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             Best Freeware Programs for DOS and Windows 3.1
             ==============================================

                                           Last updated 1 September 1996

This is a list of some freeware programs I like. As far as I know, all
are free for personal use. This includes public domain programs,
freeware, "postcard-ware", and shareware programs which are free for
personal or non-commercial use. It can also include demos, if they are
reasonably fully functional, can be freely used, and are not
time-limited. Some of these programs require payment if used for
commercial purposes.

Corrections and suggestions are welcome. Authors's suggestions are also
welcome, but please note that I only list free programs.

I update and post this list to Usenet groups alt.comp.freeware and
comp.archives.msdos.d about every two weeks. Programs new in this
version are marked "*NEW*".

I've marked a few programs I especially like with this sign: "*A TOP
PICK*".

The list is also available, with links to all the programs and to other
resources, through the World Wide Web at:
     http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~an448

The latest version is usually available by FTP at:
     ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/info/free96??.zip
     ftp://ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/misc/free96??.zip
     ftp://ftp.elf.stuba.sk/pub/pc/text/free96??.zip

To get the list by E-mail, send a message to:
     infomart@acy.digex.net
with the subject:
     send freelist
Note that the subject must be exactly as shown, in lowercase.

Compiled by: Yves Bellefeuille <an448@freenet.carleton.ca>. PGP mail
welcome.

========================================================================

Table of Contents:

Section A:  Application Programs
Section B:  Compression / Decompression Programs
Section C:  Utilities
   Area 1:     4DOS / NDOS Utilities
   Area 2:     Disk Utilities
   Area 3:     Directory Utilities
   Area 4:     File and Text Utilities
   Area 5:     Screen and Graphics Utilities
   Area 6:     System Utilities
   Area 7:     Other Utilities
Section D:  Anti-Virus Programs
Section E:  Text and Hex Editors
Section F:  Communication Programs
Section G:  Miscellaneous Programs
Section H:  Windows 3.1 Programs

========================================================================

SECTION A:  APPLICATION PROGRAMS

Galahad - Old-fashioned but serviceable word processor.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/editor/gal210a1.zip, gal210a2.zip,
gal210a3.zip and gal210a4.zip

I'm interested in suggestions for free spreadsheets, database programs,
word processors, DTP programs, CAD programs, and so on!


SECTION B:  COMPRESSION / DECOMPRESSION PROGRAMS

Quick guide:

      To decompress:             Use:
      ==============             ====

      *.arj                      ARJ
      *.com                      UNP
      *.exe                      UNP
      *.gz                       GZip
      *.lha                      LHA
      *.lzh                      LHA
      *.tar                      PCTar
      *.tar.Z                    First GZip, then PCTar
      *.tgz                      First GZip, then PCTar
      *.uue                      UU (see File and Text Utilities)
      *.z                        GZip
      *.zip                      Info-Zip
      *.zoo                      Zoo

ARJ - Supports multi-disk archives and self-extracting archives.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/arcers/arj250a.exe

*A TOP PICK* Diet - Compresses executable programs while leaving them
executable (similar to PKLite).
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/execomp/diet145f.zip

GZip - To compress/decompress files using the Unix .Z format.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/unix/gzip124.zip

Info-Zip - PKZip compatible archiver, but doesn't support multi-disk
archives.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/arcers/unz520x.exe and zip20x.zip

LHA - Supports self-extracting archives.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/arcers/lha255e.exe

LZExe - Compresses executable programs while leaving them executable.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/execomp/lzexe91.zip

PCTar - To unpack files in the Unix "tar" format. Use "tar -xvqf
filename.tar".
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/archiver/pctar11.zip

UNP - Unpacks files compressed with PKLite, Diet, LZExe, EXECOMP, etc.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/execomp/unp411.zip

Zoo - An old archiver still used in the Unix world.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/arcers/zoo210.exe


SECTION C:  UTILITIES


   AREA 1:  4DOS / NDOS UTILITIES

4UTILS - Two utilities for 4DOS: a DESCRIPT.ION editor and a 4DOS-aware
file finder.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/4dos/4utils86.zip


   AREA 2:  DISK UTILITIES

ATAID - Shows characteristics of ATA/IDE disks.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/ataid011.zip

Core - Measures hard disk performance.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/core303.zip

DOG - "Disk OrGanizer", disk defragmenter.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/diskutil/dog316.zip

*A TOP PICK* FDFormat - Formats diskettes to greater capacities. For
3.5-inch diskettes, try "sector sliding" with "X=1 Y=2". Also includes
WImage, a "disk image" program.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/fdform18.zip

