# Favorite Utilities, Tools, Software for Windows {{< snippet "obsolete" >}} As far as I know, all of these tools are free unless otherwise noted. Use any ZIP program, such as *[WinZip](http://www.winzip.com/)* or *[InfoZip's](http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/)* FREE *[Unzip](http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/UnZip.html)* to extract the ZIP files. ----- ## (Old) Disk & File Utilities *[BootPart](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/gvollant/bootpart.htm)* : Lets you create DOS and Win95 boot sectors for the NT Loader (NTLdr.exe). IT also lets you fix broken NT boot sectors. Very nice little freeware tool. For more information about NT Boot Sectors, you can check this *[direct boot page](http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~dbryan/directboot.html)*. [delpart.exe](/public/tools/delpart.exe) : Old Microsoft utility to delete partitions -- ANY partitions. Great for removing NTFS partitions from a bootable DOS floppy, or for those times when FDisk confuses itself and will not let you remove an extended partition because it says there are logical drives, but when you try to delete the logical drives it says there aren't any... [dirmatch.com](/public/tools/dirmatch.com) : From PC Magazine, allows you to compare two different directories (see FreeCommander, below). Since this is so old (DIRMATCH 3.1 (c) 1989 Ziff Communications Co.) it doesn't really work with long filenames. (If you have problems downloading try [dirmatch.com.txt](/public/tools/dirmatch.com.txt) and rename it to remove the trailing .txt.) *[freeCommander](http://www.freeCommander.com/)* : A dual-pane file manager for all 32-bit windows platforms (i.e. 95/98/NT/2000). It is a free program, similar to an updated Norton Commander. Nicer and more current than 2xExplorer. *[2xExplorer](http://netez.com/2xExplorer)* : An obsolete dual-pane file manager for all 32-bit windows platforms (i.e. 95/98/NT/2000). It is a free program, similar to an updated Norton Commander. Use the previous one instead. [mcopy.exe](/public/tools/mcopy.exe) : Copies only newer files. [obslt10.zip](/public/tools/obslt10.zip) : Deletes files older than the date/time specified. Excellent for purging log and temp files, etc. ----- ## UNIX Utilities for Windows *[FREE tools from 3Com](http://support.3com.com/software/utilities_for_windows_32_bit.htm)* : Including *[3CDaemon](ftp://ftp.3com.com/pub/utilbin/win32/3cdv2r10.zip)* an Integrated TFTP/FTP/Syslog Daemon for Windows 95/98/NT. *[**Win32-ports of tools with a GNU or similar open source license**](http://sourceforge.net/projects/gnuwin32/)* : These are the "official" GNU Win32 ports. *[**GNU utilities for Win32**](http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/)* : Really **awesome** "native" Win32 ports of some UNIX tools. Native in this context means that no emulation layer (e.g. CygWin) is needed. This avoids a lot a installation complexity. With these native tools, you unzip 'em and run 'em\! bc-1.05, bison-1.28, bzip2-1.0.2, diffutils-2.7, fileutils-3.16, findutils-4.1, flex-2.5.4, gawk-3.1.0, grep-2.4.2, gsar110, gzip-1.2.4, indent-2.2.9, jwhois-2.4.1, less-340, m4-1.4, make-3.78.1, patch-2.5, recode-3.6, rman-3.0.7, sed-3.02, shellutils-1.9.4, tar-1.12, textutils-2.1, unrar-3.00, wget-1.8.2, which-2.4. *[David's Programs and Source Code](http://david.tribble.com/programs.html)* : UNIX or UNIX-like tools, including cat.exe, bin2bmp.exe, bmpdump.exe, detab.exe, diskuse.exe, ebcdic.exe, entab.exe, fsplit.exe, fstat.exe, gifdump.exe, hdump.exe, head.exe, reboot.com, scram.exe, scram.doc, snow.exe, tcopy.exe, tee.exe, tod.com, unicode.exe, uniq.exe, vdate.exe, vecho.com, vfind.exe, whence.exe, wordc.exe *[Mountain Math Software's port of GNU Bash to Windows NT.](http://www.utexas.edu/ftp/microlib/nt/new/bash_nt-1.14.2.tar)* : It it listed as a beta, and for Windows 3.51, but it runs under NT 4. I have not tested it much though. See the *[Readme.txt](http://www.utexas.edu/ftp/microlib/nt/new/bash_nt-1.14.2.txt)* or download the *[archive](http://www.utexas.edu/ftp/microlib/nt/new/bash_nt-1.14.2.tar)* (\~ 1.7 meg). Licensed under GNU (free), and stand alone (i.e. does not need DJGPP or CygWin). *[tcsh](ftp://ftp.blarg.net/users/amol/tcsh/)* : Free GNU, stand alone (i.e. does not need DJGPP or CygWin). Read the *[Readme.NT](ftp://ftp.blarg.net/users/amol/tcsh/README.NT)*. [pgrep.com](/public/tools/pgrep.com) : DOS port of a version of the grep command. Can handle "|" under DOS/Windows. *[DOS2UNIX.COM & UNIX2DOS.COM](http://www.bastet.com/software/UDDU.ZIP)* (from *[The free Win32 software page at BASTET.COM](http://www.bastet.com/software/software.html)*) : Convert CRLF to LF and LF to CRLF respectively. *While the programs above are ports of various UNIX tools, the next four items are complete UNIX environments for the PC. DJGPP is older, and has not been updated too much (not that it needs it). DJ Delorie went to work on the Cygwin project after he wrote DJGPP. Both environments are **very** cool\! I don't know too much about the other two, and have never used them.