{"id":130,"date":"2026-10-12T10:51:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2009\/06\/20\/click-download-top-useful-freeware-software\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T10:51:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:51:49","slug":"click-download-top-useful-freeware-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/click-download-top-useful-freeware-software\/","title":{"rendered":"Freeware Toolkit for DevOps: Revised 2009 Windows Software Catalog and Safe Selection Workflow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This page modernizes a classic freeware software roundup into a practical reference for DevOps engineers, lab administrators, and power users who still maintain Windows-based tooling. You will find a safer selection workflow, categorized legacy links from the original post, and repeatable commands for validation and installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally published on 2009-06-20; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/freeware-software.png\" alt=\"freeware software catalog\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original article was a very large list of download links. This revision keeps representative links for discovery, but treats the catalog as <strong>historical + practical<\/strong>: always verify support status, publisher trust, and software integrity before using anything in production or on corporate endpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to use this catalog today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Use the links as a starting point for tool discovery, not as a blind install list.<\/li><li>Prefer official project pages and current releases over mirror\/repack sites.<\/li><li>Validate checksums and digital signatures before rollout.<\/li><li>Test tools in a VM or isolated workstation profile first.<\/li><li>Track ownership: who approved the tool, why, and when it must be reviewed again.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workflow for evaluating freeware before team adoption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"mermaid\">\nflowchart TD\n    A[Define software need] --> B[Pick candidates from catalog]\n    B --> C[Check official site and maintenance status]\n    C --> D[Verify signature and checksum]\n    D --> E{Security review passed}\n    E -- no --> F[Reject and choose another]\n    E -- yes --> G[Install in test VM]\n    G --> H[Automate installation]\n    H --> I[Document owner and review cycle]\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick comparison by task area<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Task area<\/th><th>Examples from the original post<\/th><th>Typical DevOps use<\/th><th>Selection notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Compression and extraction<\/td><td>7-Zip, IZArc, Universal Extractor<\/td><td>Packaging logs, artifacts, and diagnostics<\/td><td>Prefer actively maintained tools and standard formats.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Editors and automation<\/td><td>Notepad++, PSPad, AutoIt, AutoHotkey<\/td><td>Script editing, quick automation, config changes<\/td><td>Standardize editor plugins and lint settings across teams.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Network visibility<\/td><td>Wireshark, Angry IP Scanner, NetMeter<\/td><td>Troubleshooting connectivity and traffic behavior<\/td><td>Use with least-privilege and approved packet-capture policy.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Remote access<\/td><td>PuTTY, RealVNC, UltraVNC, Hamachi<\/td><td>Remote admin and jump-host operations<\/td><td>Enforce MFA, key management, and access logging.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Security utilities<\/td><td>KeePass, ClamWin, Spybot, MBSA<\/td><td>Credential storage and endpoint checks<\/td><td>Some entries are legacy; confirm modern viability first.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Local server stacks<\/td><td>XAMPP, WAMP, FileZilla Server<\/td><td>Dev lab services and local integration testing<\/td><td>Avoid exposing local stacks directly to public networks.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DevOps-focused picks preserved from the original list<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compression and file operations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.7-zip.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">7-Zip<\/a> \u2013 compression and archive management<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.legroom.net\/modules.php?op=modload&amp;name=Open_Source&amp;file=index&amp;page=software&amp;app=uniextract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Universal Extractor<\/a> \u2013 extraction utility<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.freecommander.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">freeCommander<\/a> \u2013 dual-pane file management<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.den4b.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ReNamer<\/a> \u2013 bulk renaming<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.beeblebrox.org\/hashtab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HashTab<\/a> \u2013 file hash checks<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Connectivity, remote access, and packet visibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.chiark.greenend.org.uk\/%7Esgtatham\/putty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PuTTY<\/a> \u2013 SSH client<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wireshark.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wireshark<\/a> \u2013 packet capture and analysis<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.angryziber.com\/ipscan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Angry IP Scanner<\/a> \u2013 host discovery<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.realvnc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RealVNC<\/a> \u2013 remote desktop control<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/ultravnc.sourceforge.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UltraVNC<\/a> \u2013 remote desktop control<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hamachi.cc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hamachi<\/a> \u2013 VPN client<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Developer tooling and scripting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/notepad-plus.sourceforge.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Notepad++<\/a> \u2013 text and source editor<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pspad.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PSPad<\/a> \u2013 programmer editor<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.autoitscript.com\/autoit3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AutoIt<\/a> \u2013 task automation<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.autohotkey.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AutoHotkey<\/a> \u2013 desktop automation<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.autoitscript.com\/autoit3\/scite\/downloads.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SciTE4AutoIt3<\/a> \u2013 AutoIt editor<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Security and credential management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/keepass.info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KeePass<\/a> \u2013 password manager<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/clamwin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ClamWin<\/a> \u2013 antivirus utility<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spybot.info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spybot: Search &amp; Destroy<\/a> \u2013 anti-spyware utility<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/downloads\/details.aspx?FamilyId=435BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&amp;displaylang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Windows Defender (legacy download link)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/downloads\/details.aspx?FamilyID=4b4aba06-b5f9-4dad-be9d-7b51ec2e5ac9&amp;DisplayLang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local server and transfer utilities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/filezilla.sourceforge.