Necessary programs for the computer. Required computer programs

Desktop and conductor.

Today we will look at what are the types of computer programs?. Let's review them. You will find out what programs and applications you need for work, what extensions they have and how to open them.

So, the main computer programs are a list;

OFFICE APPLICATIONS

This is a suite of applications included in Microsoft Office. There are versions of 2003, 2007 and 2010. New versions are read by old ones, but vice versa - not always. To do this you need add-ons for your computer.

Therefore, if a person sends you an office document in a new version, but you have an old one, ask him to convert it to the old version. This is easy to do, you and I will learn how to do this when we study these applications in detail.

This package includes

1. WORD text editor— allows you to create and edit letters, articles, brochures.

Has a DOC extension. (2003) and DOCX.

2. (2007 and 2010) EXCEL spreadsheets

— allows you to perform calculations, carry out analysis, build charts and graphs.

This is an excellent assistant in business and you will see for yourself when we study this program.

3. XLS extensions. (2003) and XLSX. (2007 and 2010). — Presentation of POWER POINT

tool for preparing and conducting presentations

4. PPT (2003) and PPTX (2007 and 2010) extensions Microsoft Office Picture Manager e

- picture manager. Helps edit graphic files. It can be partially replaced by a simple computer program Paint, which is built into Windows.

These are the most basic applications that you will need in your work for the first time.

This package also includes - Microsoft Asses (helps create databases and programs for working with them), Microsoft OneNote (collecting, organizing, searching and using notes and other information), Microsoft Outlook (allows you to receive and send mail, work with schedules, contacts, tasks, record your actions), Microsoft Publisher (allows you to create high-quality newsletters and brochures).

For all of these applications to open, you must have Microsoft Office software installed on your computer.

Programs for reading PDF files

These programs are easy to use and will greatly help you in your work.

If we build a business on the Internet, then it is impossible to do without communication. And thanks to these programs we can communicate both in writing and voice.

1. Skype is the main and widely used program. Installation and

2. ICQ - otherwise “ICQ”

4. QIP

5. Google TALK

Browsers

They allow you to “browse” the Internet and work there. There are many of them, but the main ones are Internet Explorer (IE), Google Chrome, Mazilla FireFox, Opera, Safari. We will meet with these programs more than once on this blog.

Antiviruses

Everyone knows how important and necessary these programs are. They will help both prevent infection by viruses and remove existing ones on the computer. There are free antiviruses and paid ones.

For a free option, AVAST is perfect. It protects your computer quite well.
Another very good free antivirus program is 360Total Security. That's what I use. It protects your computer perfectly, and if you want more advanced protection, there is a paid premium version.

If you want a paid one, enter “Best antiviruses of 2019” into your browser. And see what they offer you.

Programs for downloading files

They help download files quickly, conveniently, easily. There are a huge number of them on the Internet. They are especially relevant when you need to quickly download large, voluminous files, or who do not have a very good Internet connection.

WPI x86-x64 1.2019 1DVD

Description and composition of the WPI collection (Windows Post-Installation Wizard)WPI Pack 1.2019. (updated 01/17/2019)

Release date: January 2019

Size 5.7GB - To fit the image onto a DVD, remove programs you don’t need from the install folder!

Interface language: Russian.

System requirements: Platform - Windows XP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win8.1/Win10. (see notes)

Bit depth - x86/x64 (32/64 bit).

Description: a package of programs with a “silent” installation, placed in the shell of the Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) program installer, the programs are divided into categories and the entire installation and registration process is completely automatic. All you have to do is select the necessary programs and start the installation. All programs in the assembly have a brief description, where you can find links to instructions for working with the program. Most programs automatically detect the system bit depth and install according to it. All 32-bit programs are compatible with 64-bit OS.
The assembly is presented in an ISO image, which can be burned onto one DVD or simply unpacked to a convenient location using the WinRAR archiver. You can mount it to a virtual drive and copy it from there to a separate folder.

