Spyware-free, free Windows software ...

[Member2019]

I've seen a lot of different people recommending different programs for Windows here. I want to start a thread on spyware-free, free windows software. Virtually all of this software is open source software, with the source code available so many eyes look at the software to ensure it is spyware-free. You should always download the software from the official software sites, and not other sites, to ensure it has not been tampered with.

The lesser known programs ...

Unarchiving: 7-zip (does ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS -- and handles multiple archive/split joining as well)
http://www.7-zip.org

A/V Playback: Media Player Classic aka "Guliverkli" (looks like older Microsoft Media Player, but it's not, and has many, many more codecs)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/

Other A/V Options: VideoLAN Client (VLC, good codec support), MPlayer (not "end-user friendly," more of a "back-end" used by other programs, used by VLC and others, see links on the MPlayer site for graphical options)
http://www.videolan.org/
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/

Messaging: Pidgin (fka GAIM), the base for many other free IM programs (as was Everybuddy before it)
http://www.pidgin.im/ ( http://www.gaim.org )

File Transfer: Firezilla (FTP, FTPS, SFTP and others)
http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/

P2P File Sharing: Azureus (so many P2P programs are spyware-infested programs, but not open source Azureus), although it's clearly not for newbies to Torrents.
EDIT

The more well known programs, plugins and more "Office" software ...

Browser: Firefox
http://www.getfirefox.com

Browser Plugin: PrefBar (turn off Javascript, Send Referrer and other things)
http://prefbar.mozdev.org

Browser Scripts: PornZilla (countless, useful scripts, tools, plugins, etc...)
http://www.squarefree.com/pornzilla/

E-mail: Thunderbird (God, please don't use Outlook/Outlook Express -- which is a virus distribution engine, even with a virus scanner)
http://www.getthunderbird.com

Office Suite: OpenOffice.org (most other "free" office suites use the same code), which includes the Java Runtime Engine (JRE) for your browser
http://www.openoffice.org

PDF Output: PDF Creator (if you don't use OpenOffice.org that creates native PDF)
http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator

Desktop Publishing (DTP): Scribus (currently v1.3 "development" branch for Windows, but quite usable)
http://www.scribus.net/

Bitmap Graphics Editing: The GIMP (can do what Photoshop can, especially with plugins, newer CYMK, etc..., although it doesn't work the same -- and there are other options, based on GIMP, for other editing, like movie/media, etc...)
http://www.gimp.org/

Lastly, in a few Google searches for various project homepages, I stumbled across this site I didn't previously know about, and it has links to some other options as well:
http://www.opensourcewindows.org/

 

[Iamforever]

P2P File Sharing: Azureus (so many P2P programs are spyware-infested programs, but not open source Azureus), although it's clearly not for newbies to Torrents.
EDIT

good idea, but i dont think this will go over well.

 

[Member2019]

Not just for illegal file sharing ...

good idea, but i dont think this will go over well.

Despite the commonly alleged "illegal" use of P2P, P2P was largely invented by people using it for legitimate purposes.
In fact, a great amount of P2P traffic is actually used for major open source software redistribution.
With an estimated 100 million Linux users world-wide (over 20 million in the US), it doesn't surprise me one bit that it is used legitimately.

But that's not the point here.
The point here is that regardless of what you use P2P for, use a client that is not a spyware-infested, PC zombie converting program like 99% of the other P2P clients out there.

 

[georges]

Well I use Adware SE Pro and Windows Defender against spywares. I already have videolan but I have quick time 7.1.5 PRO and the whole Divx Package.For torrents downloading, I use Utorrent and bitcomet. For PDFs, I already have adobe acrobat reader 8 pro.

 

[YMIHERE]

Here's 15 Great free utilities for Windows.

 

[Ax3C]

Here's 15 Great free utilities for Windows.

I use a-Squared HiJackFree quite frequently ... have never had a problem with it, either. I've installed it on five computers so far.

 

[Iamforever]

i just downloaded spycatcher express. how reliable are these links in pcworld?

 

[Ax3C]

i just downloaded spycatcher express. how reliable are these links in pcworld?

Well, I've never downloaded anything from their Site specifically, but the magazine itself is kinda like the Bible of the PC world ... not that that actually means anything.

 

[Iamforever]

Well, I've never downloaded anything from their Site specifically, but the magazine itself is kinda like the Bible of the PC world ... not that that actually means anything.

no, i mean, after the scan was complete, it found 23 traces of spyware. yet, only two were quarantined. the others were not found as bad or good. they were under suspicion. so every time they try to run, it will ask me if i want them runned. of course i will say no, but what does all this mean?

 

[Member2019]

I'm talking about not getting spyware in the first place ...

Open source software doesn't have spyware, malware, trojan horses (which are virtually impossible to prevent), etc... The idea here is to not install software that has it in the first place.

Microsoft has long stated that complete spyware removal from Windows is impossible once infected. It has recommended to all its enterprise customers to "reinstall from scratch."

The idea here is to install open source software that not only prevents spyware (like Firefox), but doesn't include any malware in the first place -- unlike a lot of "free software" out there. Especially trojan horses, which -- by the very nature of their installer -- often hide their existence and bypass resident installers.