* *[DJGPP](http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/)* : A complete 32-bit C/C++ development system for Intel 80386 (and higher) PCs running DOS. It includes ports of many GNU development utilities. The development tools require a 80386 or newer computer to run, as do the programs they produce. In most cases, the programs it produces can be sold commercially without license or royalties. Use the *[DJGPP Zip File Picker](http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/zip-picker.html)* to figure out what you need to download. *[Cygwin](http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/)* : A port of the popular GNU development tools/environment for Windows NT, 95, and 98. It implements the Cygwin library which provides the UNIX system calls and environment the programs expect. With these tools installed, it is possible to write Win32 console or GUI applications that make use of the standard Microsoft Win32 API and/or the Cygwin API. As a result, it is possible to easily port many significant Unix programs without the need for extensive changes to the source code. This includes configuring and building most of the available GNU software (including the packages included with the Cygwin development tools themselves). Even if the development tools are of little to no use to you, you may have interest in the many standard Unix utilities provided with the package. They can be used both from the bash shell (provided) or from the standard Windows command shell. *[UWIN](http://www.research.att.com/sw/tools/uwin/)* : By David Korn, free for educational or research uses. Note David Korn, as in the Korn Shell. *[MKS Toolkit](http://www.datafocus.com/)* : (AKA NuTCracker), a commercial package *Finally, some stuff from Microsoft.* *[Windows UNIX Interoperability](http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/unix/interop/default.asp)* : Pointers to Windows Services for UNIX (a POSIX and UNIX system-call sub-system) and Interix (UNIX Tools) information. *[Windows Services for UNIX version 2](http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS2000/sfu/)* : A UNIX Sub-System; $149. *[Windows Services for : UNIX](http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/TechNet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/deploy/sfu/sfu.asp)* A White Paper *[Interix](http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/interix/)* : MS UNIX environment for NT/2K; $99. Was Software Systems (dead line: http://www.interix.com/); Microsoft Corporation acquired them on September 16, 1999. ----- ## DOS & Windows Command Line Tools *[NirCmd](http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html)* : "NirCmd is a small command-line utility that allows you to do some useful tasks without displaying any user interface. By running NirCmd with simple command-line option, you can write and delete values and keys in the Registry, write values into INI file, dial to your internet account or connect to a VPN network, restart windows or shut down the computer, create shortcut to a file, change the created/modified date of a file, change your display settings, turn off your monitor, open the door of your CD-ROM drive, and more..." *[The FreeDOS Project](http://www.freedos.org/)* : FreeDOS aims to be a complete, free, 100% MS-DOS compatible operating system. FreeDOS is ideal for anyone who wants to bundle a version of DOS without having to pay a royalty for use of DOS. FreeDOS will also work on old hardware, in DOS emulators, and in embedded systems. FreeDOS is also an invaluable resource for people who would like to develop their own operating system. While there are many free operating systems out there, no other free DOS-compatible operating system exists. There are also a great number of free DOS tools in the *[FreeDOS Software List](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/)*, such as *[deltree](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=base/deltree.lsm)*, *[exe2bin](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=base/exe2bin.lsm)*, *[fdisk](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=base/fdisk.lsm)*, *[tree](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=base/tree.lsm)*, *[nasm](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=lang/nasm.lsm)*, *[finger](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=util/finger.lsm)*, *[tail](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=util/tail.lsm)*, *[tee](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=util/tee.lsm)*, *[which](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=util/which.lsm)*, and *[more](http://www.freedos.org/freedos/software/lsm.cgi?q=f&a=base/more.lsm)*. *[MS-DOS Applications for Internet Use](http://www.dendarii.co.uk/FAQs/dos-apps.html)* : I think the name says it all. *[4Dos](http://www.jpsoft.com/4dosdes.htm)* & *[4NT](http://www.jpsoft.com/4ntdes.htm)* from *[JP Software](http://www.jpsoft.com/)* : AWESOME if you are a CLI (command line interface) junkie like me. It is a replacement for command.com or cmd.exe (there are also a variety of other *[products](http://www.jpsoft.com/products.htm)*). I can't even begin to list all the features (which are pretty much common across all platforms/products)\! Since I am not the best typist, the file name completion is one of my favorites. The ability to copy to the clipboard from the DOS prompt is another great thing (i.e. type autoexec.bat \> clip:). If you have a DOS Prompt in your Startup group (or equivalent) you NEED this