Essential PC programs?

Harsky

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So I'm the token PC guy who fixes my friend and family's PC/laptops. One of the most common thing they ask me to do is to reformat it and put in a new Windows XP. Then I'm told to just install what I think is essential. Now, the first time I did this, I just put in Open Office and then some Avast Antivirus.

Now I realise that it would be nice to have a USB pen drive with all of the programs already on it so I don't have to keep faffing about with downloading and then deleting it afterwards. I have a 4gb pen... GIMME SUGGESTIONS.
 

[M]artin

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I guess the obvious would be to trash Internet Explorer and replace it with Firefox (with some proper weather and download manager plug-ins, of course)
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skullstatue

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Firefox, Winamp, CCleaner, AVG Security, Foxit Reader, Limewire, Emule, 7zip, Bittorrent, DosBox, and iriverter.

Edit:
And Daemon tool
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FAST6191

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You too huh, I did this a few times and it rapidly turned into a word of mouth thing.

I have a little "kit" I tend to mix and match for whatever I am doing, here is the dir printout. If I am not mistaken all I have here is freeware of one form or another. I am about to fall asleep so I apologise for the lack of links (they are all major or nicely named software as well)
7z442.exe (7zip, a perfectly suitable replacement for winrar save some nice features (winrars batch archive conversion for one)).
a2hijack free (useful for manually hunting junk down.)
avg75free_472a1024.exe (AVG, some decent free AV software).
burrrn_package.exe (audio CD making software, I have a custom version with the latest LAME and such)
CCCP-Insurgent-2006-01-01.exe (useful for audiovisual troubleshooting).
CFP_Setup_English_2.4.18.184.exe (comodo)
Combined-Community-Codec-Pack-2007-02-22.exe .(if you have to have a codec pack, make it this: it does all I would do seperately save quicktime and real (see below)).
daemon tool, remember to not let the adware install.
eac-0.95b4.zip (exact audio copy: audio CD copying)
Firefox Setup 2.0.0.4.exe adblock definitely, foxytunes and maybe fireftp on top of that. I might include a tweaker at some point but about:config works OK.
foxitreader_setup.exe (Adobe PDF stuff a piece of junk for you?, try this).
gimp-2.2.15-i586-setup-1.exe (the GIMP, these days I rate it with photoshop for what I want to do, not sure about those more into their images).
gtk+-2.10.11-setup.exe runtime for the GIMP and a bunch of other stuff.
ImgBurn-2.3.2.0.zip
quicktimealt181lite.exe
realalt152lite.exe
RegToy.7z
Sequoia1.3Install.zip (a really handy graph of data on a drive, has saved me loads of headaches in the past)
spybotsd14.exe
tweakxputility.exe
xp-AntiSpy_en.exe

This small kit I usually keep on a part of my DS cards, that way it is a half hour uninstall (properly), install, tweak thing.


Office, I have been using open office for a few weeks now. It works fairly well, not sure how it would go down with others though.
My personal stuff also includes much more multimedia: DVD decryption (DVD decrypter and ripit4me, DGdecode also), video editing (avisynth + numerous plugins: soundout, mipsmooth, DGbob and mvtools the main bunch, vdub (mod and MPEG2), MeGUI, MKVtoolnix, graphedit, avidemux, DVD tweaking authoring and encoding: FAVC, PCGEdit, muxman, vobblanker, vobedit, ifoedit, rejig, DVD shrink, HCenc, QuEnc, DVDauthor+gui, subrip, subtitle workshop,
mp3tag, audacity
notepad++ and avisynth definitions.
Hex workshop, xways forensics + emulation/rom hacking/flashcart tools (all standalone so that does not matter, would rapidly build this list up as well). Offline list as well.
grabit, quickpar and yenc power post (updated version), I do not use torrents for anything but mutorrent would be it.
for when I want to speak to people trillian works OK, I have a copy of GAIM here but I have not got around to setting it up.

coding wise, this changes daily depending on whose code I am messing with. HLA + MASM for x86 asm, autoit for GUI making and batchdpg, devkitpro for consoles. C? is not usally on the cards so I have nothing for that.

