these are some websites where you can get cool freeware/sharware

nonags.com
you can get just about anything here, and its all free!the site is well ordered.90% of the great apps out there have a freeware equivalent on the site.the site hosts files(you have to pay for membership for that)and provides links(incase you´re not inclined to paying) some cool apps i got from the site(cobian backup, SCR, calc98,the list is endless)

majorgeeks.com

you can download freeware,shareware, updates to all the major antivirus/anti malware apps from here

a word of advice-avoid any registry cleaners other than registry mechanic.these apps can play havoc with your applications by cleaning out critical registry entries. used one over the weekend-xprepair pro(touted to restore xp to its original state-you know how fast a fresh install is).after all was siad and done, i had to reinstall my autodesk apps, download some updates from microsoft to repair some files(WSH, JSE C++ runtime environments).advanced windows care has sometimes done stuff like this, but never to this extent.


giveawayoftheday.com. it was one of christino´s posts that made me check out this site.any file dowloaded must be instaled within a window of 24 hours and an internet conection is a must. of course, ths might mean that if you format your drive, the app is lost. not necesarily.this is what i do.

i download the app from giveaway of the day.
i then go to the vendors site and downlaod it from there as well.
i install the giveaway version. it is activated

typically, three things may occur after /during activation.
1)you are provided with a serial number or
2) a registry entry is entered into your system.

if you are provided with a serial, you can install the version downloaded from the vendors site, on another system, at another time, and unlock it using the serial

you can extract the software key from your registry by navigating to hkey/current user/software/ or hkey/localmachine/software and extracting the key.then simply install he vendor´s version on your other syetm and enter the key into the registry

finally, you can simply copy the file´s program folder from one system to another. i did this for some games from giveaway of the day.when doing this, check the installation log.this will point you to any other files that may not be in the nstallation folder, that may be in the system 32 folder.

note , though, tha giveawy of the daykeys/registry entries do not work on future versions of apps.ie, if i get winrar3.71 from giveaway of the day, he serial will not work for winrar 3.72

microsoft.
if u have a legit version of windows, you can download power toys, photostory, steady state(ms version of deep freeze),photo info,malware removal tool, desktop search, windows defender).if you don´t have a legit version, you can download these and others by using the system of a friend/colleague that has geniuine windows. the apps will install without incident(most of the time).

finally, bling sites.

you can download free versions of logonxp, bootskin and cursor xp from stardock.com
you can also google rocketdock and rainlendar

ralvy mentioned one-wincustomize.if you're using object dock /rocket dock/cursor xp/bootskin/rainlendar/logonxp (there are others-these are the apps i use) you can download themes, icon etc from this site.

ou can also check out crystalxp.net-home of the bricopaks.you want the windows vista look without the drain on system resources, this is the place to go.

there are a few other sites-deviant art, pixel pirate, (i don´t remember the links)where you can download themes.if you use winamp, you can try skin consortium.you´ll find lots of cool winamp skins there.

personally, i am not inclined to upload versions of these apps for peeps to download. for all y'all know, i could be a stealth advertiser, bring spyware (bundled in modified installation files) into your system.it´s just some thing to think about.don´t immediately download a file from an upload.first confirm hat you cannot get it from a safer source(eg the vendor´s website).it could save you a lot of grief later on.