Software I Use

Here's the software that powers my life.

Backup and Recovery
For backing up data to my external hard drive, I use the free edition of SyncBack. I also use Recuva for occasional file recovery.

CDs and DVDs
For my disc needs, like emulating drives virtually or burning media for backup, I use several utilities, including MagicDisc, ImgBurn, and PowerISO.

Collection Managers
I use various programs to manage my collections of books, discs, furniture, electronics, movies, music, photos, etc. For books, I have Collectorz.com's Book Collector, which is my primary book management tool. For photos, I have Microsoft's Windows Live Photo Gallery. Google's Picasa is also a great tool for this, but WL Photo Gallery includes direct uploading to my backup and sharing service, Windows Live SkyDrive. For organizing discs, electronics, and everything else, I use Librarian Pro, a nice tool for any type of collection. I also have my book collection in Librarian Pro for redundancy.

Communication
I use X-Chat for IRC. For audio and video calling, I have Skype. I use MP3 Skype Recorder and Call Graph to record my Skype calls. I write blog posts in Windows Live Writer. My Twitter desktop client of choice is TweetDeck.

File Conversion
I don't regularly convert files, but when I do, they're usually videos. I use Handbrake and Videora DROID Converter for this.

Internet Browsing
I primarly use Mozilla Firefox because of its excellent add-ons. Occasionally I'll open Google Chrome or Internet Explorer, usually to launch standalone web apps.

Media Editors
Sometimes media files are just a little too long or too short. Or maybe I want to take out the embarassing part in the middle. For audio files, I use Audacity, Adobe Audition, and Adobe Soundbooth CS5. For photo editing, I use Adobe Photoshop CS5. For video editing, I use Windows Live Movie Maker.

Media Players
For audio playback, I use iTunes and VLC Media Player. For video playback, it's VLC all the way. For watching FLV video files (I can't seem to fast-forward or rewind FLVs in VLC), I use FLV Player. For watching live TV, I use Sling Media's SlingPlayer. I am also a big fan of the TWiT tech podcast network with Leo Laporte, and often I'll use the dedicated TWiT TV app to watch Leo's live web shows. I use Hulu Desktop to watch content from that site.

Media Recorders
For recording terrestrial radio, I use Screamer Radio. For recording audio, I go with Audacity. Video capturing from my webcam is done with my laptop's HP-preinstalled software.

Office
Pretty straightforward here: I use Office 2007 Enterprise Edition.

Remote Access
I use RealVNC to remotely control my computer. FileZilla also comes in handy for the occasional FTP transfer.

Security
I use Microsoft Security Essentials to protect my computer from malware. I also use CCleaner for occasional defragmenting, crud cleanup, and other maintenance. I control what launches when my computer boots up with Startup Manager.

Utilities (other miscellaneous programs)