Adobe Acrobat Reader

The Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to view, navigate, browse, and print portable document format (PDF) files that have been created by Adobe Acrobat. It also enables you to fill in visually rich, interactive PDF forms. An ActiveX control for Internet Explorer and a plug-in for Netscape Navigator are included and automatically installed in the browser of your choice.

This latest version includes a host of new features, such as the ability to save copies of files downloaded in Web browsers; drag-and-drop toolbar icons, dynamic thumbnails generation, and other usability improvements; improved access to Web-hosted applications and online services; support for Adobe Illustrator 9.0 graphics that contain transparency; compatibility with previous versions of Acrobat Reader; better display of text on LCD screens using Adobe CoolType technology; and more. Plus, you can download Asian font packs that enable you to view Adobe PDF files that contain Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts on nonnative systems using Acrobat Reader 5.0.

System requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP, Netscape Navigator 3.x or Internet Explorer 3.x.

Version: 5.05
File Name: ar505enu.exe
File Size: 8.6 MB
Licence: Freeware
Homepage: http://www.adobe.com/

DirectX

DirectX is the multimedia system foundation for Windows operating systems. Through DirectX, programs take full advantage of your system to give you the best multimedia experience possible. This latest version of DirectX offers updated graphics, faster frame rates, and support for massive multiplayer games. It also offers more immersive audio when running and displaying programs rich in multimedia elements, such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation, and surround sound. If you had an earlier version of DirectX installed on your system, you will see little difference in available space on your hard drive following the installation. DirectX 8.1 will overwrite any earlier versions.

NB: After installation, the DirectX 8.1 Runtime Module cannot be uninstalled. DirectX is a system component. It cannot be uninstalled without reinstalling your operating system. For more information on DirectX, please visit the DirectX 8.1 home page.

System Requirements: Windows (all).

Version: 8.1
File Name: [98/98SE/Me] - DX81_98ME.exe
               [2000] - DX81_2000.exe
File Size: 11.8 MB / 7.7 MB
Licence: Freeware
Homepage: http://www.microsoft.com/directx/

GetRight

GetRight extends your file-downloading power by resuming broken downloads and offering easy error recovery and many other features to give you faster and more flexible downloads. You can use GetRight to schedule your downloads for later. It can dial your modem at the set time, download the files you want, then hang up or even shut down your computer when it's done.

GetRight has several features to make downloading faster; it can use FTP searching to find other places where a file may be downloaded then switch between all the download sites transparently to ensure that you use the best one. And GetRight can segment a file and download different pieces of it from different servers at the same time--another way to increase your download speed. GetRight is also skin-able and has many more available options.

GetRight will integrate with Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Opera to automatically take over your downloads, making the whole process easier. The latest version adds many features including download history, URL verifying, improved mirror searching options, and a wealth of other improvements and bug fixes.

System requirements: Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP.

Version: 4.5c
File Name: getrt45c.exe
File Size: 2.1 MB
Licence: Freeware
Homepage: http://www.getright.com/

HyperSnap

HyperSnap-DX is a screen-capture and image-editing tool. It can capture screens from standard desktop programs and DirectX/Direct3D, 3Dfx Voodoo, and Glide mode games. HyperSnap-DX can snag DVD players and other video software, auto-scroll, and concurrently capture long Web pages and other documents, enabling it to grab more than is visible on the screen. Previous updates added a customisable top toolbar with new functions and a new keyboard interface to control mouse movement with 1-pixel precision.

This version adds rotate 90 degree buttons, sharpen or soften functions, a new, extended active window capture technology and more. The unregistered version on the CD has been softwrapped for easy payment and installation. It is a 15 day demo and adds a Hyperionics logo and Web address to printed or saved pictures. Full registration costs US$35.

System requirements: Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP.

Version: 4.20.0.0
File Name: hypsnap4.exe
File Size: 2.4 MB
Licence: Shareware
Homepage: http://www.hyperionics.com/

SANDRA Plus 2002

SANDRA (System Analyzer Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is a set of system diagnostic and benchmarking tools designed to help you keep your computer running at peak performance. It provides diagnostic, benchmarking, and performance tune-ups for different hardware devices and subsystems, including CPUs, modems, BIOS, drives, graphic cards, and DOS and Windows memory. It includes network and memory bandwidth benchmarking. Additional types of hardware can now be detected.

This version adds enhanced databases, queue delivery support, HyperThreading, full Windows XP support, enhanced interface and wizards, and much more. The unregistered version is ad-sponsored and will run only 50 of the 70 total modules.

System requirements: Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me & (limited support for XP).

