FREE Microsoft Windows Software

 

This post has been retired — and has been updated here!

 

WINDOWS  XP

3 Degrees connects people into a small group, so you can do fun things together. Throw animations to each others’ desktops with winks. Listen together to a shared playlist created from music that you own with musicmix.

 

ActiveSync synchronization software of Outlook information, Office documents, pictures, music, videos and applications from your desktop to your Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs and Smartphones. NOTE: ActiveSync Error Codes received after a synchronization attempt.

 

Alt-Tab Replacement: in addition to seeing the icon of the application window you are switching to, you will also see a preview of the page. This helps particularly when multiple sessions of an application are open.

 

UPDATED! AntiSpyware & AntiVirus helps protect Windows users from viruses, spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

 

Baseline Security Analyzer includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Windows systems. MBSA will scan for common security misconfigurations in the following products: Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0, and 6.0, SQL Server 7.0 and 2000, Internet Explorer (IE) 5.01 and later, and Office 2000, 2002 and 2003. MBSA also scans for missing security updates, update rollups and service packs published to Microsoft Update. (Support Tool: Visio Connector for MBSA 2.0, MBSA Homepage)

 

Bootvis – Microsoft states this tool is no longer available, but they still “support it”.  This program “was” a performance tracing and visualization tool designed to help identify performance issues for boot/resume timing while developing new PC products or supporting software.  (Alternate Link: MajorGeeks) 

 

Calculator Plus allows you to complete many different types of conversions.

 

CD Slide Show Generator can view images burned to a CD as a slide show.

 

Clear Cache feature for Internet Explorer  – This program intended to automatically delete all temporary Internet files, cookies, and history files when it is installed and executed. The program was developed to programmatically clear these files when a corrupt entry caused errors with Internet Explorer.

 

ClearType Tuner program lets you fine tune the ClearType technology via the Control Panel, making it easier to read text on your screen. A necessity for LCD screens (portables and flat screens) — Or try it On-line. [NEW! Consolas ClearType Font Pack]

 

Color Control Panel Applet adds a new "Color" item to the control panel, providing viewing and editing color management settings.

 

Creativity Fun Pack PowerToys automatically select images for your Desktop of Screen Saver. 

Desktop Language Settings allows you to identify and change language, keyboard, and regional settings for Windows, Internet Explorer, and Office programs with a single tool.

 

UPDATED! Desktop Search – Enterprise Edition The latest version of Windows Desktop Search (WDS) is optimized with features that help the enterprise IT manager easily customize, deploy and manage the installation of desktop search across all users and computers in their organization. (Support Document: Administrator Guide & Developer’s Guide)

 

NEW! FolderShare keeps important files at your fingertips – anywhere. All file changes are automatically synchronized between linked computers, so you are always accessing the latest documents, photos, and files.

 

Game Voice Share Talk strategy to your teammates. Talk trash to your opponents. Game Voice brings the power of voice to games, whether you’re online, on a LAN, or offline. (Support Document: How to Improve Performance)

 

UPDATED! Codename Max lets you make lists of your photos and turn them into beautiful slide shows to share with your family and friends. Max is built on the next-generation WinFX Runtime Components tehcnology that will drive the development of Windows Vista applications. (Support Document: Setup Guide)

 

MSN Messenger 7.5 is an instant messaging program that lets you send instant messages to your friends, and much more.

 

MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search, tabbed browsing, pop-up blocker and automatic form fill. (Support Documents: Administration Guide & Toolbar Help – NEW! MSN Search SDK Beta) 

