Additional programs for PC. Laptop programs
Still, I finally decided to write this long-awaited article by many readers. As you understand from its name, we will talk below about the best free computer programs, without which I personally cannot imagine my digital life, which have been installed on all my computers for many years and which have never let me down.
There will be few pictures and a lot of different links, but I hope that all of them will be useful to you, so, as they say, don’t switch...
I want to say right away that absolutely all programs described on the website(there are hundreds of them) I like them and I tested (tested) them all personally - this is the main principle of the site.
I'm giving away first place for free computer program f.lux, which helps me maintain my vision for many years when working at the monitor during long evenings and nights. I can’t even imagine what would have happened to my eyes without her help. It eliminates the welding effect from the night screen - it automatically adjusts the color temperature of the monitor (not to be confused with brightness).
This indispensable program works wonderfully in all versions of the operating system, up to Windows 10.
There are also excellent alternatives - also free programs SunsetScreen and (the second one is generally a “bomb”).
You will find several more and no less useful computer programs for maintaining health when working at a computer in the corresponding section of the site "Health and computer"- I kindly ask you to pay attention to them.
Computer security
Virus security now provides my computer completely free antivirus 360 Total Security, which is equipped with five (!) protection algorithms. In addition, it contains an excellent digital garbage cleaner and a system optimizer - an original solution from the manufacturers, I should note.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that with proper fine-tuning, any antivirus can become the best for you. For example, for a long time I used the paid ESET Nod32 and the free Avast! Free Antivirus - both of them saved me many times from the invasion of malware.
I can’t keep silent about the free anti-virus scanner Dr.Web CureIt, which I used to bring hundreds of my friends’ and acquaintances’ computers back to life.
I advise you not to forget and about a good firewall(firewall) - it also plays a huge role in ensuring the security of your operating system.
You will find descriptions of other free and effective means of protecting your computer from viruses in the “Security” section of the site.
Programs to speed up your computer
There will be several winners in this category...
Let's start by speeding up the computer startup. Here my leader will be AnVir Task Manager - a powerful manager of tasks, processes, startup, services, a detector and destroyer of viruses, as well as spyware. It was thanks to this magical program (and a couple more tricks) that I was able to speed up computer startup in up to 9.2 seconds- this is my personal record at this point in time (with Windows 7).
There is a section on the site in which I came across many useful articles on this topic.
How can a computer speed up without periodically cleaning it from digital garbage (logs, “tails” of once deleted programs, etc.). Here my reliable and trusted assistant is the legendary “cleaner” CCleaner. This is the longest-running program on my computers - I’ve been using it since the very beginning of my computer life.
Besides her there is a whole bunch of great “cleaners”, but CCleaner is my favorite.
After cleaning the system, let's optimize its operation - I consider the Advanced SystemCare program to be the leader in this matter. This is a whole combine that has collected a bunch of useful tweaks and utilities under its roof.
A very convenient and understandable program. It can fully automatically optimize the operation of your computer. There is also a manual mode - you yourself specify what and where to improve in the system.
Described on the site and other great optimizers, for example ToolWiz Care.
I continue to list the best free computer programs that I have been using for many years...
Programs for convenient computer work
There are also a couple of leaders in the nomination...
The most amazing free computer program that has incredibly speeded up and improved my computer work is StrokesPlus. It allows you to control your computer with mouse gestures.
It’s just a magical free program, I’ll tell you - it monstrously optimizes interaction with Windows Explorer. I can't imagine my computer life without it.
There is an alternative to this program - gMote, but I like the first one much more.
I consider Clover to be the second best free program that greatly improves the convenience of working on a computer. It adds tab functionality to Windows Explorer (think browsers). As in the previous case, this greatly increases the speed of folder navigation.
This program works great in Windows 7, but the top ten has a number of questions about it - a similar (but not so simple) utility called QTTabBar helped me out. With its help, I implemented tabs at the bottom of the window and enjoy the convenience.
My favorite browser
I can clearly feel how tense many readers are and are already flexing their fingers. to start the holivar on this topic in the comments to the article. Therefore, I emphasize - PERSONALLY MY FAVORITE BROWSER is Mozilla Firefox.
