Windows Media Player

Microsoft

Windows Media Player has been Microsoft Windows operating system's media player since its initial versions. Starting from Windows Vista, this tool was included by default with the operating system. However, versions like Windows XP and earlier versions needed to installed separately. This is its installer. This tool lets you play all kinds of multimedia files, both videos, and audios, having support for an endless number of formats and encoders. You can associate it with the most common file extensions and use it as your default player. You can also use this version of XP to extract audio tracks from a CD (in WMA format with or without protection), burn music and video CDs or tune in to online radio and TV stations. Windows Media Player is also capable of working with subtitles, synchronizing audio, making changes to the video aspect ratio in real-time or creating playlists among many other features. Its only drawback is that it is not as light as other alternatives, but it makes up for that fact with its robustness and obvious integration with the rest of the operating system as it is an official Microsoft product.

Windows Media Encoder Studio Edition

Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft has decided to power up its own video standard: Windows Video or WMV. Windows Media Encoder Studio Edition is an application which is being developed and allows you to convert video files into WMV format. It runs like other video format converters, you choose the video you want to convert and then it will be aocnverted into the desired format, in this case, always wmv. It converts one video stream and several audio streams, which can be added separately. It uses really new generation processes to convert those videos and it tries to be one of the best converters though it is a beta version. A good choice but it has a handycap, it only converts into .wmv format.

Windows Media Encoder

Microsoft

Windows Media Player is an app developed by Microsoft for capturing video using the appropriate device and converting it to other formats. Also, if you're an amateur, the program won't cause you any problems because when it starts up there is a guide that will help you figure it out step by step. The program includes many configuration options for importing images from the capture device that deal with everything from the type of selected device and the video encoding system to choosing the audio format and bit rate. Regarding the output file, you can establish different settings such as the compression codecs, the bit rate (from 28 Kbps to 1128 Kbps), properties so you can have all the information about the file, and advanced options for correcting deinterlacing to avoid video incompatibility between videos for domestic players and video for PCs. If what you want is to convert between formats, with Windows Media Encoder you can switch between compression codecs and adapt the video quality to the different quality presets included in the program, which go from DVD quality videos to files for a Pocket PC, or videos for viewing on the Internet. Lastly, it also offers very useful options for broadcasting both your favorite videos as well as image taken from your webcam.

Windows Media 9 Series Codecs

Microsoft

Windows Master

N/A

Windows Mail and Calendar

Microsoft Corporation

Windows Mail and Calendar is the official Microsoft app for viewing email and the calendar on the Windows operating system. Thanks to this native app, you will have two very important features in your day-to-day life, being able to synchronize multiple email and calendar accounts in one app. In the Mail section, you can synchronize virtually any email service, including platforms such as Hotmail, Live, Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, Office 365, Yahoo!, and many others. When adding email accounts, all calendar items are also added and synchronized. In the calendar, you have all the available events for the current month. You can choose between viewing by month, by groups of between 1 and 6 days, or by hours for each day. In the latter, you can see the events you have scheduled every hour in detail. When adding a new event, you can specify the time, where it will be held, and when you want to be notified of it. Therefore, if you want to use your email account and your calendar natively in Windows, don't hesitate to download Windows Mail and Calendar on your PC.

Windows Live OneCare

Microsoft

The need to protect yourself from the many threats on the web right now has given rise to a new breed of security program. This one comes straight out of the Microsoft stable. It is called Windows Live OneCare and comprises various different applications that, together, offer an effective defence against viruses, worms and other intruders. There is also the chance to create security backups to improve your machines performance. There are three separate analysis modes to protect your system against viruses: quick, complete and personalized. The Security backup tool will back up your system to another device separate to your hard drive, preferably a DVD or USB key drive. Finally, the ’Settings’ tool deletes unnecessary files, defrags the hard drive, searches for viruses and other unwanted programmes, searches for files to make backups and finds security updates. The app demonstrates the new shift in policy from Microsoft, as the programs are free, but the services offered aren´t, which have to be paid for to enjoy.

Windows Live Sync

Microsoft

Windows Live Sync, previously known as FolderShare, is a free service by Microsoft available for Mac and Windows, that allows you to synchronize files and access them from Windows or Mac. Choose files and folders, assign tags, choose friends to share files with,etc. Windows Live Sync is a good service and it's totally free. Don't worry abouut privacy and security, the service is really well designed and uses AES and SSL algorithms to protect it. Finally, we have to say that it offers up to 4GB and a limit of 20,000 files so we think it's enough.

Windows Lurker

mhyst

Windows Live Suite

Microsoft

Microsoft is now launching new products and creating new utilities for our PC. t is powering up the suite for our PC and its interaction with the Web experience. Now and thanks to this Windows Live Suite we will be able to have all of them in our PC. Windows Live Suite is an utility pack which will make your daily tasks to be easier. It offers you the email client, instant messenger client, the suite for pictures and photos, an offline blog editor, a help bar and even an adult content filter. Thanks to all of them, Windows Live Suite becomes an easy way for us to work offline and online, and all in just one installation and a pair of minutes.

