ERPMan's Essential Downloads Page [created by Noel Piring]
Updated: Friday July 18, 2008

The downloads posted here are listed in alphabetical order.

Note to Win95 OSR2 users: If you are still using Windows 95 OSR2 version B or C, be sure to install the
following updates before proceeding: DCOM95, HTML Help 1.32, DUN 1.3/1.4, Winsock 2.2 & all year 2000
updates.  The HTML Help & DCOM95 updates are included when installing Internet Explorer 5 or better.

Note to Win98 FE users: If you are still using Windows 98 first edition (4.10.1998), install SP1, DUN 1.4,
DCOM98, HTML Help 1.41 and all year 2000 updates before getting any downloads listed below.  Also
install Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 and the latest security patch available.

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 and Internet
Explorer 6.0 SP1 & its latest security update.


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, download
download the Nero 6.6 update here & the language pack 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.
Version 7.10.1.2 and version 8.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
requires Windows 2000, 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.  The latest releases of Nero 7 Ultra Edition (7.10.x) are compatible with Windows Vista.
The latest version of ZoneAlarm Pro is no longer compatible with Win9x/ME/NT4 but should now work
under Vista.

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).
The latest releases of ZoneAlarm firewall software require Win98 or better to use.  Win95 users should go
to this Download.com site and download ZoneAlarm 2.6.362 which is the last version to work under Win95.
ZoneAlarm starting with version 4.0 will no longer support NT4 so the last version to work with NT4 is ver. 3.x.
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.  The Intel Application Accelerator program can
only be used on Pentium 3 or higher PCs with the Intel INF Chipset updates installed and requires Win98,
NT4 SP6a or higher to use.  IAA is incompatible with Windows 95 and it can ruin a Win95 system.
The Intel Application Accelerator tool can only work on Intel 810 to 860 series chipsets and will neither install
nor run on Win95 or NT4 with earlier Service Packs installed.  IAA can not work with any other Intel chipsets.
AOL Instant Messenger 5.2 & higher require Win98 or better to use.  Win95 users should get AOL IM 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.
The WinPatrol tool requires Win98 or better to use but it can also work under Win95 with the MS Active
Accessibility 1.3 update installed (click here to get the MSAA 1.3 update).  Ad-Aware SE Personal 1.06
can now be installed on a Win95 machine as it has been packaged in an MSI installer.  You will need
Windows Installer 2.0 and Windows Script Host 5.x in order to install Ad-Aware SE 1.06 under Win95
successfully.  This will be the last version supported under Win9x/ME/NT4 systems as Ad-Aware 2007/2008
& later will only support Win2000, XP, Server 2003 and Vista.  Older versions of the SmartFTP program
can be downloaded from the FileHippo site.
<> Warning: The latest version of the Intel Application Accelerator software may interfere/conflict with the
Nero Burning ROM CD Burning software, causing the "Unspecified Target Error" messages while making
a CD/DVD or reformatting a CD-Rewritable or DVD-Rewritable disc.  If you get those messages AND
you have the Intel Application Accelerator software installed, un-install the IAA software before using Nero
to burn CDs or reformat rewritable CDs.  Spybot S&D 1.40 was not compatible with Win95 but versions
1.5x and the newly released 1.60 version works under Win95.  Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE 1.06 definition
file [defs.ref] created beyond May 13, 2008 will NOT load on a Win9x/ME/NT4 machine as it fails to work
but will load on a Win2000 or higher edition of Windows.  So obtain the May 13th, '08 defs.ref file here.
<> ! 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 7.0 requires either Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher or Windows
            Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 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 browser is available which has the
            Mozilla 1.8 runtime engine.  IE7 is already included in Windows Vista.
            The latest Netscape, Mozilla and Firefox web browsers require a minimum of a Pentium 233 Mhz
            CPU system with at least 64 megabytes of RAM.  Firefox versions 1.x do work under Win95 as I
            have tested on an old Win95 machine that has at least 64 megs of RAM.  K-Meleon web browsers
            can be used on slow PCs with less than 64Mb of RAM, K-Meleon version 1.02 does not work
            correctly under Win95 BUT version 1.1x does work properly under Win95.  New nightly builds of
            Firefox 1.5.0.12eol can be found here.  Support for Netscape 9.x browsers ended on 3-1-2008.
            Nightly builds of Seamonkey 2.0 alpha (which use the same Gecko 1.9 engine as Firefox 3.x)
            can be found here.  The "unofficial" releases of K-meleon (called K-MeleonCCF ME 0.09 beta 1)
            that use the Gecko 1.9 engine can be found here.
<> 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 does not work under Win95 and requires 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 has been released but requires at least Win2000 to use and is NOT supported under Win9x,
ME & NT4.  Opera 9.5x & 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 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.  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 version 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.  To download older versions of Macromedia Shockwave
player, especially if using Win95 or NT4, go here.  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.  The
Macromedia Flash Players 8 & 9 require Win98, 2000 or higher to use on a FAST computer.  If you are using
Win95 or NT4 OR if using Win98 or Win2000 on a slow computer (less than a 450 Mhz CPU w/ 128 megs of
RAM or less) get 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)
Un-installers for Flash Players are found here.  The latest build of RealPlayer 10.5 may be compatible with
Windows Vista after applying the Dec. 2007 Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update from MS KB
article 943302.  RealPlayer 11 is now available and is fully Vista compatible and will require a minimum
of WinXP SP2 and will NOT install nor run under Win2000 and older OSes.
<> 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.  Version 11 of the
Adobe Shockwave Player does install & work under Win98/2000/ME.