FIPS - Changes partition size and adds new partitions without deleting
data. Source included.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/diskutil/fips15.zip

Partition Resizer - Another utility to non-destructively resize, add and
delete partitions. Nicely documented.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/presz112.zip

*NEW* Save the Boot/Fat/Partition - Saves and restores MBR, DOS boot
record and FATs (similar to MIRROR and IMAGE).
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/stbfp11.zip

Spindown - Powers down IDE drives after period of inactivity.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/spindn12.zip

Wasted - Shows disk space wasted due to partition size.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/diskutil/wasted20.zip


   AREA 3:  DIRECTORY UTILITIES

*A TOP PICK* ACD - "Another Change Directory", jumps directly to any
directory (similar to Norton's NCD).
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/dirutil/acd233.zip

DirMatch - Compares two directories side by side.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pcmagutl/dirmat31.zip

Locate - Finds files by name. Fast, many options.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/filefind/floc117a.zip

Prune - Renames, moves and deletes directories; prunes and grafts
directory trees.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/dirutil/prune10.zip

Swapname - Swaps two file names. Sounds simple, but there's no easy way
to do it otherwise.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/dirutil/swapname.zip

Sweep - Executes a command in a directory and across all its
sub-directories.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/pcmag/vol4n24.zip


   AREA 4:  FILE AND TEXT UTILITIES

BFind - Boolean find, supports AND, OR, NOT, etc. Unfortunately slow.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/textutil/bfind607.zip

*NEW* Change - Changes strings in text and hex files, can also remove
trailing spaces. Very fast.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/textutil/chang607.zip

COMT - Converts COM files to executable ASCII text for transmission by
E-mail.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/fileutil/comt010d.zip

FGrep - Fast GREP, finds text in files.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/textutil/fgrep183.zip

Flip - Converts text files from MS-DOS format to Unix, and vice versa.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/textutil/flip1exe.zip

*A TOP PICK* List - File viewing utility. Absolutely essential.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/fileutil/list91m.zip

Udec - "Universal decoder" for UUencode, XXencode, MPack (MIME), Ship
and HexBin (Mac).
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/decode/udec1_1.zip

UU - Smart UUdecode, handles headers, out-of-order sections, etc.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/decode/uu33.zip

UUencode, UUdecode - Converts binary files for transmission by E-mail.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/decode/uuexe651.zip


   AREA 5:  SCREEN AND GRAPHICS UTILITIES

Display - Displays images and movies in over 50 formats, including GIF,
JPG, PCX, BMP, FLI, AVI, GL and others. Some basic editing functions.
Installation can be complex.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/graphics/disp189a.zip

DVPEG - Graphics viewer. Supports GIF, JPEG and others.
ftp://sunee.uwaterloo.ca/pub/jpeg/viewers/dvpeg30l.zip

GifExe - Makes "self-viewing" GIF files.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/gif/gifexe44.zip

JPEG - Converts JPEG graphics to and from BMP, GIF, TGA and other
formats.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/graphics/jpeg6a.zip (get jpeg6a32.zip
if you have a 386 or better)

NANSI - A faster replacement for ANSI.SYS. Supports keyboard
redefinition.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/screen/nansi33.zip

PCMouse - Gives "cut and paste" ability to DOS programs.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/screen/pcmou15a.zip

ScrUtil - Simple screen blanker for DOS and Windows. (No longer
supported by author.)
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/screen/scrutl91.zip

Snipper - Captures text from the screen and saves it in a file or sends
it to the printer.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pcmagutl/snippr26.zip

ZANSI - An even faster replacement for ANSI.SYS. Doesn't support
keyboard redefinition. Remove before running MEMMAKER.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/screen/zansi12.zip

Zeno - Speeds up screen writes via BIOS.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/screen/zeno25.zip


   AREA 6:  SYSTEM UTILITIES

CacheChk - Verifies size and speed of cache memory.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/sysinfo/cachchk4.zip

*NEW* CMOS - Backs up and restores CMOS data (for use when battery dies,
etc.).
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/sysutil/cmos92cd.zip

CompTest - System information and benchmarks.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/sysinfo/ctest260.zip

Escape - Cancels execution of programs during system crashes.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/tsr/escape20.zip

InfoPlus - Lots of information about your system.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/sysinfo/ifp1p158.zip

MSD - Microsoft Diagnostics, system information.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/sysinfo/ga0363.zip


   AREA 7:  OTHER UTILITIES

Bat2Exec - Compiles BAT files to executable format.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pcmagutl/bat2ex15.zip