Most other things: diagnostic software, CAD stuff tends to come and go on a weekly basis. Ethereal/wireshark stays though.

One final thing I have a small program called eclipse, it looks like a light switch and turn the screen all one colour (really good for dual monitor laptops). It is in French (colour: couleur, exit: quitter etc) and I have had it for years (at least 7) but alas eclipse is also a linux app of some notoriety so if someone could point me to a page about the one I have I would be immensely grateful.

Last but not least I put a text file on the desktop explaining what I done and put a copy of my kit in their my documents or root or desktop....
 

kellyan95

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That's more than enough space for a PE, and that's what I would recommend. You can install anything you need, and the computer you're using it on doesn't even need a HDD
 

spas

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Firefox
VLC (VIDEO LAN)
Nero
Winrar
uTorrent
Webroot Spysweeper
Windows Messenger (with MESS PATCH from mess.be)
Msger Plus! (without shitty adware)
Ms Office

And for the hardcore users (anymore who is slightly familer with their boxs)

mIRC
Cfi Shelltoys
UltraISO
Codestuff Starter
 

jimmy j

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Firefox
Flashget
Flashgot (firefox addon for full flashget browser intergration)

Avira Antivir
Spybot Search & Destroy
Ad-aware

DVD Shrink
DVD Decrypter
K-Lite Codec Pack
VLC
Winamp

WinRAR


Flashget is a download manager that will boost regular downloads 600-1000% (I shit you not!) and it also manages torrent downloads.
Avira is the best free Antivirus out there (AVG is no longer free)
frown.gif

Spybot and Ad-aware will get rid of any spyware/adware
DVD Shrink will copy/crack any DVD movie disc and shrink it to fit a single-layer DVD (with all extras and menus intact)
DVD Decrypter is a renowned disc burning/cloning program
VLC will play almost any movie you throw at it and K-lite codec pack will update other media players to play most videos. Media Player Classic is included in the pack.
Winamp is the best choice for playing music files on your pc


You probably know most (if not all) of those, but I thought I'd write a brief summary just in case
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All programs are 100% free
 

FAST6191

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At the risk of derailing the thread and sounding like and open source/freeware nut is there really much use for nero spas when there is imageburn, daemon tools, DVD shrink, burrrn, EAC, audacity, other free media players that can do the job of nero (often better than nero)?

Edit:
AVG no longer free?
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-...-virus/us/frt/0

You might also want to look into ripit4me (it got (argueably unfairly) taken out a few weeks back) but it enables you to rip some of the new DVDs that are appearing (search for ARccOS) with corruption embedded that frustrates shrink and DVD decrypter.
 

Harsky

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So far, all the laptops and PCs I fixed belonged to either

1. elderly people
2. people who want to jump onto the whole "internets" thing
3. Other

It varies A LOT. I met one where one wanted me to write down word by word instructions... on how to copy and paste. But you meet one who has enough PC sense to even set up wireless networking but somehow lacks the motivation to find the decent programs.

Being the token PC guy is unescapable. The local PCworld charges a fortune on stuff that I could do within 10 seconds.

10 POUNDS FOR A DRIVER INSTALL (minus the extra fee). What a laugh.

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming.
 

jimmy j

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bobrules

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Utorrent > Bittorrent
Flashget
Msn messenger
Media Player Classic


Fire fox extensions:
-Noscript
-Adblock plus
-fasterfox
-Flashgot
-Distrust


Daemon Tools
Paint.Net
WinRar
Nod32
 

kellyan95

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A lot of the PC problems I've diagnosed were HDD errors (they would give out because of heat, most people never lean their PCs) and Partition Magic is very useful in these situations
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suprneb

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azureus
microsoft office (lol)
microsoft paint (if you dont have photoshop lol)
itunes
aim
avg free
firefox (DO NOT USE I.E. maybe thats why you had to reformat in the first place =/)
 

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