Mandatory programs for the computer! Need to know! What programs are needed for a computer. Required Utilities

Today there is a computer in almost every home. However, not everyone, unfortunately, can use it. Someone has just embarked on the path of development computer technology. Perhaps you are too. As you already understood, the productivity of a computer depends on what programs are installed on it. So a "heap of iron" turns into a full-fledged Personal Computer. How to customize a computer for yourself so that it is most useful to you? What programs are needed for a computer?

What programs are needed for a computer - a standard set of programs

It is worth noting that usually in the operating system, be it Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows XP or any other, there are already a number of preinstalled programs. These are the main utilities that are needed for the basic functions to work. So, you can immediately open a music file, image or video standard format. However, if you are asking your device for more complex work, such as professional editing of the aforementioned music, images, and videos, or if you need to work with text, you need additional applications. Consider a number of applications that are so necessary for your well-coordinated and comfortable work.

Archivers and Archives

In order for files to take up less space when transferring them over the Internet and for storing them on your hard drive or flash card, files are packed into archives using special programs. Therefore, if you do not have archiver programs installed, you will not be able to open and view files in such an archive. If you didn't have standard application, or you deleted it by mistake, then you can install one of the well-known archivers: 7ZIP, WinZip and WinRar. Each of them, if the latest version is installed, opens all major file and archive formats.

What programs are needed for a computer to work with video

Although the standard Windows Media Player is installed in the computer's operating system, it is usually not enough to play all video file formats. Therefore, so-called codecs are installed - programs that allow you to play files with different resolutions. One of the most common and stable utilities is "Media Player Classic 123". It has a simple interface and easily opens permission files.mp4 .mkv .AVI .3gp .VOB and others.

Coordinated work of gaming applications

What programs are needed Windows computer 7? Games may require the installation of Dirrect X 9, 10 and 11 system libraries to work together. If your game is saved to an image, such as an .ISO file, then you may need a program that creates virtual disks and mounts the images into them. ISO or others. Such an application creates the appearance of the presence of a virtual disk on the computer. This may be necessary if the game application constantly requires the presence of a floppy disk in the drive.

Driver installation

What programs are needed for the computer after reinstallation? First and foremost is, of course, the driver. What is a driver? This is a program without which you will not be able to use this or that device connected to motherboard. Usually, drivers are included with the computer upon purchase, they are recorded on the supplied disk. The same disk is needed to install external peripherals - a joystick, a printer, a scanner, a digital camera, etc. Therefore, after reinstalling the system, you will have to install the utilities that are contained on these disks. If you lost them, or the seller forgot to give them to you, then a driver application for any device can be found on the Internet.

Professional suites

If you use a computer to work, and not just as a multimedia center, then you cannot do without programs that process video, text, images and music. For example, for sound files, creating music and for its professional editing, the FL Studio program is suitable. The well-known paid Photoshop, which processes images, can be replaced by other analogues, for example, Gimp, which is almost as good as the first in terms of the number of functions. Both programs are great for working with both raster (digital) and vector graphics. If your operating system was not preinstalled Microsoft office, you will have to buy and install it on your computer or use a free alternative, such as Open Office. Both packages allow you to create, view and edit spreadsheet files, text documents and presentation files.

Convenient work with the Internet

What programs are needed for a Windows 7, 8 or XP computer for the smooth operation of the Internet? Let's be honest, standard Internet Explorer good for nothing. So there are a lot of great alternatives out there. Here you will have to try everything to find out which one suits you best. Such programs are called browsers, and FireFox works the fastest with Windows 7, 8 or XP. But in general, everyone has their own preferences. What programs are needed for a computer to download files from the Internet? There are a lot of programs, but lately you have heard more and more about UTorrent, which downloads files in several streams, which allows you to speed up the process. This program can be used to download videos, audios and games from the Internet, which are large in size, which means they require a longer download time.

This review will help you take your first steps in mastering computer technology. Now you know what programs are needed for a Windows XP, 7 or 8 computer.