Video on using the collection:

Disable firewall, antivirus (if installed) and disable UAC. For Win 8 and 10, additionally disable Windows Defender and SmartScreen. This is necessary because some antiviruses give false positives to disinfection programs.
- do not install programs on top of similar ones already available in the system; because of this, the programs may not work correctly.
- do not install programs in large blocks, no more than 10-15 at a time, on weak computers a maximum of 5-10.
- the computer must be restarted after installing each block of programs, this way you will avoid glitches in the future.
- if not installed, install one of the first .NET Framework,
- install antivirus last,
- Install MS Office separately, because the installation takes quite a long time, and upon completion, wait until the computer activity stops for proper automatic activation,
- when installing programs on Win8 and Win8.1, be sure to run the OS .NET Framework component
*** The most ideal option is installation on a clean system ***

Composition of the WPI program collection

System utilities.

Advanced Driver Updater 4.5, AIDA64 5.97.4600,AOMEI Partition Assistant 7, Ashampoo Uninstaller v7.00.10, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 16.00.11, AusLogics BoostSpeed ​​10.0.2.0, Auslogics DriverUpdater 1.10, CCleaner 5.52, Defraggler 2.22, DriverPack Network 01.2019, DriverPack 17 Online 01.2019, HashTab 6, IObit Driver Booster Free 6.1, K-Lite Codec Pack 14.6.5 MEGA, Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2, Network Activity Indicator 1.6, Raxco PerfectDisk 14.0.880, Recuva 1.53, Revo Uninstaller Pro v3.2.1, SDI 01.2019,Speccy 1.32, Total Commander 9.12, Uninstall Tool v3.5.6, Unlocker 1.9.2 x86_x64, USB Safely Remove 6.0.8, VirtualBox 6.0.2, WinUtilities 15.22, Wise Care 365 4.9.1, Z-Info.

Archivers.

7-Zip 18.06, WinRAR 5.60.

Antiviruses.

360 Total Security 10.2.0, AdwCleaner 7.2.6, CureIT 01.2019, ESET Internet Security 11, Kaspersky Free Antivirus 19, MBAM 3.6.1.

Safety.

AnVir Task Manager 9.2.6, Sandboxie 5.26, Shadow Defender 1.4.0, Unchecky 1.2.

CD-DVD utilities.

Ashampoo Burning Studio 20.0.2.7,CDBurnerXP 4.5.6, Daemon Tools Lite 10.6, Daemon Tools Pro 8.2, Nero 17 RUS,SPTD driver v1.87, UltraISO v9.7, Virtual CloneDrive 5.4.9.0 Final.

Internet applications.

Adobe Flash Player 30, Avira Phantom VPN, CyberGhost VPN 6.5.1, Google Chrome 69, ICQ 8.4 Build 7786 Final, Java SE JRE 1.8 x86-x64, MicrosoftSilverlight 5.1 x86-x64, Mozilla Firefox 64, Mozilla Thunderbird 38.2.0 Ru, Opera 57, QIP 2012 4.0.9380,Old Skype 7.4, Skype 8.37, TeamViewer 13.1,Telegram 1.5.4, The Bat Professional v7.0.0.56, TOR Browser 8.0.4, Viber 9.9, µTorrent Pro 3.5.3.

Audio and Video editors.

Adobe Audition CS6 5.0.2.7, Any Video Converter Ultimate 6.2.5, Ashampoo Music Studio v7.0.2.5, DVDFab 9.2.1.5,Free Studio 6.6.39, MediaInfo 0.7.80, MKVToolNix 29.0.0 x86-64, mp3Tag Pro 2.91.

Working with documents and texts.

ABBYY FineReader v14, Adobe Reader DC 2019 RU, Foxit Advanced PDF Editor v3.10, FoxitReader 7.2.5.930 Standart, ICE Book Reader v9.4.4 Rus, Microsoft Office 2016 Pro Plus, Notepad++ 7.5.4, PuntoSwitcher v4.4.0

Graphics editors.

ACDSee Pro 21, Adobe Photoshop CC 14.1.2, FastStone ImageViewer 6.7, Home PhotoStudio 11, Paint.net 4.1.5, Picasa 3.9.141, STDU Viewer 1.6.375, XnView 2.45.

Players.

AIMP 4.51 Daum PotPlayer 1.7,foobar2000 v1.3.9,GOM Player 2.2.67, Media Player Classic 1.7.13 (x86 and x64), QuickTime Pro 7.7.8, RadioTochka Plus 15 RU, RusTVplayer 3.3, The KMPlayer 4.2.2, VLC media player 3.0.3.

