Free Software for Windows

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

I need some new software to pimp up my Windows XP.
However, I am a poor high school student who can't even get his monthly manga douse. Is there any free software, that I can use to replace Windows Media Player, mine updated it's self to the point where i can't even play stuff. Is there something out there that works as well as and similar to WMP and is free.

Plus, is there any good free or under 100 bucks software for 3-D imagining?

Is there any software to replace Microsoft office, but can be read and used in other people's MS office?

And finally, can I hack my XP, so that when I explore my hard drive, can I use FireFox instead?

I other words I'm mostly trying to get rid of most Microsoft based Software on my computer, and not getting rid of the Windows XP OS.

AND NO I WILL NOT INSTALL LINUX!!!!
I have so many programs that I would be better off by not installing Linux.
I do a lot of art work on my computer as well as programming.
I hope to switch to Mac in the near future.

Let Me know if there is anything I can do.

HMTKSteve

What media formats do you need to be able to play?

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

All or at least your none DRM Stuff.
Like AVI, MP3, MP4, MPG, WMV, Etc.

HMTKSteve

Have you tried (Video Lan Client) VLC?

Do a Google search for that one, I'm behind a firewall right now.

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

Yes, I do have it but it is very complicated even for a computer Geek like me.

Apreche

I need some new software to pimp up my Windows XP.
However, I am a poor high school student who can't even get his monthly manga douse. Is there any free software, that I can use to replace Windows Media Player, mine updated it's self to the point where i can't even play stuff. Is there something out there that works as well as and similar to WMP and is free.

iTunes

Plus, is there any good free or under 100 bucks software for 3-D imagining?

Blender is free.

Is there any software to replace Microsoft office, but can be read and used in other people's MS office?

OpenOffice is free.

And finally, can I hack my XP, so that when I explore my hard drive, can I use FireFox instead?

Why would you want to do that?

I other words I'm mostly trying to get rid of most Microsoft based Software on my computer, and not getting rid of the Windows XP OS.

AND NO I WILL NOT INSTALL LINUX!!!!
I have so many programs that I would be better off by not installing Linux.
I do a lot of art work on my computer as well as programming.
I hope to switch to Mac in the near future.

Let Me know if there is anything I can do.

It sounds to me like your Windows is pretty busted. You should probably reinstall it. If WMP can't play stuff, something is wrong. Also, everything you seem to want to do will work in Linux. You should probably get over it and at least try it out. If your only reason is that you have so many programs, then how can a switch to Mac be a good idea? Linux has a much better chance of running Windows programs in wine than a Mac does. And if you are programming, there is no better environment than Linux. At least load up an Ubuntu CD, it can't hurt you to try. You sound like someone with a lot of misconceptions and a broken computer.

Sail

And finally, can I hack my XP, so that when I explore my hard drive, can I use FireFox instead?

No hacking needed. Open Firefox and type c: into the address bar and press enter. The IE interface for Windows hard drive browsing is much cleaner, though. There is no point to using Firefox for this.

No one should be that militantly opposed to trying Linux. If you program like you say, then you owe it to yourself to learn how to use Linux.

Cramit

Winamp will play video files. If you have a school email address you can get Autodesk Inventor for 3D modeling.

tuttle88

Go to download.com and make sure when you search you limit to 'free' software.

Rym

You should generally avoid most Windows "freeware." The vast majority of it either does nothing useful or does something that Windows can do WITHOUT such software. A lot of it is poorly written, buggy, or insecure.

Don't go poking around for what cool things you can install: think about what you need and search for specific solutions to those needs.

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

Good News, I'm downloading Blender and Open Office as I type.
I was also able to get my version of Windows Media Player to roll back to my old 9.0 ver. Thanks for the suggestions.

To Scott, The problem is that I don't know very much about Linux, I'm also afraid that none of my art programs will work, like Photoshop, etc. So is there a version of Linux that will run all of my stuff and require very little coding. I only took a Year of Visual Basic and taught myself a bunch of it.

