Essential softwares for windows

If you are using Windows XP on your system, you need some extra tools to keep it running in optimum speed and good condition. After installation of XP, you also need to install some must have programs to see that your PC is up-to-date. So here goes the big list of all must-have programs.

Antivirus Software:

  Antivirus program is essential for your PC. There are thousands of virus in the computer world. These transmit from one PC to other in many ways. Internet is the major transmitter. Downloads from internet and even improper browsing habits is suspectible to virus infection. Removable media’s like Pen drive, CD, Floppy can also transmitt virus. So your PC needs a antivirus program which will be scanning each and every file that gets into your PC. In other words, you need a antivirus software which has On-access scanner.
But since it is essential, you need to choose an effective antivirus program which also uses mimimal system resources.(read the TOP8 antivirus post)

Spybot- Search & Destroy

 Spybot S&D detects and removes spyware. It doesn’t have On-Access scanner. Hence there will be no problem installing it with Windows Defender. It supports Windows 95, 98, ME. NT, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, PE, Mobile, Linux and Unix.

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After installation, you need to manually update the definitions.

VLC Player

This is a highly portable media player which plays almost all video and audio formats. It can also be used as a server in unicast or in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. It supports Windows, Linux and Mac platforms. Hence it is named as VLC LAN Player.

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K-lite Codec Pack

Many times you might have come across instances when your media player refuses to play certain video and audio files due to lack of codec. Codecs are needed for Media players to play video and audio files. Due to copyright issues, not all media players come bundled with all codecs. Hence there is a requirement of a all-in-one package which will get rid of codec problems. K-lite is one such codec pack which is absolutely free and highly rated on internet.

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Ccleaner

Windows leaves behind loads of unwanted files upon time. Installation and uninstallation of programs also leaves behind unwanted registry entries which will slow down the system considerably. So one needs to have a crap cleaner and registry cleaner installed.It removes junk unwanted and temporary files and also invalid registry entries. Run Ccleaner atleast one in a week to keep your system clean.

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Revo Uninstaller

Revo Uninstaller is a freeware innovative uninstall utility much faster than Windows Add/Remove applet. After the program's regular uninstaller runs, you can remove additional unnecessary files, folders and registry keys that are usually left over on your computer. Even if you have a broken installation, Revo Uninstaller scans for an application's data on your hard disk drives and in the Windows registry and shows all found files, folders and registry items so you can delete them. 
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Java

Now-a-days, many websites use java plug-in for playing games, adding interactive content etc. These applications are written in the Java programming language and are termed as “applets”. One should have this installed to experience the internet world.

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Adobe Flash Player

Many websites and programs add flash content to make it interactive and eye catching. Hence you should have this installed to see that you don’t miss out something. Certain program installations itself uses flash player.

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Winrar

This is a file compression utility alternative to Winzip. Winrar can open Winzip files too. But Winrar compressed files can’t be opened by Winzip. Now-a-days, people exchange data using Winrar. Many internet downloads are winrar based. Hence it makes sense to have it.

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