ERPMan's Essential Downloads Page [created by Noel Piring]
Updated: Friday November 13, 2009

The downloads posted here are listed in alphabetical order.

Note to WinNT4 users: If you are still using Windows NT4, install Service Pack 6a and install the HTML Help
1.41 update before downloading any programs here.  Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 is also recommended.

Note to Win2000 SP4 users: If you are still using Windows 2000, install Service Pack 4 with the KB891861
post-SP4 Update Rollup 1 and Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 & their latest security updates.


Essential Shareware: (these are NOT free; please register/pay to get full benefits)
Note: A little star * indicates a must have program. Notes: Some of these shareware programs can act like trialware, meaning it's free to try for a certain amount
of time.  When that time has run out, they may stop working & you will have to register the software(s) for
continued use.  The latest releases of Cookie Crusher require Win98 or better along with the latest versions
of Windows Installer [MSI] & the .NET Framework addon to use; get Cookie Crusher v2.6 if using Win95 or
Internet Explorer browser less than IE 6 or Netscape 4.8 & earlier.  The latest version of Concat/Split (v4.x)
also requires the MSI tool.  Install Windows Installer 2.0 if using Win95, 98, ME, NT4 or 2000 with SP2
installed.  Win2000 SP3+, WinXP & Win2003 include MSI 2.0.  You need to install the exact version of the
Nero update (ex. 5.5.10.56) and the exact version of the Nero Language pack (ex. 5.5.10.56).  If you are
using Nero 5.5.x, download the Nero v5.5.10.56 update here and the Nero v5.5.10.56 Language pack here.
Choose the language of the pack you wish to download.  If you are using Nero 6.6 Ultra Edition, get the
Nero 6.6.1.15a update here & the full set of language packs here.  The latest update for Nero 7.x Ultra Edition
is posted here.  The Help Files for the English edition Nero 7 is posted here.  Nero v5.5.10.56 is the last
last version supported under Win95 SR2 and v6.6.1.15 is the last one supported under Win98, ME & NT4.
Versions 7.11.10.0, 8.x & 9.x of Nero are fully compatible with Windows Vista and will require a minimum
of Win2000 SP4.  Winzip 9.0 may require Win98 or better to use; so far I have tested Winzip 9.0 under
Win95 OSR2 and it works as long as the appropriate Win95b updates are installed.  Winzip version 11
& higher require Win2000, XP, Server 2003 or Vista.  Winzip 11 is not compatible with Win9x/ME/NT4.
Win98/ME users should obtain Winzip 10 here while Win95/NT4 users should get Winzip 9.0 at this
Oldversion.com site.

Essential Freeware: (more coming soon)
A little ~ symbol denotes a program is freeware but also adware.  A little star * indicates a must have tool. Notes:  MetaProducts's Download Express tool now has a plugin for those using Mozilla & Firefox browsers
(this is an updated version of the Download Express plugin but install the Download Express program first).
Pop-Up Stopper Free Edition version 3.1.1014 requires Win98 or better to use but it can work under Win95
& NT4 with the appropriate updates installed.  OR Windows users can get Pop-Up Stopper Classic edition
version 2.92 which has the "Agressive" pop-up control feature not included in the 3.1 version.  The agressive
pop-up control option ensures that ALL popups are blocked.  AOL Instant Messenger [AIM] versions 6.x
needs at least Win2000 to use while v5.2 requires Win98 or better to use.  Win95 users should get ver. 4.8
or version 5.1 instead.  Win95 users must answer 'No' when AOL IM v5.1 setup program prompts whether to
cancel the installation so that setup can continue.  AOL IM ver. 5.1 seems to work okay for most Win95 users.
<> Warning: Spybot S&D 1.40 was not compatible with Win95 but versions 1.5x and 1.62 will run under
Win95.
<> ! RED ALERT: Please download Shareaza at the Official Shareaza site and NOT at the
shareaza.com site.  The shareaza.com site is a "phishing" scam site that contains ShareazaV4
which bundles spyware.  If you have already downloaded and/or installed ShareazaV4, please
remove it immediately and download the correct version of Shareaza from the official web site.