In today's material, we will introduce you to the programs that you need to install on your computer, always in our humble opinion. In the process of working on a computer, it is often necessary to install new version browser, or download some utility. But there is some minimum required set software, which will create you not only comfort, but also safety.

Here is a list of programs that absolutely must be installed on any computer as a matter of priority:

• browser;
• antivirus;
• player;
• archiver;
• record;
• torrent;
• converter;
• codecs.

Consider the most popular representatives of this software in more detail.

Browser

Most often, a computer is purchased in order to be able to find the necessary information on the Internet, download movies, music. For all this, you need a web browser program, or, more simply, a browser. Standard Internet Explorer is probably only for the laziest. Well, the pages open very, very slowly. More advanced users choose modern Google Chrome or Mazila, or, out of old habit, Opera. It already depends on personal preference. Install a few, take a look, experiment.

The browser you will use every day.

Antivirus

To protect your computer from Internet virus attacks, prudent people first install an authoritative antivirus program. The choice of such programs is quite wide. Among the free ones, the most popular are Avira, Avast and AVG. Usually one of these programs is installed by all beginners. Sometimes they are limited. Paid antiviruses provide more serious protection for your computer. Leading positions in this industry belong to Dr.Web, NOD32, Kaspersky, as well as paid version Avast. Each of them has its own advantages, there are also disadvantages. Some are difficult to set up, others take too long to scan, others slow down noticeably, others are prohibitively expensive. Today you may be completely satisfied with one version, and it is possible that tomorrow, having installed for testing, for example, Kaspersky, which will find the current virus threat on your computer, your preferences will change dramatically. All antiviruses have a free trial period for testing. Read, compare, choose at your discretion.

Player

You can listen to music and watch videos only in a special player program. The standard Windows Media Player often freezes, the playback quality leaves much to be desired, and the player's interface is not the most convenient. Sophisticated connoisseurs prefer the functionality of KMPlayer. It perfectly supports the most popular formats, does not require additional download of codecs, is very easy to install, and is not demanding on system resources. Install Aimp or Winamp to play audio. Alternatively, you can install a powerful JetAudio media player. He can play both video and music, but he is paid.

Archiver

Usually the files we use take up quite a lot of space. In order to send them to someone or send them for long-term storage, the files have to be converted into a more compact format. Such actions for packing and unpacking files are carried out by special archiver programs. The most common archivers have long been WinRAR, as well as 7-zip. These programs make it easy to extract stored data from archives, as well as perform reverse packing operations.

Writing to disk

Quite often we need to save information to external media. The best opportunities for this are provided by program Nero Burning ROM. Intuitive interface, high quality recording, wide range of settings. By putting this program for test use and evaluating all the advantages, it is possible that its cost will not seem too high. Although many are quite satisfied with the result of the recording, which provides free program Deep Burner Free. The choice is yours.

Torrent

In order to download large volumes from the network, you will need to install some kind of torrent client. Most often, the uTorrent program is chosen. You can get it from our website. You can also recommend the programs MediaGet, Zona. By installing one of these programs on your computer, in the future we will download the most fashionable new items from torrent trackers at high speed.

Converter

The fact is that on some devices you can view video files recorded in one format, while some others do not support this format. For example, Samsung tablets by default can only play video in MP4 format, many phones recognize only 3GP.

To watch a movie on your phone or TV, you need to be able to convert the video file to the desired format. For this, there are special converter programs.

The best known are Movavi, AVS Video Converter, Any DVD Converter Free and many others.

Quite powerful and versatile free converter Format Factory media files. This program will allow you to get audio, video, and image files that can be played on iPhone, iPad, Android, iPod and other devices. From additional interesting features this program can recover corrupted files, split and glue, extract audio to disk, etc.

Codecs

There are cases when the sound is played, but the video is missing, or vice versa. A common cause is the lack of or too old version codecs - small programs that help recognize the formats of various audio and video files.