Windows Live Messenger 2008

Microsoft

Windows Live Messenger, the new name that Microsfot gave to the previously known MSN, is increasing the number of users and features day by day. One of the main reasons of its success is the reliability and stability of the program as well as the good number of extra options you can use when chatting. Chat, videochat, smileys, animated icons, avatars, winks,... You have a lot of items to use within it. You can spice up your conversations and have fun while you chat with your friends.

Windows Live Movie Maker

Microsoft

Nowadays, most people have a digital camera and after holidays or parties you arrive at home with lots of photos. If you want to share your photos ina funny, different and amusing way, you can create a video using your photos and videos and adding some music to make it more interesting. You'll think that creating a movie is very difficult, but once you'll run Windows Live Movie Maker and you'll experience the drag and drop features and the intuitive interface, you'll change your mind and you'll realize that everything will be different if you use Windows Live Movie Maker... and it's free. It's easy, just choose the photos and videos you want to add and put them in the timeline, between each photo or video there's a blank space that can be filled with transition effects, finally, add the soundtrack (wma, mp3 or wav) and narration if you want. When finished, you'll be able to share your creation from the same interface.

Windows Inspection Tool Set

Ashok P. Nadkarni

Windows Inspection Tool Set lets you control different aspects of the operating system. The elements you control are organized under the following categories: system, safety, file system, network, and printers. The first one gives you some details about the computer's hardware, the operating system, its processes, and services. The second category, safety, lets you control the hard drives and the volumes inside them, as well as the different sessions in the system. But there's even more: users and groups, locally and remotely shared files, network interfaces and connections, etc. Finally, Windows Inspection Tool Set can filter all the information according to certain parameters provided by the program.

Windows Live Messenger

Microsoft

Windows Live Messenger has become the most famous instant messaging program all around internet. Each new version attracts thousands of users and this is not going to be different. Windows Live Messenger, as you know it was known as MSN Messenger, is the last present from microsoft to the millions of users of this acclaimed instant messenger client. In this new Messenger, voice and video communication has been enhanced and now the quality is really better than before, as you’ll realize the first time you run it. Windows Live Messenger, of course, conserves all the features that has make MSN Messenger the most used instant messenger client, such as, emoticons, winks, wallpapers, handscript, etc and also includes new features like buttons in conversation windows related to multimedia. You will experience new winks, PC to Phone calls, share files and the expected logged off messages, now you can send instant messages to your contact though they are not connected and when they start session they’ll receive them. Long Life to Windows Live Messenger experience!

Windows Live Essentials

Microsoft

Each certain time, Microft decides to update its products. Sometimes they include new services and other times they perform major updates. this time we find a new pack offering all of them together. In fact, you find all free tools by Microsoft in Windows Live Essentials and you decide to install the ones you want. Windows Live Essentials includes Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Photo, Windows Defender, Windows Live Call, Windows Live Movie Maker and Windows Live Kids protection. Stop searching for them one by one, now you have all of them in just one pack: Windows Live Essentials. Power up your social life thanks to it: chat, photos, video,... all you need is here.

Windows Key Viewer

WinTools.Info

Windows-KB841290

Microsoft Corporation

Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

Microsoft

Sure you have ever installed any program using Microsoft Windows Installer. In case an error ocurrs during the installation, all that information is saved and stored, occupying beloved space in your HD. Now you can get rid of that information and set some MBs free. Windows Installer CleanUp Utility is the application you need to delete that data and free up your HD. Download and install it and save MBs and even GBs. However, be careful when using it, if you don't take care, you might delete things you shouldn't. If you want to have Microsoft Windows Installer like the first day, Windows Installer CleanUp Utility will be really helpful.

Windows Icons

N/A

Although many users like the design of Windows icosn, there are lots of people who prefer their icons to be on the latest fashion. The style marked by the iPhone icons has turned out to be a success, that there are already people wanting to see those icons in its Windows version. With Windows Icons you can carry out this task with the icons of your system, without losing the appearance of the Windows icons but winning in design and well finished. This pack includes versions of Windows icons and of various applications like Winrar, Microsoft Word or Windows Live Messenger, as well as the files associated to these applications. All of this makes Windows Icons an essential download for those that like to change the appearance of their icons from time to time.

Windows Hotfix Downloader

N/A

Windows Hotfix Downloader is one of those applications that, once installed, you'll never want to live without, as it will save you from program or file errors. Windows Hotfix Downloader checks for updates on all programs installed on your computer, no matter how uncommon they are. In this way, you can keep errors from happening in your files, documents, and programs as well as your whole system, improving performance and speed. When you download, you'll find loads of options including one to download a specific language pack if your interface is not in English. In addition, you can uninstall any update and return to the previous version if it gives you problems or doesn't work as expected, meaning with Windows Hotfix Downloader you'll update only when you want it to. Its precision and accuracy are very useful features that will help you keep everything on your computer updated at all times.