Web Browser Software [Common Internet Browsers] all are free:   Note: Internet Explorer 8.0 requires either Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher or Windows
            Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 or higher to use.  Those using Windows 98, 2000, Millennium
            or NT4 with Service Pack 6a should install Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 while Windows 95
            Windows 95 users should install Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 instead (IE 5.5 SP2 is no
            no longer available from Microsoft).  Opera web browser versions 8.50 & higher no longer
            contain any advertisement banners.  Netscape 7.x browsers do work under Windows 95 even
            though the NS 7 Release Notes page does not mention Win95.  Netscape 8.x to 9.x require
            Win98, 2000 or higher to use AND at least a Pentium 233 Mhz PC with 64Mb RAM.  If you need to
            download earlier versions of Netscape including Netscape Communicator web browsers, go to
            the Netscape Product Archive page.  The SeaMonkey 1.x browser suite is available which has the
            Mozilla 1.8.x runtime engine & replaces the old Mozilla browser suite.  IE8 is already included in
            the upcoming Windows 7 OS.  The Apple Safari web browser versions 3.1 & later are officially
            supported under Windows XP SP2 & higher.  Last version of Safari browser to work with Win2000
            (unofficially & reliably) is version 3.0.3 as I've tested myself on a "clean" Win2k SP4 machine
            Safari versions 3.0.4 to 3.2.3 may install under Win2k but crashes when browsing any web site so
            just use v3.0.3, but if that version crashes when surfing some web sites, try installing the Win2k-XP
            API wrapper pack from here and store the API wrapper files (and a copy of some Win2k system
            DLL files) into the Safari web browser folder & then try running Safari browser again.
            The latest Netscape, Seamonkey and Firefox web browsers require a minimum of a Pentium 233
            Mhz CPU system with at least 64 megabytes of RAM.  Latest nightly build of Firefox 1.5.0.12eol for
            Win95 can be found here while the latest nightly build of FF 2.0.0.22pre for Win98/ME/NT4 can be
            downloaded here.  The "unofficial" releases of K-meleon CCF (called K-MeleonCCF ME v0.089
            XUL which uses Gecko 1.8.1.x & v0.096.x which uses the Gecko 1.9.1.x engine) can be obtained
            at this web site.  Note that Seamonkey 2.0 requires a minimum of Win2000 to use.
<> Caution: The un-installer program for Firefox versions 1.5.0.2 to 1.5.0.12 do NOT work properly under
Windows 9x/ME systems and can not remove those versions of the Firefox web browsers.  This major
bug has been mentioned at this Bugzilla page.  However, the Firefox un-installers from 1.5.0.2 to
1.5.0.12 do work correctly under Windows NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003 & Vista systems.  This problem
has been fixed in Firefox 2.0, however, Firefox 2.0.x do not work under Win95 and require Win98,
NT4 SP6 or higher to use); Win95 users should get Firefox 1.5.0.12 instead.  For those who are using
Firefox versions from from 1.5.0.2 to 1.5.0.12 under Win9xME, download the Firefox 1.5.x un-installer
from this site.  Extract the UninstallFirefox.exe file from the UninstallFirefox.ZIP file onto any folder and run
UninstallFirefox.exe to remove Firefox v1.5.0.2 to v1.5.0.12 from a Windows 95, 98 or ME machine.
Firefox 3.0, 3.5 & higher require at least Win2000 to use and are NOT supported under Win95, 98, ME
& NT4.  Opera 9.5x, 10.x & higher will run under Win95 & Win98 but you will need to install or replace the
MSIMG32.DLL file with the WinME edtiion in order for Opera 9.5x/10.x to work correctly under Win95/98.

