Free replacements for paid tools… Stop shelling out your hard earned money for applications that can do the same job for free. I hate to pay for software like Microsoft Office when you can use OpenOffice FREE or Adobe Standard when all I need to do is create PDF documents I can use CutePDF FREE. Not all free software is crap. I will admit there is a lot of crappy free software out there and you typically get what you pay for, but here are some examples of some very good free applications.

Orb instead of Slingbox ($130)

Orb has just quietly provided the same services folks dish out more than 100 smackers for, or, in the case of DVR devices, endless monthly fees, without tooting its own horn too loudly. If you’ve got a Windows computer or Media Center PC available, Orb can dish out live or recorded TV, video files, audio, feeds, or even a few games to any desktop, laptop, Windows Mobile phone, or even a PS3 or XBox 360

CDBurnerXP (or InfraRecorder) in place of Nero ($60)

The free software package CDBurnerXP has what you want and nothing you don’t to back up, rip, and burn CDs and DVDs in Windows. Our readers also have a soft spot for InfraRecorder (also Windows-only), which boasts a similar range of features without control-freak tendencies.

FastStone Capture in place of SnagIt ($50)

The software can send a full screenshot to your editor of choice, but can also do simple annotations, highlighting, and other see-look-here operations quickly and cleanly. For even more freeware value, try FastStone’s Resizer for whipping multiple pictures into shape.

DriveImageXML or CloneZilla in place of Norton Ghost ($70)

If the task is to back up an entire hard drive and restore it, a software tool’s job is simple: Explain how to do it, then just do it. DriveImageXML, a freeware Windows utility, does those things quite well.