If earlier computers were something inaccessible to the average person and were used by a few, now they are stationary computer systems, laptops or mobile devices, which can also be classified as computers, will not surprise anyone. There are tens of thousands of manufacturers, numbering in the hundreds, but each of them contains mandatory and necessary programs for a computer. Let's try to briefly describe what is needed for the normal functioning of any computer system.

Programs required for computer operation

If we talk about the most necessary software, first of all, you need an operating system. We will start from the fact that it is already installed.

What is necessary set computer programs? It can be roughly divided into several main categories: device drivers, software packages for system protection (antiviruses), utilities for operating the OS, applications for working with office documents, programs that provide full Internet access, archivers, packages for improving the quality of video playback or audio, as well as specialized software responsible for the advanced capabilities of computer systems.

Windows OS programs

So, let's look at the simplest computer programs. The list of Windows operating systems, unfortunately, does not meet all requirements modern systems. The fact is that after installing the operating system itself, it contains a minimal set, mostly focused on the use of system utilities.

In fact, it is of no interest to the average user. However, you can find something here. This applies to Windows. But, depending on the version of the operating system itself and the hardware, not all devices may have appropriate drivers. As is already clear, the consequence is partial or complete inoperability of one or another component. That is why the correct installation the required driver is one of the priority tasks for any system.

Drivers

What programs are necessary for a computer from this point of view? First of all, a “native” utility called DirectX. It was missing in earlier versions and had to be installed manually. Now DirectX is included in the standard set of Windows OS.

It is worth noting that this is a universal utility not only for diagnosing basic hardware or some software components. DirectX is also a program for setting up a computer and a tool for finding out the versions of device drivers. With its help, you can determine whether it is worth installing a new driver, and in general, whether it is available in the system itself.

Installing missing drivers

For this you can use standard Windows features. For example, "Device Manager" in Control Panel. All devices with missing or incorrect installed drivers marked in yellow. Using the Properties menu on the tabs, you can find buttons for installing, updating and uninstalling the driver, as well as disabling the device itself.

For example, when it is disabled, the system will display a message indicating that a new device has been detected and will offer to install the appropriate software from its own distribution. This doesn't always help. If the installation fails, you will have to install the driver from the original disk, any removable media, or from the Internet if the network connection is active.

Minimum list of required programs for a computer in Windows

As already mentioned, in the OS itself Windows list programs are very limited. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the average user to work with what is available immediately after installing the operating system, because many tools that are so necessary for work are simply not available. Let's look at the most basic ones. Applications can be found using the sequence “Menu” / “All Programs” / “Accessories”.

The installed utilities will be listed here, as well as the “System” folder, which contains the necessary programs for the computer that are responsible for diagnostics, maintenance, administration and system recovery.

Standard programs

As for the average user, from the entire proposed list (say, in Windows 7), at best, he may need only four applets: Paint program, Explorer, Notepad and WordPad.

However, it is worth considering that the viewer Word documents have extremely limited opportunities not only by editing the relevant files. These applications are also not able to recognize some other formats. That is why it is worth installing additional software that can work with other types of files.

In addition, in the Start menu itself there are utilities like Internet Explorer for working on the World Wide Web and Outlook Express for simple actions performed with email.

Utilities

Among the utilities included in the standard Windows set, three components are worth noting separately. The most necessary programs for a computer (not counting the others) are presented here as follows: “System Restore”, “Disk Cleanup” and “Disk Defragmenter”.

The first utility is responsible, as is already clear, for restoring the system to an earlier operational state (checkpoint). The second ensures removal from hard drive unnecessary or unused files and folders. The third allows you to defragment, moving frequently called programs, files and directories to the fastest areas of the hard drive, which significantly speeds up access to them.

Microsoft Office

Speaking about what the necessary programs for a computer are, one cannot fail to mention such a well-known software package as Microsoft Office. You can't go anywhere without him today.

The applications included in this package allow you to work with almost all the main types known today standard documents, not counting some specific formats. Let's highlight the most basic programs:

Microsoft Word - text editor with advanced capabilities;

Microsoft Excel - table and tabular data editor;

Microsoft Power Point - presentation creation system;

Microsoft Access - a tool for working with databases;

Microsoft Outlook is an application for Email with a large functional set.

Of course, there is a lot more, but it is unlikely that an inexperienced user will use absolutely all the programs presented in the standard office suite.

Antiviruses

Now let's move on to the cornerstone. Antivirus protection has become an integral part of any system. It is no secret that there are now a huge number of viruses, as they say, for every taste. Here you have viruses, the action of which disables the system, and OS and password crackers to gain access to confidential information, and Trojan horses, and computer worms, and keyloggers, etc. It’s simply impossible to list everything. Therefore, to be completely confident in their security, every user should use anti-virus packages with the latest databases. It is better if the virus signature databases are updated automatically. But this depends only on the developer and

It is clear that you can find a lot of packages in this list. There are certain choices to be made here. Let's say not every demon paid program has sufficient capabilities and means to prevent virus attacks or On the other hand, paid applications Not everyone can afford it. Here you can install trial versions, renew keys (like NOD applications), or use “hacked” utilities, although this is illegal. You will have to decide for yourself which package to choose. It is worth paying attention to the fact that professional software products like Kaspersky, although they provide maximum protection However, they use the computer's system resources to a very high degree.

