My Software Recommendations
There are certain programs that I install on every PC that I set up, including my own. These are the programs that I consider to be the most important for the usefulness of that machine.
All these programs are free, unless indicated by a $. NOTE: There are other good programs out there. I don't mean to dismiss them by leaving them out. These are just what I use and recommend. !!! means that I strongly recommend the use of that software for critical security.
BROWSERS
Mozilla Firefox!!!
A better alternative to Internet Explorer; safer, faster, did I mention safer?
Internet Explorer 7
Microsoft's latest version of IE is better than version 6. If you insist on sticking with IE, PLEASE upgrade to 7.
MULTIMEDIA
Winamp
Good software that is compatible with most audio and video formats
Apple Quicktime
From Apple, but runs on Windows PCs. Plays .mov (a specific movie type) files. Look for the Standalone player on the site.
Real Player
Plays most audio and video files, including proprietary Real files. Be sure to look for the free player when looking for the download. It's harder to find because they want to sell their more advanced player.
UTILITIES
Lavasoft Ad-Aware !!!
Spyware detection. Read here for more info.
Spybot- Search and Destroy
Spyware detection. Read here for more info.
Windows Defender !!!
Microsoft's anti-spyware program that monitors your system in real-time, and performs scans. This has proven to be quite effective.
Webroot SpySweeper$ / Sunbelt CounterSpy$ / Spyware Doctor by PC Tools $
Very good products that scan detect, and protect your computer against spyware in real-time. All very reasonably priced. I'd buy and recommend any of them.
WinZip$
Winzip opens and creates compressed files, most commonly with the .zip extension. Compressed files are...well... compressed, in order to cut down on file size for downloading or emailing.
Acrobat Reader (NOTE: Acrobat Reader is NOT working in Vista)
Reads .pdf files, which are very commonplace on the Internet. A good alternative to Reader is:
Foxit Reader !!! (Very good in Vista)
A free PDF document viewer and printer.
ANTI-VIRUS (Remember: only one Anti-virus program on your computer!)
NOD32$!!!
My preferred anti-virus solution that costs money. There are many paid anti-virus programs out there, like Panda, Norton AntiVirus, and PCCillin.
Grisoft AVG Free Edition / Avast!
Free antivirus software.
OFFICE SUITES
Microsoft Office$ UPDATE: I wholeheartedly recommend Office 2007, the latest and greatest version of Office.
The de facto standard for Office software, including word processing, spreadsheet, database, and e-mail. BUYING TIP: It is possible to save money when you buy Office, by looking for the Student and Teacher Edition. It's about 1/2 the price of the standard suite. It's intended, as the name implies, to be sold only to students and teachers. But some stores will sell it to anyone. Plus, Microsoft can claim greater market share for the Office suite if more units are sold. They kinda look the other way.
OpenOffice
Absolutely free software. OpenOffice is compatible with MS Office files, meaning it can open and write to MS Word, Access, and Excel files.
This is a BIG download. Since this is an "open source" program, you can contact me and I can legally send you a CD. A donation to support this site would be greatly appreciated.
There are other free options, especially in the area of word processing:
Google Docs and Spreadsheets
Word Processing and Spreadsheets online through a Google account.
Abiword
Another free Word Processing program similar to Microsoft Word
E-MAIL
Outlook Express / Windows Mail (Vista)
If you have Windows, you have Outlook Express / Windows Mail.
Microsoft Outlook
A more full-featured version of Outlook Express, contained within Microsoft Office. Very good at handling spam.
Mozilla Thunderbird !!!
Sister software to Mozilla's Firefox, Thunderbird is a free email client that aims to compete with Outlook Express and Outlook. It handles spam much better.