Items

• Title
  Owner Notes
  Pack it!
• AbiWord
  A light weight word processor which I like because it can import WordPerfect documents and it works well on portable USB devices.
  
• Adblock Plus
  Almost a "must have" for Firefox; for some reason, it doesn't publish in my Firefox Collection of add-ons also named Delightful Encounters.
  
• Adobe Reader
  Fox-It is faster and smaller as is PDF XChange. Check online for PDF to Word converters--Zamzar--when needing to edit.
  
• Advanced SystemCare
  
• Ashampoo WinOptimizer
  
• Astonsoft DeepBurner
  It's been my experience that it's best to have more than one program for doing the same thing. For some reason, some programs work better than others when burning discs: Ashampoo Free, CDBurnerXP, ImgBurn--they all help.
  
• Auslogics Disk Defrag
  Auslogics - MyDefrag - IOBit - all are worthy of performing the defrag process.
  
• Avira
  Yet another antivirus; however, a recent tech article claimed it has the "best" detection rate.
  
• Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter
  
• BurnAware Free
  Good and getting better--simple interface.
  
• CamStudio
  Simple and effect screen recording.
  
• CDBurnerXP
  Works best on my machine, but others have had trouble with it.
  
• clonezilla
  Relatively easy and effective Backup/Recovery tool.
  
• Comodo Firewall
  Now known as Internet Security; I love this program, and they recently came out with a great cleaner program named "System Cleaner." Another option is a "free" digital ID for e-mail accounts. One may want to visit the site for more options.
  
• CrossLoop - Simple Secure Screen Sharing
  Great--or Team Viewer or Remobo. Mikogo and AMMYY. So many out there now. LogMeIn works fine.
  
• Defraggler
  Part of CCleaner and Recuva--Piriform--lightweight and effective.
  
• Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mini-Card
  
• Desktop Maestro 3.0
  Also known as Registry Mechanic in US--apply for free key.
  
• DirectX End-User
  Keep it updated--DirectX helps everything run better--most users miss this one on a new install. I think it's DirectX9c-March as of now.
  
• Driver Installation for Intel(R) PRO Network Connections
  Another pack for a dominant player; be sure to go in to the Device Manager, click on the card, and specify options.
  
• Enhanced Mulmedia PS/2 Keyboard
  
• Everything 1.2.1.371
  Get rid of any other desktop search tool--Copernic just came out with an update; but, this is all I need.
  
• FastStone Image Viewer
  A little less than Paint.net, but good.
  
• FavBackup
  Profile saver for FF and IE--like FEBE--install, save profile, re-install, recover. All in a flash, FF or IE is back to normal.
  
• Flash Player (IE)
  Know there is one for IE and one for FF; some people don't realize this and become befuddled.
  
• FormatFactory
  Can do some nifty things.
  
• Free Download Manager
  Much like Orbit--personal taste--torrents too. Make sure to go through all of the Options for personal settings. I find it quite useful. Set Desktop for download location.
  
• FreeRAM XP Pro
  Geared for older machines--2GB or less.
  
• Glary Utilities
  Really decent and safe if one isn't sure about what to delete or save. The program doesn't make mistakes--or hasn't yet.
  
• GOM Media Player
  Nice interface, but not as many features as VLC.
  
• Hotspot Shield
  Very effective for securing Internet Cafe connections; the program isn't intended for downloads or streaming--a 5GB limit/month.
  
• HoverIP v1.0 beta
  Up to 1.55--the program rocks--I've used this program for years. No worries because it makes a backup of deleted entries.
  
• ImgBurn
  A new version is out which makes .iso burning painless.
  
• InfraRecorder express
  A little is a lot, or less is more?
  
• Intel(R) 82801 PCI Bridge - 2448
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family PCI Express Root Port 1 - 283F
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family PCI Express Root Port 2 - 2841
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family PCI Express Root Port 4 - 2845
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family PCI Express Root Port 6 - 2849
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family SMBus Controller - 283E
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2830
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2831
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2832
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2834
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2835
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 2836
  
• Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 283A
  
• Intel(R) ICH8M SATA AHCI Controller - 2829
  
• Intel(R) ICH8M Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 2850
  
• Intel(R) ICH8M-E LPC Interface Controller - 2815
  
• Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless
  Seems to be the dominant player along with Broadcom.
  
• IObit SmartDefrag
  IObit has more than this--Advanced System Care.
  
• iPig
  Download the Server and Client for effective encryption from Internet Cafe to your Secure Server at home--the easiest for the novice. Try MobaSSH, copSSH, or BitVise SSH servers and a portable SSH client such as PuTTy if you want a little more.
  