However, in any case, such a program for the computer system in terms of protection is mandatory to install.

System Maintenance

In terms of services, optimization and speedup, Windows doesn't have a lot of tools. In this case, it is better to install third-party utilities such as TuneUp Utilities, Ashampoo WinOptimizer, Advanced System Care and others. Such packages can optimize the system in 1-Click Maintenance and offer many additional modules.

In fact, any of these applications is a program for setting up a computer in terms of its system part. In some cases it is worth installing special applications, responsible for devices or correct removal of unused ones. However, in most cases they are paid. In general, you can install such packages only at your own peril and risk. Therefore, there is no need to do much experimentation.

Internet

"Native" Windows tool for working on the Internet (Internet Explorer) many do not like. And there is a reason for it. We won't go into technical details. By at least, this browser seems too slow and inconvenient to use. That's why it is also jokingly called a tool to find and download Opera.

However, you can now find a lot of browser systems. This is, say, Opera, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Yandex Browser, etc. The list can be continued almost indefinitely. Here you just need to test each application to choose the best option for yourself.

Don't forget about specialized downloaders that can speed up file downloads. This can be anything: from ordinary “Download Wizards” and programs from to practically illegal programs that work with torrent trackers.

Archivers

The archiver application is an integral part of the system, especially when the user actively uses the Internet, downloads applications, installs new ones removable media etc. It is no secret that any programs for installation on a computer are supplied in the form of a Setup installation file (sometimes with additional information files, less often in the form of dynamic libraries connected to work through hosts such as DX, VST, RTAS, AAX, etc.). But, as a rule, such files take up a lot of space. In order to save disk space, they are packed into special archives that are smaller in size.

It is precisely archivers that allow you to extract all data from files of this type. The most famous ones here are WinRAR, WinZIP, 7-ZIP, etc. But here, as with browsers, it is better to immediately study all the capabilities of the application, and only then use it for everyday tasks.

Connecting tablets and smartphones

As for connecting mobile gadgets, Lately which have gained incredible popularity, here you can use “native” utilities that come with your smartphone or tablet. For example, for Apple devices this is iTunes, for Samsung gadgets these are programs like Samsung Kies etc.

If software was not included in the kit, on the Internet you can find universal utilities that allow you to work on a computer terminal or laptop with specific device via USB or Bluetooth communication.

Multimedia

It is impossible not to say a few words about audio and video playback. The problem here is that the system does not always have special codecs and decoders that are responsible for correct work with files of these types. Audio and video encoding and decoding technologies do not stand still. So it is better to install the latest package containing all the tools. The simplest option may be the K-Lite software product Codec Pack. This, as they say, is a universal remedy for all occasions.

However, when setting parameters in a task, you need to select all components. Perhaps some of them will not be needed, but it is not worth the risk. You never know what situations may arise.

Conclusion

It is important to understand that this article only provides short review programs and applications that are necessary for the operation of the computer or the use of its advanced capabilities. However, it is worth noting that this is a basic functional set that no modern user can do without. Naturally, there are still a huge number of tools that allow you not only to expand the functional base, but also to gain some convenience when working. However, as is already clear, it is simply impossible to describe them all.

The only thing that can be noted is the desirable installation of means for partitioning the hard drive into logical partitions. After all, if the system crashes, the information stored in the virtual partitions will remain unchanged. And after restoring the system, you will be able to use the saved data as if nothing had happened.

Let me present a list that includes the most popular programs for Windows 10 for your computer, which will help optimize your work with this operating system.

These free apps will make your life even more interesting.

A strong and effective antivirus that helps optimize your work. Able to resist everyone the latest viruses. Combined high technology scanning and virus detection.

To enhance security and performance, it has 2 anti-virus cores and three protection levels that guarantee complete, and what is very important, permanent protection computer.

Emsisoft Internet Security tirelessly monitors active programs, their behavior, as well as the presence of various malicious elements and viruses in them. A firewall will provide protection against hacker and online attacks on your computer.

Another positive point is the absence of annoying updates.

You can learn more about how this antivirus works by watching the following video

Emsisoft Internet Security 11 Review

Popular and most common file manager. You can find everything in it necessary functions, thanks to which this program has been occupying a leading position for several years.

It provides all the functional elements for viewing a variety of graphic files, archive unpackers, option to download multiple streams of information.

The functions of encoding/decoding, cutting and merging large files will come in handy. There are elements for setting up and controlling the working processes of the system and archivers.

AIDA64

The free program for Windows 10 provides comprehensive information about all components of your PC: the operating system, connected devices, programs and the network. AIDA64 is one of best programs for optimization windows work 10.

Includes a huge set of tests to check the stability and performance of your computer. AIDA64 Extreme Edition Easily supports over one hundred and forty different devices.

Thanks to the operation of sensors, it monitors the temperature, rotation speed and voltage of the cooling fans. With the help of detailed analysis you can monitor the performance of the processor, monitor, motherboard etc.

