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OK, I haven't downloaded or tried ANY of these three yet. I MIGHT, later, but I need to re-install Vista soon, so there's no sense in doing any new installs right now.
HOWEVER, I've come to a general conclusion about freeware... like most things in life that are FREE, it's very seldom that anything you get free is very much worth having... I've downloaded and installed a fair number of "freeware" programs over the years. A few I found quite useful, but most were actually "free" versions of programs that REALLY want you to buy their "better," PAID version... Some of these try to SLAM YOU into buying the paid version...
I CURRENTLY have a utility installed called Download Accellerator Plus, which I CANNOT UNINSTALL... ZDNet said it was FREEWARE... Well, it WAS... BUT, the company that makes it REALLY wants you to buy their paid version, and as I found the FREE VERSION nothing but a HASSLE, I have NO INTENTION of paying for the PAID version, so I have TRIED to uninstall it -- NO DICE... Deleting it won't work, and when I try to uninstall, it tells me it needs an Install.log file that DOES NOT EXIST ANYWHERE ON MY COMPUTER.
Of course I can simply disable it and close the program every time I restart, which is what I've been doing... and when I re-install Vista, I'll get rid of it... and if I wasn't going to re-install Vista, I could PROBABLY email or call the company and they'd find a way for me to get it off my computer, but I THINK you get my drift...
Be careful what freeware you install and CAREFULLY READ the Terms of Service BEFORE you install it.
Jeff
A few years back I found a program called Total Uninstall that I use faithfully every time I install a new piece of software (especially so called freeware).
This program logs all the changes the software makes to you PC in added/changed files and changes to the registry. Later you can use this same program to remove all traces of the offensive program.
It has saved me a few times when a program failed to create a Install.log intentionally or whatever. Or programs that simply had no intention of getting off your PC in the first place.
In Reply to 1st Post from Jeff - I completely disagree. There are many fine "Free" programs available from reputable vendors who sell a rofessional version. Many of these are geared towards PC Security. Spend some time researching various programs and you'll find that Free can be a good thing. I'll name a few of my Favorites in case you doubt this.
CCleaner
Open Office
Picassa
Firefox
Photo Story 3
RoboForm (for 10 Passwords)
K-Lite Codec Pack
And the list goes on. Long Live Freeware!
Actually, Big Geek Daddy, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU about all the software you listed (even though probably anything provided by Google is going to TRACK whatever you do for advertising purposes, lol).
I'm just saying that while programs like Open Office, Firefox and Picasa, etc., DO have fine reputations, with NO EXPECTATION of any direct compensation or "upselling," there are VERY MANY "freeware" programs that, even though technically "legitimate," as is the DAP program I can't get off my computer, are nonetheless a pain-in-the-butt that do their best to convince you to buy their paid version as soon as you install the free version (or shortly thereafter)... And others do what they advertise for free, but come with little bots that try to get you to buy OTHER software sold by the developer.
To be fair, it's difficult to understand why almost anyone would simply develop programs for free for everyone to use, on a regular basis, without eventually looking for a way to get some money back (unless they're working as part of some non-profit community effort, or something)... I just feel some of the freeware DOES NOT tell you in advance that you're going to be pushed to buy something AFTER you install it, and I find that disingenuous... It should be distributed with a disclaimer telling people who install it that although the software is free, there IS a paid version (or other paid programs by the same developer), that WILL be marketed to the installer, and HOW that will happen, and if the free version is REALLY not going to do much until you buy the PAID version (as with DAP), it should tell you THAT, as well. This software was SUPPOSED to somehow speed up web downloads, but using it didn't increase the speed of my downloads ONE IOTA... Then, of course, when I got into the program a bit deeper to try to see WHY, it told me I REALLY NEEDED to buy the "PRO version" to get the REAL speed increases -- HOGWASH!
That's my gripe!
Jeff
Now this is exactly the reason I added the comments section to each article! What a great exchange of information!
And Dave, other than comments like the above postings, is there any kind of website that one can research freeware? See if you can uninstall it? Comments by users...
I agree such a site would be SO MUCH more helpful... The only problem is that freeware such as the DAP I'm griping about above, I downloaded AFTER it was one of the FEATURED DOWNLOADS listed in one of the daily emails I get from ZDNet (now owned by CNET, publisher of MANY of the popular computer magazines)...
Almost since I became a regular on the internet 10 years or so ago I've subscribed to various daily and weekly emails from ZDNet that link to online articles, commentaries and reviews they have about various aspects of what's going on in the computer business -- from the latest computer parts and software, to where the industry is headed, virus info, and also a bit on shareware and freeware. DAP was a link in one of the emails, and while I DO believe the link actually indicated the free version was a limited version of a larger paid version, they DID recommend it, and it certainly LOOKED better on their weblink than it was.
I'm NOT faulting ZDNet, because they USUALLY give good info, and as for a source for where to find reviews and whatnot, they're probably as good of a place to start as any. I'm just saying that except for some of the REALLY BIG freeware that exists free for OTHER REASONS (such as things like Firefox, OpenOffice, even I.E. Explorer, not mentioned above, but also "FREE"), there are sometimes hidden agendas.
Jeff
I have checked and double-checked, have all the virus-checkers and spyware checkers I need installed on my system, and I'm as sure as anyone CAN BE that I have NO bots or viruses, worms or spyware on my system.
That said, almost immediately after my last post, I got an attractive email from Download Accelerator Plus trying to sell me an upgrade to their latest paid version. I don't remember EVER getting a direct email from them -- at least not in a VERY LONG TIME (get pop-ups quite frequently when I bring the program up to disable it, but this is the first email in memory)... Almost makes me wonder if they don't have a web crawler out there checking forums like this one, and it saw me posting about it and decided to email me.
To strange to be JUST a coincidence, huh?
Jeff
Hide Folder HiBit is a very good program, I was looking for it for a long time, Many thanks Dave
