How to find out unused programs on your computer. What programs are needed for a computer and laptop?

Are you new to the computer world and want to learn about useful computer programs? Then we will offer you a list of necessary computer programs, which will include software solutions for certain tasks. Next, we will look at the programs that are necessary to work in the Windows operating system.
Contents of the article:

The most necessary programs for your computer

List of useful computer programs

Free useful programs for your computer

Paid useful programs for your computer

Analogues of system programs

Over time, unnecessary programs inevitably accumulate on your computer. This is mainly due to the fact that many programs are installed to solve one specific problem. And after solving this problem, they are no longer needed.

The easiest way to remove unnecessary programs is to remove them through a special utility in the Control Panel. To use this method, go to the “Uninstall programs” section.

You can also open this utility using search. Open the Start menu and enter the phrase “Uninstall programs” into the search form, then run the found program.

After opening the “Uninstall Programs” utility, you will see a list of all programs installed on your computer. In order to remove unnecessary programs you need to find them in this list. After this, you need to select the found program with the mouse and click on the “Delete” button, which will appear above the list.

After this, the program installer will open and prompt you to remove it.

How to remove unnecessary programs from your computer using MyUninstaller

You can also remove unnecessary programs from your computer using special ones. There are quite a lot of such programs. For example: Revo Uninstaller, ZSoft Uninstaller, MyUninstaller and many others.

In this material we will demonstrate the process of uninstalling programs using MyUninstaller as an example. This program is completely free, it does not require installation and is very easy to use. You can download this program from .

After launching this program, it will analyze your computer and find all installed programs. The analysis may take 1-2 minutes.

After this, a list of all programs installed on your computer will appear in the program window. Here you need to select the unnecessary program that you want to remove and click on the button with the image of a trash can.

After this, the program installer will open and offer you to remove it.

In this article we will talk about what programs you need to install on your computer first. This will be the most important set of software that must be installed on any user’s PC. This minimum is useful for both comfortable and safe work.

For the most impatient, I will right now post a list of programs that will be discussed in this article below, and accordingly this is what what you need to install on your computer first of all.

• Antivirus
• Player
• Codecs
• Browser
• Torrent
• Converter
• Archiver
• Record

1. Antivirus

An antivirus program is the first thing a user should install on their computer after purchasing a computer or after reinstalling the system. Nowadays, especially for a novice user, it is very easy to pick up one. All this can end in disaster, including theft of personal data.

So take care of this. The answer to the question is no. It is different for everyone, but among the leaders we can highlight the following: Kaspersky, Avast, NOD32 and Doctor Web. And the choice is yours.

2. Player

To listen to songs and watch videos, we need a player. Of course, you can limit yourself to the standard “viewer” and “listener” of Windows Media Player, but many want something more. Therefore, choosing and installing a player is also included in this list.

One of the coolest players for watching videos is Aimp and Winamp for listening to music. Also quite popular is the JetAudio player, which can both play video and play music.

In addition to the previous point, we have codecs. To fully reproduce absolutely any audio and video formats, you need. One of the most popular codec sets is the K-Lite Codec Pack, which will help you play almost any movie and music.

4. Browser

I doubt that any of you are not connected to the Internet. Take this article, for example, most likely you are reading it from your computer, which is connected to the global network. Therefore, the browser is also one of the essential programs that you need to install immediately on your computer.

We won’t even talk about standard Internet Explore; it’s terrible in one word. We must install a more modern browser, for example, Mozilla or, as a last resort, Opera. This is up to your taste, I have listed for you the most popular browser programs and the really good ones.

You will need these programs for daily use. After all, most of the users, every time they spend time at the computer, listen to music and watch videos, so a normal player and codecs are simply necessary. And where would we be today without the Internet? After all, every modern person already uses it, so a fast browser is also important, and so that the time spent online does not turn out to be dangerous for the computer, you need to install a good antivirus.

5. Torrent

If you are going to download something from the Internet, then of course you need some kind of torrent client. One of the most popular programs whose purpose is to download files from torrent trackers is uTorrent. MediaGet and Zona have also spread recently. Install one of them on your computer so that you can access the necessary files in the future.

6. Converter

Often users have to convert various files. Change the format of the movie in order to download it later to your phone or convert audio to mp3 or wav. Sooner or later the program will be needed in any case. Therefore, I suggest that you get acquainted in advance with the free Format Factory program, which will convert your video or audio into absolutely any popular formats.

7. Archiver

To pack and unpack files from an archive, we need an archiver program. Quite often, when downloading files from the Internet, they end up packed into an archive, and in general, to transfer or transfer a large number of files to another computer, it’s easier to pack it all into an archive. In a word, you either need to install 7-zip so that, if necessary, you can extract files from the archive, or vice versa - pack them.

8. Recording files

Another common task for everyday users is writing files to disks. You've probably heard about a program like Nero - this is a huge package that is designed not only for, but also for working with video, audio, and so on. But we don't need this powerful program. For our purposes - recording data on disks, a simple program will suffice, for example, Discs Studio, which I recommend to everyone who wants to record movies, music or something else onto a blank (empty disk).

