The First 10 Free Apps to Install on a New Windows PC

July 29 by | 153 comments | Featured, Technology | Tags: , , , ,

 The First 10 Free Apps to Install on a New WIndows PC

It’s about that time for me again: my desktop is a couple years part its prime and my laptop just died (no display, no hard drive activity, no wifi, and a recent history of turning off suddenly for no good reason – those are all bad signs, right?), which means the near future holds a new PC for me. Which means a blank slate on which to impose my computer-using will.

Setting up a new computer goes through five stages:

  • Denial: I’ve got a new computer. Nothing can go wrong now!
  • Anger: No, I don’t want to subscribe to AOL. No, I don’t want Norton updates. No, I don’t want a 60-day trial of Office 2007. There are HOW MANY security updates?!
  • Bargaining: I’d do anything to be able to use this thing!
  • Depression: I’ve been uninstalling Norton components for 17 hours now. If I have to restart the PC one more time, I swear I’ll kill myself… All I want to do is update Twitter!
  • Acceptance: OK, let’s install some good stuff now!

Once you’ve installed all the updates, uninstalled all the crapware, entered your wifi password, and set your screensaver, it’s time to make that shiny new PC do stuff, and for me the doing starts with installing a pretty fixed list of free applications.

1. Panda Cloud Antivirus

If you did the right thing and uninstalled Norton or McAfee (the two antivirus programs PC manufacturers get paid big bucks to include on their machines), the Windows Security Center will be bugging you about your system being unprotected. So, first order of business is to install a new antivirus. I used to use the free AVG Antivirus, but I’ve found that at some point – in every version of AVG I’ve used – it stops updating automatically. So a few months ago I decided to try Panda’s free Cloud Antivirus, and I’ve been very happy: updates happen in the background, files and problems are quietly taken care of, and it only ever bugs me if it needs my attention to decide what to do about a detected virus. This is the antivirus I’ve installed on all my family’s PCs, too, since it runs virtually undetected.

2. Firefox

IE8 is a big improvement over previous incarnations of Internet Explorer, but so is a husband who only beats you once a week instead of everyday. Frankly, I’ve had enough of IE. It’s still packed with the same annoyances as always, and its neat new features are so dense and obscure I don’t think anyone will make much use of them any time soon.

Firefox, on the other hand, is by now like a comfortable pair of shoes – it works well, it makes sense, and it’s getting better and better. Sure, it takes up about a Godzilla-byte of memory, but other than that, it’s Good Software. And of course, it’s vastly extensible, making it not just a browser for me but a research tool (with the addition of plugins for Evernote and Zotero) and webmastering tool (with Scribefire and FireFTP plugins). The only real downside is that every update seems to break every extension – but at least it has extensions!

3. OpenOffice.org

I own a copy of Office 2007 Pro (I got it free at an industry event) but I still install OpenOffice.org. (The dot-org is part of the software’s name, for reasons known only to the demons who inhabit the 6th level of software marketing Hell.) The free productivity suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation creator, database, and graphics editor – everything just about anyone needs to get work done. Some things it does better than MS Office, like handling bibliographic citations. Most things it does just as well. And it’s some $400 less than the comparable version of MS Office.

4. Thunderbird

Although Microsoft’s Outlook Express got a new name and a facelift in Vista, it remains the same piece of cr-… er, software it’s always been, with all its limitations. Outlook is great for businesses, but it’s overkill for most people – and can bog down even powerful systems. Mozilla’s Thunderbird occupies the “just right” chair, offering an interface similar to the Outlook/Outlook Express interface and plenty of power. Plus, like Firefox, you can customize its functionality with a wide range of plugins.

5. Picasa

You might have thought I’d have said “The GIMP” for a free graphics editor, but most people don’t need that kind of power. For organizing snapshots and applying the occasional red-eye reduction, color or contrast adjustment, and novelty effect, I like Picasa. The interface is easy to use, it integrates easily with Google’s web-based Picasa Web Albums service, allowing me to easily share photos or groups of photos, and it does basic photo editing tasks well.

6. Skype

In class yesterday I mentioned Skype and a student asked “What’s Skype"?” Only 2 of 10 students had heard of it! Oh, man – get Skype!!! Skype is a voice-over-Internet system that works, and works well. Voice or video calls to other Skype users are free, no matter where they are and where you are. The optional SkypeIn and SkypeOut services let you accept calls from and make calls to regular phones (landlines or mobile) for very reasonable rates – I think I pay about $60 a year for the complete package, which gives me unlimited calls anywhere in the US and Canada, unlimited incoming calls at my own phone number in my area code, and of course voice mail. I use it all the time, too, to interview sources for articles – and back when I was doing Lifehack Live, I used it occasionally to record my podcasts (using the CallGraph plugin, a free Skype call recorder).

