Saturday, September 5, 2009

The best applications to install after formatting your OS

We all happened, whatever you do, your PC does not run as before. They're unusual and unexplained phenomena occurring that ruin your day or even Windows might simply refuse to load.

There comes a point where you surrender, you can back up everything and take off your installation disk. After installing your new Windows operating system, you realize you have a few installers and fill you with a wave of panic and frustration.

Fortunately, today there are a variety of free applications (freeware) very good that turn your computer into an armed fortress without spending money. Currently there is much to choose from in terms of programs is concerned.

This guide will give you a list of useful applications that meet their purpose better than its competitors. When you have finished installing the programs that we recommend your PC will be ready to face any task that crosses his path.

Applications by category:
Security (here these) - Browsers & Email - Messaging and Torrents - Players & Burners - Productivity & Office - Other Useful Applications

Security and Malware Removal

Anti-Virus: AVG 8 Free Edition & NOD32 (paid)

Unlike the early days of the Internet it is almost impossible to navigate without using an insurance AV application and so we have four applications to recommend.

If we speak of AV applications paid and we had to choose just one NOD32 would certainly be one of our first choices (although Kaspersky Anti-Virus is definitely one level). NOD32 has proven to be better heuristics in the past in comparison to similar applications. It is also much lighter than any other program in the same functionality and is $ 20 cheaper than the competition (is priced at $ 39.99). It has also achieved good scores on tests of Virus Bulletin's not just this year but in the past and I have personally used for almost 4 years without any complaint.

If you are interested in an alternative that is free, most people recommend the free version of AVG or Avast! from Alwil, which provide sufficient security for the average user. Although really a matter of taste, if they force us to choose one would have to be the free version of AVG. It is also worth mentioning that this is an AV application support "official" beta of Windows 7.

Although for a moment I forgot to mention the anti-virus Avira, this is an excellent choice in the category for anti-virus free.

Anti-Malware: Spybot & Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

As anti-malware applications are concerned, there must be at least two dozen options relatively good and it is likely that your favorite antivirus application includes one of these in his "package" of security. That said, we recommend the applications that we have used for years, know they work well and thankfully have no cost.

If you've opted to exclude the additional features of your AV and you need something to fill that space, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is just what you need. This application has been welcomed by most users and several technology publications have won awards for their performance and we will do the same. But beware that the free version only serves as a scanning application that chews the malware and then spit it out, so if you're looking for a real-time protection you have two options: pay or rely on a free alternative such as Spybot Search & Destroy.

Firewall: Comodo

Although most people would never dare to navigate the Internet without your precious firewall enabled, is not so important provided you have a router with NAT support your network. But if you feel better knowing you have one installed and is constantly monitoring your ports, then we have some suggestions.

Just as your AV company probably offers some kind of Anti-Malware software to fully cover the PC security, firewalls offer Anti-Virus software. Some of the best known today are Comfortable and ZoneAlarm, but considering the fact that ZoneAlarm does not seem compatible with Vista (and probably Windows 7), certainly recommend Comodo Firewall Pro.

While reading "Pro" in their name Comodo Firewall Pro (CFP) is a free application and has become recognized as one of the best firewalls on the market (especially after several critical flaws 2.x versions were corrected in the version 3.x). Like most outstanding applications Comodo Firewall Pro is tailored to the tastes of expert and novice alike.

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