So I'll be getting a new laptop in a week or two, and it's got Windows 7 (64-bit) for an operating system. Currently I use a Vista computer with a lot of addon programs to make it easier to manage. I was wondering what programs people could recommend for me for my new laptop? Favourite programs, addons, etc? Programs to improve performance? Programs to improve battery life? (Underclocking CPU/GPU, etc).

Bear in mind, I'm very familiar with Windows, so don't be afraid to suggest more complex programs.

CCleaner for sure, an AV and Firewall, Firefox.. those are the basics and necessity nowadays

Chrome (It's hard to use any other browser after using Chrome for a while)
iTunes (assuming you have an iDevice, if not there are much better alternatives)
Microsoft Security Essentials (free anti-virus software and among the best you can find for windows paid or free)
VLC Media Player (It plays basically any media file you throw at it)
Microsoft Office (You'll need it for class, if you don't feel like buying it OpenOffice is a great alternative)

Those are what I'd consider the "essential" programs

Linux.

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

Linux.

Psych.

Definately download BatteryCare ( http://batterycare.net/en/index.html )
If you set up this program properly (like reducing brightness a bit and turning aero off when you arent plugged in), it really helps. And it also shows you stuff like temp which is cool.

Also, I know VLC is popular, but the interface is kinda ugly. A much better program in my opinion is KMP Player (http://kmplayer.en.softonic. com). When you're installing the program and it asks you how fast your laptop is, select the highest quality, because KMP player somehow improves quality of videos (compared side-by-side to VLC). And you can download themes to make it look nicer!

Last year, I used Mozilla Sunbird (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird) as my calender to organize due dates for each course (using different colours too). I might try using the calender in Outlook this year though since I've gotten used to it at work, but Sunbird was really helpful.

Oh and get Microsoft OneNote if you ever wanna take lecture notes. thats all i can think of right now. hope that helps =)

Originally Posted by Tailsnake

iTunes (assuming you have an iDevice, if not there are much better alternatives)

foobar2000

Apparently foobar tells me I've used it for 26 weeks, 2 days, and 4 hours worth of playing music to date.

Originally Posted by temptingf8

foobar2000

Apparently foobar tells me I've used it for 26 weeks, 2 days, and 4 hours worth of playing music to date.

whenever i see that apps name i think of spyware or a toolbar of some sort, lol.

Originally Posted by temptingf8

foobar2000

Apparently foobar tells me I've used it for 26 weeks, 2 days, and 4 hours worth of playing music to date.

I personally swear by SongBird, I have a few friends that can't live without Winamp, and DoubleTwist is getting a lot of positive buzz (and there are rumors of Google buying/licencing it as "iTunes for Android").

I had Foobar2000 on my old computer but never really used it

Originally Posted by Tailsnake

VLC Media Player (It plays basically any media file you throw at it)

I found K-Lite + Media Player Classic more reliable (although I haven't updated my VLC in a while so I dunno about newer versions)

Originally Posted by JEFF_CHAN

I found K-Lite + Media Player Classic more reliable (although I haven't updated my VLC in a while so I dunno about newer versions)

I loathe MPC, I've tried it on 3 separate occasions ad could not stand it

Originally Posted by farid

Also, I know VLC is popular, but the interface is kinda ugly. A much better program in my opinion is KMP Player (http://kmplayer.en.softonic. com). When you're installing the program and it asks you how fast your laptop is, select the highest quality, because KMP player somehow improves quality of videos (compared side-by-side to VLC). And you can download themes to make it look nicer!

KMP is actually pretty nice, it managed to play a corrupted subtitle file for a movie that VLC would't recognize anymore and it really does make movies look nicer (though I had to run VLC and KMP side by side to notice so it's not a huge improvement). I'm gonna try making it my main video player for a while and see if I like it.

Cutepdf writer: free utility for making PDF files from any program that can print
Foxit PDF reader: free PDF viewer that is small, fast and without the security holes of Adobe Acrobat
Inkscape: Free open source vector image creation (for creating diagrams, posters, etc).

In case you didn't know, you don't have to use iTunes to sync your iPod to your computer. There are tutorials that show you how you can get certain other media players to sync with iPods. Songbird, MediaMonkey, WinAmp are just a few that I know are iPod compatible. If you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone, you can use the AppStore on your touch/phone itself instead of using iTunes.

I also use Chrome as my browser, but I have Firefox for MacInsiders.

I use IOBit to clean my computer (Instead of CCleaner), it also has an uninstaller/scrubber that is comparable to RevoUninstaller and has 360 Security for Spyware/Malware. the only downfall is that the free version doesn't have a scheduler for scanning spyware/malware, but it still has live scanning.

I use NitroPDF reader instead of Adobe Reader. It also print PDF files.

I use SmartDefrag instead of the windows defragger.

I use GOM as my media player.

I recently reviews IOBit's advanced systemcare pro if anyones interested: http://eceplayground.com/2010/07/21/...re-pro-review/

As for favorite players - iTunes for music (cleanest and easiest to use, get switchless installer) and VLC for videos.

I tend to stay away from defragging programs since they were the major downfall to my last hard drive's failure.

Originally Posted by jhan523

In case you didn't know, you don't have to use iTunes to sync your iPod to your computer. There are tutorials that show you how you can get certain other media players to sync with iPods. Songbird, MediaMonkey, WinAmp are just a few that I know are iPod compatible. If you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone, you can use the AppStore on your touch/phone itself instead of using iTunes.

SongBird hasn't been iDevice compatible for a while and DoubleTwist isn't compatible with any of the 6 newest iOS firmwares (4.01, 4.0, 3.2.1, 3.2, 3.1.3, and 3.1.2). I'm assuming WinAmp and MediaMonkey are in the same boat.

There may be plugins to enable iDevice compatibility but I haven't searched.