If you have any questions, this video will help you find the answers.

AIDA64

AIDA64 - installation, getting started (video tutorial)

PROMT Professional 11

The best free translator developed today. An indispensable assistant when working with foreign languages. Guarantees high-quality translation of any text.

Modern PROMT technologies and a constantly updated vocabulary database will provide you with easy work and high-quality results. Just install it on your computer and use it regardless of external factors.

For your convenience, we provide you with a video

PROMT Professional 9 + dictionary + activation key

TOP 10 free programs for Windows 10

Glary Utilities 5

A set of programs for cleaning your PC system from all debris: deleted files, outdated system registries, Internet usage history.

With its help, you can correct the operation of your browser, find and remove duplicates of unnecessary elements.

In addition, the program gives easy access disk defragmentation, system scan and recovery, archives information. The development has received many world-class awards.

Watch the video and see the usefulness of this program

PC Maintenance Using Glary Utilities

This video tutorial will review the excellent program (utility) Glary Utilities.

Adobe Flash Player

A must-have plugin on every computer. With it you can play games online, watch videos High Quality, create web applications and presentations.

As a rule, this program is installed one of the first after Windows installations. This player is used to build a lot of videos and other content on various sites.

Widely used for developing entertainment and advertising on the Internet.

Interesting! By installing this program, you can get rid of problems with Skype. Some of the functions of this communication tool are related to the player.

To install Adobe, watch the video

How to install Adobe Flash Player on any computer

Video tutorial on how to install correctly Adobe Flash Player to your computer.

STANDARD Codes

A set of video and audio codecs from the creators of Shark007. Installed on the Windows 10 operating system to optimize its performance. Includes new versions of codecs, ensuring the production of any videos on the Internet.

If the need arises, you can easily change the installed components. Excellent support for streaming information in all browsers. This program does not have the function of playing audio files.

Hello, dear friends! In today's article I will tell you about all necessary programs ah for a computer, without installing which working on it will be very difficult or simply impossible.

To fully use all the capabilities of your computer friend, you need to install the necessary programs on it.

All necessary programs must be installed on your computer or laptop, regardless of what activity you do on it. They significantly expand or improve the functionality of your device.

After installing an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) on your computer, you have access to a certain number of programs built into it (the number and versions of programs depend on the version of the installed OS). As a rule, the functionality of these programs is limited.

To use all the capabilities of the software, we are advised to purchase it (for a lot of money) 🙂 There are many ways to get around these restrictions, or use free software.

The list will contain both paid and free programs that have similar characteristics and perform the same task.

Each program will be analyzed separately. The pros and cons of the programs will be indicated, their short description, links to developer sites for downloading them.

All the programs below work only under Windows OS (versions for each program will be indicated separately) So, let's get started...

Regardless of whether you bought new computer assembled (with a pre-installed OS), purchased individual components and assembled the computer yourself, or simply reinstalled the operating system, to get started you need to install drivers for the existing hardware on the computer.

To see if all the drivers are installed on a computer with a pre-installed OS, you need to click the “start” button, then the “control panel” tab, then for Windows 7 select “device manager” from the list that appears, and for Windows XP click “system” and select there "device Manager".

A menu like this (or not) will appear:

It should not contain any red or yellow icons. If they are not present, then all devices are installed and working normally. If there is, then you need to determine by the name of the device what the problem is and try to fix it.

Drivers for desktop computers come on discs (CD or DVD)

For laptops, they can also come on disks (if you buy a laptop without an OS installed). If the operating system is installed, then most often the drivers are located in a special folder (software distributions, drivers, etc.).

Driver installation procedure

If you install drivers from a disk and there is an option automatic installation, then you can use it.

This is the best method for an inexperienced user. Minus this method consists of installing unnecessary programs ( various sensors temperatures, fan speed control, etc.), which come with the drivers.

If you know what needs to be installed, then in the disk menu you can uncheck unnecessary programs and install only the necessary ones. Below I have given an example of a disk menu from my motherboard:

Driver installation can occur as in automatic mode, and manually, which gives us the opportunity to install everything separately or only the drivers we need.

It is advisable to install drivers for each device separately with a restart of the computer and in a certain order (preferably, but not required).

1. Chipset
2. Sound
3. Video
4. All other internal devices, and after them the peripherals (printer, scanner, etc.)

As soon as we have all the devices installed or connected to the computer working, we can proceed to installing the programs that are so necessary for our work or entertainment.

Archivers

To continue further installation of the necessary programs, we first need to install an archiver, since almost all software distributions are packaged in archives.

The most popular of the paid archivers is WinRar.

In my opinion, WinRar has the only drawback, it is paid, but it returns 100% of the money spent on it. This is a great and reliable tool for storing, transferring and protecting any of your files. Whether it's a photo Text Document or video. If you don't mind the money, then this is the best option.

WinZip is also a paid archiver, but twice as expensive as WinRar. In terms of functionality, it is in no way inferior to WinRar, but ease of use suffers. Because of these two shortcomings, its rather low popularity is reflected. You can see the comparative characteristics of these two archivers.

Now let's move on to the free and very popular archiver 7Zip.