Version: 8.59f
File Name: sad859f.exe
File Size: 2.1 MB
Licence: Shareware
Homepage: http://www.3bsoftware.com/

StuffIt

StuffIt is a file-decompression utility that can open virtually any compressed or encoded file. Use this program to access StuffIt (SIT), ZIP, gzip (GZ), bzip (BZ), LLA, ARC, ARJ, uuencode (UUE), Binhex (HQX), Macbinary (BIN), and MIME/Base64 archives.

The latest version of StuffIt includes ArchiveSearch and StuffIt Express Personal Edition, two powerful new features exclusive to StuffIt. ArchiveSearch quickly searches for files buried deep within archives, and StuffIt Express Personal Edition allows you to create customised drop box applications that can automate all of your file compression and transfer tasks. The new version also adds an enhanced interface; support for Palm applications, Windows XP, and NTFS file streams; and other enhancements over previous versions.

System requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP.

Version: 7.0
File Name: stuffit7.exe
File Size: 5.3 MB
Licence: Shareware
Homepage: http://www.aladdinsys.com/

WinRAR

WinRAR is a 32-bit Windows version of RAR Archiver, the powerful archiver and archive manager. RAR files can usually compress content 8 to 15 percent more than ZIP or ARJ files. WinRAR's main features include strong general and multimedia compression, the ability to process of non-RAR archive formats, long filename support, programmable self-extracting archives (SFX), damaged-archive repair, authenticity verification, embedded file comments, and encryption. Unicode is supported in archive file names, allowing non-English file names to be handled painlessly.

Version 2.8 made it easier to create your own RAR SFX-based installers, and features a new look, better security for protected archives, the ability to manipulate the parameters of many archives at once, and the ability to view a volume sequence as a single archive. This update features many new options, including extraction-only support for BZIP2, JAR (Java ARchive), and ACE 2.0 formats. You can now use full file paths such as d:pathname in the exclude lists and x switch when archiving (earlier versions understood only relative file paths). The choice "Never" has been added to the file-overwrite dialog. The "Extract Here" item has been added to archive context menus, allowing you to unpack archive contents to the current folder.

In this 40-day trial, the AV seal creation and error logging are disabled. A single user license is US$35. It is recommended that you uninstall previous versions of WinRAR before installing version 2.90.

System requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP.

Version: 2.90
File Name: wrar290.exe
File Size: 695 KB
Licence: Shareware
Homepage: http://www.aladdinsys.com/

Winzip

WinZip is a straightforward, fast, and easy-to-use zipping and unzipping utility that includes built-in support for popular Internet file formats such as TAR, ZIP, UUencode, XXencode, BinHex, MIME, and Unix-compressed files. Older ARC, ARJ, and LZH files are supported via external programs.

Version 8.1 comes with the following new features:
• Enhanced Explorer integration adds more options to the Explorer context menu and allows you to unzip several archives at once.
• The ability to compress into several small ZIP files for easy sending via an e-mail attachment or as an alternative to disk spanning.
• A new Quick Pick taskbar icon that gives you instant access to WinZip and recently used ZIP files.
• WinZip Wizard enhancements allow you to run installation files included in ZIP archives and extract files from split ZIP files and multiple disk ("spanned") ZIP files.
• Support for Windows XP allows WinZip to run as a native Windows XP program with no need to set the compatibility mode.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME.

Version: 8.1
File Name: winzip81.exe
File Size: 1.7 MB
Licence: Shareware
Homepage: http://www.winzip.com/

ZoneAlarm

ZoneAlarm is designed to protect your PC from hackers. This program includes four interlocking security services: a firewall, an Application Control, an Internet Lock, and Zones. The firewall controls the door to your computer and allows only traffic that you understand and initiate. The Application Control allows you to decide which applications can and cannot use the Internet. The Internet Lock blocks Internet traffic while your computer is unattended or while you are not using the Internet, and it can be activated automatically with your computer's screensaver or after a set period of inactivity. Zones monitor all activity on your computer and alert you when a new application attempts to access the Internet.

ZoneAlarm 2.6 features a new tutorial, improved color-coded Alerts with ratings and advice, as well as enhanced online help. ZoneAlarm 2.6 also has "hardened" security at the operating system level to safeguard users from the latest forms of Internet sabotage and includes improved intrusion blocking. Version 2.6.357 features improved advice for every alert, support for Windows XP, improved stability, bug fixes related to Windows NT and SP6A, blocking for uncommon IP protocols, and more.

This download is free for individuals and non-profit organisations. For commercial and government use, registration is US$19.95.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME.

Version: 2.6.362
File Name: zonalm26zla.exe
File Size: 2.8 MB
Licence: Freeware
Homepage: http://www.zonelabs.com/