stuff\! It is shareware, but reasonably priced for all that you get out of it. List is Vernon D. Buerg's famous text viewer : I used to be unable to exist without this thing, but I use `less` these days\! I used [v7.7a](http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/51547.html) because it works with network drives, but there are others, including shareware versions such as *[v9.3a](http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/51548.html)*. If you want something similar to list, but for UNIX, try "less" or "pilot" which is the browser built into *[Pine](http://www.washington.edu/pine/)*. "Pico," the Pine editor, is also good for people who don't like the typical UNIX editors. Pine is free (but not GPL). *[PkWare](http://www.pkware.com/)* is the famous PKZip, PKUnzip, etc. : Check out the new Windows versions. 2.04g is **still** the latest DOS version. Do not download anything other than that -- it may be a virus. **Better yet, use *[InfoZip](http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/)*, the free *[GNU](http://www.gnu.org/)* replacement for the PKWare command line tools.** All PkWare is shareware. *[NMAKE.EXE](ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/nmake15.exe)* : From the Readme: "NMAKE.EXE 1.50 is a the version of NMAKE that ships with Visual C++ 2.X. It is used to build external projects. It is a 32 bit version of NMAKE that was designed to run on Windows NT version 3.5. It has been extensively used on Windows 95 and requires a 32 bit operating system. It will not work on Windows 3.1." [Sweepup.bat](/public/source/sweepup.bat.txt) : Sweepup helps you keep crap from building up in your temp and cache directories. **WARNING: It may delete things you don't want to delete\!** Read and understand the code before you run it. It is well documented and simple. Also note that some programs will copy files to the temp directory, then require you to re-boot. Files from the temp directory are then used to replace other files that are in use when the system is up. If you run Sweepup from your "Startup" group like I do, you can nuke these programs before they work. You have been warned\! ----- ## Windows & Graphical Tools VNC : [Real VNC](http://www.realvnc.com/), [TightVNC](http://www.tightvnc.org/), [UltraVNC](http://www.ultravnc.com/), [WinVNC](http://vncproject.50megs.com/) (with NTLM authentication), [OSXvnc](http://www.redstonesoftware.com/vnc.html), [Xvnc](http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Research/DTG/attarchive/vnc/xvnc.html) (X server on one side, VNC server on the other, very cool), or even [PerlVNC](http://www.mazleg.com/perlvnc) A remote display system which allows you to view a computing 'desktop' environment not only on the machine where it is running, but from anywhere on the Internet and from a wide variety of machine architectures. Essentially a FREE PC Anywhere on TCP/IP only, supporting many different operating systems. (See also [Wikipedia VNS details and history](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VNC).) *[TeraTerm](http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html)* : A freeware telnet/dial-up application that supports Japanese fonts, inline XModem, ZModem, Kermit, etc. and much more. It has its own macro language too. It is not the easiest thing to set up (especially the modem strings), but it works great. I wanted a freeware application that could do ZModem and have the same interface for both telnet and dial-in and had 16 and 32 bit versions. This is a best one I've found. It also has a free *[Secure Shell (ssh)](http://www.ssh.org/)* client plug-in called [TTSSH](http://www.zip.com.au/~roca/download.html). *[LView](http://www.lview.com/)* : A great shareware image viewer, with limited editing capabilities. (Both 16 and 32 bit versions) *[ACDSee : Classic](http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSeeClassic/index.htm)* by *[ACD Systems, Ltd](http://www.acdsystems.com/)* A very fast shareware image viewer (especially with JPGs) that gives you a "menu" of images to view. (Both 16 and 32 bit versions) *[WinZip](http://www.winzip.com/winzip/)* by Nico Mak Computing, Inc. : An excellent shareware GUI-based full-featured compression extraction program, that handles many formats (Zip, ARJ, LZH, ARC, TAR, Z, GZ, TAZ, TGZ, UUencoded, XXencoded, BinHex, MIME , LZEXPAND (MS \*.??\_)). [WinZipSE](http://www.winzip.com/winzipse.htm) creates Windows and/or DOS executable self-extracting archives that can optionally install things (ala Win95). There are 16 and 32 bit versions. Also see the [InfoZip](http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/) graphical front end [WiZ](http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/WiZ.html). Last time I checked, WinZip was still a lot better and easier than WiZ though... Uptime: See how long your Windows computer has been up. : The *[Uptime.exe](http://www.ignis.net/uptime/uptime.exe)* that I like (looks cool, dynamic updates). : Vince Fatica's *[Uptimes](http://barnyard.syr.edu/~vefatica/#UPTIME)* (command line and GUI versions). : MS *[Uptime.exe](http://www.microsoft.com/technet/winnt/winntas/tools/uptime.asp)* (Microsoft's feature bloated version -- NT SP4 and better only). : And another *[Uptime.exe](http://www.medver.com/FreeFiles.htm)*. {{< snippet "obsolete" >}}