I’ve been using Google Chrome for a couple of years, I really liked a version of Opera called Vivaldi..., but Fire Fox personally suits me best for its flexibility, functionality and the presence of add-ons for all occasions. In terms of speed, all browsers today are like rockets.
Whatever Internet browser you use, don’t forget about . It will save your nerve cells, speed up surfing the web and protect you from clicking on fake links.
Program for automatic driver installation
It is no secret that the fast and high-quality operation of all computer components depends on the availability of up-to-date drivers in the system.
The most convenient, simple, safe and high-quality free computer program that will automatically scan your system at lightning speed, find the best driver versions suitable for your long-suffering computer and update them is Snappy Driver Installer (SDI).
Unique Anti-tick
The list of the best free computer programs is completed by a unique and inimitable utility called Unchecky. This is a real killer of various cunning and subtle checkmarks for installing additional “useful” software that unscrupulous program manufacturers implement into their installers.
There are simply no analogues to this computer program. Its beauty is in its simplicity, automatic background work and focus on our market. Just imagine - she herself finds and removes most (not absolutely all) nasty jackdaws when installing programs on a computer!
Many program authors are simply furious with it - they are constantly improving their installers and trying to outwit Unchecky, but it also fights them, updating itself frequently. This is the eternal struggle between good and evil.
That's all for today. Of course, these are not all the best free programs for your computer. I haven't mentioned audio players yet, video players,
This set provides a list of the most necessary programs that are perfect for installation on a new laptop or device with the new Windows operating system.
Good antivirus protection
1 The first thing that needs to be installed is, of course, good protection. Without a good antivirus, visiting any pages on the Internet or using third-party applications or devices can lead to your computer becoming infected with dangerous viruses and Trojans. To do this, we suggest you use the new, free antivirus solution 360 Total Security, which you can download from a special page on our website.
Multifunctional browser
2 Next, to visit sites on the Internet, you must have an installed, modern browser. There are quite a lot of applications, but each of them is unique in its own way. If you want to spend your time as efficiently and safely as possible while visiting Internet resources and using various services on the Internet, we recommend that you download and install the free Yandex browser. This program has all the necessary tools for effective and safe work on the Internet.
Good file archiver
3 After which you can install a shareware archiver. Most files on the Internet are distributed in archived form, and in order to extract content from them, a special program is needed. We recommend that you download the very good WinRAR application and install it as your main tool for working with archives. You can find out more about it and download it by clicking on the button below.
Multimedia
4 To play music and watch videos, we recommend that you pay attention to the KMPlayer player and the AIMP player. By downloading and installing the proposed programs for working with multimedia files, you can easily listen to music and watch any video, without the need to install additional codecs.
Optimization
5 During the use and installation of additional programs on a laptop, various unnecessary information and records accumulate in the system, which load your computer and significantly slow down its operation. For such cases, we recommend downloading a special utility called CCleaner, a program for cleaning and optimizing the system. With this application, you can easily delete all unnecessary entries and junk files that accumulate during active use of the laptop.
Here are 5 essential programs that should be installed on your laptop. If this list does not satisfy your needs, then you can always use our website and select from the list all those applications that you want to download to your computer.
You don’t always have to pay for high-quality, useful and functional software - many programs for a variety of everyday purposes are distributed completely free of charge. Free programs can help you perform a variety of tasks without significantly falling behind their paid counterparts. The review has been updated as of 2017-2018, new system utilities have been added, as well as, at the end of the article, some entertainment items.
This article is about the best, in my opinion, completely free useful programs that can be useful to every user. Below I deliberately indicate not all possible good programs for each purpose, but only those I have chosen for myself (or ideally suited for a beginner).
Previously (before 2018), I indicated Media Player Classic as the best media player, but today my recommendation is the free VLC Media Player, available not only for Windows, but also for other platforms, supporting almost all common types of media content (has built-in codecs).
With it you can easily and conveniently play video, audio, including via DLNA and from the Internet
WinSetupFromUSB and Rufus to create a bootable USB flash drive (or multiboot)
CCleaner to clean your computer from junk
Perhaps the most popular free program for cleaning the registry, temporary files, cache and much more on your Windows. There is a built-in uninstaller and other useful tools. The main advantage, in addition to efficiency, is ease of use even for a novice user. Almost everything can be done automatically and it is unlikely that you will spoil anything.
