I occurs to me that each time I set up a new system, or re-install my workstation, I often end up hunting down and redownloading tools and software that I use on a regular basis. So I thought I’d create a list of useful tools and pop it here on my blog for future reference and to share with others.
I’ll try to keep this list updated as I find new tools and software that I find useful.
If you have any suggestions, please open an Issue or Pull Request on the Github Repo
Bold items are highly recommended and I use them on a daily basis.
General
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 7-Zip | A file archiver | https://www.7-zip.org/ |
| Notepad++ | A free source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. | https://notepad-plus-plus.org/ |
| Vscode | A free source code editor developed by Microsoft for Windows, Linux and macOS. Extension library means it can be used for pretty much anything involving typing | https://code.visualstudio.com/ |
| Obsidian MD | A note-taking and knowledge base tool that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. | https://obsidian.md/ |
| Greenshot | A screenshot tool that allows you to capture a screen, or part of it, to a file or to the clipboard. | https://getgreenshot.org/ |
| Git | A distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. | https://git-scm.com/ |
| WinDirStat | A disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for various versions of Microsoft Windows. | https://windirstat.net/ |
| WizTree | A faster disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for various versions of Microsoft Windows. | https://wiztreefree.com/ |
| VLC | A cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. | https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html |
| Audacity | A cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing. | https://www.audacityteam.org/ |
| OBS Studio | A free and open source cross-platform software for video recording and live streaming. | https://obsproject.com/ |
| Yubikey Manager | Cross-platform application for configuring any YubiKey. | https://developers.yubico.com/yubikey-manager/ / https://www.yubico.com/support/download/yubikey-manager/ |
| Voidtools Everything | A file search tool that locates files and folders by filename instantly for Windows. | https://www.voidtools.com/ |
Development
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Desktop | A cross-platform application for the building and sharing of containerized applications and microservices. | https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop |
| Docker Compose | A tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. | https://docs.docker.com/compose/ |
| VsCode | A free source code editor developed by Microsoft for Windows, Linux and macOS. Extension library means it can be used for pretty much anything involving typing | https://code.visualstudio.com/ |
| Git | A distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. | https://git-scm.com/ |
| Jetbrains Toolbox | A cross-platform application for managing JetBrains tools. | https://www.jetbrains.com/toolbox-app/ |
System Administration
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager | A cross-platform application for managing remote connections and virtual machines. | https://devolutions.net/products/remote-desktop-manager |
| Forensit Transwiz | Migrate from one computer to another easily | https://www.forensit.com/move-computer.html |
| Forensit Domain Migration | Migrate computers to a new domain (including Azure AD) easily | https://www.forensit.com/domain-migration.html |
| Azure CLI | A cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources. | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli-windows?view=azure-cli-latest |
| Azure PowerShell | A cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources. | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/azure/install-az-ps?view=azps-6.4.0 |
| PowerShell | A cross platform task automation solution | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell?view=powershell-7.2 |
| WinSCP | A SFTP, SCP, FTPS, and FTP client for Windows. | https://winscp.net/eng/index.php |
| Nirsoft Toolkit | A collection of small and useful freeware utilities. | https://launcher.nirsoft.net/downloads/index.html |
| SysInternals Suite | A set of powerful utilities for Windows | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite |
Application and Installer Management
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| USSF - Ultimate Silent Switch Finder | Finds silent install switches for exe and msi installers | https://deployhappiness.com/the-ultimate-exe-silent-switch-finder/ |
| Ninite | Install and update all your programs at once | https://ninite.com/ |
| Chocolatey | The package manager for Windows | https://chocolatey.org/ |
| Scoop | A command-line installer for Windows | https://scoop.sh/ |
| WinGet | The Windows Package Manager | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/ |
| AppGet | The Windows Package Manager | https://appget.net/ |
| Rufus | Create bootable USB drives the easy way | https://rufus.ie/ |
| Ventoy | Bootable USB drives made even easier | https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html |
| CMTrace | A tool for viewing and analyzing Configuration Manager logs | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=50032 |
Networking
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Wireshark | Network protocol analyzer | https://www.wireshark.org/ |
| NetCrunch Tools | A collection of free network tools for network monitoring, troubleshooting, and security. | https://www.adremsoft.com/netcrunch-tools/ |
Security
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| HashCheck | A utility that computes and verifies hash values for files | https://sourceforge.net/projects/hashcheck/ |
| BitWarden | A password manager | https://bitwarden.com/ |
Virtualisation
| Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hyper-V | A native hypervisor for Windows 10 | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/quick-start/enable-hyper-v |
| VirtualBox | A virtualisation tool | https://www.virtualbox.org/ |
| VMware Workstation | A free virtualisation tool | https://www.vmware.com/uk/products/workstation-pro.html |