And is there a Windows XP emulator for Linux.

But most of all, my dad barely even wants me getting freeware so I don't think that he will be so willing to let me play with my OS System, and I've already asked him about it and he thinks that my Graphic card won't work with it. it's an ATI (Radeon?)

HMTKSteve

On Linux

PhotoShop -> the GiMP

Pilitus

About your art programs: what is the range of programs that you are talking about? If you just mean Photoshop, and you feel like shooting yourself in the face, go with the GiMP. If you're actually serious about the art programs and need more from CS then just Photoshop, then I have never heard of a Linux programs that even tried to rival Adobe inside of the design space.

kenjura

Why the hell do you need Windows Media Player? Use Winamp, it plays videos. Or, use Media Player Classic. Both are excellent at everything. WMP offers far less than either. The same goes for iTunes; why support the other closed-source bloatware?

As for art, well, it's all about Photoshop. In a professional capacity, you want the Adobe products. If you're just tooling around, you might as well learn something else, like the GiMP, and/or GIMPshop. In Linux, you can always run these programs in virtualization, or with the use of not-an-emulators such as Wine.

The bottom line: apart from games and Photoshop, I know of no application of computing that requires Windows. Even those two can be emulated or virtualized to some degree. If you need full-capacity, professional Photoshop (and associated programs), and/or hassle-free PC gaming, then use Windows. Otherwise, you might as well cut out the last $300 of your closed-source setup and make the switch.

HMTKSteve

IF you need PhotoShop as a "must have" app just buy a Mac.

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

Thanks for all your help, OpenOffice changed my life.

One more thing though, is there any good free audio conversion software that will convert .flac into .mp3 so that I can get it into iTunes. Some idiot thought that using a obscure format would be a good idea for a game soundtrack download.

Any ideas?

Sail

One more thing though, is there any good free audio conversion software that will convert .flac into .mp3 so that I can get it into iTunes.

Media Coder is your friend.

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Is there any free software, that I can use to replace Windows Media Player, mine updated it's self to the point where i can't even play stuff. Is there something out there that works as well as and similar to WMP and is free.

If you're using any of the earlier mentioned programs*. Stop. VLC is like Internet Explorer, ignoring standards. Winamp is a music player, don't play video through it, there are better programs for that. Instead, use CCCP. If you cannot play a media file after installing that, your computer is too slow to play the file.

CCCP is just an entire pack of codecs and two media players configured properly as to make it too easy for the user to play any media file they bump into. Run the Insurgent program (the download below it) if you have any codec stuff installed (k-lite codec pack, etc), that way your computer won't mess up when it tries to use codecs to play a file. It comes with Media Player Classic (hence the star), and Zoomplayer, I myself used MPC since I found Zoomplayer to be ugly. Good luck.

lackofcheese

Yeah, Media Player Classic is rock solid.

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Yeah, Media Player Classic is rock solid.

It, and mplayer. If only the mplayer developers would implement mkv ordered chaptering. Haali's media splitter already has it, sadly that's Windows only software.

Apreche

When I got the new computer, I went back to windows. I tried to use the CCCP, but it was a convoluted mess. I completley uninstalled it and just went with mplayer. Every video file I have encountered works perfectly in either mplayer or Windows Media Player, so I just don't bother installing any other garbage.

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I tried to use the CCCP, but it was a convoluted mess.

What was a convoluted mess exactly?

Apreche

I tried to use the CCCP, but it was a convoluted mess.

What was a convoluted mess exactly?

Way too many shoddy configuration boxes with too many undocumented options. Lots of weird useless icons in the notification area (system tray). Also, it required use of really crappy players like Windows Media Player Classic. Why should playing new awesome video formats require using old and terrible players software?

Omnutia

Has anyone tried using Media Monkey as a replacement to iTunes?

Jason

Has anyone tried using Media Monkey as a replacement to iTunes?