7Zip has all the necessary functionality and is considered one of the best programs for fast compression, storage and transfer important information. The main advantages of this archiver are the presence of its own 7z compression format, which is ahead of WinRar in speed and compression ratio. There are both 32 and 64 bit versions of the program.

Each of the presented archivers will provide you with everything you need for fast and productive work.

Antiviruses

Now let's talk about the next type of necessary software - antiviruses.

Antivirus software is one of the most popular and popular among all computer users.

Antivirus is considered one of the most necessary programs, not only because of its extreme practical usefulness (with proper configuration and correct use), but also simply as a necessary attribute of a normal computer, although many users do not pay any attention to the operation of the antivirus. They believe that if an antivirus is installed, that is enough. It works, it updates, and that’s fine. Many people simply have no time or are not interested in learning at least a little about the capabilities of the antivirus they have installed and the minimum necessary settings to make it work much more efficiently.

You can afford not to be very well versed in Word, Excel and other fairly important programs for everyday computer work, but you cannot afford to be irresponsible with your data on the computer.

If the antivirus cannot prevent the threat, then you (under certain circumstances) may lose important documents, photos, etc., and no one wants that. If you do not have copies of the data destroyed by the virus, then consider that you have lost it almost irrevocably.

Therefore, choosing a good antivirus that is right for you is quite a difficult task, even for an experienced user, and even more so for those who are less knowledgeable. Below I will give and briefly describe the most popular antivirus programs and I will give links to the developers' sites.

And remember, there is no ideal antivirus, regardless of whether you choose a paid or free program.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus is deservedly considered the most popular paid anti-virus program in Russia. It has two most popular packages representing basic and optimal protection. You can see more details about the capabilities of these products. There are also versions of the program for mobile phones, tablet computers and Apple products.

If you decide to purchase Kaspersky Internet Security or Kaspersky Total Security, then by clicking on this link, you will receive the ORFO spell checker as a gift.

It is followed, in descending order of popularity, by Dr. antivirus programs. Web and Eset NOD32. These programs are paid. Their functionality quite enough to provide the user with good protection against various computer viruses.

Also Dr. Web provides excellent free utility to detect and remove Dr. viruses. Web CureIt!

Of the free antiviruses, I would like to especially highlight Avast! Free Antivirus. It provides excellent protection against most existing pests and is simple and easy to use. There is a more powerful paid version called avast! Internet Security. At the end of 2013, the most powerful version of the antivirus appeared - avast! Premier

Also, many users use less popular, but not much inferior to their advanced counterparts in finding and destroying malicious code, anti-virus programs. These include: AVG Anti-Virus Free, Comodo Antivirus, Avira. All of them are free, but at the same time they provide reliable protection for your computer. McAffe antivirus is very good. It is often installed by default on laptops. By clicking on the picture below, you can learn more about this antivirus. Website at English language. To enable any other, select a special menu item in the upper right corner.

A paid antivirus may differ from a free one, both for the better and for the worse. the worst side. The algorithms for searching and detecting malicious code are different, and you don’t know which virus will get to you. It may be that a simple antivirus can easily catch an unexpected guest, but its sophisticated counterpart will let it through. Choose what suits you best, install, configure and surf the Internet in safety.

By the way, I myself have been using it for more than three years free version Avast, and am quite pleased with its work. Viruses, of course, slipped through, especially Trojans, but running a full scan of the computer and using the Dr. utility. Web CureIt! (once a month is enough) solves this problem. The article describes in detail about this and other programs for quickly and effectively checking your computer for viruses.

After you and I have protected our computer from the unwanted effects of various malware, we can calm down a little, think and make up our minds. What should we install next? What programs do we need most?

To do this, ask yourself. What do you do most on your computer? Work or entertainment. After answering it, you will know exactly what to put first, and I will move on to programs for viewing images.

Image Viewers

Programs for viewing images or simply “viewers” ​​are an integral part of any computer, since without their capabilities, you will never be able to view your photographs or drawings. The absence of a program on your computer that is so necessary for everyday activities greatly limits your ability to use the unlimited potential of your computer.

All modern operating systems have a built-in program for viewing graphic images of almost any format, and it does an excellent job with simple viewing and this is enough for many, but for some users more functionality is needed. For this category, many different (both paid and free) programs have been specially developed for viewing a huge variety of graphic formats.

The once most popular paid program for viewing images, ACDSee, very quickly lost ground to its free counterparts.

Thanks to the emergence of fully functional free programs for viewing all kinds of graphic formats, users have the opportunity to choose, and there is no need to necessarily use paid image viewers.

These programs will allow us to view documents and read e-books in popular formats such as PDF and DjVu.

Adobe Acrobat Reader the most powerful program for reading and editing files in PDF format. Its capabilities significantly exceed the requirements of the average user and it is too “heavy”, so I advise everyone to install the simple and fast-loading Foxit PDF Reader. This free program is quite enough to view any documents or books.

WinDjView is a fast-to-use and extremely easy-to-use program for viewing DjVu files. The DjVu format allows you to save printed documents and images with excellent quality into files significantly smaller size than the original ones.