• IsoBuster
  File undelete for CD/DVD
  
• Java Runtime Environment
  Check your version--java.com--java ra will remove old versions; however, sometimes the removal can break current installs.
  
• Jing
  I like the program for creating Screencasts; however, I save the files elsewhere for showing.
  
• JkDefrag
  Now called MyDefrag
  
• jZip
  Great results--or PeaZip.
  
• Live Mesh
  And Sync Toy--essentials for Home-Office situations. You may have to talk with your IT Department.
  
• Lupo PenSuite Full Version
  A portable apps suite on par with Portable Apps--Cody Safe is a great menu program--WinPeck is yet another. Daily Cup of Tech has some nice portable USB packages for computer repair.
  
• Macrium Reflect
  Fast, simple backup--or Paragon or DriveXML or Cobian or Clonezilla.
  
• Microsoft PS/2 Port Mouse (IntelliPoint)
  
• Microsoft Virtual PC
  Virtual PC also has portable version which is worth using. One may want to try VirtualBox and/or VMware Player or Virtual Server. With the VMware Virtual Server, one can create machines for export.
  
• Mobile Intel(R) PM965/GM965/GL960 Express PCI Express Root Port - 2A01
  
• Mobile Intel(R) PM965/GM965/GL960 Express Processor to DRAM Controller - 2A00
  
• NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
  
• Paint.NET
  Perhaps easier and more efficient than Gimp or GimpShop. As mentioned, it's nice to have choices depending on the project.
  
• Photoshop Express
  And with Buzzword, Presentations, Connect--already mentioned. I suspect a user could do all that is necessary with one account--like Google Docs--but no spreadsheet.
  
• Picasa
  A number of folks love Picasa; it's sort of an "all-in-one" program for photo albums and basic photo corrections.
  
• RadarSync PC Updater
  
• Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
  
• Revo Uninstaller
  Must, must, must have; "PC Decrapifier?" And "Total Uninstaller?" Revo is best for the novice.
  
• Ricoh MMC Host Controller
  
• Ricoh xD-Picture Card Controller
  
• SG TCP Optimizer
  Really works--tweak away--the site offers numerous patches/tweaks for Vista, XP, and Windows 7.
  
• SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
  
• Silverlight
  Up to version 3--may interfere with other programs.
  
• Paragon Drive Backup Personal
  Paragon Drive Express--easy as backup of entire partitions gets. No excuse if/when/how you lose your data now.
  
• SpeedFan
  Excellent tool for hard drive integrity--Active Disk is also recommended. One can tell the hard drive ready for replacement.
  
• SpywareBlaster 4.2
  Works, simple, dead right-on.
  
• SUMo
  Sweet online photo editor; I haven't used a better one.
  
• TeamViewer 4
  Super easy and encrypted Remote Help utility; what's great is they also have a TeamViewer Quick Support for mom and dad--makes long distance computer repair much easier.
  
• TeraCopy
  Yes, there are others; this one is in my "comfort zone."
  
• Trillian
  What to say? Chat away! Pidgin, Messenger, GTalk--it's really a personal preference.
  
• TweakUI
  Helpful--older OS utility for XP. Newer include TweakIV, and MZ Vista Tweak. I think Tweak7 is out for beta. RegSeeker runs on all platforms.
  
• Undelete Plus
  One of the few programs that really find "everything." Be sure to limit choices.
  
• Universal Extractor
  When in doubt, use UE--it will unpack anything.
  
• Update Notifier
  Much like RadarSync, File Hippo Update Checker, etc. Quite good! They also have an excellent software database with free and shareware.
  
• uTorrent
  Simple and fast--so much so I uninstalled all other torrent clients.
  
• Virtual PC 2007 SP1
  Stay up to date.
  
• VirtualBox
  Load a Linux distro such as xPud and surf without fear of malware.
  
• VirtuaWin v4.0.1
  If you miss Linux desktops, try this.
  
• VLC media player
  When all else fails--may as well make it first--can set up as a streamer for home music to the office.
  
• Windows Live Installer
  One downloads the basic installer and is given choices; I uncheck the parental controls and Live Toolbar. The MSN Toolbar is slick. Again, all personal preference.
  
• Windows Live Messenger
  
• XBMC Media Center
  Totally impressed so far, but not really necessary on a Windows machine.
  
• Xmarks
  Good for IE and FF--and/or FEBE and FavBackup; it's so nice to create profiles and upload bookmarks anywhere. "Transmute" is a program for converting bookmarks between browsers.
  
• Zoho Writer
  Total online Suite of tools; if one is using a USB Linux install or simply wants to keep life simple, this is a great office suite.