6 Totally Free Essential Fresh Format Installs
So while I am trying to get back into the swing of things & am making a few modifications to The Attached Image, I thought I would do a list of the programs I always install after a format. So without further ado here they are.
Firefox
I think this should be everone’s first install (after drivers of course). Get rid of that crappy Internet Explorer & bring in the big guns. If you don’t like Firefox try Opera, or Chrome but I prefer Firefox of my browser of choice. Why should everyone install another browser? Well because Microsoft seem content with updating IE once in a blue moon (although it is getting better) meaning it doesn’t support many of the latest web standards like CSS 3, but Firefox, Chrome & Opera are updated regularly to support the latest web standards.
iTunes
Alright so this one is preference, but I like iTunes compared to WMP or Winamp. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a slick interface, but I prefer it’s sound to any other players. I think it gives a better sound to my music than any of the other players I’ve tried. I don’t know if there is any truth in that, but my brain seems to think there is. Also I’m getting an iPod touch soon so I’ll have to use it for that, unless there are other compatible players that I can use let me know if there is.
AC3Filter
This has to be one of the best surround sound filters around. I have some 5.1 speakers & a pair of virtual surround headphones that support optical decoding of DTS & Dolby Digital. AC3Filter outputs via S/PDIF flawlessly & to my 5.1 speakers just as well. It’s amazing for a free codec. I watch a lot of HD movies on my PC so good surround sound output is a must.
MediaCoder
I do quite a lot of video encoding so a good encoding program is a must, I don’t however want to pay through the nose for it when there are perfectly good free encoders out there. So when I found a program that integrates all the free encoders into a nice interface I was very happy. Also a excellent new feature to MediaCoder is support for Nvidia CUDA when ecoding to h.264 which makes encoding go even faster, ideal for encoding to your portable device… I sound like a salesman, lol. Anyway it’s a great free program.
Filezilla FTP
Obviously I have a website, but I also help maintain others, so a good FTP program is a must. Filezilla is an amazing free FTP program that supports FTP & SFTP connections. It has every feature you could possibly need to manage your files on your server.
ImgBurn
Finally ImgBurn is my favourite burning program. I used to like Nero but compared to ImgBurn I find it bloated with stuff I really don’t need. Why is it good? Well because it does what it’s supposed to, burn DVD/CDs.
That’s it. My list of programs I always install after a format. Oh and most importantly they are all free. To be honest I don’t really have many purchased programs on my PC. I think games are about it… Oh and Adobe programs. Anyway what are the programs you must install after a format? Let me know I’m always looking for new, good, free programs to try. 😉