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FileZilla \/ FileZilla Server<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.apachefriends.org\/en\/xampp-windows.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">XAMPP<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.en.wampserver.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WAMP<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Broader legacy catalog (selected categories)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For completeness, here are additional preserved links from the original roundup that were frequently used in Windows environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Office and document tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.openoffice.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OpenOffice<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.abisource.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AbiWord<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.adobe.com\/products\/acrobat\/readstep2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adobe Reader<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxitsoftware.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Foxit PDF Reader<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/sector7g.wurzel6.de\/pdfcreator\/index_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PDFCreator<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Browsers, mail, and download utilities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mozilla.com\/firefox\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Firefox<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.opera.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opera<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mozilla.com\/thunderbird\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thunderbird<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.freedownloadmanager.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Free Download Manager<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/users.ugent.be\/%7Ebpuype\/wget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WGET<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.httrack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HTTrack<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Media and creative tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.videolan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VLC<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/audacity.sourceforge.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Audacity<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gimp.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gimp<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blender.org\/cms\/Home.2.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blender3D<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.camstudio.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CamStudio<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">System diagnostics and utilities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/ccleaner.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CCleaner<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/technet\/sysinternals\/default.mspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sysinternals Tools<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.memtest86.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Memtest86<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cpuid.com\/cpuz.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CPU-Z<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.almico.com\/speedfan.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SpeedFan<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mersenne.org\/freesoft.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prime95<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example commands for safer downloads and repeatable setup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use these patterns to reduce risk when handling freeware installers on Windows endpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-1\" data-shcb-language-name=\"PHP\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"php\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-php language-powershell\">$installer = <span class=\"hljs-string\">\".\\installer.exe\"<\/span>\nGet-FileHash $installer -Algorithm SHA256\nGet-AuthenticodeSignature $installer | Format-<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">List<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-1\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">PHP<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">php<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-2\" data-shcb-language-name=\"PHP\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"php\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-php language-powershell\">$expected = <span class=\"hljs-string\">\"PUT_VENDOR_SHA256_HERE\"<\/span>\n$actual = (Get-FileHash <span class=\"hljs-string\">\".\\installer.exe\"<\/span> -Algorithm SHA256).Hash\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">if<\/span> ($actual -ne $expected) { <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">throw<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">\"Checksum mismatch\"<\/span> }<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-2\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">PHP<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">php<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-3\" data-shcb-language-name=\"CSS\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"css\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-css language-bash\"><span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">certutil<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">-hashfile<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">installer<\/span><span class=\"hljs-selector-class\">.exe<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">SHA256<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-3\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">CSS<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">css<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-bash\">winget search 7-Zip\nwinget search Notepad++<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need the complete historical link dump, refer to the original page: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/click-download-top-useful-freeware-software\/\">Click &amp; Download TOP useful Freeware software<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common pitfalls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Installing from old mirror links without checking the publisher domain.<\/li><li>Assuming a tool is still maintained because it appears in legacy lists.<\/li><li>Running unsigned installers on privileged admin workstations.<\/li><li>Skipping legal\/compliance review for P2P, codec packs, and scraping tools.<\/li><li>Not documenting who approved the tool and how updates are tracked.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This revised guide turns a 2009 freeware link dump into a structured reference for engineers. It keeps key legacy links, adds a security-first evaluation workflow, and includes practical verification commands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[310,2301,3125,3120,3121,3126,269,3128,3130,3123,3127,3124,179,3122,3129,637,888],"class_list":["post-130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-application","tag-computer","tag-computer-software","tag-download","tag-download-free-software","tag-free-software-download","tag-freeware","tag-freeware-software-download","tag-laptops","tag-list-of-essential-software","tag-safe-software-download","tag-shareware","tag-software","tag-software-download-website","tag-systems","tag-top","tag-useful"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78979,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions\/78979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}