XnView MP for viewing, sorting and easily editing photos
Earlier in this section, Google Picasa was listed as the best program for viewing photos, however, the company has stopped developing this software. Now, for the same purposes, I can recommend XnView MP, which supports more than 500 photo and other image formats, simple cataloging and editing of photos.
Every second Russian-speaking user is, of course, a Photoshop master. By hook or by crook, he installs it on his computer in order to one day crop a photo. Is this necessary if the graphic editor only needs to rotate a photo, place text, combine a couple of photos (not for work, but just like that)? Do you do at least some of the above in Photoshop or is it just installed?
According to my estimates (and I have been using Photoshop in my work since 1999), most users do not need it, many do not use it at all, but want it, and have been planning for several years to one day learn how to work in this program. In addition, by installing unlicensed versions you not only suffer, but also take risks.
Do you need an easy-to-learn and high-quality photo editor? Paint.net will be an excellent choice (of course, some will say that Gimp will be better, but it’s unlikely to be easier). Until you decide to do photo editing in a truly professional manner, you won't need more features than the free Paint.net has. You may also be interested in the ability to edit photos and pictures online, without installing programs on your computer: .
Windows Movie Maker and Windows Movie Maker
What novice user doesn’t want to make a great family photo on their computer, containing video from their phone and camera, photos, overlaid music or captions? And after that, burn your film to disk? There are many such tools: . But, probably, the best simple and free program (if we are talking about a completely novice user) for this would be Windows Movie Maker or Windows Movie Studio.
There are many other video editing programs, but this is the one that can be used right away without any prior preparation. .
Data recovery program Puran File Recovery
On this site I wrote about many data recovery programs, including paid ones. I tested each of them in different work scenarios - when simply deleting files, formatting or changing the partition structure. The popular Recuva is very simple and easy to use, but it only works successfully in simple cases: when recovering deleted data. If the scenario is more complex, for example, formatting from one file system to another, Recuva does not work.
Among the simple free programs for data recovery in Russian that have shown the best efficiency, I can highlight Puran File Recovery, the recovery result of which is perhaps better than in some paid analogues.
AdwCleaner and Malwarebytes Antimalware programs to remove malware, Adware and Malware
The problem of malware that is not a virus (and therefore is not seen by antiviruses), but causes unwanted behavior, for example, pop-up advertising in the browser, the appearance of windows with unknown sites when opening the browser, has recently become very relevant.
In order to get rid of such malware, the AdwCleaner utilities (and it works without installation) and Malwarebytes Antimalware are ideal. As an additional measure, you can try.
Aomei Partition Assistant to Partition Disk or Enlarge C Drive
When it comes to programs for working with disk partitions, most people recommend paid products from Acronis and the like. However, those who have at least once tried a free analogue in the form of Aomei Partition Assistant are satisfied. The program can do everything related to working with hard drives (and at the same time it is in Russian):- Recover boot record
- Convert disk from GPT to MBR and back
- Change the partition structure as you need
- Clone HDD and SSD
- Work from a bootable flash drive
- Convert NTFS to FAT32 and vice versa.
In general, it’s a really convenient and perfectly working utility, although I myself am usually skeptical about such free software. You can read more about this program in the manual. Evernote and OneNote for notes
In fact, those who store notes and various information in a variety of notebook programs may prefer other options of similar software other than Evernote.
However, if you haven't done this before, I recommend starting with Evernote or Microsoft OneNote (which has recently been completely free for all platforms). Both options are convenient, keep notes synchronized across all devices, and are easy to understand regardless of your skill level. But even if you need some more serious functions to work with your information, most likely you will find them in these two programs.
7-Zip - archiver
If you need a convenient and free archiver that can work with all common types of archives, 7-Zip is your choice.
The 7-Zip archiver works quickly, integrates conveniently into the system, easily unpacks zip and rar archives, and if you need to pack something, it will do it with one of the maximum compression ratios among programs in this category. Cm. .
Ninite to install all this quickly and cleanly
Many are faced with the fact that when installing even the necessary program, even from the official website, it installs something else that is no longer so necessary. And then it can be problematic to get rid of.
This can be easily avoided, for example, using the Ninite service, which helps download clean official programs in their latest versions and avoid the appearance of something else on the computer and in the browser.