• UPDATED BETA 2 Developer Toolbar provides a variety of tools for quickly creating, understanding, and troubleshooting Web pages. (Feedback)
• Games Add-in gives you 40+ puzzle games, 20+ card & board games, 150+ downloadable games, 20+ word & trivia games, 80+ free online games, with new games posted weekly.
• NEW! Lotus Notes Add-in developed by MSN – This Protocol Handler allows you to easily find your Lotus Notes e-mail and search the contents within.
• NEW! MSG iFilter Add-in to Windows Desktop Search – This iFilter allows you to perform a search on all elements of your Outlook MSG (.MSG) files including Message Body; Subject; From; From Name; From Address; To Name; To Address; CC Name; CC Address; Doc Title Prefix; Sent Date; Received Date; Primary Date; Conversation ID; Attachment Names and will indicate if an attachment is present within the .MSG. Additionally, content within attachments are indexed and searched. (Support Document: KB917402)
• UPDATED! Phishing Filter Add-in works to prevent high-tech scams using phony web sites with actual brands designed to steal valuable personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers. (Support Documents: How to. . ., Anti-phishing White Paper)
• NEW! PHLAT (Prototype for Helpful Lookup and Tagging) is a new interface for Windows Desktop Search, enabling search through a user’s own e-mail, files, and viewed Web pages. PHLAT makes it easy for users to specify queries and filters, attempting to integrate search and browsing in one intuitive interface. In addition, PHLAT supports a unified tagging scheme for organizing personal content across storage systems, such as files and e-mail. (Support: Blog Article)
• MS-BLOG PrivBar – An IE/Explorer toolbar to show current privilege level.
• NEW!  Search Preview Add-in – Make your searching more productive and convenient. Search Preview displays a thumbnail preview next to each result. Enlarge the preview by rolling over it and put an end to "click-look-back"
• Weather Add-in Keeps the local three-day weather forecast at your fingertips.
• NEW! Windows Live Favorites is a very useful service that allows you to store and quickly access all the interesting sites you find on the web from any computer, any time, any where. With Windows Live Favorites you can search your links and keywords easily so finding what you have already discovered on the web is simple. You will never lose your favorites again because your favorites will be located on the server.
• The Windows Rights Management Add-on provides a way for users of supported Windows operating systems to view, but not alter, files with restricted permission. These restrictions enable authors to prevent sensitive documents, Web-based information, and e-mail messages from being forwarded, edited, or copied by unauthorized individuals. These restrictions provide protection, not only while the information is in transit, but also after the recipient of the information has received it.

My Font Tool converts your own handwriting into a TrueType font, making typed text appear as though you had written it by hand. 
 

HTML Slide Show Wizard helps you create an HTML slide show of your digital pictures, ready to place on your Web site.

 

Image Resizer enables you to resize one or many image files with a right-click. 

UPDATED! Location Finder is a client-side application that turns a regular WiFi enabled laptop, Tablet or PC into a location determining device without the addition of any separate hardware. Location Finder uses WiFi access points – or reverse IP lookup when WiFi is not available – to center and display the person’s location on the Windows Live Local, enabling the user to quickly and easily search in their present location.

 

UPDATED! Malicious Software Removal Tool checks your computer for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps to remove the infection if it is found. (Updated on the second Tuesday of each month.)

 

Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors.

 

Mount ISO Files Virtually – this unsupported tool allows ISO image files to be mounted virtually as a CD/DVD devices.

 

NEW BETA! OneCare is a comprehensive PC health service that goes beyond security to take an integrated approach to help protect and care for your computer

 

Open Command Window Here adds an "Open Command Window Here" context menu option on file system folders, giving you a quick way to open a command window (cmd.exe) pointing at the selected folder.

 

Personal Storage Device Manager allows you to drag your files (music, documents and more) to and from the device, along with a secured password. (Requires the .NET Framework 2.0 Runtime)

 

PortQry Command Line Port Scanner is a command-line utility that you can use to help troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity issues. The utility reports the port status of TCP and UDP ports on a computer you choose. For details, see KB310099 and description. (Description of Microsoft Port Numbers & All Port Numbers)

 

Port Reporter logs TCP and UDP port activity on a local Windows system. Port Reporter is a small application that runs as a service logging which ports are used, which process is using the port, if the process is a service, which modules the process has loaded and which user account is running the process. (Description of Microsoft Port Numbers & All Port Numbers)

Port Reporter Parser Tool is a log parser for Port Reporter log files. Port Reporter Parser has many features that can help you analyze Port Reporter log files.  

Power Calculator can graph and evaluate functions as well as perform many different types of conversions.

 

Promqry and PromqryUI are two tools that enable you to detect a network sniffer that is running on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000. If a system has network interfaces in promiscuous mode, it may indicate the presence of a network sniffer running on the system.

PromqryUI is a tool with a Windows graphical interface that can be used to detect network interfaces that are running in promiscuous mode.

Promqry is a command line tool that can be used to detect network interfaces that are running in promiscuous mode.

UPDATED! RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for the serious photographer. Now you can organize and work with digital RAW files in Windows Explorer (much as you can with JPEG images). This tool provides thumbnails, previews, printing, and metadata display for RAW images. (NEW! Support Document: White Paper)

 

NEW! SequoiaView – Treemap visualization of hard drive’s contents. (3rd Party Utility "approved" by the Microsoft Powertoys group)

 

UPDATED! Shared Computer Toolkit is designed for schools, libraries, Internet and gaming cafés, community centers, and other locations where are "shared" computer is used.

 

NEW! Sharing Folders Assistant is a utility designed to assist Windows Live Messenger users perform basic diagnostics, package all necessary logs to report feedback, and clean up Sharing Folders related components if necessary.

 

Support Tools are intended for use by Microsoft support personnel and experienced users to assist in diagnosing and resolving computer problems.

