Useful Software Links
All the software mentioned here is FREEWARE! These are some of my favourite programs. I love finding free alternatives that are just as good - if not better - than the leading commercial applications. Furthermore, they're generally very compact and use system resources quite efficiently.
Web Browser: Firefox 3 continues to be my favourite browser - it's infinitely better than Internet Explorer.
Antivirus: Avast Antivirus is a decent antivirus program much like AVG, but it isn't quite as prone to incorrectly (and irritatingly) removing certain types of files as viruses when they're not.
Anti-Spyware: Spybot Search and Destroy is a reliable tool for preventing and eliminating spyware.
PC Maintenance: CCleaner is a handy all-in-one tool for cleaning out the electronic cobwebs.
CD/DVD Writing: ImgBurn is a great little program that is easy to use and doesn't suffer from Nero's bloating.
PDF Reader: Sumatra PDF Reader by Krzysztof Kowalczyk is a much quicker and smaller alternative to the malignant bloatware that is Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Image Viewer/Editor: IrfanView is a light application with more functionality than the Windows image viewer. Has a surprising amount of image editing capability, particularly with the plugins package.
Media Player: VLC Media Player is a small and nifty application with a reputation of being able to play just about anything. A great alternative to Windows Media Player, though I still tend to use Winamp for playing music.
Text Editor: MetaPad is a handy alternative to Notepad, just as light and quick but far more functional. It was handy in constructing this website.
Graphics Editor: The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Project) is a great alternative to Photoshop. It has a similar level of functionality without the price tag (literally).
Torrent Client: uTorrent is tiny, efficient and has plenty of useful features.