Ashampoo Burning Studio Free for burning CDs and DVDs, creating ISO images
Despite the fact that nowadays it is becoming less and less common to write something to discs, disc burning programs may still be relevant for some. Personally, they come in handy for me. And it is not at all necessary to have any Nero package for these purposes; a program such as Ashampoo Burning Studio Free is quite suitable - it has everything you need.
More information about this and other programs for burning discs:
Browsers and Antiviruses
But I won’t write about the best free browsers and antiviruses in this article, because every time I touch on the topic, those who are dissatisfied immediately appear in the comments. It doesn’t matter which programs I named the best, there are almost always two reasons - it slows down the system and through them the special services (ours and not ours) are watching us. I will note only one material that may be useful: .
So this point will be brief: almost all browsers and free antiviruses that you hear are quite good. Separately, we can note the browser that appeared in Windows 10. It has its flaws, but it's probably the Microsoft browser that will be popular with many users.
Additional programs for Windows 10 and 8.1
With the release of new Microsoft systems, programs that change the Start menu to the standard one from 7, various utilities for design, and more have become especially popular. Here are some that you might find useful:
- Classic Shell for Windows 10 and 8.1 - allows you to return the Start menu from Windows 7 to new OSes, as well as flexibly customize it. Cm. .
- - work in 8 and are standard gadgets from Windows 7 that can be placed on the 10 desktop.
- - a program for automatically fixing Windows errors (and not only version 10). It is notable for the fact that it contains the most common problems that occur to users and you can fix them either by pressing one button, or you can see instructions directly in the program on how to do it manually. Unfortunately, only in English.
Well, in conclusion, one more thing: standard games for Windows 10 and 8.1. For more than 10 years, our users have become so accustomed to Solitaire and Spider, Minesweeper and other standard games that their absence or even just a change in the interface in the latest versions is perceived painfully by many.
But it's okay. This can be easily fixed - (works in 8.1)
Something else
I did not write about some other programs, which will not be particularly useful for most of my readers, since their use is required only for a relatively narrow range of tasks. Therefore, there is no Notepad++ or Sublime Text, FileZilla or TeamViewer and other such things that I really need. I also didn’t write about obvious things like Skype. I will also add that when downloading free programs anywhere, it is worth checking them on VirusTotal.com, they may contain something not entirely desirable on your computer.
There is a constant demand for a variety of PC software, and it is incredibly high. For this reason, software download sites are multiplying very, very quickly, but finding the truly best resources turns out to be unexpectedly difficult. Do you need to download various programs to your computer? Especially for you, we have made a list containing the best software sites on the Internet.
SoftOk- https://softok.info/
The SoftOk resource is one of the youngest, but already gaining popularity resources. It features a modern design and a wide selection of programs for almost any need. The programs are grouped into convenient selections, allowing you to select a program based on a whole range of parameters. Versions for iOS and Android operating systems are also available.
Softobase - http://softobase.com/ru/
The most convenient and largest site where you can download programs to your laptop or PC for free. This database is constantly updated, so even the latest versions will always be available to you. All programs are divided into categories so that you can easily and quickly find and download what you need. The site is also interesting because it contains reviews, videos, articles and answers to user questions.
Free Programs - http://www.besplatnyeprogrammy.ru/
Free Programs Ru - a site for downloading programs for free with a primitive division into categories. It’s easy to navigate; traditionally, there is a search by name, as well as a list of recommendations. Overall, this is a great resource for finding and downloading a basic set of applications.
SoftPortal - http://www.softportal.com/
Another large site where a huge amount of software for various devices is presented is SoftPortal. The assortment includes options for computers and phones, sections for various operating systems (Android, Macintosh, IOS, Windows families), and more than 20 categories of software according to their intended purpose. Audio, graphics, design, education, various desktop utilities - this is an incomplete list of what you can download, and what is important - for free and without entering codes or SMS. This resource is constantly updated and promptly posts all the new products in the industry.
Next up is the site for downloading programs for the Freesoft computer. The main emphasis here is on software for Windows, but there are also programs for Android, MAC, Linux, and Apple gadgets. It is important that this is a safe site where the posted content is carefully filtered and checked for malicious components.