7. VLC Media Player

While it lacks the style and pizzazz of iTunes or Windows Media Player, VLC has those other media players beat hands-down for one good reason: it plays everything. Oddball video formats, open source audio codecs, Flash videos – whatever you have, chances are, VLC plays it. It has other features, too, but I never use them. For me, VLC is simply the must-have video player. There’s a portable version that can be run off a flash drive, too, which is handy for me since I often want to show videos in class and I’m not sure the machine provided will have the right codecs.

8. Handbrake

You want to put videos on your portable media player, you get Handbrake. It’s that simple. Handbrake is easy to use (a lot of video transcoding software forces you to deal with all sorts of questions about muxing, bitrates, and so on; handbrake has a bunch of presets, although more advanced control is there if you need it). Handbrake works with DVDs or video on your hard drive, so whatever the source, you can likely get it onto your Zune (or even iPod if you’re one of the few that owns one).

(OK, give a guy a break – it’s funny!)

9. Digsby or Pidgin

What instant messaging network is everyone you would ever want to chat with on? Wait, you mean, they’re not all on the same network? Where do you live, reality?!

If you do live in reality and your friends, family, and other contacts are scattered across several different IM networks, you’ll want to install either Digsby or Pidgin, both of which are fine IM clients that hook up to most of the available IM networks. I use Digsby, because I like the way I can theme the interface (with big, chunky text for my old eyes!), and because it includes Facebook support, which Pidgin doesn’t (but Pidgin works with a lot of networks Digsby doesn’t support – it’s a question of which ones you want or need to use). In both, you can log into all your IM networks at the same time, and see all your contacts regardless of which network they’re on.

10. CDBurnerXP

CDBurnerXP is neither limited to burning CDs not limited to systems running Windows XP. Go figure. Anyway, it burns CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, ISOs and other disc images – heck, it even supports LightScribe! A great substitute for expensive (and notoriously bug-prone) Nero and Roxio suites if neither came with your computer.

Once I’ve installed those 10 apps, I’ve got a pretty good system set up, and I’m ready to get to work. What about you? What free software is at the top of your list when you’re setting up a new system? Let us know in the comments.

Dustin M. Wax is a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org. He is also a freelance writer and university instructor in Las Vegas, NV, where he lives with his partner and three children. His personal site can be found at dustinwax.com.

  • Gsp

    Evernote…although that one is well worth the upgrade to the premium version because you then get SSL security when your data sync’s to their servers.

    Also, Google Desktop & Google Earth, and the free version of Microsoft Office Accounting (more than enough for any individual or small business).

  • Kristoffer Grønnegaard

    Good choices. Even though i would recommend InfraRecorder instead of CDBurnerXp and Avast instead of Panda. SpyBot Search and destroy is also a must as antivirus rarely gets all the malware. In addition i find chrome faster and more pleasant to use than Firefox, although i keep both installed in case something doesn’t work in chrome (as it is still kind of young).

  • http://www.christian-marx.de Christian Marx

    I’d prefer Avira Antivir as an antivirus solution. It outperforms its competitors in allmost all tests since a few years.

    I agree with most of the rest, a few additions:
    - ffdshow to provide media codecs
    - Secunia PSI and FileHippo Udate Checker to keep your PC up to date
    - Paint.NET for easy image manipulations
    - TrueCrypt to encrypt and decrypt your USB memory sticks (you don’t want to loose them with all your personal stuff accessible, do you?)
    - For XP: Zune Desktop Theme from Microsoft for everyone who would like a darker alternative to the usual blue, green and silver
    - Virtual Clone Drive to quickly access CD/DVD images as a virtual CD
    - PDF Creator to quickly print as a PDF file from every application

    Gmail replaced Thunderbird on most of my computers, as well as a standalone instant messenger as ICQ contacts can be added to the chat. I never did much with OpenOffice and since I really like the Ribbons in Office 2007 (controversial topic, I know) it would be painful to switch.

    Cheers
    Christian

  • http://newestindustry.org/ Stephen Pierzchala

    I would add:

    - 7Zip for your archive management needs
    - DropBox for file backup and management
    - CutePDF Free for creating PDFs on the fly (But OOo and MS Suite 2007 do that now)
    - Cygwin for your command-prompt geeks

    smp

  • http://www.thepracticalnerd.com Tom “The Practical Nerd”

    I’ll second Evernote. What a fantastic program. I’d like to make the argument for KMPlayer over VLC. It does everything VLC does (plays EVERYTHING), and it’s a little more user-friendly.