For games.

DirectX 9.0c, 10, 11 and 12, MS VC++ 2005 - 2017 x86-x64, Steam 2.10, Runtme Pack lite 17.3.14.

For Windows 10.

Destroy Win10 Spying 2019, FixWin10 2019.

Note: the assembly is open for editing, you can remove or add your programs as you wish (unzip WPI to disk, run WPI, a hidden menu will appear in it), we can also add the desired program to the assembly after voting in the comments. Write which program you would like to add to the assembly in the comments, if your comment gets a certain number of likes, we will add it to the assembly.

WPI build notes.

- Run the assembly only as an administrator, otherwise installation of programs is not guaranteed!

The assembly has been tested on WinXP x32 OS (not all programs work, since the OS is outdated.) Win7 x86/x64, Win8.1 x32/x64 Final and Win10x86/x64.
- The assembly was checked for viruses by antiviruses KIS, Avast, ESET IS 11. There are no viruses in the collection! If you are still afraid, then just don’t download!). Some antiviruses falsely detect programs in the assembly due to disinfectants. The assembly was carefully and for a long time checked for all types of threats and viruses by various antiviruses, anti-malware, anti-rootkits, EVERYTHING IS CLEAN!
- .NET Framework and MS Office 2016. It takes quite a long time to install, just wait.
Features of installing programs on Win8.1 and 10:
- Before installing programs, disable Windows Defender and SmartScreen.
- Be sure to run the .NET Framework OS component, since many programs require it.
- The program and some others do not support Win8.1 and 10 OS (see description).

- New antiviruses do not work on old OSes, be careful!

Not all programs are installed in silent mode; we recommend monitoring the installation.

Antiviruses , Kaspersky Free Antivirus 19 and TS 360 will be installed only with the Internet turned on. For the installation of all programs to take place 100%, a working Internet connection is required.

History of changes in the assembly:

• More than 71% of programs have been updated; programs that were not updated are current or were not updated by the publisher.
  
• Some programs have been removed (WinZip Pro 21Winamp v5.666.3516,MozBackup 1.5.1,Orbit Downloader 4.1.1.3,PROMT Pro 9.0.443 Giant,MediaCoder 0.8.37.5790,DVDInfo Pro 6.5.2.3 En. ), they are either buggy or have lost their relevance.
• New programs added ( Z-Info, ESET Internet Security 11,AdwCleaner 7.2.2,Avira Phantom VPN, CyberGhost VPN 6.5.1,Old Skype 7.4,TeamViewer 13.1Any Video Converter Ultimate 6.2.5).
  
• New instructions added.

Assembly suggestions.

Write your suggestions in the comments, but keep in mind that the assembly is not rubber and it is not possible to fit huge programs into 1 disk. Every day people use DVDs less and less. In this regard, this time the image exceeded 4.7 gigabytes and the entire image will not work on a regular DVD disc. If you still need to place the WPI on disk, then unzip the ISO image to the disk of your computer and remove all programs you do not need from the INSTALL folder. Once the data size is reduced to 4.7 gigs or less, you can burn WPI to a regular disk.

Below you can download old versions of our WPI assembly:

Welcome! Today we will talk about 7 programs for Windows that should be present on every computer.

This article will not be a revelation for advanced guys and girls. But it can be a good reminder for those who are just taking their first steps in independently servicing and setting up a personal computer.

1. Archiver. Squeeze and unclench are still in fashion.

An archiver is a program (a set of programs in one graphical interface) that should be the first to take up space on your computer.

Most likely, immediately after installation Windows, You may come across a driver or program that is packaged in an archive.

And here it will be a shame if it is. To unpack it, you need an archiver. To download the archiver, you need a network driver. Vicious circle.

This combination of circumstances seems unlikely. But many experienced users can confirm that this has happened, and this can happen.

Therefore, the archiver should be on your flash drive at the moment when you are about to reinstall your OS.

There are a huge number of various archivers with a graphical interface (previously archivers worked from the command line).

All of them support the overwhelming number of formats - zip, rar, iso, jar, cab, tar, gz, ace, arj etc. Therefore, by installing just one program, you will receive a whole set of tools with archives.

The names of some of these programs are: 7-Zip, WinRAR, WinZIP, HaoZIP etc. almost ad infinitum.

