What to install on a new Windows 10 laptop

Today, the presence of a huge number of different utilities allows the user to make a choice, based not only on the functionality of the program, but also taking into account their individual needs and preferences. Therefore, often the standard set of programs that are installed with Windows 10 cannot fully satisfy all the user's needs. That is why most users need an approximate list of programs for a new laptop, which are most often used by many users. The most popular programs for today are collected here.

Antivirus

It's hard to imagine life on the Internet without an antivirus. The standard virus protection program in Windows 10 is not able to protect you from all the threats that lie in wait for you on various sites. In order to calmly surf the Internet and not be afraid that all files will be stolen or damaged in an instant, you need to install a reliable antivirus. Moreover, most users want it to be free as well.

• 360 Total Security - provided to all users free of charge. Effectively searches for viruses and removes them instantly. It also has a firewall to protect you from data theft and espionage. The program also has a function for the safe launch of suspicious programs called "Sandbox".
• Dr.Web is an antivirus that has earned the trust of many Internet users. Known for its effectiveness in finding and destroying viruses. The program includes an anti-virus scanner, anti-rootkit, preventive protection, mail anti-virus, firewall, anti-virus "watchman". The company offers its users 30 days of free trial.
• Microsoft Security Essentials is another free antivirus from Microsoft. Differs in ease of use. It consumes few system resources, and therefore does not slow down the computer. Works in the background and protects all the time from various viruses and spyware, Trojans, worms.
• Kaspersky Antivirus - experienced PC users remember this antivirus for the unusual sound of a virus detection. This antivirus keeps on updating and getting better every year. It protects your computer from virus attacks, prevents threats, protects confidential data, and is also very easy to use.

Browser

A fast browser is a very important factor in a comfortable and productive Internet experience. For some, a minimalistic design with a minimum of buttons is important, for others - the ability to install many add-ons and various themes. However, the most popular browsers are:

• Google Chrome is a fast and lightweight browser that relies on simplicity and usability. At the same time, it is not devoid of functionality. It has all the most necessary functions for fast and convenient work on the Internet, as well as the ability to install extensions and themes from the store.
• Yandex Browser - a simple interface and high performance are the main advantages of this web browser. It has a "Turbo" function that allows you to increase your browsing speed when the internet is poor. Also, this browser differs in that it opens many files directly in itself. Thanks to him, you do not need to install many programs on your computer. The browser opens formats: PDF, DOC, EPUB, FB2 and many others. The browser allows you to install add-ons from Google Chrome and Opera add-on stores.
• Opera is very similar to its counterparts, although unlike them it also has battery saving functions and the ability to turn on a free VPN.
• Mozilla Firefox is a browser that calls itself independent and built for the convenience of people, not for personal gain. It is distinguished by its speed, as well as many privacy settings.

All browsers are distributed free of charge.

Download programs

A lot of programs, as well as films and games can now be found on torrent resources. To do this, you need to have such a program for downloading. μTorrent is the most popular torrent client. High speed of work, great functionality, minimum of advertising - this distinguishes it from other downloaders. You can also install Mediaget, which opens and downloads not only torrent links, but magnet links as well. It is very convenient for downloading series and movies, as it allows you to watch them directly in the downloader window, and without waiting for the download to finish.

Viewing images

The standard image viewer in Windows 10 is not bad, but it has limited functionality and takes a very long time to open images.

• IrfanView is a simple program with no design bells and whistles, which weighs only 1 MB. Differs in its speed. In it, you can immediately edit photos, change their format and move them. Can be viewed in a slide show. The program is free and opens all modern image formats.
• Picasa is a program that recognizes many photo formats and organizes them for quick search. The program allows you to put passwords on albums, as well as edit photos. Also free.
• FastStone Image Viewer is a multifunctional image viewer. Allows you to easily manage your images, create musical slideshows, quickly edit photos, apply special effects like watermarks, and much more.

Photo editor

Despite the fact that the standard Paint program is simple and understandable even for a child, its functionality is very limited. You will not be able to open multiple images at the same time, make corrections, use hotkeys to speed up work, and use layers for convenience. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Paint provides very few tools for working with images. A good alternative is GIMP. It has many tools for photo editing, there are various effects and filters. But at the same time, the program has an intuitive interface that allows you to use it without training.

It is also worth noting FastStone Image Viewer, which combines the functions of viewing and quick editing of photos, which helps to significantly save disk space.

Audio player

For those who like to listen to music from a computer, a standard audio player will definitely not be enough. Fortunately, there is now a rich selection of audio players.