CAL - Similar to Unix's cal, shows calendar for any year or month.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/calendar/cal33.zip

Clock - Shows clock in upper right corner, also supports alarm.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/clock/clok132.zip

*NEW* CoreView - Shows conventional memory in real time.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/sysutil/cv100.zip

CtrlAlt - Resident utilities: show ASCII codes, draw boxes, mark and cut
text, and others.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/sysutil/ctrlalt.zip

DUMPEM - Displays and edits conventional, expanded and extended memory.
Includes memory diagnostics.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/memutil/dumpem.zip

FILEC - File name completion utility. Configurable.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/sysutil/filec106.zip

Key-Fake - Feeds keystrokes to a program.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/pcmag/vol4n26.zip

*NEW* NCPlay - Plays WAV, VOC and SND files through PC speaker or Sound
Blaster. Somewhat kludgy.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/sound/nc5play.zip

Now & Then - Runs programs at specified intervals (every day, every
week, etc.).
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/bootutil/nowthn12.zip

Real Delete - TSR intercepts DOS's delete command and over-writes files
before deleting them to prevent recovery.
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/comp/security/pc/realdeal.zip

Strings - Adds string handling (and many other) functions to BAT files.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/batutil/strings2.zip

*A TOP PICK* TSR Utilities - Removes TSR programs from memory without
rebooting, and other memory utilities.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/memutil/tsrcom35.zip


SECTION D:  ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS

ADinf - Advanced Diskinfoscope. Integrity checker.
ftp://ftp.kiam1.rssi.ru/pub/msdos/antivirus/adinf/english/adinf.zip

Antivirus Toolkit Pro Virus Encyclopedia - Loads of information on
computer viruses.
ftp://ftp.command-hq.com/pub/command/avp/avpve96a.zip

DiskSecure II - Protection against Master Boot Record viruses.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/virus/dsii242.zip

*A TOP PICK* F-Prot - Anti-virus scanner. Excellent and indispensable.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/virus/fp-224a.zip (updated about every two
months, finger f-prot@complex.is for latest version)

FixUtils - Suite of anti-virus utilities.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/virus/fixutil6.zip


SECTION E:  TEXT AND HEX EDITORS

EDC - The only free editor I've found that's able to handle files larger
than conventional memory. It's hardly simple, however, and poorly
documented.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/editor/edrhr15b.zip

GDSpell - Stand-alone spelling checker for ASCII files.
ftp://ftp.gdsoft.com/pub/shareware/gdsp300b.zip

Hex - Unlike most hex editors, this one lets you insert and delete
bytes.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/binedit/hex51.zip

NE - "No Edlin", simple text editor with spelling checker. Don't use in
a "DOS box" under Windows!
ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/editor/ne300b.zip

SLED - Small yet surprisingly complete text editor. A good choice if you
need a very small editor.
ftp://ftp.achilles.net/pub/users/sam/sled/sled.zip

*A TOP PICK* TDE - Thomson-Davis Editor, configurable text and hex
editor. Very complete. I use this one quite a lot.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/editor/tde40.zip

TED3 - "Tiny EDitor" for text files up to 64 kb.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/editor/ted3.zip

Zap-It - Binary file and disk editor.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/binedit/zapit307.zip


SECTION F:  COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS

MS Kermit - Reasonably complete, but only supports Kermit.
ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/archives/msvibm.zip

QModem - Complete communication program, demo of commercial product.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/qmodem/qm46td-1.zip and qm46td-2.zip

TXZM - Texas Z-Modem, very small communication program. Supports
Z-Modem only.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/termutil/txzm241.zip

Special request: I'm still looking for a good fax program!


SECTION G:  MISCELLANEOUS PROGRAMS

FZC - Fast Zip Cracker, brute force cracker for PKZip encrypted files.
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/cryptanalysis/fzc104.zip

PGP - Pretty Good Privacy, encryption program.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/crypt/pgp263i.zip

SFS - Secure FileSystem, encrypts a partition or a disk.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/crypt/sfs110.zip

WPCrack - Finds passwords of Word Perfect 5.x files.
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/cryptanalysis/wpcrack_a.zip

ZipCrack - Brute force cracker for PKZip encrypted files.
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/cryptanalysis/zipcrkmq.zip


SECTION H:  WINDOWS 3.1 PROGRAMS

1MbFort - Increases free low memory under Windows.
ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pcmagvol/vol14n06.zip