Next, the site for downloading programs is Soft-File. Rich software component, many articles, reviews, reviews - all this makes it very popular among users. You can find almost everything here - from mobile programs to office software. Hundreds of offers are divided into categories for easy searching, and the intuitive interface will save you time.
TopDownloads - http://topdownloads.ru/
TopDownloads is a simple and good resource with daily updates, which can be viewed in a separate list. Hundreds of new and already familiar offers are divided into categories in a convenient catalog. Like many other free software sites, TopDownloads also offers reviews, news, and rankings by popularity. In addition to software, there is also music, videos, documents and much more.
As you can see, popular sites for downloading various software is a fairly broad topic, because electronic devices have long become an integral part of the lives of all of us. Do you want to download a new game, drivers, or just need to update old versions of software? We have collected for you the best sites for downloading programs, choose one of them and find everything you need! Share the article with your friends on social networks, give high ratings below and write comments if your favorite software site is not listed here! We also suggest that you definitely and right now look at our article about, which has become one of the most read in recent months! Maybe you will find useful resources for yourself there too :)
On a “clean” newly installed Windows, for normal operation it is simply necessary to install many more programs, because without them, as you understand, there is nowhere. Let's try to make a small list of the most necessary programs for a computer, without which full use of a computer is simply impossible. Please note that in the article, in the description of any program there is a link to its working version
So...
The most necessary and important program is your antivirus protection.It is usually divided into 4 categories: antivirus, firewall, comprehensive protection and computer scanning programs. I prefer comprehensive protection, consisting of an antivirus + firewall. At the moment I am using one of the free ones - Avast! I would recommend using only the most proven antivirus programs: Kaspersky, Norton, ESET(nod32), DrWeb, Avast, Panda, McAfee and other popular ones. In general, it's a matter of taste. If you don’t want to pick up some Trojan, be sure to install it!
Next we will install the archiver. Since most files on the Internet are in archives (.rar .zip .7z), we will definitely need an archiver program. I suggest using two simultaneously: WinRar and 7Zip.
Their differences can be described in one line: WinRar- a beautiful and advanced archiver, but with 7zip it’s free. Well, as a bonus - only an archiver 7zip opens archives in .7z format
Next on the list we will have disc burning program(although in recent years I have increasingly begun to doubt its need... I use discs once every 3 months). Dominates here Nero, the most popular program for burning discs (the fact that it’s paid doesn’t bother anyone). I can recommend as a free alternative ImgBurn or shareware Ashampoo Burning Studio- the functionality is less, but for its main task - burning discs - it is more than enough.
Further... we need Office. And most likely - Microsoft Office(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.). I think there is no need to describe it - you yourself know perfectly well what it is. For lovers of free software, I can recommend Open Office or better yet LibreOffice- they are almost as good as the brainchild of Microsoft Corporation, and they work with Microsoft formats without problems.
Now we'll look at codecs. Why is this thing needed? And so that when watching your favorite film, you, dear readers, do not have any problems. Without them, many video and audio formats simply will not play! The most popular codec package is K-Lite Codec Pack. By the way, a very good video player is installed with it - Media Player Classic.
Video viewer necessary for any PC user. Even if you have a brand new home theater, very often you have to watch a variety of videos on your computer - from clips to video seminars. They will cope with this task perfectly KMplayer And QuickTime Player.
Listening to music- It’s simply not possible to listen to music using the standard Windows Media Player, no matter how hard the developers try... the 2 most popular players are suitable for this purpose: Winamp And AIMP. The second player consumes less resources, and is also free. But even here it’s a matter of taste and habit. For example, I use two.
I would also recommend universal players which read both video and audio files without problems: GOM Media Player And VLC media player- they read all formats and by the way they are completely free!
Don't forget that we need program for reading .pdf files. Many books, articles, and other literature are published in this format. Here I recommend Foxit Reader as a replacement for a bulky (and even paid) monster Adobe reader. You may need Adobe Photoshop and viewing photo albums ACDsee Pro
Text recognising- here is the best program, of course ABBYY FineReader, however, there are free analogues, for example CuneiForm
Don't forget about utilities that keep your system clean - Uninstall Tool And CCleaner. As a result, we have an extensive list of programs - and at least two dozen of them will definitely be useful to you...