I would especially like to highlight a program such as STDU Viewer.

I started using it in 2015 and am very pleased with it. It easily replaces all three previous programs.

Its advantages:

• Reads all major image, book and document formats (see supported formats);
• Light weight;
• Free for non-commercial use;
• Can replace several utilities.

Flaws:

In fact, it has one drawback: it is a less convenient and practical interface when working with files and less functionality when working (unlike specialized software), so to speak, the price for versatility. But many people don’t need the bells and whistles (like me, for example), I looked at the document and forgot. So I strongly advise everyone to add this software to their list of must-haves, more than anything else.

Video players

To view video materials in a variety of formats, we will need to install a video player on your computer.

Here I will give only free programs for watching videos, since there is no need to use paid video players, due to their high price and absolute uselessness for the average user, for whom simplicity and ease of use are more important than sophisticated functionality.

– probably the most popular video player for the vast majority of users. Popularity Media Player Classic justified by the fact that this player is present in such a popular codec package as the K-Lite Codec Pack, which will be discussed below. Its capabilities are quite sufficient for regular viewing of films and videos, it is unpretentious and easy to use.

Media Player Classic once again confirms that most users value speed and ease of use, and additional features fade into the background. This player can also be downloaded separately. It's called MPC-HC, which essentially doesn't change anything. There are both 32 and 64 bit versions.

Next comes a more beautiful and modern video player. This video/audio player has built-in codecs, which allows you to watch video movies (including DVDs) and listen to music without installing any third-party codecs. KMPlayer has advanced video settings, which can significantly improve the quality of the played video, as well as replaceable skins to change the appearance.

And finally, I will present a powerful and very easy-to-use media player.

VLC is free, open source source code cross-platform player of any audio and video information. Just like KMPlayer, it has built-in codecs for playing audio and video files. Supports a huge number of formats and various protocols streaming.

To play video on your computer, you can use any of the programs presented here, making a choice based on your aesthetic needs. The capabilities of each of them are sufficient for use in most everyday tasks.

P.S. I myself constantly use all three multimedia players, depending on the format, quality of the video file being launched and my mood :). For regular DVD Rip movies, Media Player Classic is enough, and for watching videos and movies in Full HDTV I use VLC media player. KMPlayer can play back both DVD and HDTV with high quality, although I rarely use it, I like it for its excellent design and capabilities.

Audio players

For high-quality playback and listening to music, we need to install a program for playing audio files.

Above in the article we discussed multimedia players that are more suitable for playing video, although all have the ability to play audio files. Using them to listen to music is not very convenient, so I will tell you about audio players that are specially designed to perform this function with the highest possible convenience and quality.

The first representative of this class of programs is the very popular, beautiful and convenient audio player Aimp. In December 2015, the fourth version of this player was released. The player is absolutely free, and this is very pleasing :).

The Aimp player has conquered and firmly occupied the niche of the former very popular and high-quality music player WinAmp.

Thanks to the free, wonderful appearance(it is possible to change skins), user-friendly interface, high-quality sound reproduction, functionality and constant updates, it has won the hearts of many users around the world. If you choose Aimp, you will never regret it. Ideal solution for home use.

It has a modest interface, but at the same time it has enormous possibilities for expansion, customization and high-quality sound reproduction.

The theoretical capabilities of Foobar2000 for high-quality processing of audio files exceed the capabilities of professional audio equipment.

Has a huge number of plugins.

An excellent player for those who like to play around with sound settings. It is also very suitable for use in office computers, as it consumes very little random access memory and has the ability to adjust transparency.

It is a fast, very small size (490kb in the archive), but at the same time powerful and flexible tool for listening to music.

Supports major audio formats WAV, OGG, MP1, MP2, MP3, AIFF.

Due to the extremely spartan interface, Evil Player is not very convenient to use, but it does an excellent job of performing its main function.

For a home where several people usually use one computer, it will be inconvenient, but for listening background music It would be very suitable for the office.

Codecs

The most popular, stable, universal and necessary set of codecs for viewing and processing audio and video files is undoubtedly .

Thanks to the existence of five package options, any user can choose the one that suits them in terms of functionality.

Basic(Basic) - contains the necessary components to play all popular audio and video formats.

Standard(Standard) the same as in the basic version, plus very good and necessary media player Player Classic Home Cinema, discussed above, and a built-in MPEG-2 decoder for playing DVDs.

Full(Full) same as the standard set, plus MadVR, GraphStudioNext and a few additional DirectShow filters.

Mega(and so it is clear) the same as full package, plus ACM and VFW codecs for video encoding and editing, several additional DirectShow filters and tools.

Previously, there was a special 64-bit version of the codec designed to work on 64-bit operating systems, but now it is built in by default and there is no need to download anything separately.

To view full descriptions of the composition and capabilities of different versions of the codec, follow the link above.

It is a set of the most necessary codecs for watching videos in the most popular formats and listening to audio files.

The package includes such popular codecs as ffdshow, DivX, XviD, x264, h.264, Windows Media 9, MP4, MPEG4, MPEG2, AC3, DTS, Flash Video Splitter, many filters, various plugins and other auxiliary tools for working with video and audio files.