Web Browser Plug-Ins & Media Players: Note: The RealPlayer 10.5 & RealOne Player softwares require Windows 98 or higher to use.  Windows 95
users should get RealPlayer 8 instead from the Real.com Legacy Software Archive page.  Windows NT4
users should get RealPlayer 10 as the 10.5 version will not work correctly under NT4 SP6.  Installing AOL
[America Online] version 7.0 & higher installs RealPlayer 8.0 and removing RealPlayer 8 if AOL is installed
causes AOL not to function properly.  If you have RealOne Player or greater, then AOL won't install ver. 8 of
RealPlayer.  Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 7 & higher require only Windows 2000, XP & Server 2003.
Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6.02 is the last version supported under Win98se, WinME & WinNT4 SP6.
Win95, 98 FE & NT4 users with SP5 or earlier should download Acrobat Reader version 5.1 which does
work with those versions (Acrobat Reader 5.1 is no longer available from the Adobe web site).  Last version
of Apple Quicktime Player to work with Win95 & NT4 systems is version 5.05.  You must also install the
Quicktime ActiveX control if using Quicktime 5.x or earlier with IE 5.5 SP2 or IE 6.x; the Apple Quicktime
ActiveX control is included in Quicktime 6 & higher.  Apple Quicktime 7.x requires Win2000 or XP and is not
compatible with Win9x, ME & NT4 systems; get Quicktime 6.52 if you are running Win98 or WinME.
For users getting Flash Player 7 directly from these sites > (link for IE browsers)  (link for non-IE browsers)
For users getting Flash Player 8, get the full ZIP package of Flash Player 8 for ALL browsers here.
For users getting Flash Player 9, go to these sites > (link for IE browsers)  (link for non-IE browsers)
For users getting Flash Player 10, go to these sites > (link for IE browsers)  (link for non-IE browsers)
Flash Player 10 requires Win2000 or better and longer supports Win98 & ME, so Win98/ME users should
use Flash Player 8 or 9 while Win95/NT4 users should use Flash Player 7.  Win95 & NT4 users should
get Shockwave Player v8.51 here.  Win98 & ME users should get Shockwave Player v10.3.0.24 here.
Adobe/Macromedia Shockwave Player 11 & higher only supports Win2000 & higher editions of Windows.
Un-installers for Flash Players are found here.  The latest build of RealPlayer 10.5 may be compatible with
Windows Vista & Server 2008 after applying the Vista/Server 2008 Application Compatibility Update from
MS KB article 972036.  RealPlayer 11 is available and is fully Vista compatible but will require a minimum
of WinXP SP2 and will NOT install nor run under Win2000 and older OSes.  Adobe Shockwave Player
version 11.5 can work under Win2000 only with the GDI+ file installed.
<> Caution: Quicktime 7.2 & higher require a minimum of WinXP and will not install under Win2000.  Last
version of Quicktime officially supported under Win2000 is version 7.16 but is vulnerable to recent security
problems.  Win2000 users who want to install Quicktime 7.2 should go to this page on how to install QT 7.2.
Quicktime 7.3 and higher will only work correctly under Windows XP and higher OSes.

Antivirus Software & Updates: [free to try; register/pay to keep; updates are free] Note: You can download a demo version of these popular antivirus programs.  If you want to continue using
antivirus software, buy any one of them.  Some of them are sold in computer stores. Use the most recent
version of any antivirus software whenever possible.  Antivirus detection updates & patches are free but
upgrades are not free.  If you are using VirusScan version 6.0x to 7.0x Pro/Home Edition under WinNT4,
Win2k & XP and want to download the virus definition updates manually, download the DAT updates here.
Mcafee scan engine 5300 can be downloaded from this site (the 5300 scan engine no longer supports
Win9x/ME systems and is included in VirusScan Enterprise 8.7i & newer which are also incompatible with
Win9x/ME).  Win95/98/ME/NT4 users that are still using any version of Mcafee VirusScan should switch to
the NOD32 v2.7 antivirus program for Win9x/ME which ESET still supplies updates to it.  Most of these
antivirus products require Win2000 or higher to use; some commercial antivirus software require WinXP
with SP2 or better.  The latest Trend Micro PC-CIllin Internet Security suite scan engine can be obtained
at this site & the latest Trend Micro Pattern files from here.  NOD32 versions 3.0 & higher require Win2000
or greater to use.  Win9xME users can download the evaluation version of NOD32 version 2.7 here, while
WinNT4 users can obtain the demo version of NOD32 version 2.7 here.  NOD32 is a very good antivirus
program that uses much less system resources than commercial & more popular antivirus software but
it's biggest weaknesses is that users are unable to manually download and apply virus detection updates
to NOD32 with NO internet connection available and sometimes the ESET servers do not work when
attempting to obtain NOD32 virus signature updates.  To download NOD32 virus detection updates
offline, read this blog here.  Registered users who have already purchased the NOD32 v2.7 software for
"Legacy" OSes like Win95/98/ME can obtain the latest release of NOD32 v2.7 here (click the "Take me
to the download" button, click on the Home Users section, expand the Home PC Users [Previous Releases]
section and click the link to download it with your registered username and password).

Other sites to get Demo, Freeware & Shareware Programs [and Device Drivers]: Note: The Oldversion.com site is a nice place to download older versions of certain software when using an older version
         of Windows like Windows 95, 98 or Windows NT4.