    Fantastic list – way to keep up the good work!

  • PervyDervish

    This seems to be more of a “My Fave 10 Programs” rather than something that everyone will actually use. In the past three years, I’ve only heard of Panda Antivirus twice: Once here, and another on a virus-laden computer that I reformatted for a friend a couple days ago.

  • Ron

    Foe me – Avira is the best free anti virus app.
    also: KMPlayer, 7-zip, Evernote, notepad++, TrueCrypt, VirtualBox, xplorer2lite, QuickTime Alternative, Eraser, TeraCopy and many more…

  • http://blogs.tech-recipes.com/seamonkey420 seamonkey420

    my list goes as follows:

    1. create restore cds/dvds
    2. wipe machine and clean install os of choice
    3. update drivers and os
    4. install avast, firefox, handbrake, truecrypt, 7zip, tweetdeck
    5. make image so i never have to do again if system corrupts

    :)

  • Geri

    Absolutely brilliant post – indispensable!

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  • http://sumocat.blogspot.com Sumocat

    Dustin, what’s up with the photo of the Tablet PC? Is that the laptop that died on you, are you upgrading to one, or did you just want a photo of a really cool new PC?

  • http://www.dwax.org Dustin Wax

    Sumocat: Just a random new computer — we use a stock photo site for the images with each post, and that’s what came up in the first page or two of searching.

  • http://www.dwax.org Dustin Wax

    PervyDervish: Well, it is my 10 favorite apps, at least in terms of basic functionality — I like Photoshop, too, and install it right away, but unless you do intense photo editing, it’s not really necessary…

    Panda’s Cloud Antivirus isnew and, so far, seems pretty good. But let’s be honest: antiviruses are a waste. Nobody who’s serious about security uses one, since a) safe computer use practice is far more effective at preventing viruses, b) most good viruses automatically disable the big-name antiviruses before they complete their installation routines, and most importantly, c) if your antivirus detects something, that means something bad is on your machine and you have to assume that there’s more the antivirus missed. For example, Steve Gibson of “Security Now” says that the only cure for malware is reinstall Windows. That’s a level of paranoia beyond what most of us can sustain, but it certainly puts the choice of antivirus in perspective.

    Maybe I’ll do a post on PC security in the near future…

  • JoJoBubbles

    If you want a video transcoding that’s even more dead simple than handbrake, I use Auto Gordian Knot.

    Just makes AVI’s but you can adjust things like audio and video settings or just say what size you’d like the file to be and it will automatically determine the best settings for that amount of space. Also transcodes faster than Handbrake although I wouldn’t recommend it over HB to those who want more control over the end products settings.

  • Hew

    Foxit PDF reader ( http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/ ) – beautifully fast and small PDF reader.
    Thanks for the article – I’m interested in checking out HandBrake now.

  • computer

    ccleaner

  • Hugh Askew

    PrimoPDF
    Ifranview (opens anything, including .dwf & .dwg files)
    AdAware
    AVG

    Other than that, you have my list, tho i have Gimp & SmoothDraw in lieu of Picasa

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  • Everett

    Mediamonkey!!!!

  • Everett

    …oh, and x2 for Irfanview.

  • http://www.siamnet.org Asiam

    I’d include some ssh client, (putty). I also need an editor, (komodo edit, netbeans, notepad++). (Gimp) for editing photos. (VirtualBox) for VMs. (Audacity) if I need to record something. And of course, (xmoto) for some gaming. (cygwin) when I need a better shell.

  • Michael

    First, I would like to disagree with Kristoffer. I don;t like spybot because it slows most computers down so much. It practically runs the computer dually which is just not efficient. But I agree with what people have been saying that antivirus is just not as useful as good protective measures. I usually use Comodo Firewall and CCleaner for mopping up. As a backup I have found that Superantispyware can handle most viruses I have ever dealt with.

  • NNM

    You forgot the firefox extension adblock plus!!
    It’s the first thing to install after firefox…
    It is VITAL. I would put it way way before any antivirus..

  • RNAIL

    Infranrecorder is way better than cdburnerxp.

    Also, 7zip and songbird

  • http://thoughts-and-findings.blogspot.com the one who blogs

    Autohotkey is also indispensable. No computer can be conveniently used without it.

  • VenusProject

    I am Korean, First of all, Please understand my poor English.
    I read this site everday. and I usually read Uustin Wax’s article, so I have a lot of benefit of My PC computing.
    I already used Firefox, OpenOffice and I recommend two point. spread sheet program, Gnumeric. I love this program more than OpenOffice Calc.
    I don’t know Panda Cloud Antivirus, and I recommand Avast Antivirus. It is free program but register your e-mail.