It's universal free application developed by Adobe Corporation, which allows us to view pages with dynamic (interactive) content, beautiful special effects and video clips, and play flash games.

Flash technology is very common on the Internet, and using a computer without a Flash player installed, you will not be able to fully use all the capabilities of the modern Internet.

This software is simply necessary to install on any computer.

To view instructions for Adobe installation Flash Player on Internet browsers Explorer, Opera and Mozilla Firefox click here.

Adobe Flash Player is already built into the Google Chrome browser. Updates automatically.

Office programs

It is the most essential set of office applications created by Microsoft for operating systems Microsoft Windows And Apple Mac OS X

This package includes software that allows you to prepare documents of varying complexity. Allows you to work with various types documents: texts, spreadsheets, databases, etc.

Microsoft Office is a market leader word processors, and its formats are the standard in the document flow of the vast majority of enterprises.

The most popular applications from Microsoft package Office are Microsoft Office Word, for working with text data and Microsoft Office Excel, for working with tabular data. But these applications are quite difficult to master on your own, and during self-study we use the capabilities of these programs by 10-15%. Therefore, if you want to surprise your friends, girlfriends, comrades and co-workers with an advanced level of Word proficiency, and do your work more efficiently and quickly, I advise you to take it.

Microsoft Office is an excellent product for processing text and tabular data, but its main disadvantage is the price.

The 2013 version costs about 15,000 rubles. This is a very large amount for us, which is why the vast majority of users have unlocked computers in their home computers. different ways version of this program, so necessary for many.

Now let's look at the free office program OpenOffice.

This is the most popular free office suite designed for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, and more.

Supports many languages ​​and works great on all personal computers.

OpenOffice can be used completely freely for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Office OpenOffice package has less functionality and ease of use, so it will not replace Microsoft Office in enterprises, but for home use it is more than enough.

A simple text editor can also be a very good option (especially for owners of laptops and tablets).

Browsers

(read as Internet Explorer) is a browser developed by Microsoft Corporation. Included with all operating systems Windows family, and thanks to this it remains today one of the most popular web browsers on the Internet.

For most users who require the Internet occasionally, it will be sufficient, but for those who spend a little more time in front of the monitor in search of information and entertainment, a more flexible and customizable tool may be needed.

Generally latest versions Internet Explorer is convenient and works quite well when properly configured.

On this moment Microsoft is very actively promoting its Microsoft Edge browser, which comes with the operating system. Windows system 10. According to user reviews, it is quite good and superior to Internet Explorer.

Although the package includes many modules, the most common application from this package is Nero Burning Rom. It is responsible for recording, erasing, copying and cloning disks. Nero Burning Rom has established itself as the fastest, most convenient and high-quality program for burning discs. Supports recording of all existing discs and formats. The disadvantage of the program is that it is paid, but it is cheaper than Ashampoo Burning. Is best choice for burning discs among all programs of this class.

With this, I want to finish describing the set of necessary programs for any computer running operating systems of the Windows family, and move on to less necessary, but sometimes necessary software.

Such software includes programs for scanning text and images, translators, downloading files and torrents, communicating on the Internet, cleaning the operating system, convenient work with files and defragmenters. Now first things first...

Convenient work with files

The most popular program for convenient work with files is . This is the best two panel file manager. Possesses everyone possible options convenient work with many files. There are both 32 and 64 bit versions of the program.

A good option would be to use a free file manager. In terms of stability and functionality, it is inferior Total Commander, but for many it will be enough.

Communication on the Internet

Programs designed for communication via the Internet are divided into those that allow you to conduct a conversation through a microphone with the ability to connect video via a webcam, and simple communication using text. Almost all modern programs support all these options for interaction between users.

The most prominent representative of this segment is Skype.

Skype allows all Internet users to communicate for free, regardless of their location. It is possible to call anyone mobile operator or a city number at very low rates.

Easy to install, clear and convenient to use Skype program It’s simply a must have for those users who want to make the most of the Internet’s capabilities.

A good replacement for Skype is the Mail.Ru Agent program, but it has a big disadvantage: it is a lower quality of communication than Skype. Otherwise, this is a fairly convenient and high-quality product. Has millions of fans thanks to the promoted service instant messages ICQ (better known as ICQ). When downloading the agent (and other programs), be careful. Be sure to uncheck the box before you start downloading, otherwise you will end up with a bunch of digital crap. With all due respect to the Mail.ru company, they do not hesitate to clog up our computers with very annoying and, most importantly, absolutely unnecessary software for the sake of a penny.

Uploading files and torrents

All modern browsers have a built-in module for downloading files from the Internet, but their functionality and ease of use do not satisfy many users. An alternative to standard methods of downloading information from the Internet can be programs specially developed for this. They easily integrate into all major and popular browsers and have significantly greater functionality, speed and reliability.

The best program in this class is.

Download Master is a convenient and highly efficient tool for downloading any files. He will provide you high speed downloads, the ability to continue an interrupted download from the point where the connection was broken, user-friendly interface management of the program and downloaded files.

