Free Utilities

Here is a quick list of the free programs you can download from this site:

• AccessOpener is a utility that allows you to open your Access files with the correct program version.
• Zippy Backup Assist is a utility that allows you to repair, compact and zip your Access data files easily.
• SMSQ is a freeware software application that allows you to send and receive SMS messages from an Access database, using a standard GSM modem.
• Access Runtime Tester is a utility that is part of the installation procedure for Miami applications. The install procedure is completely new, using Inno Setup.
• Hunter-Killer is a utility that allows you to delete old unwanted files automatically.
• Drive Catalogue program for keeping tabs of files on CDs and other removable media.
• MyMail.ocx is a utility that allows you to send emails from within Microsoft Access.
• Copy Mail is a utility that allows you to send files from the Windows Command Prompt or batch files to an email address.
• Disk Filler utility to use up space on your hard drive.
• MouseWheel library to allow Access users to use their mouse wheel in a helpful way.
• Shut Down Windows is a utility that allows you to terminate applications before doing a shutdown or restart in Windows 98.
• Data Mover is a utility that is used to process, convert or synchronise application data.
• BOFHerrorMsg function to generate random error messages for your amusement, based on the "Bastard DIY Excuse Board".

See also the downloads page for Miami and related downloads.

All the Programs I Use Regularly

There are so many programs out there, the choices become mind-boggling. Here are the programs installed on my PC that I regularly use and mostly like:

• 7Zip: (freeware) is largely better than WinZip in the variety of formats it can handle.
• Access Opener: (myware)
• Access Runtime Tester: (myware) The simplest way to repair and compact or decompile an .mdb file.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader: (freeware) displays all the PDF files I use
• allSnap: (freeware) keeps the screen from getting cluttered.
• CCleaner: (freeware) keeps the hard drive from getting cluttered.
• CmdHere Powertoy: (freeware) Useful for getting a command line where you need it.
• Cool MP3 Splitter: (shareware) Useful for managing large MP3 files.
• Contig: (freeware) from Sysinternals allows me to defragment an individual file from a batch file. Doesn't replace PerfectDisk, but helps keep the drive tidy.
• DS Clock: (freeware) Those chimes are just so cool and you get to decide how the time displays on your desktop.
• eMule: (freeware) with the XtremeMod extras. It's the best way of doing file sharing without all the spam and bogus files.
• Goldwave: (shareware) is possibly the most useful audio editor available.
• Google Earth: (freeware) a great way to look at the world
• Google Pack Screensaver: (freeware) allows me to view some of my photos when the PC isn't busy.
• Google Toolbar: (freeware) indispensable for both IE7 and Firefox
• Hamachi: (freeware) the simplest way to set up a secure VPN
• Hunter-Killer: (myware) keeps the clutter to a dull roar.
• Inno Setup: (freeware) incredibly useful setup program
• ISTool: (freeware) the toolkit that makes Inno Setup so easy to use.
• iTunes: (freeware) a necessary evil when using an iPod Shuffle.
• Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8: (commercial) programmable and easy to use most of the time.
• JGsoft Editpad Pro: (commercial) totally indispensable text editor.
• JkDefrag: (freeware) one of the best defrag utilities you can ever find. Version 3.26 Setup.
• LogMeIn: (freeware) great for connecting to remote machines.
• Microsoft Access97: (commercial) my favourite database application, bugs and all.
• Microsoft Developer Edition Tools: (commercial) used to make the runtime stuff. Inno Setup does a better job, but this licenses you to deploy Access runtime apps.
• Microsoft Office XP Developer: (commercial) what a waste of a lot of money. I use Word and Excel, and have yet to write any AccessXP apps.
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000: (commercial) comes with Office XP and allows me to test the SQL apps I write with Access97.
• Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional: (commercial) I don't use it much, but it is still a great programming tool.
• miFiles - My Internet Files: (freeware) a simple, effective FTP program. I love it.
• Mozilla Firefox 2.0: (freeware) my browser of choice, especially with the following add-ins and extensions:
  • Adblock Plus
  • CustomizeGoogle
  • DownThemAll
  • ForecastFox
  • FoxClocks
  • Foxmarks Bookmark Synchroniser
  • Google Photos Screensaver
  • Google Toolbar
  • Googlepedia
  • NoScript
  • User Agent Switcher
• Mustang: (betaware) Mustang 4.x is the basis for the Miami applications I develop every day. No longer available.
• MyMail: (myware)
• NOD32 Antivirus: (commercial) keeps my PC virus-free and safe.
• PerfectDisk: (commercial) keeps my hard drive in order when I'm not using JkDefrag.
• PerfOpt XP: (freeware) allows me to tweak some Windows settings
• PKZip Command Line: (shareware) used with Zippy to make backups
• Plaxo Toolbar for Outlook: (freeware) helps keep my contacts up to date
• PsShutDown: (freeware) from Sysinternals allows me to shut down or Reboot from a batch file
• Putty: (freeware) the Telnet client I use when I need to talk to my Ubuntu Linux server.
• PrimoPDF: (freeware) is the best way to create PDF files.
• Radmin Viewer 3.0: (commercial) indispensable for keeping client PCs organised and operational.
• RealPlayer: (freeware) for playing Audible books
• SafeXP: (freeware) tweaks Windows XP to make it a bit more bearable.
• Search and Replace 2.87: (shareware) I bought this ages ago and its still a quick way to find and replace things across multiple files.
• Skype: (freeware) great for long distance conversations
• SyncToy: (freeware) great for making backups
• Total Recorder 6.0: (commercial) Standard Edition used to convert Audible books into MP3s and for recording Skype calls.
• TrueCrypt: (freeware) keeps confidential data safe and secure, especially on laptops.
• TweakUI: (freeware) helps control Windows.
• WinAmp: (freeware) plays most of the media files on my PC
• WinZip 9: (shareware) the best ZIP file program, but I won't be spending more money for version 11. See 7Zip.
• Zippy: (myware) makes backups of my work. Has saved me days of lost work over the years.