  • http://atx-atx.blogspot.com atxatx

    At the first place: Total Commander,
    Mediaplayer Classic – playing videos
    Foobar – listening mp3

  • Andrew

    TeryCopy – copy things better
    Foxit reader – low weight acrobat replacement
    Hamachi – Gaming networking
    uTorrent – F$#$ azureus
    7-zip – Compressed files
    Spybot S&D – antispybot
    irfanview – rather than picasa
    alcohol 52% – iso mounting
    Rocketdock – windows sidebar
    audacity – audio editing
    FRAPS – screen capture

  • RH70

    You could have saved yourself a lot of time with all those updates and removal of Norton etc etc, and then installing all this software.

    Wipe the hard drive and install Linux (Ubuntu is a good choice) – a lot of this software comes as part of the default installation and unless you have a specific niche software requirement you could be very happy you made the switch.

    By the way, Pidgin (Linux version) can support Facebook, you just need to download an additional plugin off Sourceforge – I forget the name but it can be googled. Not sure if it works in the Windows version of Pidgin.

    Cheers!

  • Shahar

    Ditto [Clipboard replacer]
    EditPadLite [text editor / notepad replacer]
    xplorer2 lite [windows explorer replacer]
    FastStone Capture [screen capture]
    SuperAntiSpyware
    Google Desktop
    mozy Home [online backup]

  • http://www.kaizan.co.uk/blog Kaizan

    At the risk of sounding unsophisticated, I like Google Chrome as a browser, since it’s simple and fast…

  • kevin

    I’m with you with on that list with one exception: I’m still with AVG tho and I’d also add:

    Spybot S&D
    Chrome
    Foxit Reader
    7-zip
    uTorrent
    MediaMonkey

  • Moo

    everyone has his preferences ^^

    ImgBurn for cd/dvd burning software, it just works.

    VlC media player is great but CCCP (combined community codec pack) usually gives me better picture quality.

    XnView for viewing/browsing images and minor editing.

    7zip for working with archives

    winamp (+ dfx) for music playback

    Quicktime Alternative for quicktime/apple playback without installing quicktime and all the stuff that comes with it.

    Adobe Acrobat Reader

    rocketdock, its like quicklaunch but better.

    emule/utorrent for your evening entertainment

  • Moo

    btw on security, eset smart security its not free but if you get over ‘it’ it is.

    no- script and adblock in firefox work magic as well as using your common sense. unless youre the type who locks his frontdoor with 4 different locks at night you dont need all those different anti-malware/spyware/spam programs. just close the door and dont open it for strangers.

  • Adonis

    You should also try SSuite Office for a free office suite. They have a whole range of office suites that are free for download.

    Their software also don’t need to run on Java or .NET, so it makes the software very small and efficient.

    You can try these links:

    http://www.ssuitesoft.com/index.htm
    or
    http://ssuite5element.webs.com/thefifthelement.htm

  • Tuplad

    Firefox ? Oh come on now kids, Opera is a giant compared to Firefox.

  • http://bpcablog.blogspot.com/ sefcug

    Of your 10 the only one not on my machines is Handbrake.
    Also, I can not do without Foxit Reader.

  • badinoff

    Total Commander is always one of the first apps that I put on a new PC. I’ve been using it for well over 10 years and consider it the Swiss Army Knife of File Wrangling.
    Avira Anti Virus is another favorite as is MalawareBytes for spyware. MPlayer is another option for media files.

    Good list.

  • http://www.squidoo.com/mind-maps-tutorial Marelisa

    I have Avast and it seems to be doing a good job for me, but I’ll look into the Panda Cloud Antivirus. Lots of great tips in the comments too.

  • http://www.christinaocasio.com Christina

    I like Postbox for my mail. It runs off of the Thunderbird code but has way more features.

  • http://spacewars.serveftp.org techaddict

    Yes, the “Facebook IM” plugin for Pidgin works with Windows, as does “Gfire” and every other plugin.

    I use Pidgin instead of Digsby for the same reasons the author uses Firefox/Thunderbird instead of IE/Outlook: addons. Take some time to look at pidgin.im for available addons; it includes quite a few already!

  • anon

    Try Windows Live Gallery. Its a great alternative to Picasa.. There’s no turning back once you try it..

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  • Carlos

    You can get a plugin for pidgin that enables facebook chat.

    Also, Google Chrome is nice as well, and I still use iTunes to manage music and VLC is my video player.

