Some other good free software

If anyone wants to scan down through what I use on my computer and either give advice or take advice, feel free!

Truly free software is usually "open source"(meaning no one is trying to make a profit or is hogging the rights to it). It will be called Freeware, as opposed to Shareware (which is usually a free version or a trial version of something for sale). Always download from trusted sources like CNET, TUCOWS, or others you may know of. I will distort this name, but there is a computer guru who has her own site, with a very good freeware review and download area: K_I_M K-o-m-a-n-d-o (google without the hyphens and lines, and you will find her home page, then search for freeware)

I use the following:
CCleaner from Piriform: This does two things. FIRST: Under tools, it has a registry fixer. When prompted to back up changes, that is up to you. A backup means traces of what was there will still BE there. The SECOND, and better thing, is that it wipes all kinds of hidden files, folders, logs, caches, etc. DELETING YOUR BROWSER HISTORY is NOT ENOUGH. If you are not using something like the Tor browser, you are leaving logs and trails all through your computer that can be recovered by anyone with a modicum of know-how.

Freeware AV and Firewall. I used Norton for several years, but I am on a budget and they keep raising the price. I still recommend them, but I gotta save money. Free AV on my computer (and keep in mind only one can be active at a time or they attack each other): Adaware, Spybot (both of which have morphed from anti spyware to antivirus), AVG (for AV), and Zonealarm (for Firewall). AVG and Zonealarm used to both be single purpose. Both have now grown up and cover both AV and Firewall. Both also try to sell you the extra stuff. I use the free version of AVG for the AV and the free version of Zonealarm for the firewall. But note that in this scenario, I had to deactivate Zonealarm's AV function, as it kept attacking AVG as a virus.

Truecrypt - I am new to this. But if someone snoops on or steals my computer (or confiscates it in a raid), I formerly had all my family pics displayed for the world to see. Not smart. Truecrypt is a pain in the ass to learn, but their guidebook and tutorials are very good.

Duplicate File Finder - I don't know if this is still available. But it can be set up to scan two folders, compare the files by content, and automatically (with prompts) delete the dups. So if cousin Johnny sent me a batch of family pics and I want to weed out the dups, I compare my archive to his and get rid of a lot of stuff. Saves a TON of space, as my family is always updating its albums. BE CAREFUL. I have it set up to search for ALL file types. This means it may find dll files, etc that appear to be duplicates. That could be bad news if you delete them.

Remove Empty Directories - this scans a volume for empty folders. After I reorganize all my family pics, I often have many empty directories. This finds them and automatically gets rid of them. Use after Duplicate File Finder...

WinDirStat - this is a good one to have if you can still find it. It scans your entire computer and gives you a remarkable way to find any type of file. I forgot about my cousin's batch of jpgs that I had in some obscure folder by accident, and this found them. It gives a really cool visual depiction of your drive. It sees all, so be careful that you don't delete system files. If you don't know what it is you are looking at, just don't delete it.

GiPo@MoveOnBoot from Gibin Software House, under their file utilities area. Lifesaver program on occasion. If you have ever had one of those files that won't delete, and you really don't want it there, this is a great program. At installation, it can add an option to "Delete" or "Move" file at next reboot. It kills it nicely, without having to delve into all the command prompt stuff. Frankly, I had one file that Command Prompt was not solving, and this got rid of it. This can be good during "cleanup" from a virus infection recovery, etc.

LOOKING FOR FREEWARE to do this... Left over from Norton (sold as a separate package), I have Norton System Works, which has a very good file wiper where you can wipe a file using multiple "government wipes." It will also wipe free space securely. Note - CCLEANER above has a good freespace wiper. But I would like some freeware that "securely deletes" a file in the first place.