Available portable version Download Master Portable, which, when recorded on a flash drive or portable disk, will allow you to boot from any computer connected to world wide web. All versions of Download Master are free.

Another one good program to download files from the Internet.

In terms of functionality, Free Download Manager is in no way inferior to Download Master, but loses in ease of use, although many people like it, precisely because of its simplicity and the presence of only necessary elements management.

The following program is a torrent downloader. If you don’t understand what we’re talking about, then read what torrent files are.

µTorrent is one of the most popular torrent clients in the world.

The advantages of this program are its small size, convenient and intuitive interface, and most importantly, it is absolutely free. I recommend it to anyone who downloads large amounts of data from torrent trackers.

Cleaning the operating system

To keep the operating system in good working order and remove it from unnecessary files and programs, we just need a program.

CCleaner is the best free program to optimize the registry and files of your computer. After finishing your work, you will see how much faster and more efficiently your computer will work.

CCleaner will free up valuable space on your computer in no time. hard drives, while you can be confident in the correctness and reliability of the program. The program will not delete any necessary files. Built-in support for the Russian language, the small size of the program and a clear and simple interface make CCleaner an indispensable assistant both at home and at work.

Recently, to optimize and clean the operating system from various garbage, I began to use Advanced SystemCare. An excellent replacement for many cleaners.

Defragmenters

Very fast, powerful and reliable defragmenter.

Auslogics Disk Defrag allows you to optimize file system, placement of both system and regular files to speed up the computer. Supports work in the background. Free for commercial and home use.

There is also a portable version of Auslogics Disk Defrag, which can be written to a flash drive or removable disk, with the further ability to run the program on any other computer without installation.

Optical text and image recognition

If you frequently work with text and graphic data, you may need essential software such as text and image recognition programs.

It is a leader in the field of optical data recognition and has all the necessary functionality for quickly and conveniently converting paper documents into electronic editable formats. It defines and allows you to convert text and tabular data, as well as images, into documents of various formats. Performs all this with maximum speed and quality. For her, the type of document being identified does not matter, be it a photograph of a book or a regular text document. ABBYY FineReader will identify the data in both documents with the same quality. There is a built-in spell checker. The disadvantage of the program is that it is paid.

For those who are not ready to pay for the ABBYY FineReader optical text recognition program, there is its free analogue CuneiForm.

The functionality and quality of work of CuneiForm is inferior to ABBYY FineReader, but it copes very well with scanning simple documents and images. Any printed fonts are recognized.

The results of the work can be translated and edited in any office programs And text editors, and then save in popular formats.

To improve the quality of recognition, CuneiForm uses a dictionary check. The standard dictionary can be expanded by inserting new words from text files. Suitable for anyone who needs optical data recognition on a case-by-case basis.

Text translators

Electronic dictionary is the most powerful package for translating text from one language to another.

It comes in home and professional versions, which differ in the set of dictionaries. Each version has the ability to connect additional dictionaries. It has a huge standard database of words and popular phrases. It has the highest quality automatic text translation, selecting the translation of words according to the meaning and content of the translated material. ABBYY Lingvo is very high quality paid product, which has left far behind its both paid and free competitors. It is simply necessary for everyone who studies foreign languages ​​and translates texts.

NeoDic is a free program for contextual text translation. It will help you cope with the translation of unfamiliar words by simply hovering your mouse over the desired word or phrase. This type translation is very convenient to use when viewing information on the Internet. The program supports the Russian language, is small in size and has many settings that allow you to change the program to suit your needs.

This concludes my review of the necessary programs for your computer. The set of software presented above is sufficient for full use all the basic computer capabilities that the vast majority of users use, at home or in the office.

You can download them from official websites (this is not always convenient), using the links provided in the article, or go to the useful resources page and select the one you like from the listed catalogs of free programs, search and download the desired program from it.

If you liked this article, then perhaps you will be interested in my other materials. To view all blog articles, please follow the link to. The author of this article and the Computer for Everyone blog is Alexander Osipov. See you again on the pages.

Good day, blog readers.

Every computer user has a standard set of applications that he uses constantly. For some it is 15 utilities, for others it is 50 - it all depends on the tasks assigned to the client. In the following article I will present the most necessary programs for Windows computer 10, of course starting from personal experience. It’s worth saying right away that the listed solutions are not suitable for everyone, because someone may use analogues or the proposed functionality is simply not needed.

The first application that you need to install on your computer is an antivirus. And one of the most effective today is Comodo Internet Security, AVG AntiVirus Free, Dr Web Cureit or Emsisoft Internet Security. The program is able to find and neutralize all currently known malware.

The application can download for free. To provide complete safety, there are two high-quality kernels and three levels of protection at once.

EIS constantly monitors the operation of programs on the device, analyzes their behavior, and looks for the presence of malicious components.

There is a built-in firewall function that will help protect against attacks while connected to the network, including the Internet.

In addition, it must be said that the application does not provide for constant updating of signatures, which is usually annoying in such solutions. At the same time, the project requires significantly less RAM to run.

Total Commander( )

The most famous file manager. There is a lot of useful functions, each of which will make working at the computer much easier. For example, users have access to elements that allow them to view pictures, archive and unpack data, and quickly transfer, copy or delete files. In addition, there is the possibility of encoding and cutting of volumetric data.