We will not go into the functionality of each program. Our goal today is different.

Although WinRAR is a paid application, it will work fine for many years in its trial version, only occasionally reminding you that it is “paid”.

You have the right to use the archiver that you find more convenient and advanced.

2. Browser. Surfing the Internet.

Browser - from English browser — reviewer. Actually, from this name it is not difficult to guess the purpose of the programs of this group. With their help, we view (browse) pages on the Internet.

Once upon a time, back in 1995, the first version of the operating system appeared Windows 95. The disadvantage of that version was the complete absence of any browser out of the box. I had to install Netscape Navigator- third-party browser. Now I don’t even remember, maybe there were others.

MicroSoft's own browser appeared later, a little over a year later, in OS Windows 95 OSR2 and was called...

Absolutely right - Internet Explorer. Not the best and fastest browser.

20 years have passed since then, but the habits of the mega-corporation remain the same. Only in version 10 Windows, I.E. they simply hid it in a folder, away from the user’s eyes, without even displaying a shortcut in the menu “ Start". And to replace it they brought a new miracle with the same letter - Edge browser. But as users joke, the purpose of both mentioned programs is to download another browser using them.

But let's not mock - I.E. was and remains the favorite browser of older accountants and software developers for these same accountants.

There are a huge number of browsers on the market now. All of them are usually free. They are created on the basis of each other, use the same engines and in essence are not much different.

For example, Google Chrome,Yandex.Browser and now also Opera- use the same technologies and engines Chromium. You can easily verify this by looking at each page “ About the browser«.

The whole difference is in the improvements, add-ons, extensions, appearance and default settings.

The top four is completed by Mozilla Firefox- a browser with its own unique engine, history and fans. Firefox- present out of the box in several operating systems of the family Linux. Taken as a basis when creating the program Tor Browser.

It has many extensions that make its possibilities almost unlimited. Although other browsers are no longer inferior to it in this regard.

1. Google Chrome is a fast but memory-hungry browser. Has thousands of extensions for any purpose. Has a built-in Flash plugin, replacing Adobe Flash Player — Pepper Flash Plugin, which is updated along with the browser. Synchronizes data in your Google account. Can translate pages into Russian.
2. Opera evokes warm feelings in many people. Beautiful, pleasant, simple, but at the same time functional and fast. Has its own extension store. Does not have built-in Flash plugin, it must be installed separately. More resistant to uncontrolled installation of unwanted extensions and Malware.
3. Yandex.Browser is beautiful and modern. Easy to use. Has data synchronization (like all mentioned browsers), for which your email is used Yandex account. So simple and clear that everything you need fits into one small menu. I don't really want to go into settings. It has the function of translating pages into Russian from other languages.
4. Mozilla Firefox is a browser with history. Ognelis is loved by Linux users, programmers, testers, SEO specialists and many other technically literate people. It has a huge number of extensions, themes, addons, plugins, etc. Just a good browser with a bunch of tweaks.
5. Tor Browser is a browser based on two things: Mozilla Firefox and full anonymity. Tor allows you to use proxy servers and virtual private networks to browse the web. Does not leave cookies, does not store cache and does not write history. The best browser for anonymity on the Internet.

3. A set of codecs.

Something that no modern computer can do without is codecs.

Codecs are small converter programs that compress video and audio when recording videos, and also decode them during playback.

If you do not install a codec on your computer that matches your family video camera, it is unlikely that you will be able to view video from it on your computer. Likewise, if you don't have a DVD codec, you won't be able to watch your favorite DVD.

To watch a movie in MKV- need a codec Matroska, to view video from surveillance cameras you will need H.264, and so on.

If you had a situation where the video did not open, or opened without sound or image, then most likely the appropriate codec was simply not installed on your computer.

How to understand what codecs are needed and where to get them?

Actually, as a simple user, we should be little concerned about the question of what codecs we need. Let this worry the guys involved in video processing. We must understand that there are sets of codecs that include the most popular, or even almost all possible codecs.

These sets are called " packs» ( pack- set, set, package, pack). Codec sets differ both in the manufacturer (who assembled the codecs and released the final product) and in the contents of the package.

I think many will agree - at the moment the package is in the lead K-Lite Code Pack.

