Must Have Installs on your PC
With so much software available, I often get asked this specific question. At a minimum, you should have the following:
Antivirus - but only one, installing more than one will result in......just don't do it.
Malware Remover/Detector - with this, you can install as many as you like, they generally get along well.
PDF Reader - Essential if you ever need to download a document or form off the web.
Word Processor - Microsoft Office, Open Office, Wordperfect or Google Docs, there are many more but get one if you plan on being productive.
CCleaner - great system cleaner/tweaker
Java - Unfortunately, you will not get very far on the Internet without this program.
VLC Media Player - Will ensure that whatever media file you try to play, will play
Internet Browser - You will always have Internet Explorer (hopefully version 11), but install Google Chrome and Firefox as well. Give yourself options and try them all, they all have pros and cons
Photo Management Software - If you are a newbie or inexperienced, Picasa is among many great photo management programs. If you are hard core, then you don't need my advice, you are already pretty tight with Photoshop and the like.
Recuva - This neat program will help you recover that file that you accidentally erased, either on your hard drive, flash drive or memory card.
Speccy - This great program will give you every detail you will ever need about the hardware of your PC.
All of these recommended programs can be found in the Free Software section of this site
If you have suggestions to add to the list, by all means, drop me an email or post your suggestion in the "Share Your Thoughts" page