What do you need for your computer?

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As you might know, I have got a new computer. I want to optimize this one as much as possible, so therefor, Im wondering what programs are good to have. Im generaly speaking about free stuff to download.

So far I have:
WinZip
WinRAR
Ad-Aware
Some codec pack
VCL media player
WinAmp
Direct Connect

more?

 

DivX
Spybot Seek/Destroy
Mozilla Firefox or Opera (Don't use IE)
Steam (w/HL1+HL2 CD Keys)
Trillian
Quicktime(I don't like it, but you need it sometimes)

 

Well, first off, ditch WinZIP...WinRAR does the same thing, and does a better job too!

As for me:

Security
Ad-Aware
Spy Sweeper
Zone Alarm
McAfee Virus Scanner

Audio/video players
Liquid Palyer 5
QuickTime
M$ WMP9
WinDVD

Other
FreeRAM XP Pro
Trillian
Tweak UI (powertoys)
Nero
Webshots
WinRAR

Wow...I'm actually organized today!

 

Ahhh! I feel like a noob! I don't know what trillian is! Argh!

/me adds:
Win GPG (GNU Privacy Tool, like PGP without patented algorithims)
Yes, I know "Tool" doesnt start with a G!

Open Office (yayness) (Like MS Office without exorbitant prices... none at all in fact) (saved me from being murdered when I lost the MS Office CDkey during a format)

The GIMP (extra yayness) (Free Photoshop-ish thingy. Hard to use sometimes)

Mozilla Thunderbird (mail client which encrypts and decrypts mail)

All these are useful and free.

 

Thanks guys, be sure to add more if you come up with anything. I have a (few) question(s) about Mozilla though: what makes it better than Internet Explorer? Does it leave temporary internet files?

 

Trillian is a free program that bundles MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, ICQ, and most importanly, IRC all in one neet program!

 

Sweet.
I'm off to try to find a Mac version.

 

Well, some of those seem rather useless when there are 3-in-1 kind of solutions, but guess that is just me. Since you listed DC you are probably into P2P stuff, so do not forget BitTorrent. There are several different clients, but I have found ABC rather good.

 

My list of software:

Some Antivirus and Firewall.
(personal free favourites: Symantec Personal Firewall and AntiVir)

RamBooster
Mozilla Firefox
Miranda Instant Messenger
Azureus (A BitTorrent client)
CDex (CD ripping)
X Codec Pack
FilZip
SpyBot

There is more stuff but these are what I could remember right away.

And Mozilla Firefox is more secure than IE. (a LOT more secure than IE.)

 

Mozilla is a nice alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but it's not IE core, which means that if you're using Windows, some programs which originally integrated into IE (e.g., Flashget) will now require plugins to function properly. This might not seem a whole big deal, but it gets annoying sometimes. I personally like Maxthon, formerly known as MyIE. It looks and functions very much like IE, but with some significant modifications like split pages, built-in popup blocker, and a personal favorite: mouse movement aliasing! (Arx Fatalis, anyone?) Not only does it efficiently replace IE, it's actually fun to use. And it's free, too.

BTW, Flashget is a must for file downloading, while since a lot of media over the web comes in Realmedia format, Realplayer now also has a free version available. As for P2P, get Shareaza. Not only does it have it's own network, it supports both Edonkey and BT downloads, making it an all-in-one P2P solution.