The best and most complete packages are provided by K-Lite Codec Pack.

Here, all components are selected so as not to allow any conflicts, easy to install and replace.

I hope now you don’t have a question: what programs do you need to install on your computer?

After buying a new computer or laptop, you will definitely need programs for solving various tasks: creating text documents, watching movies, chatting with friends, etc. However, as after. Indeed, in this case, the local drive C will be formatted, and all files will be deleted.

The first thing to do after windows settings and installing drivers - protect your computer or laptop. That is, install an antivirus. Without it, it is not recommended to install other programs, because you can catch some kind of virus. And you may even have to reinstall Windows. Again.

There are more than enough antiviruses today. Free ones include:

• Avast;
• Avira;
• Comodo Antivirus.

There is also NOD32, Dr.Web, Kaspersky Anti-Virus.

Which is better to choose? This is purely a personal matter. Everyone chooses what he likes best. Personally, I have Kaspersky internet security. There are no viruses, the computer works fine. In general, I'm not complaining.

Browser for comfortable gatherings on the Internet

On any version of Windows, Internet Explorer (IE) is already installed by default. But the question is: who uses it? It is not for nothing that they joke on the Internet that Internet Explorer is a browser for installing other browsers. Or maybe this is not a joke at all, because in most cases it is true: IE is launched only once in a lifetime to install another browser - Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox Opera, Safari.

Which is better? Again, this is a matter of taste. So choose the one you like best. Unlike antiviruses, the difference between browsers is mostly purely visual. Therefore, it is not so important what exactly you choose, the main thing is that it is convenient to use it.

Microsoft office suite

Is there some more free competitor OpenOffice, but it is used much less often. Perhaps for the reason that many users have not even heard of its existence.

Which version is better to use? If a computer or laptop is too weak and designed to work, then Microsoft Office 2003 will be enough. And in order to open .docx and .xlsx files (they are created in the program of new versions from 2007 and higher), you just need to additionally install the compatibility package from Microsoft.

Archivers

Usually, for transferring folders with files over the network, they are packed into an archive, after which they are transferred to the recipient. First, it's more convenient. Secondly, archivers compress files, reducing their size. But to open such an archive, you need to install this program.

Today's popular archivers:

• winrar;
• winzip;

Each of them does an excellent job, so choose any.

Audio and video codecs

On a home computer or laptop, we usually watch movies and listen to music. And in order for all video and audio formats to open without errors, you need to install a codec pack.

For example, the K-Lite Code Pack is popular today. There are several versions of this program, so it is best to install the full ("Full").

Audio and video players

The K-Lite Code Pack also has a built-in video player − media player. In principle, it will be enough to watch movies of any format (avi, mp4, mkv).

Alternatively, you can install KMPlayer. This is also a popular video player: simple, convenient and, perhaps, the loudest (for some users, this is extremely important).

There are 2 excellent programs for listening to music - Winamp and Aimp. They are quite similar, so you can install any. If you listen to music online (VKontakte or somewhere else), then you can not install the audio player.

PDF Readers

Most often, PDF files are encountered during study (books, essays, manuals, etc.). Sometimes they slip at work - in the form of reports, documents, etc. To open PDF files you can install Foxit Reader or Acrobat Reader. Both are free.

These 7 programs are enough for the average owner home computer or laptop.

Messengers for communication

You can communicate with friends not only through VKontakte. One of the most popular programs today is Skype (by the way, it can also be installed on a smartphone). It supports text chat as well as voice and video calls. That is, you can call your friends and see them through the webcam.

Another popular option is ICQ. She is ICQ. Same great program for instant text messaging.

Instead of ICQ, you can still install QIP. It is simple and convenient and takes up less space than ICQ.

Disc burning software

Discs are recorded quite rarely today, but still. Nero is one of the most popular DVD burning software. If you do not use it often, you can install Nero Mini - it takes up less space.

Another option is CDBurnerXP. The program is free and also takes up little space.

