Whenever I reinstall Windows or buy a new computer there is a specific set of applications that I always have installed. Most of these are installed using InstallPad, a free program that allows you to create application lists and have it auto-install everything.

• Mozilla Firefox, internet browser
  • It’s always hard using a computer that only has IE on it after using Firefox extensively - ads are the main reason, as AdBlock Plus makes my Firefox browsing experience practically ad-free! Aside from that extensions like Greasemonkey, Download Statusbar, and Ubiquity make your browser work the way you want it to.
• Adobe Flash Player
  • No real explanation needed here - flash is used for games & videos across the internet
• 7-Zip, archive tool
  • I used to use WinRAR but it turns out 7-zip is just as good. Since by default Windows has few archive types (mainly zip) that it can open a program like 7-zip is required
• Foxit Reader, pdf reader
  • Not only is Foxit Reader portable but it starts instantly - literally, it has no loading screen or anything. It also integrates into the browser like Adobe Reader, making it a fully featured lightweight replacement.
• Notepad++, programmer’s text editor
  • Whether you work with HTML, PHP, C++, or Ruby Notepad++ has full syntax highlighting and the ever needed indenting features. While there are many other features to it, that’s all you really need. Since Window’s Notepad can’t even handle newlines correctly a text editor is a must and Notepad++ covers almost every programming, scripting, and markup language to date.
• Audacity, audio editing
  • Of limited use on a day-to-day basis, Audacity’s real power lies in both its audio recording (simple to use) and rapid editing. In particular, it’s useful for noise removal. It also is capable of modifying mp3 files and their tag information, with the lame enc dll.
• Real Alternative Lite, video codecs
  • No need for a full Real Player install, that’s all.
• Quicktime Alternative, video codecs
  • Similarily no need for a full Quicktime install.
• Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP), video codecs
  • There are several options when it comes to codec packs but none of them are as lightweight as CCCP. Not only does it include Media Player Classic, my preferred video player, but it uses only ~10MB of disk space to allow you to play almost every video file you come across - the sole exception I can think of is handled by Real Alternative. If you watch video on your computer at all you should get CCCP.
• Media Player Classic, video player
  • Despite resembling far outdated video players MPC is fully featured yet low on resource usage - it’s quick to start, has no library features, and does one thing well: playing video. It also integrates well with the above codec packs.
• CCleaner, space & registry cleanup
  • Not an everyday tool to be sure but after several uninstallations and every so often in general it’s a good idea to run CCleaner. It deletes temporary and other unneeded files and fixes registry mistakes.
• ClamWin, antivirus
  • While not as comprehensive as Avast! I still use ClamWin for one reason: I’ve never noticed slowdown, not even while scanning, as a result of using it. With other antivirus applications your computer will have random bouts of slowdown due to scanning, sometimes even when you’re just opening a folder. This along with ThreatFire provides full protection anyway.
• ThreatFire, behavioral antivirus
  • Highly recommended in the antivirus category, ThreatFire is unique due to its advanced behavioral analysis. Instead of routinely scanning files and anything you access ThreatFire watches what processes are actually doing and warns you of their actions, quarantining anything particularly harmful. With only 2MB of memory consumption and a wide coverage of malware/spyware/viruses, even the ones that are brand new and not on databases, ThreatFire is a must for security.
• Picasa 3, image viewer
  • I don’t take enough photos to really use its organization features, let alone look back on them a lot. However, there is a part of Picasa 3 that I use frequently - it’s picture previewer. With it set to open all types of pictures, I end up with a seamless viewer for any photo files on my computer. It’s really something worth taking a look at as it allows for easy navigation between files and full zoom & panning.

All of these applications are freeware and contribute to having a usable computer. Note that I have a lot of other programs as well and this list only covers ones made to be installed; I’ll have to cover both my Utilities and Testing Items folders later.