On the one hand, it seems that the list is small, only 8 programs, but on the other hand, if you think about it, most of the time when working at a computer, the user needs these programs.

We surf the Internet using a browser, we have music playing in the player, the antivirus constantly protects us from malware, when downloading packed files from the network via torrent, the archiver will help us unpack them, and if we need to write something to a disc, then the installed the program will come to the rescue. We also have a program for converting files that can easily change the format, size and, if necessary, turn off the computer.

So if you have a question, what programs to install on your computer, then feel free to return to this list and recommend it to everyone!

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It's no secret that over time your computer starts to work slower. Fortunately, this is fixable. It is enough just to carry out regular optimization, remove unnecessary information garbage and follow some rules. This does not require third-party programs; you can get by with those built into Windows. My story will be about them.

I’ll start with simple optimization methods and end with more radical ones that require increased attention.

Remove unnecessary programs

I'm sure there are one, two or more programs on your computer that you haven't used for months. It is recommended to remove such programs in order, firstly, to free up space on your hard drive, and secondly, many programs have components that slightly slow down the system. For example, Guard Mail.ru is usually installed along with Mail.ru Agent, which does not understand what it does in the system, supposedly protecting against something unknown. Go to Start - Control Panel - Installing and removing programs(for Windows XP) or in Start - Control Panel - Programs and components(in Windows Vista and 7) and using this useful tool we remove all programs that you no longer need. Remove only those programs whose name and purpose you know. I strongly I recommend removal the following programs, if you have them: [email protected], [email protected], AlterGeo Magic Scanner, Yandex.Bar, WinZix, Google Toolbar, Bing Bar, StartSearch, Update Software, Speedbit, Ask toolbar, Ask.com, Gator, QIP Internet Guardian.

Programs containing the following words in their names: should not be deleted because these could be drivers or useful programs : A4Tech, Acer, Acorp, AMD, Asus, ATI, AVerMedia, BenQ, C-Media, Canon, Creative, D-Link, Defender, Dell, GeForce, Genius, Hewlett-Packard, HP, IBM, Java, LAN, Lexmark, Microsoft, Mobile, Motherboard, Mustek, nVidia, Realtek, Samsung, Toshiba, Wi-Fi, Wireless.

Cleaning your hard drive from unnecessary files

We will not limit ourselves to removing programs - we will continue cleaning further. Go to Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Cleanup:

This window will open to our eyes:

Select drive C: and click OK:

Here we press the button Clean system files to open a more complete version of this program:

Comment: in Windows XP, you don’t need to click “Clean up system files”, because this button is not there.

Then click OK, a pop-up window with a question will appear, click Delete files and wait:

The second stage is completed, we move on to the next one.

Checking and defragmenting the hard drive

What is error checking is, I think, clear from the name. You can read about what defragmentation is and why it is useful, but at the moment we just need to run it. Opening My computer(in Windows Vista and 7 the item is simply called - Computer and is located in the Start menu), then right-click on drive C:

By selecting the item Properties, we get to the window called Properties(quite logical), open the tab Service:

First of all, click Perform check:

Be sure to check the box Automatically fix system errors. Jackdaw on Scan and repair bad sectors It is advisable to install it, but then the verification will take at least an hour or more. You probably won't want to wait that long. Therefore, if your computer turns on and off without errors or freezes, if during operation there are also no error windows appearing and there are no unexpected freezes, then you can leave the checkbox unchecked. Click OK. Since this is a disk with Windows installed, the following window will appear:

Click Disk check schedule and restart the computer.

When the computer boots, instead of the usual welcome screen, a blue screen (on Windows XP) or a black screen (Vista and 7) will first pop up - do not press anything, wait - the disk will be checked. When the computer finally boots, check the remaining hard drives, if any (D:, F:, E:, etc.). CD and DVD drives, of course, do not need to be checked.

Next we move on to the second step - defragmentation. After this procedure, your computer will turn on faster, and programs will also launch faster. In the properties of drive C: click Run defragmentation:

Comment: defragmentation can also be started from the menu Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Defragmentation.

In Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10, defragmentation is configured to start automatically, but for a number of reasons this startup may not work. For example, the computer is turned off at this time - there will be no defragmentation, naturally. So starting it manually at least once a month (more often there is no point) is more than recommended. Close all programs that you can close, then select the disk to defragment and press Disk defragmentation. We wait for this procedure to complete, then defragment the next disk.

Remove unnecessary programs from startup

The most effective way to make your computer turn on faster is to turn off some programs that start when you turn it on. Click Start - Run or the keyboard shortcut [ Win] + [R] ([Win] is the Windows logo button between Ctrl and Alt). In the window that appears, enter msconfig:

Click on OK. The “System Configuration” program will launch, open the tab in it

Comment: This is where you can disable programs whose icons appear near the clock in the tray (bottom right of the screen), as well as Skype, ICQ, Mail.ru Agent and others that start when you turn on the computer and annoyingly interfere.