Anansi - HTML editor. Still in beta, but very impressive so far.
http://www.noord.bART.nl/~har2312

CCM - Tracks time online. Manual and automatic modes.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/internet/ccm286.zip

DOSBar - Adds a button bar to DOS windows.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/sysutil/dosbr142.zip

FTaskman - Replacement for Windows's Task Manager.
ftp://ftp.csusm.edu/pub/winworld/tasks/ftask124.zip

*NEW* GDesk - Pop-up menu and launcher. Fully configurable.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/desktop/gdesk_22.zip

*NEW* GetSet - Permits different setup (StartUp group) configurations.
Default group possible.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/sysutil/getset20.zip

*NEW* HideApp - Starts application hidden. Will work in some
circumstances when StartApp won't.
ftp://ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/desktop/hideap11.zip

IconJack - Extracts icons from EXE, DLL and ICO files.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/pcmag/vol14n12.zip

InfoBar - Displays clock and system information. More configurable than
MinInfo.
http://goofy.iafrica.com/~dalen/software/infb111.zip

*A TOP PICK* LViewPro - Graphics viewer.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/graphics/lviewp1b.zip

*A TOP PICK* MinInfo - Shows free memory and free resources, also time
and date.
ftp://ftp.csusm.edu/pub/winworld/memtools/mininfo.zip

More Control - Control Panel add-on.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/sysutil/morecn10.zip

MWTask - Replacement for Windows's Task Manager.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/taskman/mwtask13.zip

*A TOP PICK* PFE - Programmer's File Editor. Text editor capable of
handling large files.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/editor/pfe0602.zip

SAW - System Analyst for Windows. Complete information about hardware,
Windows, drivers, etc.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/sysutil/saw110.zip

StartApp - Starts Windows applications normal, minimized, maximized or
hidden.
ftp://ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/desktop/strtap11.zip

Stiletto - Button-bar task switcher and launcher, calendar and clock.
ftp://ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/desktop/stil19v1.zip

SuckMeister - Task switcher and launcher. Very small "footprint".
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/taskman/sm135.zip

SuperPad - Notepad replacement for large files. Doesn't support
printing.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/pcmag/vol14n07.zip

UltraClip - Clipboard replacement. Supports OLE.
ftp://ftp.csusm.edu/pub/winworld/clipboard/uclp20.zip

UnixCorn - Adds Windows commands to DOS programs. (Free only to non-US
residents.)
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/shell/unixcn20.zip

Wayfarer - Replacement for Windows's Program Manager. *Very*
configurable.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/shell/wayfarer.zip

WCL - WinComm Lite, communication program. Demo of commercial program,
annoying compulsory registration.
ftp://ftp.delrina.com/pub/product/windows/wincommlite/wcl.exe

WinFileX - Creates "default" association for File Manager.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/fileman/wfilx120.zip

WS_FTP - Winsock FTP client.
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/winsock/ws_ftp.zip

I hope to add more communication programs and Winsock applications and
welcome suggestions.

========================================================================

Acknowledgements: I got the idea for this list from two great lists of
shareware programs. The first is the list of the best shareware programs
by Timo Salmi, moderator of the FTP site at garbo.uwasa.fi. His list can
be found at ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pd2/bestp43b.zip. Thanks especially
to Timo for his encouragement and his help.

The second is Samuel Ko's list of the best shareware programs.
Unfortunately, this list seems to be no longer maintained. The last
version (May 1994) is available at
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/info/useful35.zip. I've adapted
Samuel's table of contents for my own list.

Special thanks to Konrad Hinsen for suggestions and assistance and to
Stig Linander, Andrew McLachlan and Ian Smith for many useful
suggestions.

I'd also like to acknowledge the contribution of Frazer Crump, who was
the first, to my knowledge, to post a list of best freeware on Usenet
group alt.comp.freeware.

Disclaimer: To my surprise, the administrator of one of the commercial
FTP sites has complained that his own site was not featured prominently
enough in this list. With regret, I therefore feel that I should make
the following disclaimer.

This is a list of software, not a list of FTP sites. I list FTP
locations as a convenience to the users, so that they may find the
programs I mention more easily. I make no judgement on the merits of FTP
sites. If any FTP site has a more recent version of one of the programs
I mention, I would appreciate being informed of this. And, of course,
users's suggestions are always welcome.

========================================================================

Compiled by: Yves Bellefeuille <an448@freenet.carleton.ca>. PGP mail
welcome. Comments, corrections, suggestions and criticism welcome. This
list may be freely reproduced, provided that any changes are clearly
indicated.

========================================================================


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