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 4.51 to 7.0 Pro/Home Edition and want to
download the virus definition updates manually, download the DAT updates here.  VirusScan 4.51 users
MUST install at least scan engine 4450 or better to use the latest DAT definition files.  Scan engine
5100 can be used on a VirusScan program (v4.51 SP1 or higher) on all 32bit Windows platforms except
Win95.  Win98/ME users that use VirusScan 4.51, the Home/Pro editions of VirusScan 5.x/6.x/7.x can
get the 5100 engine from this site.  The 5100 engine is the last one supported under Win98/ME.  Those
using WinNT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista can obtain the new 5200 engine from this site (the 5200 scan engine
no longer supports Win9x/ME systems).  The antivirus DAT files created from May 14, 2007 and later
are no longer compatible with scan engine 4400 and earlier and will require scan engine 4450, 5100
or better.  Since engine 5100 & higher are not compatible with Win95, the 4450 will have to be used on
Win95 systems in order to use the latest antivirus DAT files.  The scan engine 4450 download for Win95
can only be obtained from the McAfee Service Portal support site.  Those using VirusScan 11 (2007) or
VirusScan Enterprise 8.5x can obtain DAT files updates manually from here.  The latest PC-CIllin Internet
Security suite scan engine can be downloaded at this site.

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 Microsoft games [two of them are from the older Plus! packs]: Note: If you are using Windows ME, XP or 2003 Server Edition, you already have the Space Cadet Pinball
& Spider Solitaire games.  The Spider Solitaire game from Windows ME can run under Windows 95 BUT
only if the Desktop Update from Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or higher is installed.  If the shell32.dll file from
the Desktop Update is not installed under Win95/NT4 then the Spider Solitaire game will not run.  The
Shell32.dll file from the Desktop Update has to be version 4.72 to play Spider Solitaire (if shell32.dll file
is version 4.00, then the game will display a cryptic error message referencing the shell32.dll file).
The Space Cadet Pinball game is also included in Windows NT4 & 2000 but not included in Windows 98.
The Plus! 98 edition of Spider Solitaire did NOT contain an option to change the difficulty setting (easy,
medium & hard); that was included in the Windows ME & higher editions and the game can be used under
Win95 & NT4 with Active Desktop, Win98 & Win2000.  The WinME version of the Pinball game has a bug
that it can not play the game's music even if the 'Music' option is checked from the Options menu.  This
problem has been documented in MS article 261750.  Follow the directions listed in the 'Resolution' section
in MS kb article 261750 by adding the 'c:\program files\plus!\pinball' path in the 'Start in' section of the
Pinball shortcut dialog box and click OK to save changes.  Now the Pinball game in Windows ME should
be playing both game sounds and music.  The animation features of the Spider Solitaire game may be
slow when using an Intel 82810 AGP graphics card under Win95, 98 or ME and should be turned off
from the game's Options dialog box; this problem may or may not occur when using Intel 82810 video
chipset under WinNT4, 2000, XP & 2003.

Some free MS screen savers:

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 has
been released but requires WinXP, Server 2003 or Vista to use and includes .NET Framework versions
3.0 SP1 and 2.0 SP1.  MS .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 can be used under at least Win2000 and will NOT
install nor run under Win98/ME.  So Win98/ME users must install & use the original edtion of MS .NET
Framework 2.0.

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.  The Microsoft Data Access Components
(MDAC) downloads are found at my MS Office & MS Works Updates page.  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.  Versions of XML installed can be determined by reading MS article 269238.
 

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.
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
Sorry, NONE of these software wavetable synthesizers listed here work under Windows Vista and
Windows Server 2008.

If you own a Hercules Gamesurround MUSE XL, Gamesurround Fortissimo II or GameTheater XP
sound cards and are running either Windows 2000 or XP, you'll need to install version 4.23.14 WDM
of the Yamaha S-YXG50 software.  If you own a Labway XWAVE audio card (or other sound cards
that bundled older versions of the S-YXG50 software), install version 3.13.28 of S-YXG50 if using
Win95, 98 or ME or version 4.21.07R WDM of S-YXG50 if using either Win2000 or XP.  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.  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.
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 is currently nowhere to be found on the web for download.  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 software:

You will need at least a Pentium 90Mhz processor with 32Mb of RAM to use these old synthesizers.
Caution: The Roland VSC-55 and Yamaha S-YG20 softsynth programs 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 versions are demo versions, ask me on how to "unlock" these trial versions and convert
   them to fully functional versions (for the VSC-55 SoftSynth, 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).
Again, ALL of these software wavetable synthesizers listed here are incompatible with Windows Vista,
Windows Server 2008 and higher versions of Windows.

(click here to go back to my Index page)

Copyright © 1999 - 2008 Noel Piring [aka. the ERPMan]
Warning: Do NOT copy part or the entire page without my permission.