Here is a list of essential software which you need to install on your PC. Some of these are critical such as the antivirus software. Make your own judgment as to whether you need them or not.
1. Microsoft Office/Open Office
An office application suite will give you a word processor, spreadsheet and a presentation software. The most famous one is Microsoft Office. An alternative is OpenOffice which you can download for free at http://www.openoffice.org/
OpenOffice’s major advantage is that it is FREE and is compatible with most of Microsoft’s Office. Unless you are sending and receiving important documents to companies/clients, OpenOffice is good enough for every day tasks.
2. Antivirus Software
As soon as your PC is setup with the basic applications, download the free antivirus software AVG at http://free.avg.com/ This free antivirus works very well in protecting your computer from viruses. Although it is free, you’ll still get free updates to the program almost daily. Many people have used this antivirus software for a long time without any problems.
3. Download Manager
FlashGet at http://www.flashget.co m is a download manager which allows you to download programs and data quickly from the internet.You can use it to download several files at once and it also helps you in resuming downloads if your internet connection is broken half way.Flash Get is free and will save you a lot of time in managing your downloads.
4. Compression Software
The most widely used compression software is WinZip at http://www.winzip.com It compresses any files you have to reduce the size.
Normally this utility is used to make the file smaller to be sent over the internet or to consolidate several files and folders into one zip file. A good alternative to Winzip is WinRar which you can download for
free at http://www.win-rar.com/ It compresses file into .rar extensions
but it also supports Winzip files.
I also HIGHLY recommend this free one http://www.zipgenius.com/
5. Backup Software
Backing up your PC is one of the most important things you need to do regularly, to prevent yourself from disasters. If your hard disk crashes or is damaged, then you have a good chance of losing your data.Also, if you try to install your computer from scratch, it will take you a whole day to install all applications and applying the latest updates from the internet.
You can save a lot of time by using backup software so that you can retrieve important data.
FBackup at http://www.fbackup.com/ is a free backup software which can safely secure your data if disaster happens. It is advised that you set up a schedule to backup your data such as daily, after you finish working.
This software has a user friendly interface and does the backup job effectively. An added benefit is that the software will also backup your‘open files’. These are files which are in use when you are working on your PC. This means that you can make a backup of your PC while you are working on it.You can use the software to backup your data to an external hard disk or onto DVDs.
6. Mirroring Software
A mirroring software is essential although you’ll rarely use it. It makes a mirror image of your entire hard disk so that if you want to reinstall your PC, you can do it quickly by restoring the mirror image.
So after you have installed all the basic software for your PC and are updated with the latest Windows patches, you can create a mirror image of your hard disk and store it onto DVDs. Whenever you want to reinstall your PC you can do so within an hour or so by using the software.A good free mirroring software is Macrium Reflect at http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp
1. Microsoft Office/Open Office
An office application suite will give you a word processor, spreadsheet and a presentation software. The most famous one is Microsoft Office. An alternative is OpenOffice which you can download for free at http://www.openoffice.org/
OpenOffice’s major advantage is that it is FREE and is compatible with most of Microsoft’s Office. Unless you are sending and receiving important documents to companies/clients, OpenOffice is good enough for every day tasks.
2. Antivirus Software
As soon as your PC is setup with the basic applications, download the free antivirus software AVG at http://free.avg.com/ This free antivirus works very well in protecting your computer from viruses. Although it is free, you’ll still get free updates to the program almost daily. Many people have used this antivirus software for a long time without any problems.
3. Download Manager
FlashGet at http://www.flashget.co m is a download manager which allows you to download programs and data quickly from the internet.You can use it to download several files at once and it also helps you in resuming downloads if your internet connection is broken half way.Flash Get is free and will save you a lot of time in managing your downloads.
4. Compression Software
The most widely used compression software is WinZip at http://www.winzip.com It compresses any files you have to reduce the size.
Normally this utility is used to make the file smaller to be sent over the internet or to consolidate several files and folders into one zip file. A good alternative to Winzip is WinRar which you can download for
free at http://www.win-rar.com/ It compresses file into .rar extensions
but it also supports Winzip files.
I also HIGHLY recommend this free one http://www.zipgenius.com/
5. Backup Software
Backing up your PC is one of the most important things you need to do regularly, to prevent yourself from disasters. If your hard disk crashes or is damaged, then you have a good chance of losing your data.Also, if you try to install your computer from scratch, it will take you a whole day to install all applications and applying the latest updates from the internet.
You can save a lot of time by using backup software so that you can retrieve important data.
FBackup at http://www.fbackup.com/ is a free backup software which can safely secure your data if disaster happens. It is advised that you set up a schedule to backup your data such as daily, after you finish working.
This software has a user friendly interface and does the backup job effectively. An added benefit is that the software will also backup your‘open files’. These are files which are in use when you are working on your PC. This means that you can make a backup of your PC while you are working on it.You can use the software to backup your data to an external hard disk or onto DVDs.
6. Mirroring Software
A mirroring software is essential although you’ll rarely use it. It makes a mirror image of your entire hard disk so that if you want to reinstall your PC, you can do it quickly by restoring the mirror image.
So after you have installed all the basic software for your PC and are updated with the latest Windows patches, you can create a mirror image of your hard disk and store it onto DVDs. Whenever you want to reinstall your PC you can do so within an hour or so by using the software.A good free mirroring software is Macrium Reflect at http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp
