Applications that should be on all Windows Based PCs
It’s always surprising to me how
many people buy PC but don’t understand how to use or maintain them. I get
called all the time to fix things that aren’t even broken then they ask me how
much and I feel like I am a thief if I take anything. I decided to make DIY /
Tutorials for those who don’t want to get raped in the pockets by PC Repair
technicians.
Red Text = PC Utilities
Blue Text = Media
Yellow = Workflow
Aqua = Multi-functional
1.
Revo-Uninstaller
– No matter what type of computer you own they all will have a built in way to
uninstall applications. So why download this (or) any other one? Well to put it
simply Revo-Uninstaller is more efficient than the stock uninstallers. Stock
Uninstallers tend to leave behind hidden and unwanted data that in the long run
may bog down your computer. Get The App Here!!! or Here
2.
CCleaner – Ccleaner is basically a
Registry Cleaner that will locate and fix errors in your computer’s registry.
It also creates a back-up just in case something goes wrong so you can restore
you PC back to the way it was before you ran it. It also has many other uses
like cleaning your PC of junk files that are stored on your hard drive. It allows
you to edit your start-up programs which are very useful for speeding up your
PC’s boot time. CCleaner retails for $24.99 but you can make do with the free
version. Get it Here or Here
3. Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows
7 and below) – Afraid of viruses? This is the best free software available and
honestly I can afford to pay for Virus protection software but I still I find
this to be top notch. If you have Windows 7, Vista, or XP download this and
uninstall whatever adware of a virus protection you may have. Cool thing about
MSE is that you don’t have to pay it any mind. Just install it and it will do
its work and let you know if it finds anything. Get it Here
4. Infran View – I always get asked how to
resize images… This is probably the best free option out there unless you want
a full blown image editor, then I would Recommend GIMP or Adobe Photoshop. It
is fast and free. Get it Here
5. Mozilla Firefox – Before the Google fan-boys
come at me with pitchforks I have to give Firefox a slight edge nowadays in the
browser wars because it uses less resources. Plus no matter how hard I try
Google Chrome still insist to start on startup and continue running in the
background when it has been closed. Honestly it not an issue for me but for
someone with a lower end computer it may bog it down. Mozilla Firefox has
always been a great browser though its momentum has been slowly dying over the
years it is still one of the most functional feature rich browsers out there.
If you have a decent built up computer on Windows 7 or 8 go with Chrome as your
main Internet browser. Get it here
6. 7-Zip File Manger – If you are looking
for a the best way to open up compressed folders you can’t go wrong to 7-Zip. Get it Here
7. Kodi (Formally XBMC) – While windows
media center is pretty good it lags (pun intended) behind Kodi. Kodi will play
pretty much any file format so there is really no need to convert files. It is
fully customizable. The only issue is that for novice user the initial setup
may be confusing. Get it Here
8. VLC Media Player – If you need to play
anything but don’t want to have to open up a full blown media center, VLC is
the way to go. Just like Kodi it will play pretty much everything without the
need to convert files. Get it Here
9. Google Drive – Let’s face it, we are
always looking for a replacement for Microsoft Office for the simple fact that we
don’t want to pay for it… There are other options but when it comes down to it
MS Office is still the industry standard. That is where Google Drive comes in,
yes it is not a full replacement for an MS Office because it require an
Internet Connection but it a great alternative. It allows you to create and
edit all of Microsoft’s formats but with a nifty feature which enables out to
invite friends to collaborate on projects. If can’t always be online I suggest
downloading Open-Office which is probably the closest you can get to Microsoft
Office without being Microsoft Office. Get it Here
10. Handbrake Media Transcoder – Have also
of videos that you want to put on your mobile device but don’t have them in the
right file format? Here is a free solution; Handbrake will allow you to convert
these videos to a wide verity of file formats. Get it Here