• AIMP - nice interface, many features, support for many formats and much more in one player. There are many skins available for download. The player also comes with an audio converter, which is very convenient for quickly converting one audio file format to another.
• Winamp is a player that has earned trust due to many years of work. For some, the name of the program a few years ago was generally associated with a musical format. The program has a huge functionality, supports various plugins.

Video player

At the moment, there are such a huge number of convenient and attractive externally media players that it has become incredibly difficult to choose. However, the most popular ones are:

• Media Player Classic - in order not to separately install codecs for Windows 10, this player installs them immediately with the player. One of the most popular video players. Simple interface and fast speed are the best qualities of this video player.
• The KMPlayer is an equally popular Windows video player that has a wide variety of settings. Supports many formats.
• Adobe Flash Player - you just need to install this player, since it is responsible for playing audio and video in the browser, as well as for the operation of web games.

Office programs for Windows

Office programs are the most important utilities for those who constantly work with documents. The standard Microsoft Office package includes:

• Microsoft Word text editor;
• Editor for Microsoft Excel tables;
• Mail manager Microsoft Outlook;
• Program for creating and editing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

Less popular utilities in the MS Office package: Access, InfoPath, Publisher, Visio, Project, OneNote, Groove, and others. All of them are distributed on a paid basis.

A good free counterpart is OpenOffice.org. It also aims to work with various documents. Its only drawback is that sometimes it does not read Microsoft Office formats correctly.

Archiver

The archiver is needed in order to unpack programs, games or other applications packed into an archive. An archiver is also needed when it is necessary to group all files and documents and send them by mail or messenger. With the help of the archiver, you can protect your files by putting a password on the archive. But first of all, the archiver is still designed to save disk space or already reduce the file size for sending over the Internet.

• WinRAR is a very simple and easy-to-use archiver. It quickly archives any files, can open any archives, and allows you to change its appearance. WinRAR has a 40-day free trial period. But after this period, the program is not blocked, but continues to work fully, only from time to time a window pops up reminding you to buy a license.
• 7-Zip is a free high compression ratio archiver. Open source. It is lightweight and reads many formats.

System optimization and tuning

As each person takes care of himself and puts himself in order, you also need to monitor your computer so that the system lasts as long as possible and does not fail. To do this, you need a program that will clean the system of unnecessary files, enable or disable additional functions, speed up the boot and operation of the system, defragment the disk, and much more.

• Acronis Disk Director - designed for quick hard disk optimization. With it, you can create and manage new disk partitions. You can recover deleted data from disk.The program protects data on disk and also helps to improve the performance of the entire computer.
• Auslogics BoostSpeed ​​is a very popular program that has even been advertised on the Discovery Channel. With its help, you can speed up your computer and even the Internet. There you can also clean up disks and increase free space on your computer, fix errors in the registry, defragment disks, recover deleted files, and protect your private information. It is used to tune Windows 10 for maximum performance. This program combines many functions for which there are usually separate utilities.
• Auslogics Driver Updater - helps to quickly and without unnecessary hassle update all drivers on your computer.
• Unistall Tool - if you think that by uninstalling a program you get rid of all its files, then you are very mistaken. In fact, after removing any programs, many small files remain on the disk, which over time heavily load the system. If you uninstall programs using this utility, then there will be no trace of them on your hard drive.
• CCleaner is a tool for cleaning your computer from garbage. Copes with its task quickly and efficiently. It also has features for uninstalling programs, system restore, startup settings and full erasing drives.

Messengers

If 10 years ago, communication on the Internet was supported through e-mail, now there are many instant messengers that allow you to communicate with people from all over the world. Instant messaging makes life much easier not only at work, but also at home. The most popular instant messengers on Windows 10:

• Skype was the first program that allowed Internet users to communicate with each other through video calls. Until now, Skype has not lost its popularity. A very light and convenient interface, its own funny emoticons, the ability to hold online conferences with 100 people at the same time and many other functions, without which many Skype users can no longer imagine their life. The program is free, only a fee is charged for calls to mobile phones.
• Viber is a very popular free messaging program for mobile phones. Viber users also actively use the program on a computer, since this allows them not to interrupt conversations, as well as to make free calls to a subscriber even without a phone. The program has not only its own emoticons, but also stickers, and also introduced the function of temporary messages, which after a while are deleted by themselves. The program is free, only additional stickers are charged.
• WhatsApp is another messenger that has gained popularity thanks to its version for smartphones. After a while, an official program for computers appeared. Therefore, if you and your friends or acquaintances communicate in WhatsApp, then it will not be superfluous to install it on your computer.