When I buy a computer, I always set aside a small budget for programs I need to pay for that does not come with the computer package. But ideally, this extra cost should be kept minimal or even zero. Over the years, I have kept a list of freeware programs that I immediately download the first time I use a new computer. Because why would you want to pay for something that has a free alternative?
1. OpenOffice Don't get me wrong, the Microsoft Office Suite is great but when I was a student, buying another license aside from the operating system puts a strain on my budget. I was at first reluctant to try the open source office suite but I had little choice. It wasn't love at first sight as I admit Microsoft still makes user-friendly interface, but it doesn't take too long to get used to it either. What really blew me away was the fact that OpenOffice supports Microsoft's latest XML document format so you should have no problems with compatibility.
2. VLC Media PlayerWindows Media Player supports very limited audio and video formats. If you want to keep using it, you should install codecs which can be downloaded for free. But I do know that VLC Media Player supports almost all formats. It's a quick and easy way to play even the most bizarre video formats around, with very simple user interface.
3. IrfanViewIrfanView is a simple image editing tool but one feature I love is the batch conversion tool. It allows you to compress huge image files in one folder so you can easily upload them without significant loss in quality.
5. CCleaner Made by Piriform, CCleaner is a great tool for system maintenance. The system cleaner removes all unnecessary data accumulated over time like log files, cookies and thumbnail cache in just one click. It also has a great registry cleaner to help your computer run faster.So there you go. You don't really have to spend a lot as a computer owner because the technology keeps changing and you have to pay for each new version being released or when the license expires.
6.PhotoScape PhotoScape is an all-in-one style photo editor with fun and ease of use. Major capabilities are: viewer, editor, batch editor, page, combine, animated GIF, print, splitter, screen capture, color picker, rename, raw converter, resizing, brightness/color/white-balance adjustment, backlight correction, frames, balloons, text, drawing pictures, cropping, filters, red eye removal and blooming. PhotoScape has been used for two years and is expanding its features continuously.
7. Foxit Reader There are some useful new features that should serve to remind users why alternatives to Adobe Reader are so valuable. In addition to the tabbed PDF reading, measuring tools, and auto-scrolling, it appears that Foxit has removed its demand that users install its toolbar before getting access to editing features, such as highlighting, commenting, hyperlink creation. There's a new text view feature that automatically lets you view a PDF as text-only, and watermark-free printing has been extended to users of the free edition.
8.Auslogics Disk Defrag
Disk Defrag will speed up your computer by optimizing file system. It can defragment files, consolidate free space and move system files to the faster part of the disk. With Disk Defrag you'll get the maximum out of your hard drive performance. It is supplied with a powerful engine and smart algorithms which allow Disk Defrag to run much faster than similar tools. And with its comprehensive reports you will always be aware of what have been done. Disk Defrag features: fast and safe defragmentation of the disk drives; optimization of clusters' structure and file system for even better disk performance.
9.Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser. Firefox includes pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, integrated Google search, simplified privacy controls, a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time online.
10.uTorrent uTorrent is a powerful and efficient BitTorrent client for Windows. Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in uTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading, and Mainline DHT. Additionally, uTorrent supports the protocol encryption joint specification and peer exchange. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources--typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren't there at all.