    And Open Office is great.

    Great list.

  • Valerie

    I’d like to know what you and your readers recommend as a replacement for Quicken. I’m tired of having to upgrade editions when each becomes more complicated and has more tools I don’t need.

  • http://solongandthanx.blogspot.com Irfan

    Hi…I like ur list. Here are my points:

    1. I use Avira Antivir which is free and fully awesome. On a side note, is Panda free for commercial use? cos Avira isn’t.

    2. I use foobar2000 for playing music. It’s the most lightweight music player in history. I worte an article about it in my blog if u r interested (http://solongandthanx.blogspot.com/2008/11/foobar-lightweight-music-player.html)

    3. 7Zip should definitely be in the top 10. How else would u extract a .rar file?

    4. You have include ZONEALARM firewall? It’s fundamental!!

    Oh and thanks for the list. I see 4 new software in ur list that I’ve never heard of. I’m going to check them out now…

  • http://www.vanlocator.co.uk van dealer

    having just got a new windows pc myself, this is really useful, particularly the antivirus advice

  • http://www.unlimitedchoice.org Amit

    That panda antivirus sounds good and I’ve never heard of it before!

    As much as I do love mozilla it does have one massive security flaw which as some point in the future they really do need to address!

  • http://www.thedankdj.wordpress.com Taylor

    Thanks for this, man! Just installed Digsby, OpenOffice (I’ve been waiting to install OpenOffice, just needed some more affirmative persuaion). Good stuff!

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  • fermatsenigma

    First for me is always PC-Decrapifier. It removes all the craplets (aka free trials) manufacturers insist on clogging a new system with.

  • http://www.2dolphins.com/ Rob O.

    Here’s another vote for PC-Decrapifier & CCleaner.

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  • http://BlogOnlineBiz.com Jimi Jones

    Great post!

    Now after selecting all of these wonderful productivity packages you’ll need to kick back and relax for a few.

    That’s when Pandora comes in to change the mood.

  • http://photos.rickscheibner.net Rick

    Another vote for Evernote here: That software/service just rocks my pants off right now.

    I also concur with OpenOffice.org, Picasa, and Thunderbird.

  • http://www.everyjoe.com Jason Bean

    Great list! You’ve introduced me to some new apps that I’ll be trying soon. Thanks again.

  • http://beta.zenversion.com Yogesh Malik

    great list, good to know that i have all 10.
    what you could do now is top 25 , because still there are more which are almost essential

  • http://Thoughtpalette.com Chris

    Ventrilo – voice over ip
    WinRAR
    Firefox/fireftp
    Notepad++
    Open office
    Steam

    :)

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  • jan

    1. Comodo internet security (combined AV, FW and malware protection) for free. Has had very good notes.
    2. FF
    3. FF Addons
    4. Irfanview
    5. K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for all the codes and media player classic.
    6. Deepburner
    7. Super (the most outstanding converter bundle I’m aware of). You should give this a try. http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html
    8. Winscp connect to the IPhone
    9 Itunes (I hate it because it includes quicktime which i don’t want. I like quicktime alternative much better)
    10 Pspad for coding

    Nice list though. Since you allways can find some goodies here and in the comments.

  • http://www.iyogi.co.uk/ Computer Support

    Absolutely brilliant post.Nice explanation about all. I here come to know about the good things.
    Thanks

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  • http://www.labeshops.com Lori Anne Brown

    Great list, though I use McAfee myself (never have had a virus sneak thru) and Outlook as I am a business user (though really cannot wait for Google Wave!). I also love Digsby because it handles twitter as well – and multiple accounts on each service, so you can have business and personal im accounts all in one place and in one window. So much handier!

  • blade

    Great list. Almost all these is what I consider essentials. I only choose AVG above Panda as it is lighter on resources and takes a lot less disc space. Never got the auto update problem, but Panda is also a great choice. Firefox is by far the best choice for browser available. I can only add a pdf reader like Foxit or PDF exchangeviewer.

  • Mike O.

    I’d add:

    1) Belarc Advisor — inventory of your hardware and software, along with identification of any Windows updates you may have missed along the way.

    2) Autoruns — inventory/control what processes run on startup.

    3) Avidemux — lightweight/simple video slicing and dicing.

    4) CamStudio — Recording video off your screen (not perfect, but free).

    5) DriverMax — Inventories your drivers and can burn them to DVD. Very useful if you ever need to re-install Windows.

