My Updated List:

Anti-Spyware: Spybot - Search and Destroy, SpywareBlaster and Windows Defender (Included in Windows Vista)

Anti-Virus: Avast Home Edition

Browser: Firefox

CD/DVD Burning: AVStoDVD, InfraRecorder and Windows Media Player 11 (Included in Windows)

Disk Management: CCleaner, Defraggler and Recuva

File-Sharing: BitTorrent and Frostwire

Firewall: Comodo Free Firewall

FTP: FileZilla

Graphics: Paint.NET

Instant Messenger: Windows Live Messenger with A-Patch

Media Player/Codecs: Vista Codecs, VLC Media Player and Windows Media Player 11 (Included in Windows),

Office: OpenOffice or Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise

PC Visuals: XPize or Vize

Technical Tools: Dial-a-fix, HijackThis and Unlocker

Utilities: 7Zip, Dizzy and Foxit Reader

Web Program: Notepad ++

Only Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise costs money from the list above though you can use the brilliant OpenOffice as an alternative.

Ad-Aware SE Personal, SpywareBlaster, Spybot - Search and Destroy, Avast Home Edition, Comodo Free, CCleaner, Defraggler, Recuva, Windows Live Messenger with A-Patch, Windows Media Player 11, Vista Codecs, Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise, Dial-a-fix, HijackThis, Unlocker, Dizzy, Foxit Reader, are closed-source / proprietary software / non-free software.

Firefox, AVStoDVD, InfraRecorder, Frostwire, BitTorrent, FileZilla, Paint.NET, VLC Media Player, Media Player Classic, OpenOffice, XPize or Vize, Notepad ++ are open-source / free software.

Any free alternatives to the closed- source / proprietary software / non-free software I would be happy to try out.

Well, been using all sorts fo different psoftware over the last few months, I have come back to this. There isn't much open-source stuff unfortunately, but, a lot I had issues with, or didn't have the functionality that I needed. I even got TuneUp Utilities, I just couldn't find an as reliable alternative:

Anti-Spyware: Spybot - Search and Destroy, SpywareBlaster and Windows Defender (Included in Windows Vista)

Anti-Virus: Avast Home Edition

Browser: Firefox

CD/DVD Burning: AVStoDVD, InfraRecorder and Windows Media Player 11 (Included in Windows)

Disk Management: CCleaner and Disk Defragmenter (Included in Windows)

DVD Ripping: DVD Decryptor and DVD Shrink

File-Sharing: BitTorrent and Frostwire

Firewall: Comodo Firewall

FTP: FileZilla

Graphics: Paint.NET

Instant Messenger: Windows Live Messenger with A-Patch

Media Players/Codecs: K Lite Mega Codec Pack, Quicktime Alternative and Windows Media Player 11 (Included in Windows)

Office: OpenOffice or Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise

PC Visuals: XPize or Vize

Technical Tools: Dial-a-fix, HijackThis and Unlocker

Utilities: 7Zip, Dizzy, Foxit Reader and TuneUp Utilities 2008

Web Program: Notepad ++

Only TuneUp Utilities 2008 and Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise costs money from the list above though you can use the brilliant OpenOffice as an alternative for MS Office.

How come you choose to use BitTorrent and not a program like uTorrent?

How come you choose to use BitTorrent and not a program like uTorrent?

Maybe because uTorrent isn't free open source software.

I've heard lots of good about uTorrent, but never tried it.

The reason I never tried it, is that its not free open source software.

How come you choose to use BitTorrent and not a program like uTorrent?

Maybe because uTorrent isn't free open source software.

I've heard lots of good about uTorrent, but never tried it.

The reason I never tried it, is that its not free open source software.

Yep, thats the answer. If I see two programs, and they're both equal in terms of doing what I want, and one is open-source, and the other isn't, then I'll pick ope-source. But if I can't get the functionality, then I'll pick closed-source.