Your MOST essential apps?

[macd7]

Security
Microsoft Security Essentials
MalwayreBytes
Hijackthis

Productivity
MS Office
Foxit for PDF's

Media & other
Peerblock
uTorrent
Cheetah Burner
Youtube to MP3
7-Zip
Convert Xvid to DVD
VLC Media Player
CCleaner
Real Temp

 

[wiretap]

Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Office
Foxit Reader
Firefox + Adblock
Thunderbird
7zip
uTorrent
KeePass
Imgburn
Daemon Tools Lite
MPC-HC
Dropbox

 

[tdawg]

Microsoft Security Essentials, Adobe Lightroom, Firefox or Chrome, uTorrent, VLC, 7-Zip, MS Office 2007

 

[seemingly random]

win7:
disable os system restore on all drives
reduce keyboard repeat delay to shortest
change workgroup name
disable remote assistance
un-nannify windows explorer
config start menu
driver and os updates

copy the following from a usb key:
speedfan
notepad++
open command prompt shell extension
7zip
adobe reader
go to silentpcreview in ie so flash will install
firefox
go to silentpcreview in ff so flash will install
install noscript and downthemall in ff
might install ie7pro for ie for spellchecker and flash blocker
antivir or avast
appropriate mouse driver so mouse buttons can be remapped
gnuwin32 utils diff,grep,wget,...
sysinternals suite
vlc player

maybe later:
winrar, magic iso, power iso
imageburn
virtual close drive
bcompare
easy duplicate finder
winvile, dev stuff
anydvd
ms ofc viewers or ofc suite
everest, cpuz, furmark, prime95, gpuz
hdtune pro, dlgdiag

 

[desolate]

Mozilla Firefox + Thunderbird
Avast! Antivirus / Microsoft Security Essentials / Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Nicotine+
Notepad++
Netbeans IDE
Adobe Dreamweaver CS4
Adobe Photoshop CS4
Adobe Fireworks CS4
CINEMA 4D 64 Bit
Open Office
Filezilla FTP
Dropbox
VLC Media Player
Foobar
CCleaner & Teracopy
Winrar
Vuze

 

[KeypoX]

Whizmouse - makes any window active whenever the mouse cursor is over the window without clicking
http://antibody-software.com/web/so...use-wheel-work-on-the-window-under-the-mouse/

Wizmouse is sweet, though it crashes on boot pretty often.

 

[fatpat268]

To the op: all your essentials consist of Anti Virus, Anti Malware, and firewall progams?

My essentials:
Microsoft Security Essentials
Nero Lite
Media Player Classic
Steam
Digsby
Dvd Shrink
Chrome

 

[Northern Lawn]

MSE, Firefox, flash, office, adobe CS3, Foobar2000, VLC, Steam, display driver, bittorrent, winrar, utorrent, damn nfo viewer, Nero, window washer, And from now on microsoft synctoy and daemon tool lite.

 

[Rottie]

my netbook is so small I use almost everyday it has
Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Element
Cyberlink PowerDVD
iTunes
Canon Utilies
Graphic Workshop Pro
Comodo Firewall Pro
Avira AV
ooVoo
CamFrog
AIM
Yahoo
Trillian Astra
Windows Live
MS Works
Malwarebytes
WinRAR

 

[Loop2kil]

Winrar
Newsbin pro
Quickpar
antivirus of some sort
firefox
xmarks
ashampoo burning studio
quakelive plugin...and yes it's essential

 

[Schadenfroh]

cygwin utilities like md5sum, grep, cat, ssh, etc.
7-zip
Steam
ad-block plus (the only reason I use Firefox)
WMP
CCLeaner
Alcohol 52% Free Edition
Netbeans
Monodevelop
OpenOffice
Evolution
GCC
OpenJDK
gedit

 

[flexy]

Firefox
Microsoft Expression Web
Office
Winrar
Kaspersky
Media Player HomeCinema + Codecs
+ a zillion more i guess

 

[Ken g6]

1. Firefox (How else am I to download anything else?)
2. 7-zip. (How else am I to extract anything else?)
3. GVim
4. Strawberry Perl's forever!

If I'm doing video work:

• VLC (for playback)
• AviSynth (my workhorse)
• VirtualDubMod (for viewing frames or encoding anything but MPEG2)
• HcEnc (for MPEG2)
• GUI for DVDAuthor (for making DVDs of those MPEG2 videos)
• ImgBurn

 

[anarchyreigns]

Chrome
Firefox
AVG
Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, etc.
Skype

 

[ScottAD]

MSE
CCleaner
Multiple Browsers (FF, Chrome, Opera) I use FF the most but with designing websites knowing what people really see matters.
VLC
ImgBurn
Evernote
Dropbox
MS Office
mIRC
7-zip
Lock Hunter

That's the necessities for me.

 

[zinfamous]

Bump!

Quick question:

after installing a fresh Win 7 Pro 64 bit (newly-adopted after ~8 years of XP...and just as outdated in terms of anti-virus, performance software ), is running security essentials + Malwarebytes redundant?

and if not, (if malwarebytes is useful) is the $24.95 to upgrade malwarebytes into RT protection worthwhile? Guess I don't know what this scanner actually offers...

I'm also starting to migrate from FF to Opera (maybe...or Chrome? Opera is starting to seem a bit "appy," kinda like an entertainment module (like iPhone de-productivity apps) more than a browser interface--I have been so damn distracted by this sim aquarium widget ), as I'm getting sick of FF bugs: arrow keys randomly not working, (still no fix), apostrophe key bringing up quick find bar 80% of the time (mostly fixed), ctrl+c/ctr+v no worky (still not fixed), etc...

so, wondering if all of this extra protection software is essential.

my contribution:

FF/Chrome/Opera
Office suite (2007 currently)
CS 4 Master
Security Essentials
Ccleaner (loving this now)
Steam

 

[zinfamous]

Oh yeah... BD playback?

I received PowerDVD BD edition for free with the drive, but I remember reading that there are better codecs and software out there, just don't remember. ...or is a free PowerDVD better than any other free BD playback? Media Player isn't recognizing BDs currently....

(yeah, I fail with the current software and tech )

 

[lxskllr]

Bump!

Quick question:

after installing a fresh Win 7 Pro 64 bit (newly-adopted after ~8 years of XP...and just as outdated in terms of anti-virus, performance software ), is running security essentials + Malwarebytes redundant?

and if not, (if malwarebytes is useful) is the $24.95 to upgrade malwarebytes into RT protection worthwhile? Guess I don't know what this scanner actually offers...

I wouldn't bother. I'd use the free scanner once a week maybe, or if you suspect a problem, but I don't know that it's worth buying in addition to MSE.

 

[zinfamous]

I wouldn't bother. I'd use the free scanner once a week maybe, or if you suspect a problem, but I don't know that it's worth buying in addition to MSE.

cool. ...I suppose my real question, though unasked previously, is if there is a dependable secondary file scanner for downloads? do I simply trust internal FF or Opera file scanners for downloads?

I actually haven't noticed automatic scanning for downloads, so perhaps there is an extension or plugin that I have neglected to install or activate?