  • http://zenspire.com Cory Zibell

    Great Post! I wrote a twin to this post for Macs:
    http://zenspire.com/2009/07/the-first-10-free-apps-to-install-on-a-new-mac/

  • http://pcfaqsbykc.blogspot.com Kasey C

    Disagree with two of the choices:

    8) Handbrake — I’d replace it with Format Factory. Format Factory is like a Swiss Army Knife… it rips CDs and DVDs, it converts videos, converts audio, converts pictures… So it will do what Handbrake does, and MUCH MORE.

    10) CDBurnerXP — I’d replace that with ImgBurn 2.5. As foolproof as it can be, compatible with every burner I’ve came across, burns images as well as files, automatically recognizes audio and video disc formats and adjusts accordingly…

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  • http://pinoyteens.net Kevin Paquet

    I’ve arrived here while looking for an alternative for Google Reader which is slow on my end (or is it just that internet s*cks in the Philippines, anytime, anywhere in the country?). It looks like my search comes to an end wth BlogLines that will lead me straight back to Google Reader which is pretty decent compared to the latter.

    And oh, nice list by the way, I’ve been using Digsby before and now run Pidgin to keep up with the online world who use Yahoo! Messenger and all sorts of other popular instant messaging software.

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  • em4r1z

    The office suite name is OpenOffice.org because of a trademark issue with a company called OpenOffice.

    Pidgin connects to the Facebook network if you install the add-on.

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  • http://www.yakuru.com Lloyd Vincent

    Good to see Irfanview got some votes even though it wasn’t in the article.

    I’ll add my own shout out to Winamp, but just between you, me, and the internet… I still use 2.9

  • Jim Graham

    One of the musts for me is to add a backup program. karenware.com has a free backup that is simple and works. I’m sure there are others out there but I’m hooked on this one.

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  • http://francetales.com Owen Peery

    I love the obscure programs that people add in the comments as “must haves”. I think it is a great list. I use many of these apps. The ones I don’t use I will research. If you list an obscure app in the comments but give a good reason to check into it, I do that too, but calling some “must haves”, *doubtrearsitshead*

    BTW, just this morning I helped a friend reset up his computer after Avira, for no reason, stopped its automatic update, and he contracted a virus, for the 4th time. I am going to try that Panda solution immediately.Why does Avira do that or what did I do wrong when I set it up?

  • http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com FrugalNYC

    Great post and great list of apps.
    Love these posts, I get introduced to all kinds of software via post and comments.

    I used to use AVG, though I’m now testing AVira on a second machine. Working good so far.

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  • John Smith

    I prefer Avast! or Antiri for AV protection. MBAM is also an excellent on-demand scanner / remover of very persistent malware.

    OO.o is a little slow and bloated for me, I like softmakeroffice. The 2006 version is free http://www.softmakeroffice.com/ (word processor, spreadsheet). I paid to upgrade to the 2008 version.

    As an alternate media player I also like Media Player Classic Home Cinema

    PDF viewer I prefer PDF-Xchange viewer over Foxit. Annotations are free (no watermark), better print control, smoother scrolling, loupe / pan zoom modes: http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer/

    I also prefer Imgburn for burning.

    7-zip is great.

    I also install “Pismo file mount” –mount isos and ZIP files.

    StexBar –Adds keyboard shortcuts and toolbar button to Windows Explorer Microsoft forgot to include:
    http://tools.tortoisesvn.net/StExBar

    Everything search: Instantaneously search ALL files on your Hard drive. Must be using NTFS / be admin:
    http://www.voidtools.com/

    I also install Sysinternalsuite into the system path, as well as nircmd, and DiamondCS tools.

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  • Jeffrey Smith

    My additions would be:

    Avast
    Spybot
    7Zip
    InfraRecorder
    Songbird
    XnView
    Google Earth
    CCleaner
    JKDefrag
    Revo Uninstaller
    Notepad++
    SUPER (Converter)
    Alcohol 52%

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  • Raymon

    Try using Avira anti-virus its free. and it works great. I work in the IT field and also do PC repair. In my experience Avast and AVG always fail. And panda has less fine tuning options. Go to download.com and check it out. I recommend it to all of my customers.

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  • Snurre

    Great list and thank you for not recommending AVG, but Panda Cloud instead!! I honestly don’t know why a lot of people are crazy about AVG.

    Another useful tool I’d recommend is fileinspect gadget from http://www.fileinspect.com. It works on Vista and 7 and will display the most resource-heavy processes in the sidebar. The site is really useful in itself, as it has all you need to know about processes – great addition to an anti-virus.

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  • Jon

    Keepass for password management.

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  • Z

    As someone who does pc support for a living I would like to add that Malwarebytes has far surpassed Spybot as a malware/spyware cleanup util. Spybot just doesn’t cut it anymore.

