Freeware is no where near as bad as some make out. It's all about where you get it from. There are many sites that freely provide freeware that does what it's meant to do, does it well and does it without resorting to any malware/viruses etc.

Gizmos

should be your first port of call for reviews and the forum in which you can find out more information from a friendly crew of volunteers.

Snapfiles

A good, safe place to download from, Snapfiles Freeware also provides reviews by other users.

FreewareFiles

Another great, safe place to download from is FreewareFiles