 

UPDATED! SyncToy can help you copy, move, and synchronize files with digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. (Support Document: Synchronizing Images and Files in Windows XP Using Microsoft SyncToy)

 

System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe) for Windows XP has been updated with a Tools Tab. The System Configuration utility automates the routine troubleshooting steps used when diagnosing system configuration issues. (Support Document: How to troubleshoot using MSCONFIG) 

 

Taskbar Magnifier magnifies part of the screen from the taskbar.

 

TIME ZONES: There are two handy programs that help users deal with multiple Time Zones:

Premium Time Zone requires genuine Windows XP, the Standard Time Zone program does not.

 

NEW! Transliteration Utility (TU) is tool for transliterating one natural language script to another (like Serbian Latin to Serbian Cyrillic or Latin to Inuktitut). Plus, it can be used to create, edit, debug, and test natural language transliteration modules used to convert one script to another. (Support Document: Enabling International Support in Windows XP/Server 2003 Family)

 

Tweakomatic is a nifty new utility that writes Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) scripts enablimg you to retrieve and/or configure Windows and Internet Explorer settings locally or remotely.

 

Tweak UI gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

 

USB Flash Drive Manager will backup and restore files to/from a USB Flash Drive device.

 

UPDATED! User Profile Hive Cleanup is a service to help with slow log off and unreconciled profile problems ensuring that user sessions are completely terminated when a user logs off when using Roaming Profiles or locked profiles as implemented through the Shared Computer Toolkit.

 

UPDATED! User State Migration Tool (USMT) migrates user files and settings during large deployments of Windows 2000 or XP. USMT captures desktop, network and application settings as well as a user files, and then migrates them to a new Windows installation. (Support: Homepage)

 

Video Decoder Checkup Utility helps determine if an MPEG-2 DVD video decoder is installed, and whether it’s compatible with Windows Media Player 10 or Windows XP Media Center Edition.

 

Virtual Desktop Manager manages up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar

Virtual Machine is Microsoft’s Java Virtual Machine for Internet Explorer, allowing you to view java applets on Web pages.

 

Webcam Timershot lets you take pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam connected to your computer and save them to a location that you designate.

 

Windows Installer CleanUp Utility can remove a program’s Windows Installer configuration information if experiencing installation (Setup) problems.  

 

MULTIMEDIA

"Decades" Auto Playlist Pack include dozens new auto playlists to organize your music by decades—from the 1940s through the new millennium.

 

Device Manager Software Development Kit (SDK) helps you work with devices that support the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).

 

Media Bonus Pack is fully packed with utilities, PowerToys, visualizations, skins, sound effects, and much more.

 

Media Capture enables video content authors to capture uncompressed AVI files with mono, stereo, 5.1, or 7.1 channels of audio, with up to 24 bit resolution and sampling rates up to 192KHz. Windows Media Capture 9 Series supports a broad range of video and audio capture cards, and includes the complete source code for developers who wish to build their own capture applications.

 

Media Encoder is a powerful tool for content producers who want to take advantage of the many innovations in Windows Media 9 Series including high-quality multichannel sound, high-definition video quality, new support for mixed-mode voice and music content, and more. (Support Document: Introduction to Digital Media and the Windows Media 9 Series).

 

Media Player Software Development Kit (SDK) introduces a range of new features and functionality for customizing the Player and Player Control.

 

Media Professional Exhibitor is a powerful tool intended for playback of Windows Media files at full-screen resolution at all times. All transport and playlist controls appear on a (required) second monitor allowing for a theatrical viewing experience. 

 

Media Transfer Protocol Porting Kit introduces the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), which enables you to manage content on any portable device. 

 

Movie Maker makes home movies amazingly fun. With Movie Maker, you can create, edit, and share your home movies right on your computer. Build your movie with a few simple drag-and-drops. Delete bad shots and include only the best scenes. Then share your movie via the Web, e-mail, or CD. (Support: Blog Posting)

 

Photo Story create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories. Then, personalize them with titles and captions. Small file sizes make it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. Watch them on your TV, a computer, or a Windows Mobile–based portable device.

 

Producer 2003 is free to licensed users of PowerPoint 2002 & 2003, includes improved audio and video quality, better synchronization, and presentation-sharing tools.

 

TweakMediaPlayer gives users easy access to advanced settings for the library, CD burning, and full-screen mode. Use this plug-in to adjust music queuing in the library, automatic volume leveling for burning audio CDs, full-screen animations, and much more.

 

  SCREENSAVERS & THEMES

NEW! 4 the Dogs (Patas) – Four different wallpapers with "mans best friend". Additional, icons and sounds give a special touch to these doggie themes.