Some free MS screen savers (oldies but goodies): Note: The MS American Flag Screen Saver requires a 3d graphics card (AGP or built-in) with at least 8 MB
of video RAM (video cards with 8 Mb of video RAM or more recommended) and at least DirectX 8.0
installed in order to view the patriotic flag.  I've tested the screen saver on my neighbor's Pentium 3 system
system using Win95B w/ DX8 & latest Intel graphics drivers installed and the screen saver worked.  So
the MS American Flag Screen Saver can work with a minimum of Win95B instead of Win98; the screen
saver will not work under NT4.  The Organic Art Screen Saver, however, can work under under NT4 with at
least SP4 installed.

Some Microsoft Addons for Windows:

Microsoft .NET Framework Full Downloads: (32-bit versions only)

Note: The .NET Framework 1.1 & 2.0 addons include version 5.1.3101 of the gdiplus.dll file but will not be
installed under WinXP SP1 & Win2003 systems as that file is already included.  MS .NET Framework v2.0
can not be installed nor will run under WinNT4 so use version 1.1 instead.  MS .NET Framework v3.5 SP1
has been released but requires WinXP, Server 2003 or higher to use and includes MS .NET Framework
versions 3.0 SP2 and 2.0 SP2.  I only link to the full redist. packages of .NET Framework which are large
downloads.
<> Caution: There may be problems after installing .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2 & 3.5 SP1.  See
MS KB article 959209 and install the updates listed in article no. 959209.

Microsoft Windows Installer Engine Downloads:

Note: Windows Installer 2.0 is included in Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or higher installed, Windows XP,
and Windows Server 2003.  Windows Installer 3.1 is now available as a redistributable download for
Win2000 SP4 users, XP SP1/SP2 & Server 2003 systems and is included in Windows Server 2003
Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3.  Windows Installer 3.x is not available for Windows 95, 98,
ME & NT4 systems. The Windows Installer 3.1 addon has been revised to fix the problem mentioned
in MS support KB article 898628.  Those using Windows Server 2003 should install SP2 which includes the
latest fixes for Windows Installer under Windows Server 2003 systems.  Windows Installer 4.5 is now
available for Windows XP SP2/SP3, Server 2003 SP1/SP2, Vista orig./SP1 & Server 2008.
 

Microsoft XML (extended markup language) Downloads & Security Updates:

Note: MS XML 3.0 & higher require at least Win98, WinNT4 with SP6, Win2000/ME or better to use.  Win95
users should install XML 2.6 SP3 instead from MS article 823490.  XML 6.0 Service Pack 1 cannot
be used under Win9x, ME & NT4 and requires Win2000 SP4, XP SP1 or higher to use.  XML 6.0 is included
in Windows Vista.  There is no standalone MS XML 5.0 download as XML 5.0 is part of MS Office 2003 &
Office 2007 and updates for MSXML 5.0 will be posted on my Office & Works Updates page - part 1.
Versions of XML installed can be determined by reading MS article 269238. XML 4.0 Service Pack 3 no
longer supports Win98/ME/NT4 and requires Win2000 SP4 or better to use.
 

Other MS Addons/Downloads: [more will be added soon]


Motherboard Chipset Driver Downloads: (essential if using brand new motherboards)

AMD Utilities, Drivers & Updates site:
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871,00.html

Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility page:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filter_results.aspx?strOSs=All&strTypes=DRV%2CARC&ProductID=816&OSFullName=All+Operating+Systems&submit=Go%21

NVIDIA Driver Page:
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
(select "nForce" as the Product Type to obtain motherboard drivers)

SiS Support & Downloads site:
http://www.sis.com/download/
(accept License Agreement first before obtaining driver downloads)

VIA Drivers site:
http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2
(select 'Chipset or Platform' driver after selecting your Operating System)

Notes: These motherboard chipset drivers are needed when using new kinds of motherboards under
Win98 SE, 2000, ME, XP & 2003 or to fix bugs in older kinds of motherboards and using any version
of Windows.