There are several configurations of this product - Basic, Standard, Full, Mega.

The contents of each package are clear from the names. If we want everything at once, download it Mega.

Comes with a light, fast and pleasant Media Player Classic which will reveal EVERYTHING.

All programs and games that use “exotic” codecs that are not in the package deliver them themselves during installation.

6. Cleanliness is the key to health. Even on computers.

Despite all the delights of the operating system Windows latest versions, it still has quite a few weak points. One of them - registry. The registry needs to be monitored and maintained. But not every user is able to independently monitor errors in its structure, much less manually eliminate them.

The second rather unpleasant thing is directories of temporary files, which viruses and other computer vermin love so much. You can clean your computer from viruses as much as you like and Malware, but if you forget to clean the directories of temporary files, you can wait for the “guests” again.

In operating systems of the family Linux, catalog /tmp is cleared automatically upon completion of work.

What prevented the developers Windows do the same? Unknown.

In addition to the above, it wouldn’t hurt to check the startup items. So that unnecessary things are not loaded along with Windows.

It would also be nice to get rid of programs that were installed without asking with other products.

All this and much more can be done by one very good, and most importantly free program. Experienced comrades most likely have already guessed what we are talking about.

A program that should be on every Windows computer is CCleaner.

Recently, many little-known programs have appeared that pretend to be “cleaners” and antiviruses. Be carefull.

7. Security is not just an antivirus.

Well, we got to the most pressing issue. Before defense.

Many are ready to beat themselves in the chest and defend the honor of this or that antivirus. Oh, how many disputes, quarrels and squabbles there were on this basis.

That is why today we will not talk about an antivirus, but about its alternative.

Meet - Malwarebytes Antimalware- a powerful product that will protect you from unwanted browser extensions, advertising of gambling establishments that interfere with work or watching a movie.

It is he who will make your computer “breathe” in a new way and give a second chance to the operating system.

Has 4 levels of real-time protection (paid version):

• Anti-Malware
• Defence from ransomware
• Defence from exploits
• Defence from malicious websites

And the free version is a powerful scanner that identifies threats that simply cannot be seen by any antivirus. It (free version) has a powerful heuristic file analysis.

Suitable for use with conventional antivirus. Doesn't conflict.

By using Malwarebytes You can cure a heavily infected computer yourself without resorting to the help of specialists.

In this article we will talk about what programs you need to install on your computer first. This will be the most important set of software that must be installed on any user’s PC. This minimum is useful for both comfortable and safe work.

For the most impatient, I will right now post a list of programs that will be discussed in this article below, and accordingly this is what what you need to install on your computer Firstly.

• Antivirus
• Player
• Codecs
• Browser
• Torrent
• Converter
• Archiver
• Record

1. Antivirus

An antivirus program is the first thing a user should install on their computer after purchasing a computer or after reinstalling the system. Nowadays, especially for a novice user, it is very easy to pick up one. All this can end in disaster, including theft of personal data.

So take care of this. The answer to the question is no. It’s different for everyone, but among the leaders we can highlight the following: Kaspersky, Avast, NOD32 and Doctor Web. And the choice is yours.

2. Player

To listen to songs and watch videos, we need a player. Of course, you can limit yourself to the standard “viewer” and “listener” of Windows Media Player, but many want something more. Therefore, choosing and installing a player is also included in this list.

One of the coolest players for watching videos is Aimp and Winamp for listening to music. Also quite popular is the JetAudio player, which can both play video and play music.

In addition to the previous point, we have codecs. To fully reproduce absolutely any audio and video formats, you need. One of the most popular codec sets is the K-Lite Codec Pack, which will help you play almost any movie and music.

4. Browser

I doubt that any of you are not connected to the Internet. Take this article, for example, most likely you are reading it from your computer, which is connected to the global network. Therefore, the browser is also one of the essential programs that you need to install immediately on your computer.

We won’t even talk about standard Internet Explore; it’s terrible in one word. We must install a more modern browser, for example, Mozilla or, as a last resort, Opera. This is up to your taste, I have listed for you the most popular browser programs and the really good ones.

You will need these programs for daily use. After all, most users, every time they spend time at the computer, listen to music and watch videos, so a normal player and codecs are simply necessary. And where would we be today without the Internet? After all, every modern person already uses it, so a fast browser is also important, and so that the time spent online does not turn out to be dangerous for the computer, you need to install a good antivirus.

