After formatting your computer hard drive and installing Windows it’s time for us to start installing the programs we use daily and to help you with this task, we’ve created a list of 10 free programs for you to install on your computer after formatting the hard drive and performing the Windows installation.
List of programs to install after formatting the PC:
1. Antivirus
Every computer, whether it is a Windows-based Desktop or Notebook PC, must have an antivirus and Avast Free Antivirus is a free Windows antivirus that provides real-time protection against viruses and other malicious files, and offers a number of security modules and additional security.
2. Firewall
Microsoft has considerably improved the native Windows 7 and Windows 8 firewall, however it is not user friendly. TinyWall is a free program that acts as a manager for the Windows firewall, giving you an easy way to create rules to allow or block programs from accessing the internet.
3. Browser
While Microsoft has made every effort to promote new versions of Internet Explorer, it continues to lose users to modern browsers like Google Chrome, a lightweight, fast browser with a multitude of extensions that allow it to add new browser functionality.
4. File Compressor
Another essential program is a file compactor. Again, Windows supports ZIP file compression and extraction, but does not support RAR files and other formats. 7-Zip is a free file compressor that supports several compressed file formats, including ZIP, RAR, GZ, and 7Z.
5. System Maintenance
Whenever you use your computer, temporary files are created by the system and the programs you use, and to delete these files you need a program like CCleaner, which offers a quick and easy way to delete temporary system files to free up hard disk space.
6. Office Package
Another indispensable program is Office, but Microsoft Office is not free. LibreOffice is a free office suite that offers everything you need to edit documents, including a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation, similar to Office Word, Excel, and Power Point.
7. PDF reader
The PDF format is one of the most used to distribute documents. Therefore, you need to install a PDF file reader to open this type of file. Although Adobe Reader is the most popular PDF document reader, there are better alternatives, such as Sumatra PDF, a fast, lightweight portable PDF reader.
8. Audio and Video Player
Windows Media Player is a good program for watching videos and listening to music, but it doesn’t support many audio and video formats. VLC is a powerful free media player that can play virtually any audio and video format and supports audio and video streaming.
9. CD, DVD and Blu-Ray Writer
Although optical discs such as CD, DVD and Blu-Ray are no longer used on modern computers, it is important to have a CD, DVD and Blu-Ray burning program installed on your computer, and CDBurner XP is a free program that allows you to burn data discs, videos, audio, MP3 and others.
10. Instant Messaging
Why connect to multiple instant messaging services? Digsby is an instant messaging program that brings together all instant messaging services into one program, allowing you to chat with all your friends without having to use a different program for each service.
Extras
To access pages with flash and java content, you need to install these programs on your computer. Flash lets you watch videos and play games online in browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, while Java lets you run online applications powered by Java technology.