Featured Freeware

Like a finely tuned laser, FreeRip 3 does one task: extracts songs from your CDs. You remember CDs, right? (Heck, I barely do.) Fortunately, FreeRip accomplishes its goal accurately--with little flair or window-dressing--and makes for an easy-to-use audio-track ripper.

The latest version of the program features some long overdue enhancements. Chief among them is the inclusion of the WMA format, and it's hard to believe it wasn't included before. FreeRip also supports WAV, MP3, Vorbis, and FLAC. Other features include multitrack ripping and an option to use the program as an audio-file converter. The options menu is extensive … Read more

The public beta of 360desktop makes some intriguing promises. "Unlimited desktop space" is one, and the capability to save any part of the Web directly to your desktop is another.

Surprisingly, there's a lot more than screensaver snake-oil here. When you run 360desktop, you get a panoramic desktop with custom widgets. Quit, and you're back to basic Windows. Switching between the two didn't cause problems when tested, although quitting 360desktop completely required killing the process a few times.

A persistent "QuickNav" area in the upper-right side of your screen lets you scroll or … Read more

You can rely on Z-Cron as a robust scheduler that can handle not only shutting down the computer, but also launching programs, leave reminder notes, and cleaning directories. Similar to the Unix Cron scheduler, and far more powerful than the native Windows task scheduler, Z-Cron is an aggressive sergeant at arms, able to tell your computer what to do and when to do it, leaving you to get on with your life when you're away from your machine. Besides tasks, Z-Cron also has the capability to schedule tasks to run daily, weekly, monthly, once, and regularly at your system … Read more

No-frills but effective Photozig Albums Express offers a step-by-step process so you can design your project from start to finish.

Big button icons with descriptions make it easy to start your project and select the preferred output for your images including sending in e-mail, burning to a CD, or uploading to a Web site. The finished product is a basic layout of thumbnails that you can click to enlarge, but you'll have no skins to choose from with this one. Still, Photozig sports three configurations for beginners, intermediates, and advanced users, keeping it simple until you know what you'… Read more

Although we love freeware Revo Uninstaller here at CNET Download.com, ZSoft Uninstaller should appeal to users who want something better than the native Windows installer, but don't need all the extraneous features. As the developer promises, ZSoft Uninstaller is indeed far superior to the native Windows program uninstaller. The freeware first runs the unwanted program's original uninstall option before cleaning up with its own technology. But for a more thorough uninstall, ZSoft Uninstaller offers an analyze function that you can use during the initial installation of programs to track exactly which files are being added to your … Read more

Whether you're looking to change a video format to save space or because you lack a necessary codec, the freeware FormatFactory could be the last converter you'll need. It's not perfect, but it handles 12 types of video formats, six audio types, eight image formats, and DVD/ISO conversions with speed and accuracy.

The interface is simple and utilitarian, although spiked with format-icons and a big banner announcing the program's name for no reason other than to put lipstick on the pig. The left navigation menu has collapsible links to the various formats you can convert … Read more

The name Pandora originates in Greek mythology, and it means "all-giving." It's an appropriate name for Pandora Recovery, which can give you back files you've deleted--even those gone for months.

Now for NTFS and FAT-formatted volumes, Pandora functions by scanning the hard drive and building an index of existing files and deleted file markers. This, in turn, allows the dead files to be brought back to life--as long as the file format is currently supported by the computer. Users can browse for deleted files, search for specific ones, preview certain file types like images, and get … Read more

If you're looking for an Expose emulator to port that cool app-switching feature from the Mac to Windows, DExposE2 is probably about as close as you can get to a direct copy for either Windows XP or Vista. It gives them three choices for jumping between open programs, and it doesn't slurp up more RAM than it should.

Using the F9 key, you'll be able to minimize your applications to fit on the screen, then choose one to bring to the front by hitting Tab or left-clicking your mouse. F10 highlights only the active windows belonging to … Read more

Digsby will easily be the instant messaging freeware of choice for the super social set. Web 2.0 fans, that's you. In addition to supporting the major IM networks--Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber--Digsby also pulls in Web mail feeds, as well as access to MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Updating Twitter is a breeze from the application's main interface, though users wishing to do anything more than read Facebook and MySpace feeds will be redirected to their online accounts.

Windows users can initiate text, video, and audio chat from the conversation window, and transfer files, … Read more