5. Torrent

If you are going to download something from the Internet, then of course you need some kind of torrent client. One of the most popular programs whose purpose is to download files from torrent trackers is uTorrent. MediaGet and Zona have also spread recently. Install one of them on your computer so that you can access the necessary files in the future.

6. Converter

Often users have to convert various files. Change the format of the movie in order to download it later to your phone or convert audio to mp3 or wav. Sooner or later the program will be needed in any case. Therefore, I suggest that you get acquainted in advance with the free Format Factory program, which will convert your video or audio into absolutely any popular formats.

7. Archiver

To pack and unpack files from an archive, we need an archiver program. Quite often, when downloading files from the Internet, they end up packed into an archive, and in general, to transfer or transfer a large number of files to another computer, it’s easier to pack it all into an archive. In a word, you either need to install 7-zip so that, if necessary, you can extract files from the archive, or vice versa - pack them.

8. Recording files

Another common task for everyday users is writing files to disks. You've probably heard about a program like Nero - this is a huge package that is designed not only for, but also for working with video, audio, and so on. But we don't need this powerful program. For our purposes - recording data on disks, a simple program will suffice, for example, Discs Studio, which I recommend to everyone who wants to record movies, music or something else onto a blank (empty disk).

On the one hand, it seems that the list is small, only 8 programs, but on the other hand, if you think about it, most of the time when working at a computer, the user needs these programs.

We surf the Internet using a browser, we have music playing in the player, the antivirus constantly protects us from malware, when downloading packed files from the network via torrent, the archiver will help us unpack them, and if we need to write something to a disc, then the installed the program will come to the rescue. We also have a program for converting files that can easily change the format, size and, if necessary, turn off the computer.

So if you have a question, what programs to install on your computer, then feel free to return to this list and recommend it to everyone!

I spent a long time choosing a new computer, and finally here it is - standing on the table, the Windows screen saver is on the screen, and what to do next, what programs need to be installed? I saw something somewhere, heard something somewhere, in general my head is a mess! Let this article be a small guide to the TOP most necessary programs for a computer, according to the site.

No matter how hard Microsoft tries to refine its operating system, a clean OS can only be used in limited conditions - for example, at work, where installing additional programs is prohibited or there are no rights.

What to choose, paid or free programs

It just so happens that free programs alone are not enough, it turns out somewhere 50/50. I in no way advocate using cracked versions, but this is our reality that “cracked” programs are used everywhere. In my experience, to solve almost any problem there is at least one free program that is sufficient. But paid software is usually more convenient and has more features. But they are needed for large-scale work or for professional activities.

Antivirus – necessary protection

I have already touched on the topic of antivirus more than once; this is an absolutely necessary program that I download on any computer immediately after installing Windows. Perhaps an antivirus is the program that is better to buy and live in peace. Paid versions eliminate the headache of searching for updated keys and signature databases. Our most common ones:

Which one to choose is a personal matter for everyone. No one will provide 100% protection, so just choose which one you like best.

Good ones from the free ones:

Alternative browser

For the convenience of using the Internet, you will need to install one of them to replace the standard Internet Explorer/Edge. Popular in our area:

All of them are free and very useful programs. Today the browser from Yandex is rapidly gaining popularity. This is undoubtedly one of the best browsers, but everyone has their own preferences.

In terms of speed and system resource consumption, I prefer Opera. And those who like flexibility in configuration can choose Mozilla FireFox. If you remain on standard Internet Explorer, then at least update it to the latest version.

Archiver

By default, Microsoft Windows cannot work with such a common archive format as “.rar”. Probably in the West everyone only uses zip. I install a shell that supports all the necessary archive formats, including “.zip”. WinRAR is built into the operating system, allowing you to work with archives from the context menu in Explorer.

As an alternative, I can recommend the program 7-Zip. It also has all the necessary functions, but it cannot pack into the “.rar” format. But it can unpack the “.7z” format.

Office suite

A must-have for working with texts and tables: Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Although I included this in the mandatory list, not everyone needs it. But I have never seen a laptop without Microsoft Office or its free equivalent OpenOffice. Among the lighter office packages, I recommend WPS Office.

To read PDF books you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDF is the most common format for documentation, books and instructions. It will work without a special program, but the functionality will be limited to the simplest actions. Acrobat Reader is a completely free program.

Messenger, Internet phone

Programs for free communication around the world via the Internet:

• Skype is the most famous, but is becoming outdated, there is a detailed
• Viber is actively gaining popularity
• WhatsApp is one of the most popular in the world

All programs support voice, video and chat. An indispensable tool for communication, in addition to social networks. To do this, headphones and a web camera (for video communication), as well as an installed program on both devices of the interlocutors. Messengers also allow you to call landlines and mobile phones, but this is no longer free.

In order for you to be able to communicate with relatives and friends, you need to find out what programs they themselves use. But usually everything is installed at once. I note that in order for Viber and WhatsApp to work on a PC, they must be installed on the smartphone too.

I showed the basic programs for a laptop in minimal variety. For the more advanced, I recommend another package of software.

After installing the drivers, first of all I install the file manager. This program provides convenient access to the file system, replacing the standard Windows Explorer. It is much more convenient to copy, move, change files. I advise everyone! My work with the computer begins with the launch of Total Commander.

Mail client

To check their email, a person usually goes to a website such as gmail.com and looks at their inbox. But it is much more convenient to use special programs - email clients, especially if you have several email accounts.

The program connects to the server and downloads all mail to the computer. You can view it without browser delays, quickly switching between boxes. I recommend or Mozilla Thunderbird. The standard Microsoft Outlook (built into Windows XP/7 and Microsoft Office) and the Mail application in Windows 10 are not bad, but The Bat! I like it better because it is very easy to transfer mail to another computer or to a new operating system without the risk of losing important information.

Convenient video and audio player

I recommend installing separate video and audio players to replace the standard Windows Media Player. No matter how hard the developers try, they cannot combine both a video and an audio player in one program so that everyone likes it. For these purposes, it is better to use separate programs. The following have worked well for video playback:

Torrent downloader

Today, something worthwhile can be downloaded for free on the Internet either from file hosting services or using torrents. You will need the uTorrent program.

Password Manager

In order not to remember all the logins and passwords that you will certainly start to acquire, I recommend using one of the password managers. The program remembers all your passwords and stores them on the server. Subsequently, they can be used from anywhere, on any computer and browser. I recommend using or LastPass.

RoboForm is the first thing I install because it stores all my access to Internet services and applications on my computer. I also have an add-on for the Mozilla Firefox browser on my smartphone, with which I always have up-to-date logins and passwords on my phone.

Cleaning the CCleaner system

I’m sure a useful thing for any system running Windows 7/8/10 is the CCleaner program. Designed for periodic, approximately once a month, cleaning of the operating system and programs from accumulated garbage. Basically, these are various temporary folders, files, caches, which not only fill up free disk space, but also often worsen the performance of the computer. Especially useful for improving the performance of browsers that begin to slow down over time.

Optional Settings

Useful only if you have special system requirements.

A set of codecs for video and audio

By default, Windows can only play the most basic video and audio file formats. To support other formats, you will need one of the codec sets, such as K-Lite Codec Pack or Win7Codecs. This installation is not necessary because any modern multimedia player already has all the common codecs built-in, or it immediately offers to download them.

Disc burning program

DVD drives are used less frequently than before, but are still found in almost every computer. I use the program to burn discs. For free ones, I recommend JetBee FREE or ImgBurn.

Outdated, somewhere else popular ICQ

A popular client for communicating via the ICQ protocol (“ICQ” in popular parlance). Previously, every computer had a former “de facto” standard for exchanging instant messages via the Internet, such as free SMS, only in a larger volume. You can often see it in contacts on various service sites and online stores.

I use social networks, Telegram and ICQ at the same time. This way you can keep constant contact with people. Instead of the cumbersome ICQ program, I recommend installing a convenient QIP client. The program is in Russian and has a simple and intuitive interface.

Bonus – Punto Switcher

This is the minimum program that is needed for a computer and I use them myself. I literally opened my Start menu and selected the most basic thing. I do not recommend using various Windows builds, such as “Zver”, although some of the necessary software is already built into them. But it is precisely because of them that inexplicable problems with the computer later emerge.