 

[Iamforever]

is spycatcher express an open source software?

 

[Member2019]

Not my point ...

is spycatcher express an open source software?

No, but that wasn't my point. My point was that you should prefer open source software for your normal uses, not so much as a spyware catcher. I see a lot of people in various threads recommending software that has known malware -- from simple spyware to complete trojan horses -- some things resident spyware/virus checkers simply won't catch.

 

[drdeath67]

Prof are you spammin'?


Just kidding bud!

 

[Iamforever]

Re: Not my point ...

No, but that wasn't my point. My point was that you should prefer open source software for your normal uses, not so much as a spyware catcher. I see a lot of people in various threads recommending software that has known malware -- from simple spyware to complete trojan horses -- some things resident spyware/virus checkers simply won't catch.

never mind, you already did. lol


actually you didnt give an example of an open source spyware software.

 

[Ax3C]

Which is where titles like ...

a-squared
Ad-Aware
Spybot S&D
CWShredder
XOft SpySE

... all come in to play. And no, none of those software titles have built-in mal-ware of their own. I've used all five titles (both paid-for and free versions) religiously since about 2000 and they have all done the job they advertise.

IAF -

Here's are a couple of good links for you to check out and just kinda look over:

http://www.spyware-refuge.com/free-spyware-removal-programs-comparison.html

http://www.intranetjournal.com/spyware/removal.html

 

[Member2019]

Which is where titles like ...
a-squared
Ad-Aware
Spybot S&D
CWShredder
XOFt SpySE
... all come in to play. And no, none of those software titles have built-in mal-ware of their own. I've used all five titles religiously since about 2000 and they have all done the job they advertise.

Yes, there are some fine anti-spyware tools. But not all of them catch everything, much less address the issue of catching all malware in various "free" software on the Internet. I just wanted to provide a list of commonly used, open source software for Windows, that does the job well for many people. Something I can refer people to when I see "free" but "known malware/spyware/privacy-issue" software.

Symantec, CA and several other companies have been telling everyone as of late that you can't trust much software on the Internet because they aren't able to catch literally thousands of pieces of malware created a week. There's a lot of good, commercial software out there, but if you're going for something "free," try some of the "open source" software first to see if it does the job -- and make sure you get it from the official site.

 

[Ax3C]

Yes, there are some fine anti-spyware tools. But not all of them catch everything, much less address the issue of catching all malware in various "free" software on the Internet. I just wanted to provide a list of commonly used, open source software for Windows, that does the job well for many people. Something I can refer people to when I see "free" but "known malware/spyware/privacy-issue" software.

Symantec, CA and several other companies have been telling everyone as of late that you can't trust much software on the Internet because they aren't able to catch literally thousands of pieces of malware created a week. There's a lot of good, commercial software out there, but if you're going for something "free," try some of the "open source" software first to see if it does the job -- and make sure you get it from the official site.

:hatsoff: Very true. :thumbsup:

BUT ...as with any software (paid-for or free) sometimes what one doesn't do, the other one will ... which is why I use all five in conjunction with one another.

Plus, I also have Norton going in the background full-time, along with Windows Defender AND a firewall. LMAO. Ain't nobody getting access to my computer unless I know about it.

 

[Iamforever]

oh well, i will stick with the one i have. anyway, no personal info on me is on my computer. the only thing they can find out from me is my usernames.

 

[baultista]

I recommend VideoLAN (VLC) player... I use it myself, and it works very well.

 

[Member2019]

97% of exploits ...

Ain't nobody getting access to my computer unless I know about it.

97% of exploits now come through Internet Explorer or Outlook worms, or Trojan Horses installed in programs.
I.e., they are client-initiated, and go right through firewalls.
Symantec's CEO has more recently gone on record that the only way to combat Internet security issues is for users to be more pro-active, since they can't keep up.

It is how Valve was compromised, and the Half-Life 2 source code stolen.
A PC was compromised 3 months earlier via Outlook (fully patched), and opened up an external HTTP tunnel when hackers then piggy-backed on.
They watched Valve for 3 months, and Valve had no idea they had been hacked at all -- until the Half-Life 2 source code showed up on UseNet.
The computer not only had Norton Anti-Virus and a Firewall, but there was a network firewall at Valve as well.
Several questioned if Valve had any Network Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) that might have caught it.
In reality, just an Net IDS on its own may have not caught it -- you have to be pro-active at looking at logs and activity.

The worst danger on the Internet is being hacked and not knowing it.
If you do any on-line transactions, shopping, etc..., if you are compromised, your personal information will be stolen.
SSL doesn't help you if your web browser is compromised and "deny all incoming" firewalls are useless if the hack is client-initiated.
Security software won't help you if you install unknown software or click through countless sites.

Users much change their beliefs to realize that changing their habits on the Internet is far more effective than any security software.
And that begins with only installing trusted software, turning off automation (e.g., ActiveX, Javascript, Java, etc...) when not used or going to new/unknown sites, and not using well-known, virus-propogation engines -- namely the base, unsecured libaries in MS IE and Outlook (which automate many things at the OS-level that can't be turned off).