List of Essential Downloads

Here's a small list of essential downloads and a quick to-do list to keep your computer running clean and happy. These downloads are all free and perfectly legal. If anyone has anything they want to add to this, feel free to do so. -^_^

Anti-Virus: (Just pick one)
Avast! Antivirus - If you are one who doesn't have any antivirus software because of the cost, you now have no excuse! Avast! Antivirus is free, powerful and user-friendly. If you can get past the cheesy interface, this is a good AV program for free.
AVG AntiVirus- Another free, excellent Anti-Virus application.
Nod32 - Excellent Anti-virus application. Recommended by battle3321


Anti-Spyware/Adware Programs
Lavasoft AdAware SE Personal 1.06 - This anti-spyware program is useful and up-to-date. With the ability to scan your RAM, registry, hard drives, and external storage devices for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components, Ad-aware SE easily can clean your system, allowing you to maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the Web. It has an auto-update feature, which allows you to always have up-to-date definitions.
Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4 - This very-effective spyware cleaner removes any detected spyware with ease. Whilst not as nice-looking as other programs on the market, Spybot is one of the best out there. It works well when used in combination with AdAware.
Spware Doctor - Spyware Doctor is a spyware remover and provides real-time anti-spyware protection against spyware, adware, Trojan horses, keyloggers, spyware cookies, adbots, spybots, browser hijackers, phishing attacks and other malware threats.
Prevx Malware Remover - Prevx1 offers a totally new way to detect bad programs much faster than other security companies. We call it community intrusion prevention.
Faster detection means much better protection for you.
Spyware Blaster - Prevents Spyware instead of finding and deleting. Recommended by elitorsomeone
CC Cleaner - CCleaner removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! Recommended by Knoctur_nal

Internet Browsers
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 - Firefox 2.0 has an intuitive interface and blocks viruses, spyware, and popup ads. Firefox is packed with features such as tabbed browsing, an integrated download manager, integrated search engines and theme support. Firefox is a secure and popular browser with a huge range of third-party addons available for download.
Opera 9.10 - Opera is a powerful tool that gives you more options when surfing the Web. With tabbed browsing, BitTorrent support, integrated search engines, integrate email client and more, Opera is an efficient, fast browser.
Netscape 8.1 - Netscape 8.1 features tabbed browsing, anti-spyware protection, RSS feed support, profiles, site control and the multibar.
Maxthon Recommended by tonkachi

Media Players
Foobar2000 - Media player that plays all of your music like WMP and winamp, but with an idiot-proof interface and low memory and cpu usage it's a great choice for older computers or those who do not have the performance to run their lag whoring competitors.
Windows Media Player 11 - This is new the Media Player. It has a slick new Vista-esque interface, an intuitive library and organisation tools, and faster and easier playback. Integrated into it is MTV's URGE online music store service, and also features improved MP3 ripping, and CD burning capabilities.
Apple iTunes 6 - iTunes is a good way to organize, share and listen to music on your computer. Find new favorites. Manage your growing library. Synchronise with your iPod and buy music from the iTunes online music store.
Apple Quicktime 7.1 - Quicktime is the player for those annoying .mov files which WMP just won't play. Easy and smooth, its a simple player which works well.
Nullsoft WinAmp 5.24 - WinAmp is a powerful media player whichrips CDs, burns CD, synchronises with a range of portable music players including the iPod. WinAmp is very popular and rightly so.
VLC Player - The only media player you will ever need.
Real Player - Media player used to read files with .rm or .rmvb extensions. Recommended by 無得頂
KM Player - Supports loads of codes and it's quick and easy. Recommended by battle3321
Real Alternative - An alternative to Real Player. Recommended by Aoes

Tools:
SyncToy - Great for people who have multiple computers and always forget which computer has the newest version of a certain file. The tools keeps everything up-to-date (Requires Service Pack 2 for Windows XP and Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1) Recommended by tonkachi
Winrar - Program used to unzip/decompress files of various extensions. Recommended by 無得頂
FlashGet - Handy application which speeds up download by receiving data from multiple mirrors Recommended by 無得頂
PC Wizard - Hardware resource moniter that displays information on various components such as Motherboard, CPU, Graphics Card, etc. Recommend by 無得頂
Autopatcher - Tool used to automatically update your PC. Recommended by Kqc84
Izarc - Tool used to extract various file formats which include (7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA, GZ, GZA, HA, IMG, ISO, JAR, LHA, LIB, LZH, MDF, MBF, MIM, NRG, PAK, PDI, PK3, RAR, RPM, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TGZ, TZ, UUE, WAR, XXE, YZ1, Z, ZIP, ZOO. Recommended by battle3321
Real VNC - Excellent application used to remotely control another computer through an internet connection. Fairly easy setup and takes very little resource to have running. Recommended by mince999

Chat Applications:
Pidgin - Chat application which incorporates a vast majority of chat software. (AIM, YIM, ICQ, MSN, Zephyr, etc.) Recommended by Aoes
Trillian - Chat application which incorporates AIM, YIM, MSN and ICQ. Recommended by Aoes


To-Do List:
Make sure you do these at least once or twice a week.
- Virus Scan
- Clear Cache and Cookie [ In your web browser > Tools > Options or Internet Options]

This you can do once a month.
- Defragment [Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tool > Defragment]

 

Essential downloads?

Maybe can add winrar, flashget, msn messenger, pc wizard, and real player to the list. Not essential, but all my computers have those.

 

nice list!! I didnt even know i had a defragment in my syetm tools.
Ive been using the system mechanic to defrag! lol.

 

i would add maxthon (www.maxthon.com) to your browser list and microsoft's sync toy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx)

- synctoy is great for people who have multiple computers and always forget which computer has the newest version of a certain file. The tools keeps everything up-to-date

 

Thanks for the input guys.
The list has been updated accordingly.

 

I recommend CCleaner over windows defender.

don't forget about Spyware blaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
prevents spyware instead finding and deleting!

 

ccleaner is used to purge temp files and open up some free space on your computer

windows defender is a spyware/antivirus software that protects from those pieces of software

@knoc didn't know about the requirmenets thanks for adding them

 

I would include Autopatcher. This way your system is fully patched the instant you go on the internet

 

not much just need browser and bt and im good

 

I recommend you add km player to list of media players
It supports loads of codec and is quick and easy.

http://www.kmplayer.com/kbbs/

and what about nod 32 it's very good as an antivirus.
http://www.eset.com/

and Izarc as useful tool. it supports 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH,
BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA, GZ, GZA, HA, IMG, ISO, JAR, LHA, LIB, LZH, MDF, MBF,
MIM, NRG, PAK, PDI, PK3, RAR, RPM, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TGZ, TZ, UUE, WAR, XXE, YZ1, Z, ZIP, ZOO.

http://www.izarc.org/

 

CCleaner - CCleaner removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! Recommend by Knoctur_nal

There you go!

And about your "to do list"...once of twice a week defrag? Mmm, I think more like once a month for defragging.

 

I'd remove Real Player in favor of Real Alternative...

also I'd add either Trillian or Pidgin in there as well...

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm

http://pidgin.im/pidgin/home/

http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/

 

thanks for the list. i have most of those programs already installed.

do i really need to defrag even if my computer says it doesn't need to defrag? just asking because my harddrive is huge and it would take a while to defrag the entire thing.

 

If windows doesn't say it needs to defrag, then you don't need to...well that's how I check if I need to or not.

 

Seconded. I hate using real player to play RMVB/RM.

 

Oh yeah...add winamp to that list too!!