Windows HDR Calibration

Microsoft Corporation

Windows HDR Calibration is a simple tool, developed by Microsoft, that allows you to calibrate the screen of your Windows 11 PC. This way, if you're a regular gamer, it's easy to adjust your screen's parameters in order to take full advantage of the HDR. For many users, calibrating their PC screen can be a tedious and complicated process. However, with this tool, it's easy to get the best possible performance out of your computer's screen. In fact, this tool is designed to exploit all the possibilities offered by new screens in terms of color, sharpness, brightness, and contrast. Windows HDR Calibration's interface is simple, so all you have to do is follow a series of steps to adjust the brightness levels to your liking. Likewise, this program offers ways to adjust the saturation levels to your liking and create different color profiles to apply to the screen whenever you want. Downloading Windows HDR Calibration for Windows 11 is a great way to calibrate any display, whether it's the default screen or another monitor connected to your PC, without complications. By following just a few simple steps, you can enjoy a clear image for playing games or watching movies in a matter of minutes.

Windows Free Hard Drive Recovery Tool

9DataRecovery.com

Windows Heaven

N/A

Windows Heaven is an excellent desktop background developed by a collaborator of CrystalXP.net, which is an extraordinary website full of free graphic design elements. The background is designed for anyone looking for a new image to change the look of their desktop using a serious, elegant, and modern style. Living up to its name, Windows Heaven includes a unique format based on the colors and shapes of the sky. Don't wait any longer to change up your desktop style. Windows Heaven has a resolution of 1024x768.

Windows Grep

Huw Millington

Sometimes you need to find a text file and you do not know the name of the file, but you know some of its contents. Before now, the only option you had was to open files one by one and manually search for what you wanted. Now, you don't have to do this. Windows Grep is a free search tool for Windows that allows you search the text of multiple files at the same time. Its interface, although simple, is very practical and, thanks to its assistant, it is really easy to perform searches. You can make various adjustments to ensure you find the file that you want, such as the use of regular expressions or identical terms, the ability to search multiple directories, or eliminate files by extension, among other options. All this makes Windows Grep a utility that is really worth trying.

Windows Firewall Notifier

wokhan

Since it first made an appearance on Windows XP, the Windows firewall has been evolving, becoming more of an administrative tool and less of a tool for regular users to take advantage of. Windows Firewall Notifier is a free tool that provides you with a more active way to supervise and interact with the Windows firewall. The program runs in the background and displays a notification each time the firewall goes to work. If you click the notification, you can decide which action it should take: block one time, block always, allow one time, or allow always. There's no doubt that Windows Firewall Notifier will be a great help to anyone who wants to keep track of what their Windows firewall is doing.

Windows Firewall Control

BiniSoft.org

Windows File Analyzer

Michal Mutl

Windows File Analyzer is a program designed to help you maintain your system in optimum shape by analyzing different elements that could come in handy when you need to repair some error, or figure out why something keeps crashing. Windows File Analyzer works by analyzing your system's main elements, for example thumbnails, the Prefetch folder (which stores information that speeds up certain processes), direct accesses, the index.dat file (which stores cookies and temporary files), and the recycling bin. Each one of these analyses will give you a certain type of result, with the possibility of expanding the information available from within the program's interface. All of this helps you obtain complete reports about some of the areas most fundamental to your system's performance, making it easier for you to maintain your machine.

Windows Embedded Style

CrystalXP

If you're looking for an elegant desktop theme without too much adornment, then Windows Embedded Style is what you need. You can use this excellent theme, developed by one of the thousands of users of the CrystalXP.net portal, to easily change the look of your desktop. This pack includes desktop backgrounds, new icons and visual appearance upgrades for Windows XP in the style of the Royal Theme. Thanks to Windows Embedded Style, your computer will have a new, elegant look in line with the 2.0 aesthetics that are currently so popular.

Windows Fat Drive Recovery Software

Drive Recovery Software

Windows Essentials Codec Pack

mediacodec.org

Its name is clear, isn’t it? This is a pack which contains all essential codecs for your Windows system. A really complete collection of the most used audio and video filters and codecs. Having this pack in your PC will make it support 99% of the videos downloaded from internet. Windows Essential Codec Pack is a must have if you like downloading videos from internet, if you decide to install it, you’ll be able to play a large list of formats including: 3GP, AAC, AC3, APE, AVI, DivX, 3ivx, DAT, h.264, x264, AVC, Nero Digital, DTS, FLV, FLAC, HD-MOV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, M4A, MPC, MP3, MP4, MO3, MOD, MKV/MKA, MTM, OFR, TTA, OGG/OGM, S3M, Vorbis, VOB, WavPack, ATRAC3, XviD, XM, WV, UMX and more. It’s a pity that we don’t find in it a codec supporting Real Player nor Quicktime format, however it is highly recommended. It also includes a media player we all know: Media Player Classic. Furthermore, Windows Essentials Codec Pack is automatically updated, so you will be always up to date.