadcast wave file) formats.

This is definitely a must-have and just leaves Windows sound recorder for dead.

5) Zone Alarm (http://tinyurl.com/296pwe)

If your computing network is a little on the unsecure side and you need a software firewall to protect your files, Zone Alarm Free is a great choice that will help keep your PC or notebook safe. Easy to install, Zone Alarm asks you about the applications you use and then basically takes care of itself. There are regular updates to keep things nice and fresh. It can also alert you whenever someone or something tries to access your computer plus it can keep track of any software trying to contact the outside world without you knowing about it.

Definitely a great inclusion for any Windows computer.

6) Media Player Classic (http://tinyurl.com/jiir)

7) FFDshow (http://tinyurl.com/mnf1)

Windows Media Player has some useful features but it’s more of an iTunes-wannabe than a really great audio-video player. So a group of dedicated enthusiasts have taken the old version 6.4 of WMP and turned it into Media Player Classic, a small (about 400KB) player that plays just about any video and audio file you care to throw at it from AVIs to VOB files to MP4. The real secret though is to throw in the FFDshow codec package. FFDshow is a collection of codecs (encoders-decoders) that are fast and lean, faster than many of the originals it replaces but combined with Media Player Classic, it comes close to the ultimate audio-video player.

8) IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/ )

It’s not until Windows Vista that Microsoft has really taken photos seriously and although it will give you somewhat of a slideshow effect in Windows Explorer, it’s hardly adequate. That’s why IrfanView has become the hottest slideshow and image view there is.

But the real beauty of IrfanView is its ability to view RAW images. RAW images are basically uncompressed image files usually taken with digital SLR cameras but the problem is that every camera vendor implements their own version of RAW. IrfanView comes closest to any image viewer on the internet at being able to open up all the various RAW formats and with its plug-ins, there’s hardly an image format it can’t open.

9) FileZilla (http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/ )

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was never a strong suit of Windows’. While you can transfer files using FTP with Windows Explorer, it’s about the most clunky way you can do it. A far more elegant solution is FileZilla. With its ability to remember websites, password and logins, even change the CHMOD settings on FTP sites you have access to, FileZilla is one of the ultimate webmaster’s tools. What’s more, it works on every version of Windows, including Vista.

There are a few free FTP clients but few have the features or power of FileZilla.

10) CDBurner XP Pro (http://www.cdburnerxp.se/ )

There’s hardly be a PC these days that doesn’t have an optical disc burner of some kind and while most burners come with burning software, these days, it’s typically a feature-limited version of Nero that just handles the basics and little more. One thing it doesn’t handle well is creating bootable discs.

There are plenty of applications for bootable discs from creating your own self-playing movie discs to creating BIOS update discs for your PC’s motherboard. CDBurner XP Pro can create those bootable CDs and DVDs to Windows’ El Torito format and works with virtually any CD or DVD burner.

And of course, the price can’t be beaten.

So there are the 10 utilities and tools we’ve used to make Windows do that bit extra. One day, Microsoft may choose to incorporate all of the functionality in this group into its operating system but in the meantime, these tools do just great and definitely at the right price.

By the way, www.tinyurl.com is simply a webpage URL compressor – you’ll be directed to the homepage of each tool but using TinyURL means we don’t have huge webpage addresses.