There are dozens of well known freeware applications out there. From web browsers to word processors to anti-viruses, there is freeware everywhere. Take a look at these 10 great Windows freeware applications you have probably either never heard of or never fully looked into. Most of the freeware apps listed are for Windows. Linux users have no need to worry because a list for Linux will be published soon.

Note: This article was published on PC Fastlane’s old site more than a year ago and received quite a bit of traffic- more than 50,000 views in 24 hours. As a result, it was plagiarized by many others. Viewers should note this is the original version written by me. If you like it, please don’t steal it, link to it. I’m glad people like my writing, and happy when people link to it, but it hurts me to see people steal it and attempt to profit from it.

1. Circumventor
This freeware will turn any Windows XP or 2000 PC with an Internet connection into a CGI proxy you can use at work to bypass web filters. Sure, regular web proxies will do the same thing, but isn’t it cooler to have your own personal proxy that is ad free?

2. Belarc Advisor
This handy tool will search a computer for installed software and license keys and generate results as a HTML file. It’s handy for recovering lost software licenses and Windows license keys.

3.  Xpize
Windows XP GUI enhancer. It changes Window’s normal, boring icons into something worth looking at.

4. ISO Recorder
ISO Recorder is a light weight power toy for Windows XP, Server 2003, and Vista that let lets you easily mount ISO images to CDs and DVDs. With ISO recorder, mounting an ISO file is as easy as right clicking and choosing “Copy image to CD.” A 64-bit version of this program is available.

5 IrfanView
Compact and fast image viewer and basic editor that works with most versions of Windows. It offers features that will please both novice users and geeks, including support for just about any file format out there, mutli language support, playing multimedia files, cutting and cropping, basic photo enhancement options, and more.

6. Windows Unattended Edition
This Windows modification makes an admin’s job easier. With the program, you can create a customized Windows CD that already has many updates, optimizations, and useful software on it. Though it’s in Spanish, it’s easy enough to figure out how it works. Click here for a translated version of the information page in English, courtesy of Google Translator.

7.Hamachi
Hamachi lets you create your own virtual network of computers without actually having to network them together. It basically creates a LAN with other computers over the Internet. Hamachi is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

8. BeamFile
With this freeware application, you can easily send files up to 5 GB in size to friends and family.

9. CamStudio
CamStudio is a feature-full program that lets you record videos of applications on your computer. It’s great for making demonstration videos and even lets you add screen captions, include yourself in the video, and convert the AVI files it generates into smaller SWF (flash) files!

10. Abiword
Many people know about this tiny little word processor, but its other open source brother, Open Office, takes the spotlight too often. Abiword is very small and light, making it perfect for systems that can’t handle the bloatedness of Open Office. Abiword is available for many operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac.