So I just got a Windows 7 laptop as a hand me down and so far the only things I have done are install Chrome, Skype, Spotify, Java JRE/SDK, and Eclipse IDE. I own but haven't installed MS Office and the full Adobe Creative Cloud sweet.

I'm on a tight budget so I'm hoping for free software here.

What do I want to install for virus protection? for the health of the computer?

For media playing I plan on using VLC, in the last few years has a better program for video playback come around?

What other programs are good to have on every computer? (maybe for organization? /shrug)

Thanks much
-OllieK

 

I've found that people often disagree on what the optimal antivirus is, but I have for the past 7+ years found great use of Nod32 and I've never had any problems with viruses.

In the past, I just bought it. But due to me being a greedy shit I've just been using trial codes for the past 2 years that I have to renew once a month.

 

Unless you actually need Java, get rid of it.

Microsoft Security Essentials. Great protection, low memory install, and you can be sure they won't break Windows (unlike every other option on the market).

That said, the best defense is not being a stupid user.

No, stick with VLC.

Some kind of word processor if you do a lot of writing that can't or won't be done in Google Docs. Past that, no clue, but don't download and install a program until you actually need it.

 

That's damn sexy. It reminds me of a non-portable version of Portable Apps.

Even TeraCopy and Everything are included. I love those, they've both saved me from hours of lost time and countless frustrations.

 

Well, it really depends what you are going to use the computer for. If you are running Windows 7, why not upgrade to 10? Can it still be done for free? I do not remember... If you are trying to keep processing requirements to a minimum then the text editor notepad++ might be another good alternative, besides Eclipse IDE.

Mentioning the Java SDK makes me think that you are a programmer.
Visual Studio, IntelliJ, Webstorm, Netbeans and Wireshark are all great developer tools that I use. Do you use version control? Gitbash, SourceTree, Mercurial. Some of these programs can be a bit demanding of your computer though.

Addons to the browser can also be nice to have. Adblock and Adblock+ are nice to have, though some webside will reject you. I use multiple different browsers for this reason.

I also you VLC. What about programs for music? Spotify is one of many great ways to stream music.

I am afraid you will have to be more specific if you need further advice.

Ninite looks interesting. The company where i work is selling a product much like it. I will mention it to them next time I am in. See what they think of the competition.

 

Recommend getting IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition (free) instead, everything is so much better, it's like night and day.

 

It's...extremely clear that they're a Java programmer?

 

The SDK and IDE make it a given

 

I use MS Security Essentials and Defender constantly, run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware occasionally to check things, and CC once in a blue moon to clean out any crap.

Because I use Gmail web client (as opposed to a traditional email client like Outlook) which has great malware detection I don't have much to worry about.

A better firewall wouldn't hurt if I cared about such things, but I'm behind a NAT router, and don't need the granular control I used to need with my old XP system.

 

Pretty much all the software mentioned in this thread and much much more is mentioned in this very helpful wiki post, https://wiki.installgentoo.com/index.php/List_of_recommended_Windows_software

Every time I do a clean install I check here for what's been updated as recommended software.

Also if you are paranoid about privacy here is a helpful cmd that blocks all those evil spying updates and I mean every one they went all out in blocking what could be spying.
https://voat.co/v/technology/comments/853510

Edit # like 6: Also for media players I actually prefer CCCP
Which uses mpc hc but installs all the codecs you'd need for you.

 

I don't program, so I don't know what is or isn't needed to program.

 

The terms are common enough that it's worthwhile being aware of them.

JRE = Java Runtime Environment (This is for us non-programmers. The bit that you or I would need to install to run a Java program)

These are where programmers do their voodoo:
SDK = Software Development Kit
IDE = Integrated Development Environment

 

I'm a fan of F.lux. Seems almost silly, at first, but when it's actually running you can really tell the difference. It's pretty stark when it switches modes.

 

I know it's been nearly a week but I thoughtI'd just offer my own advice in case you're till looking around for software.

One of the things that I find most essential is CCleaner. It's Disk Cleaner which ensures that any temporary/junk files that you have get deleted.

These files tend to clog up your computer and affect runtime, slowing down your computer.

The software is free, but you can upgrade to a more advanced version. You can download it from here or use the direct download here.

 

I also recommend Ninite, it's very useful for getting all the shit you need in one place for this kind of thing.

 

Just installed this and I immediately felt strain in my eyes(that I didn't know I had) lessen.

Thanks. This was literally life changing.

 

I suggest using CrashPlan or something similar to backup your stuff to an external hard drive other storage location. I have been using the free version to backup my files to a NAS and haven't had any problems.

Edit: If you want to backup to a mounted drive (ex. a NAS) in Windows, CrashPlan will need to be installed per user rather than for everyone.

 

Thanks for that tip. Lately I've started having problems working/gaming in the evenings. Hopefully this will help out!

 

So this laptop is having a really perplexing issue for something with an i7 (although 3-4 years old) and a decent hunka RAM. when I try to watch Netflix or YouTube (and in the case of Netflix not have any other sites or programs I actively use like Steam, Spotify, or Skype) it will start to chug, the framerate on video playback will start to die, the laptop will get warm/hot, and the audio and video stutter pretty hard. ctrl+alt+del shows that somehow I'm using as much as 99% CPU and/or RAM.

I don't know much about OS's and haven't had this sort of problem on other PCs unless I had all those programs and a ton of tabs open, so my first guess is a memory leak or an equivalent thereof (my understanding is a memory leak would be a RAM thing, don't know if there's a CPU equivalent where there are unnecessary computations happening or what it's called if something other than memory leak).

Could it be the integrated GPU? if so I should update the driver since it's probably the default one it shipped with, which might be flawed. Are there even "drivers" for CPUs/mobo/RAM?

Sorry if this seems clueless, I have weird gaps in my knowledge.

Also is there a program that magically looks at all audio/video/hardware drivers and keeps them up to date?