Miscellaneous
FixIt Solution Centre
http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/
Internet Explorer 8 or 9 times out when downloading especially at 99% -
The download process stops at 99 percent when you try to download a file in Internet Explorer 9
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2566258
Internet Explorer error "connection timed out" when server does not respond
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/181050
What Windows Version do I have?
Click Start, Select Run, now type in: WINVER
Press Enter
or
Press Windows key + Pause Break key
To find out if you have a 32 bit system (x86) -
Click Start, Select Run, now type in: msinfo32
How to determine whether a computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit version of the Windows operating system
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827218
What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean
For Vista
Click Start button, click Control Panel, click System and Maintenance and finally click Welcome Center.
The edition of Windows Vista you are running is displayed with your computer details near the top of the window.
Lost your Product Code Key
If Windows XP is still installed on the computer:
ProduKey - Recover lost product key (CD-Key) of Windows/MS-Office
http://nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html
or
Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml
If you purchased WinXP retail, the Product Key is on an orange label on the back of the package. If you don’t have the package, contact Microsoft:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295539
How to Replace Lost, Broken, or Missing Microsoft Software or Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326246
If you have an OEM version of WinXP, the Product Key sticker should have been placed on the computer tower by the retailer. Note, Microsoft will be unable to assist you with an OEM version.
Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader Update errors
Forum for Adobe Reader (you may wish to ask your question there):
Startup Programs
All about disabling programs at startup
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
Also see:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autoruns.mspx
Security -
Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by third-party software
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827315
Microsoft NEVER sends Email with attachments.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/news/patch_hoax.mspx
Protect your computer
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/default.mspx
Windows Defender from Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Kaspersky Virus-fighting utilities
http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/utility
Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 2010
http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208280890
Kaspersky Rogue Security Software: http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/rogue
Microsoft Security Essentials:
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
Online scanners:
ESET online scanner
http://www.eset.com/online-scanner
Symantec
http://security.norton.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym
Trend Micro House Call:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
McAfee FreeScan:
http://home.mcafee.com/store/Product.aspx?productid=mss
Kaspersky Labs On-line Virus Checker:
http://www.kaspersky.com/scanforvirus
BitDefender Online Scan:
http://www.bitdefender.com/scanner/online/free.html
Virus Scanning Recommendations - preventing corruption of the softwaredistribution\datastore folder
Virus scanning recommendations for computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822158
Free software
Office Suite - Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
http://www.openoffice.org/PDF Creator – PrimoPDF
http://www.primopdf.com/Paint.NET is free image editing and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
http://www.getpaint.net/index.htmlGIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.
http://gimp.org/DeepBurner Free
http://www.deepburner.com/ImgBurn (burn ISO images)
http://www.imgburn.com/Final Burner Free
http://www.protectedsoft.com/descr_fb.phpBurnAware FREE Edition
http://www.burnaware.com/CDBurnerXP Pro is a free CD/DVD burning solution.
With this software you can burn CD-R, CD-RW DVD+R/RW DVD-R/RW discs.
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/features.phpThe Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format
http://www.inkscape.org/
I've provided a list of products that are free for convenience. It's up to decide whether or not they are of interest to you.