Programs I'm Really Glad I Bought

Every now and then I buy a program that works so well I want to tell others about it.

• Remote Aministrator is so much part of my day that I'm not sure how I would operate on our network without it. And it makes tech support of remote machines a breeze, and its file copying capability makes network shares look clumsy and insecure. It is certainly worth the US$35 that I paid for my copy, especially as the upgrade now works with Windows Vista. Blog entry on Radmin and Hamachi, and Logmein, its cousin.
• EditPad Pro: a really useful plain text editor. I use it all day, every day. Only US$ 39.95*. There is also a freeware version called EditPad Lite.
• SpamEater Pro: The best way to filter junk mail that arrives in your mailbox. Only US$24.95. If you want a great service to pre-filter your mail, use spamcop.net, but you have to pay for it and change your email address to something ending with @spamcop.net
• NOD32: The best antivirus program for 3 reasons: (a) No one ever heard of it so the virus writers haven't started attacking it; (b) It is very fast, even on a slow Windows 98 PC; and (c) It catches *all* the viruses and has a very efficient and sane update facility. It is affordable and available in South Africa from www.nod32.co.za.
• Audible.com Audio Books: This is a web site that allows you to purchase and download audio books. If you get a monthly subscription they work out much cheaper than buying the books from iTunes or elsewhere. You can burn the titles to CD, listen to them on an iPod (mine is an iPod Shuffle 512MB) or play them on your computer. Blog entries: Rediscover the magic of books, convert them to MP3, and get the best news from BBC Newshour.
• PerfectDisk: The most effective disk defragmenting program you can buy. Forget about Diskeeper (been there, done that) and the built-in Microsoft defragmenter: when your hard drive gets full or cluttered then you need PerfectDisk to sort it out. It also has a command line interface, which is great for batch files. US$39.95 for a single user, US$239.99 for the server version. It works great on Windows 2000, XP and Vista. I am using JKDefrag a lot more than PerfectDisk, because it's free, quick and thorough. It has replaced PD in the batch file that does a complete defrag of my entire hard drive.

Recommended Free or Shareware Stuff

There are some indispensable tools that I'd like to recommend, and that I use. All of them are free unless otherwise noted:

• Online Malware Scan: upload a suspicious file to this service and it checks it with 20 different virus scanners. Awesome!
• JkDefrag: a truly useful free disk defrag utility. I have used Inno Setup to create an install program for Version 3.8, and another one that includes 2 SysInternals utilities as well, and a GUI program.
• Ad-Aware: detects and removes spyware from your PC. (not to be confused with "adware")*
• Plaxo: Keeps your email contact details up to date. A brilliant add-in for Outlook or Outlook Express, as well as an on-line version.
• PKZipC (pkzc400s.exe): fast command line version of PKzip to use with Zippy. US$ 29
• 7-Zip: a freeware version of ZIP and UNZIP that works extremely well. Supports any other file formats as well.
• DS Clock: really cool chimes, and synchronises your PC time with accurate time sources. Not necessary on WindowsXP but the chimes are great.*
• Skype: much better than MSN Messenger, and does voice properly.*
• My Internet Files: one of the simplest FTP programs you can find.*
• Programmer's Notepad: useful for creating HTML versions of code with the correct colours.*
• Putty: a free telnet/ssh client that works well.*
• Acrobat Reader: enables you to read and print the PDF files on this site and elsewhere. There is an Archive page for older versions.*
• FireFox: the only alternative browser to IE that I am prepared to install or use.* It's not perfect, but it is a pleasant change. Some useful extensions to add in are: Adblock, Adblock Filterset.G Updater, Image Zoom, Google Toolbar for Firefox, IE View, IE Tab, Tabbrowser preferences, Print Preview, Tabbrowser Preferences, Sage, DownThemAll, Disable Targets for Downloads, PDF Downloads, Forecastfox, and Fasterfox.
• FMS Power Pack 8.0 for Access97. If you haven't got it already, download it now. FMS is one of the leading Access development companies, and their products are world class. Their web site also has useful resources, links, and utilities.
• WinAmp is the only audio player I have found that actually plays low-bitrate MP3 files without chopping off the last part of the file. And it does Audio and Video extremely well. There is a free version and a paid version.
• PerfOptXP is a utility that allows you to tweak some settings in Windows so the memory utilisation is a bit better. It was written, but no longer distributed or supported, by WM Software, but you can download it here (5,097,929 bytes).
• PsShutdown allows you to shut down a remote or troublesome system. Get it from Sysinternals.

You can also find Removal Instructions for Sony's XCP-Aurora DRM/Rootkit rubbish that infected one of my computers. Thank you Sony and First4Internet for destabilising my machine without my consent!

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