  • http://firsthour.net Greg

    Ubuntu, then apt-get the rest.

  • Sparx

    Only two people mentioning linux (Ubuntu). I would like to add a vote for that.
    Varu… viriousse… virus, what’s that?
    No reason not to try.

  • Alfonso Soriano

    Don’t kid yourself, Open Office and Thunderbird can’t hold a candle to their paid Microsoft counterparts

  • Imagol4

    I wish knowledgeable websites such as this one would quit recommending OpenOffice. It is essentially useless. If all you really need to do is type a letter to grandma, then by all means use OpenOffice. Otherwise, leave it alone. Even though it’s free, your time spent downloading it, is simply not worth it. Please, stop recommending useless software.

  • Imagol4

    Comment for Sparx. Linux is for pros, and pros only. It IS NOT for the average, or even above average, home user. And, as far as that goes, Ubuntu is probably the worst iteration of Linux. And don’t buy the line about “no viruses”, there are plenty out there just waiting for arrogant Linux users…

  • scudrunner

    I used to think ExplorerX2 was great until I found Q-Dir a few years ago. (free)
    (THIS IS A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO SPENDS ANYTIME IN EXPLORER MOVING FILES AROUND!!)
    Now, instead of having 2 Explorers to move things back and forth to, you have four!!
    Great for managing music and pics, etc.!
    Just search it, there are a lot of DL sites.
    Nice screenshot here:
    http://www.softwareok.com/?seite=freeware/Q-Dir

  • http://www.myspace.com/agnosticanarch AgnosticAnarch

    Another vote for Ubuntu! If you have to have some Windoze apps, install Sun’s VirtualBox and keep that filthy excuse for an operating system enclosed so that WHEN (not if) it gets infected, you can easily kill it and go to a previous snapshot.

    I will check into Panda for those friends and family that just won’t abandon Micro$haft.

  • AlisonSim

    Great article!

    I would like to add Google Chrome to the list, I dropped IE, and only use Google Chrome only.

  • doh

    First free thing to install on a Windows machine: Linux

  • hker

    Who poo-pooed OpenOffice? MS trojan poster? I’ve switched all my business office PCs to OO. Works fine. For the past 5 years. Only problem is some slight weakness in foreign language (Japanese) support, but very minor.

  • Anonymous

    Ha! The first thing I do when I get a Windows computer is wipe it off and put a real system distribution on there. Linux. Not Windows. Linux. It frequently comes with many of these things in the repositories anyway. OpenOffice > MS Officer, btw. Don’t like receiving a truly standardized document format? Stop crying like a little bitch and get a converter or OO.

  • Anonymous

    @Imagol

    Funny, I have a lot of friends and family who are far from computer-savvy who use Linux no problem. Maybe the “Linux is for computer geeks” argument is just bullshit spun by people like you as an excuse not to use Linux. Perhaps its because the only think Windows has going for it these days is gaming since Linux, OS X, BSD, and any other alternative already does what Windows can do, better, and much more.

    Linux is far past being a viable alternative for Windows, it’s becoming a real competitor, with adoption rates doubling each year for Linux and your beloved Windows losing market share steadily now.

    Mock people who say Linux instead of all this? They just know a good alternative when they see one.

  • resume

    if the new PC is a laptop, i should recomend to use google chrome insted of firefox, cus of the amount of CPU usage firefox takes after running for a while

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    First free thing to install on a Windows machine: Linux

  • Amity

    Dude, NO PDF READER?

  • Corvo

    I put Win on the first partition, copy all my thinstalled apps from the backup to the second partition and do the filetype associations. then i update, install comodo and steadystate, turn on disk protection.

    now i can try every program, if i do not like it, just reset the machine, steady state rolls back. who needs VMs?

  • Garret

    You state that open office handles bibliographic citations better than office 07… what apps/plugins do you use to accomplish this?

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  • Miko

    I would like to thank Wax and everyone who left comments. I just did a Fresh install of windows 7 and was looking for less bloated software and I’m pretty stoked to try out a lot of the programs you all listed.
    Thanks guys :D

  • james

    one app that i like that’s not on the list is Unlocker.. if you have have problem deleting a file because some unknown program is using it.. this app is the solution.

    i also like the k-lite codec pack.. no need to install a new media player.. this has all the codecs you need to play most any video .. comes with media player classic but it isn’t neccesary to install it.

    and Daemon tools lite is great for mounting iso’s so you don’t have to waste time burning cd’s to install a program.