Software Wavetable Synthesizer Downloads: (make those sound cards play MIDI files better) You will need at least a Pentium MMX 166Mhz CPU with 32Mb of memory to use these synthesizers
(except for Wingroove which can also be used on some machines less than a 166 Mhz Pentium CPU
but you will need to make some changes in order for Wingroove to work right on those slow PCs).
See this page on a list of MIDI software synthesizers available.  You can also check the following sites
on other software synths out there online:
http://www.synthzone.com/softsyn.htm
http://www.midisite.com/info/synth/Soft.htm
Update: I've recently installed and tested the Edirol/Roland Virtual Sound Canvas VSC-88H3 v3.23
and Wingroove 0.A4 beta 2 software synthesizers under Windows Vista and have confirmed them
to work.  However, you MUST run their setup programs in WinXP SP2 compatibility mode in order
for them to install and run successfully under Vista/Win7.  NONE of the following Yamaha S-YXG Soft
Synths work under Vista & Win7.  The only Yamaha softsynth to work under WinVista & Win7 is the
embedded S-YXG2006LE synth included in the latest version of Yamaha MidRadio Player.  Read
the vscvista.txt file on how to setup Virtual Sound Canvas v3.23 under Vista/Win7 and the wg_vista.txt
file on how to install WinGroove on Vista/Win7.
! - Warning: Wingroove versions 0.A4 Beta 2 and earlier do NOT install correctly as a "MIDI Device
Driver" under Win2000 SP3/SP4 when performing a "clean" installation of Wingroove.  To resolve
this problem, un-install Wingroove 0.A4 or earlier including your Wingroove registration info,
reboot & install the Japanese edition of Wingroove 0.A5, then reboot & un-install that but without
removing your Wingroove registration info, reboot and then re-install Wingroove 0.A4 English
under Win2k SP3/SP4.  OR you can just simply remove all traces of your previous version of
Wingroove (including its reg info) and just install the Japanese version of Wingroove 0.A5.  Be sure
to write down your registration info before performing a complete removal of Wingroove so that
you can re-enter it when installing the latest available version.

If you own a Hercules Gamesurround MUSE XL, Gamesurround Fortissimo II, GameTheater XP,
or any Labway XWAVE sound card that bundled S-YXG50 software AND running either Win2000
or WinXP, you need to install version 4.21.07R WDM of S-YXG50 (I no longer link to v4.23.14S
WDM edition of S-YXG50 because it's for Windows XP only).  What is really strange between
different versions of the S-YXG50 software for Win2000/XP is that version 4.21.07R WDM
contains newer S-YXG50 drivers dated 5/28/2002 than the one found in version 4.23.14S WDM
which have S-YXG50 drivers dated 10/24/2001 AND is for WinXP only.  Version 4.21.07 US-R of
S-YXG50 also contain the 4 megabyte wavetable files [sxgbin41.tbl & sxgwave4.tbl] while version
4.23.14 US-S of S-YXG50 contain the 2 megabyte wavetable files [sxgbin21.tbl & sxgwave2.tbl].
The bigger the wavetable softsynth file, the better the sound it will produce.  Note that ver. 3.13.28
of S-YXG50 for Win9x/ME was released in late 2000 [link to it no longer available from the DFI
web site] while version 3.11.78 Legacy of S-YXG50 was released in early 2003; the version
number sequence seems to be "out of line."
Caution: The Yamaha S-YXG100 softsynth program is NOT compatible with NT-based editions
of Windows starting with Windows NT3.x, NT4, 2000/XP and upward.  The Yamaha S-YXG100+
softsynth can only be used under Win95/98/ME systems.  There was another edition of S-YXG100
called "S-YXG100 PVL" [I guess it's the PolyVL edition] but was only available in Japanese
language AND Yamaha never produced an NT-compatible version of S-YXG100.
 

If you have less than a Pentium 166Mhz machine, you can try out the following synthesizer softwares:

You will need at least a Pentium 90Mhz processor with 32Mb of RAM to use these old synthesizers.
Caution: The following softsynth programs mentioned above are NOT compatible with NT-based
editions of Windows starting with Windows NT3.x, NT4, 2000/XP and upward.
^ these software wavetable synthesizers have been discontinued and are no longer being updated
   and no longer supported by their manufacturers.
~ full edition but discontinued product
* since these Yamaha soft synth versions are demo versions, ask me on how to "unlock" these trial
   versions and convert them to fully functional versions as I have the registered files for these Yamaha
   soft synths.  For the Roland VSC-55 soft synth, ask me for the full, non-demo version of this
   before applying the v1.20 update as the v1.20 update will not work on trial versions of VSC-55).
<> Instead of installing the demo version of S-YXG50 v4.21.03 under Win2000, XP or Server 2003,
    you may want to consider installing S-YXG50 v4.21.07R which is the full version; so remove the
     v4.21.03 demo release of S-YXG50 WDM softsynth before installing v4.21.07.

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