 

NEW! Brazilian Beaches (Praias do Brasil) – The beauty of the Brazilian coast represented thru 4 of the most famous Brazilian beaches (Florianopolis, Buzios, Jericoacoara e Fernando de Noronha)

 

NEW! Brazilian Carnival is famous all around the world with 3 types of parties according to the regions: Olinda, Salvador and of course Rio de Janeiro.

 

Christmas Theme  has wallpaper, animated cursors, new icons, new sounds, and a 3D screensaver.

 

Desktop Wallpapers from various Microsoft employees: Michael Swanson 1920 x 1200 (16:10 aspect ratio, "widescreen") and 1600 x 1200 (4:3 aspect ratio, "standard"), Mikhail Arkhipov’s  High-Res Wallpapers, The Exchange Team and Peggi Goodwin’s Gorgeous Nature Pictures.

 

Dungeon Siege Wander through the magical Land of Ehb. The screensaver features several breathtaking views taken straight from the game, some you might recognize, others you might not.

 

NEW! Egypt Nile Theme – An Egypt Nile desktop theme with new wallpaper, animated cursors, new icons, new sounds, and a screensaver.

 

European Flags Screensaver celebrates the European Union expansion on May 1st 2004. The screensaver displays each member state’s flag in succession or allows the user to choose to display just a single flag.

 

Final Fantasy XI Desktop Theme For decades, gamers have embarked upon journeys through the unforgettable worlds of the Final Fantasy games. Alone, they fought heroic battles and saved the world countless times. Now these players can unite from around the world in the exploration of a new fantasy experience online in Final Fantasy XI for Windows.

 

Fun Pack for Windows Movie Maker 2  (2002  & 2003) Check out this expansive collection of wintry sound effects, holiday music, titles, video titles and cut scenes! 

 

NEW! Historical Monuments Customizes Your Desktop with Microsoft Historical Monuments.
 

Holiday Snowflakes transform your computer monitor into a winter wonderland with 3-D snowflakes falling from the sky.

 

Ireland Desktop Theme includes a desktop wallpaper and a screensaver depicting images from around the island of Ireland. The images have been kindly supplied by Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth Skin for Windows Media Player 10 The skin was created in partnership with Electronic Arts and designed by The Skins Factory.

 

MSN Screensaver can personalize your screensaver with background photos and news and weather information from MSN or any RSS feeds from websites you choose.

 

NEW! Nature Theme 1 – "Animals"

 

NEW! Nature Theme 2 brings a little bit of the great outdoors inside with you.

 

Updated! New Zealand Bliss A special Queen’s Birthday 2005 edition; the world-famous directional sign in Bluff; and the theme pack for Royale. ( Preview Samples)

 

Office Dinosaur Screensaver. Share the Microsof Office Dino’s pain as he dances his way through one embarrassing technological difficulty after another.

 

Plus! Dancer LE is a free trial version of Plus! Dancer that enables you to experience the fun of entertaining dancers that groove to beats of the music that’s playing on your desktop.

• Cobey See Cobey get down to Hip Hop!
• Evan & Michele Spice up your desktop with the sexy Argentinean tango.
• Scooby-Doo See Scooby-Doo do the Scooby Shuffle! 

NEW! Ree Ree Khao Sarn, the traditional Thai children game includes colorful wallpaper,icons and animated screensaver with sound, demonstrating children play a rousing game of ri ri khao san, the "Long Grain Rice Game" in which the tallest "grain" is caught.

 

San Fermín Desktop Theme is specifically designed for the Spanish speaking community.

 

Security Screensavers helps remind users of basic security practices. The download package contains two different screen savers — one displays the Ten Immutable Laws of Security, and the other displays the Ten Immutable Laws of Security Administration.

 

NEW! Thème Québec – Desktop theme

 

Valentine’s Day Screensaver celebrates (duh) Valentine’s Day.

 

Video Screensaver includes sample movie footage that gives you a surprisingly new view of countries all over the world. Every language release has its own video that shows you in a new and surprising way what living in these countries may look like. 

 

Windows XP Screensaver The 3D Windows XP screensaver shows off the power of DirectX matched with the bright colors of Windows XP.

 

Winter Fun Pack 2004 for Windows XP Installer.

 

NEW! Winter 2006 TechNet Scripting Games Screensaver are all about fun, with multiple Dr. Scriptos floating around in colored bubbles and with the Script Center URL plastered right in the middle it’s everything you could want in a screen saver … and more.

 

World of Warcraft Skin for Windows Media Player 10 The official Windows Media Player 10 skin for Blizzard’s award-winning World of Warcraft online game.

Xbox Screensavers, Desktops & Media Player skins. 

 

 

3RD PARTY BONUS GOODIES:  

Really Slick Screensavers

 

Psychedelic MediaPlayer Visualization!
 

 

 

Click here for: All FREE Microsoft Software for Download

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