  • Bill

    First thing I do is change the DNS servers to those of OpenDNS.org’s: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. Stop malware right at the dns level and never let the user get to it in the first place.

  • KDC

    The first free software on a new PC should always be Linux.

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  • Blitz

    Winamp for music, Winrar for compressed files, Media Player Classic and ffdshow for video, and FeedDemon for feeds, that’s what I recall installing first of the top of my head

  • Brant

    You can use Ninite at http://ninite.com/to make installing it all much easier. You just choose all your programs from the list and it will make a custom installer for everything.

  • http://www.bestofcomputers.co.nr/ Chetan Bhasin

    Nice list but I think you are missing a lot, I’ve also created a list and think that it is better, though I am missing VLC in my list but I will update it soon and add vlc to it. In the mean time I think my list is much better than your.
    Here is my list why don’t you compare it by yourself:
    http://www.bestofcomputers.co.nr/2010/04/30/softwares-newly-installed-windows-pc/

  • Jeiyaraj

    And I thought I had a great arsenal!! Kudos to all who have posted some gems here. Lots of apps I’ve never heard of.

    My list is as follows:

    1) CCleaner – Registry Cleaner & junk deleting
    2) Defraggler – Fast defragging
    3) Recuva – Recover deleted/formatted files
    All above from http://www.pirisoft.com free!

    4) AVG – Antivirus (www.avg.com), but considering testing out Panda Cloud !

    5) Free Mind – Mind Mapping (www.freemind.sourceforge.net)

    6) Chrome – Web browser (www.google.com)

    Hmmm…That’s all I can think of at the moment !!

  • Russel

    Wow, people are still adding.. In the spirit of life hacking, allow me to add these two, fairly unknown, apps:

    * Anki (http://www.ichi2.net/anki/) – the best flashcard program that I have found so far. Unfortunately, the iPhone version requires a jailbreak.

    * CherryTomato (http://www.beatpoints.com/cherrytomato) – a Pomodoro tool that also shows you which apps you have been using so you can evaluate yourself.

  • http://www.dpath.ru Development path

    as for me.. apache in the first place)

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  • greg

    ubuntu linux

  • http://www.pcpal.co.uk/Services/LaptopRepairs/ Laptop Repair Pal

    I love openoffice.org. give a chear for the open source community

  • http://www.tekmentum.com/IntelProc.aspx tekmentum

     Intel’s Core i3 processor, the first level in Intel’s new processor family, is a great entry point for anyone wanting faster performance on their laptop or desktop computer.

  • http://www.goingmobo.com Jenz Johnson

    I like your writing. My thoughts: I think things are moving more toward a mobile culture, ie. going mobo. The more mobile we are the more opportunities there are (iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, you name it). But getting the right mobile etiquette (see http://www.goingmobo.com/category/etiquette for more) and mobile techniques can make all the difference. (BTW I think there’s a big difference between yakkers and mobos.)
    Aren’t laptops being replaced by mobile devices like the iPad. We may have desktops, but the rest of the technology is truly going mobo. Your thoughts? -JJ

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YN6SLMFURAZAW7HUUE362YNHE4 Phierce

    I would add Libreoffice as most of the team for OpenOffice left to start this and it seems to be more light weight and up to date.

    also I would add Keepass for password storage

  • guest

    How could you have missed this: http://www.palemoon.org/
    It’s insanely fast, but it isn’t for linux or mac users. (yes, I use linux as well, but for those who only use Windows, this is highly needed)
    I also use Virtual Clone Drive to mount my ISO’s. http://www.slysoft.com/en/download.html
    It’s a fairly nice mounter. I haven’t used any others, but from what I’ve heard, it’s better than some of the others out there.
    Free download manager is nice, but i’ve stopped using it, because there’s a plugin for palemoon that does basically the same thing. http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/
    uTorrent is a fairly widely used torrent program. http://www.utorrent.com/

  • http://slithzerai.wordpress.com/ Slithzerai

    Nice list of programs. I’ve had no problems with AVG’s updates. I also used to have VLC but now I switched to MPC:HC with ffdshow. And Chrome and ImgBurn. But overall this would be a configuration I’d be comfortable with.
    http://slithzerai.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/to-do-list-after-formatting-reinstalling-windows/

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  • Anonymous

    Solid suggestions!

  • http://www.facebook.com/mike.bryant.wi Michael Bryant

    This is a pretty good starter list, my own personal system restore disks have most of these programs on them… However I use imgBurn instead of CDBurnerXP.  I would also suggest Virtual Clone Drive from SlySoft, Ninite makes life a whole hell of a lot easier too! :)  Great list though.