As you can see in the screenshot above, only 9 programs run on the author’s computer, so his laptop turns on quickly. You should do the same - uncheck all unnecessary programs. How to determine the necessary program from the unnecessary one? I'll tell you now. Firstly, look at the “Manufacturer” column. If it says “No data”, I recommend unchecking it - most often “No data” means that such a program has either already been removed or is a virus. There are exceptions, but they are rare. Secondly, look at the first column of the table, remember the name, for example - KeePass, then open this site and enter the name in the search field at the top of the page:

Then press search, i.e. "Search" in English. You will see a table with the result:

We are only interested in the column Status. Next to the program name is a letter:

• Y- This means that such a program should not be touched; it is needed for normal operation of Windows.
• N- Not needed or not recommended - it is better to uncheck the box.
• U- User selection. It’s up to you to decide whether this program is needed when starting the system or not. I recommend leaving the checkbox on such programs - you never know.
• X- Usually these are viruses, spyware, etc., be sure to uncheck this box.
• ? - It is not known what to do.

Unfortunately, not all programs are available on this site. If you can't find one, go to google.ru and enter the name of the first column there.

After you have unchecked unnecessary programs, click OK and restart your computer. You will immediately notice how faster it loads. There is also a chance that it will work faster. If you suddenly turn off some program that is important to you, it doesn’t matter, you can always check the box back.

Cleaning your computer or laptop from dust

Often people I know bring me their laptops and computers asking me to “reinstall Windows because it’s slow.” In the vast majority of cases, reinstalling Windows is not required. Usually the reason for laptop and desktop computer brakes is that flakes of dust and pet hair collect on its fans, slow down rotation, block heat generation... Brr... So regularly - once every six months to a year - clean your “electronic pet” of dust.

• Don't clutter your Desktop - a large number of icons gets in the way, distracts you from work, and in rare cases it slows down your computer (I noticed that this often happens when there are video files on the Desktop).
• Perform a disk check once a month - this is useful
• Read my article - there are also useful notes that will save your nerves, time and computer health.
• There is my note about .
• , I told you too.

About mythical ways to speed up your computer

The Internet is literally littered with all kinds of system optimizers, defragmenters, service accelerators, and more. Perhaps this was once required and is even required now - for the outdated Windows XP system, but in the OS Windows Vista And Windows 7 We have our own very effective tools that keep the system in good condition. For example, there is no need to install a separate hard drive defragmenter at all - because the built-in one works fine.

Updated: 07/17/2018 Published: 2016 or earlier

This list contains a set of the most necessary programs for Windows that will simplify your work and make your system safer.

1. Browser. Required to view site pages on the Internet.
   • Google Chrome. Fast and convenient browser based on chromium from Google.
   • Yandex Browser. Fast and convenient based on chromium from Yandex.
   • Mozilla Firefox. With a lot of extras.
   • Opera. A good browser for browsing websites.
2. Antivirus. Protects against unwanted software, spam, and hacker attacks. You cannot install several antiviruses, as this will lead to a conflict between them and will greatly slow down your computer. I recommend:
   • 360 Total Security. An antivirus that can be used for free in commercial organizations (with advertising).
   • AVG. Free antivirus. Good virus protection, easy to use;
   • Nod. Good protection and performance. Paid versions only;
   • Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Great protection, but poor performance. Only paid versions.
3. Codecs. Required for watching video and listening to audio files. I recommend
   • K-Lite Codec Pack - free set of codecs + fast player.
   • VLC media player - free set of codecs + functional player.
4. Archiver. Used for unpacking and creating archives. I recommend:
   • 7-Zip. Free archiver. Works with all archives + 7z archive;
   • WinRar. Paid archiver. Works with all archives.
5. PDF Reader. Allows you to open pdf documents. I recommend:
   • Adobe Reader. Free PDF reader;
   • Foxit Reader. Free PDF reader;
   • Adobe Acrobat. Paid program. In addition to viewing, it allows you to edit PDF files.
6. Adobe Flash Player. Needed to display flash elements on websites (video, audio, games, menus, video chats). Chromium-based browsers (Google Chrome, Yandex browser, Amigo, Vivaldi and others) are already built-in and require separate installation.
7. Office package. Designed for working with documents and work data. I recommend:
   • Microsoft Office. Easy to use and world famous office. Includes programs for editing texts, tables, presentations, databases and much more. Paid;
   • OpenOffice. Free office suite. Convenient enough for home use. Includes programs for editing texts, tables, presentations, databases and much more.
8. CD recorder. For working with CDs (burning, creating and burning images). I recommend:
   • Infra Recorder. Free program for burning discs. Convenient to use. Does not work with BlueRay discs;
   • Nero. A powerful program that includes many tools for working with disks. Paid.
9. Means of communication. For unlimited communication, I recommend installing the following programs:
   • Skype. Free calls from Skype to Skype. Cheap international calls.
   • Viber. Convenient messenger and free calls.
   • QIP. An old program for sending instant messages based on the ICQ protocol.
10. View images. The program built into Windows is not always convenient and functionally limited. To view images you can select:
    • FastStone. Free functional program.
    • IrfanView. Free and very fast program.
11. Useful utilities. Help in setting up, diagnosing and maintaining the performance of the computer. I recommend:
    • CCleaner. Cleans the computer from “garbage”;
    • Defraggler. Performs disk defragmentation;