It's not as clean, but several of the features -- especially the album art search -- are far superior.It's a little give-and-take. Personally, I use iTunes and switch to Media Monkey when I want to use a specific feature.

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Way too many shoddy configuration boxes with too many undocumented options.

Only 2 or 3 configuration menus outside the players (iirc), that, and there's a ton of information out there, a wiki on the CCCP project site and of course the respective sites of the various software included in the pack. And you have to take note that it's designed to be 'plug' and play. Just install the pack and you can play your media files. You don't need to change anything really.

Lots of weird useless icons in the notification area (system tray).

Neither weird nor useless. You use them to, for example, easily switch between subtitle tracks, audio tracks and move to different chapters in the file. And you can turn them off if you want.

Also, it required use of really crappy players like Windows Media Player Classic. Why should playing new awesome video formats require using old and terrible players software?

Media Player Classic is based on WMP yes, but you could've just used Zoomplayer if you didn't want anything to do with the old WMP. And what's so bad about the old WMP? It plays the files it supports back good and is very light. It only lacks features, hence MPC.

Apreche

Neither weird nor useless. You use them to, for example, easily switch between subtitle tracks, audio tracks and move to different chapters in the file. And you can turn them off if you want.

mplayer does all those things.

All the CCCP seemed to do was add a bunch of really low-class, shady-looking, unprofessional, and un-slick software to the system. They did not add any significantly useful functionality that was not available in a more elegant solution.

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mplayer does all those things.

That's a lie, mplayer does not do ordered chapters, resulting in one not being able to move to a different chapter even when there is. Let alone with a nice handy menu, which is the entire point of CCCP, plug and play remember. That way idiots and lazy people can play their media files too without hassle. As for it seeming to be low-class, shady-looking, unprofessional and un-slick, eh, the same can be said about mplayer, seeing as I don't see where you're getting any of that from. If you can point out what you found to be low-class, or shady-looking, or unprofessional, or un-slick, please do. I'd like to know over what you tripped and then might understand your point. In the mean time I'll have to say it's hardly any of those things. Haali media splitter for example is the best media splitter out there at the moment. And how is the main CCCP configuration tool not slick? It bundles the options of several programs into one slick and easy to use interface. True, it's all standard Windows gray boxes, but every configuration window has that, no? You can even choose to use CoreAVC, that superfast H264 codec, if you have a copy of it, mplayer does not do that without you specifically compiling mplayer with a special non-official patch.

Andrew

That's a lie, mplayer does not do ordered chapters, resulting in one not being able to move to a different chapter even when there is. Let alone with a nice handy menu, which is the entire point of CCCP, plug and play remember. That way idiots and lazy people can play their media files too without hassle. As for it seeming to be low-class, shady-looking, unprofessional and un-slick, eh, the same can be said about mplayer, seeing as I don't see where you're getting any of that from. If you can point out what you found to be low-class, or shady-looking, or unprofessional, or un-slick, please do. I'd like to know over what you tripped and then might understand your point. In the mean time I'll have to say it's hardly any of those things. Haali media splitter for example is the best media splitter out there at the moment. And how is the main CCCP configuration tool not slick? It bundles the options of several programs into one slick and easy to use interface. True, it's all standard Windows gray boxes, but every configuration window has that, no? You can even choose to use CoreAVC, that superfast H264 codec, if you have a copy of it, mplayer does not do that without you specifically compiling mplayer with a special non-official patch.

Wow, why do you care so much?

Apreche

What is the splitter for? Why do I want to split the media? If I have a video file, I just want to play it. The only time I would want chapters is on a DVD, which windows media player handles perfectly.

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Wow, why do you care so much?

I'm bored, and I think Scott didn't bother actually using the software as should the moment his WMP problem popped up and thus had biased preconceptions before actually using the program. If he had actually used the software the way it's meant to be used (i.e. install and play your media, changing settings only after you have experienced playback problems (slow playback for example)), then he probably liked it more than he did and does now. Of course this is merely my guess since I don't know where he tripped over the software.