AIDA64( )

Convenient program for the tenth Windows versions, which shows users all the necessary information regarding everything that happens with the PC. For example, anyone can find out the status of the operating system, connected devices, and much more.

At the same time, the application is considered one of the best for optimizing the operation of the operating system. Here you can find everything you need to check the functionality and performance of the unit.

It is important to note that the free program interacts with big amount devices - more than 140. It is capable of monitoring the temperature of components connected to the system, the rotation speed of coolers, the operation of the processor, motherboard and much more.

PROMT Professional 11( )

The utility is considered one of the best translators to date. It is simply irreplaceable if you constantly encounter foreign languages. The application developers guarantee high-quality translation, regardless of the complexity of the text. The desired result can always be achieved thanks to a constantly updated database and the use of modern technologies. To work, you only need to install it on your computer, and you can use it right away, regardless of other factors.

Glary Utilities 5( )

A software product that consists of many tools designed to clean your PC of excess junk. For example, users will be able to finally say goodbye to deleted documents, irrelevant entries in the system registry, and much more. The application makes it possible to customize the browser, find and delete identical files, efficiently defragment disks, archive data, check and restore system files.

The application first appeared on the market a long time ago. Over the entire period of its existence, the developers have received a lot of awards of world significance and only positive reviews regarding their brainchild.

Adobe Flash Player( )

This plugin must be installed on all computers. And if it's not there yet, it's time to go to official site or torrent tracker. It allows you to watch videos in the best quality, create applications, presentations and much more. Most importantly, the program is simply necessary for games that can only be played via the Internet.

Usually the application is installed first after a clean installation of the operating system. This player is used on many resources as the main one for playing videos. It is especially in demand in the field of advertising and entertainment.

Interesting to know! The developers claim that installing their product will help resolve many problems associated with Skype.

Standard Codes( )

An excellent set of codecs for video playback. A small addition is directly integrated into Windows 10 - this allows you to optimize the system as much as possible.

The pack contains all the necessary tools for playing not only video available on your computer, but also from the Internet. In this case, it is possible to change installed components or update them.

Great for supporting streaming in any browser.

It's worth noting that there are no tools that are used separately to play audio files.

The utility can be safely called necessary, since today there are many different file formats. And without certain add-ons, not everyone will be able to run them.

J. Rover Media Center( )

The application is a real multimedia center, capable of working with DVDs, playing *.mp3, converting CDs into the format required for the computer. In addition, the program will even help you re-record magnetic tape cassettes and records onto your hard drive.

The utility will delight you with a lot of convenient elements. For example, there is a good file organizer, editor, and equalizer here. There is also an automatic recording and playback function. It even has remote control technology.

Destroy Windows 10 Spying( )

The program is considered the best today in the matter of calculating and removing spyware products. She is capable of opening all possible Microsoft reports. In addition, the utility does a great job of dealing with all the services that have already collected about you personal information or any statistics.

The project also allows you to turn off some unused applications in Windows 10. And most importantly, with the help of it you can say goodbye to advertising in Skype.

DWS works on systems with any bit depth - both 32 and 64 bits. Anyone can understand the controls – the utility has an intuitive interface.

The Bat( )

Convenient and popular email application. It has the simplest and at the same time functional interface, allowing you to do everything possible with your mail.

Compared with other similar services, this one stands out in abundance. additional settings, constant updating.

It is worth noting support for seventeen languages ​​at once - Russian is also provided. That is why the program is so widely popular all over the world.

There are email sorting tools, including protection against spam and malicious messages.

Google Chrome( )

One of the most popular browsers in the world today. It is highly optimized to work on any device. True, some users complain about the use of a large amount of free RAM.

It is worth noting the convenient management of bookmarks and all saved passwords. Enough for mobile device, such as a tablet or smartphone, install the same program and enter your user data.

As a result, you will have all the necessary information on all devices simultaneously. This is especially convenient when users move around a lot and do not always have access to a PC.

ACD See( )

A convenient program for opening and easily processing pictures. Supports interaction with a wide variety of formats. In this case, the resolution can be any.

Anyone can view the photo, crop it, and resize it if necessary. In addition, there are a lot of filters that allow you to process images in various ways, including creating a negative, a painting, etc.

Well, I hope this review will help you decide what exactly to install on your computer. From personal experience I can say this - it is better to post only what you will definitely use. For example, if there was a need to play video, we installed a player. Otherwise, applications will appear on the computer that will simply clog the hard drive, which does not have a very good effect on the operation of the device.

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.

Health when working at a computer

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 has an excellent digital garbage cleaner and a system optimizer built into it - an original solution from the manufacturers, I should note.

Please note that with proper fine tuning any antivirus can be 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 leader in this matter Advanced program SystemCare. 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 are also manual mode— You yourself indicate 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 One 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. She adds in Windows Explorer tab function (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, do not forget about best ad cutter. 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 with lightning speed and find the most best versions drivers that are suitable specifically for your long-suffering computer and will update them is Snappy Driver Installer (SDI).