Reading ISO Images

For those who like to play computer games, you will need a program that can open .iso or .mdf files. After all, sometimes games are recorded in these formats. Suitable in this case Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%.

Direct X

You will also need Direct X to be able to play games. latest version. Where to find it? As a rule, a set is always included with any game. additional software, including Direct X. Therefore, when installing the toy, simply check the box "Install Direct X".

This set provides a list of the most necessary programs that are perfect for installation on new laptop or a device with a new Windows operating system.

Good antivirus protection

1 The first thing to install is, of course, good protection. Without good antivirus visiting any pages on the Internet, using third party applications or devices can infect your computer dangerous viruses And Trojans. To do this, we suggest you use the new, free antivirus solution 360 Total Security, which you can download from a special page of our website.

Feature rich browser

2 Further, to visit sites on the Internet, you must have an installed, modern browser. There are many applications, but each of them is unique in its own way. If you want to spend your time as efficiently and safely as possible while visiting Internet resources and using various services on the network, then we recommend that you download and install free Yandex browser. This program has all the necessary tools for effective and safe work in the Internet.

Good file archiver

3 Then you can install a shareware archiver. Most files on the Internet are distributed in archived form, and in order to extract the content from them, you need to special program. We recommend that you download a very good app WinRAR and install it as your main tool for working with archives. You can learn more about it and download it by clicking on the button below.

Multimedia

4 For playing music and watching videos, we recommend that you pay attention to the KMPlayer player and the AIMP player. By downloading and installing the proposed programs for working with multimedia files, you can easily listen to music and watch any video without having to install additional codecs.

Optimization

5 During use and installation additional programs on a laptop, the system accumulates various unnecessary information and records that load your computer and significantly slow it down. For such cases, we recommend downloading special utility CCleaner, a program for cleaning and optimizing the system. With this application, you can easily delete all unnecessary entries and junk files that accumulate during active use of the laptop.

Here are 5 essential programs that should be installed on your laptop. If this list does not meet your needs, then you can always visit our site and select from the list all those applications that you want to download to your computer.

In the installing software on a computer at first glance, there is nothing special. And usually even a novice user can cope with this task the first time, because the developers of most programs try to make this process as intuitive and simple as possible (although, of course, there are exceptions).

However, there are some features that should be understood by all computer users regarding correct installation programs. This will avoid further problems in the future.

In this article, we will look at a few points, given which, you will probably already know how to download and install most programs on a computer. We will talk about installing programs (utilities or "programs") in the Windows operating system.

So, let's begin…

What are computer programs?

If you do not go into unnecessary details and only focus on our topic, then at the expense of programs it is quite enough to know just a few points. Programs in general are sets of "instructions" that allow the computer, as well as the user, to achieve some result. These "instructions" have a code, digital, schematic or verbal form.

Depending on the goals of the program, they can have different purposes: from educational and applied, to instrumental and systemic. Computer viruses, trojans, etc. are also utilities.

Most of the programs faced regular user computer has the extension .exe. This is an executable file, i.e. it instructs the computer to unpack, install, or run the "instructions" in the archive.

In many cases, the installation (installation) files of the "program" have the name setup.exe, install.exe. Also, sometimes the file name can be the name of the program or just any set of characters (the file name does not matter).

So, if, for example, we downloaded an archive with some utility that has a bunch of different files to install it, you need to search among the files and run the installation file.

There are also installation files with the extension .msi.

There are a huge number of sites and portals on the Web offering to download programs from them.

And it can be very convenient when a lot of utilities are in one place. If on such sites everything is ordered by sections, and also added good descriptions, and there is also a simple download process, this adds additional convenience, to be sure!

On large portals of "white" directories that provide unmodified downloads of programs, it is quite safe to do this. As a rule, for the query "Download programs" any search engine will give first of all worthy and safe sites-catalogues of utilities. Such sites do not provide hacked programs, as well as cracks and serial numbers to activate.

But, if it is possible to find the website of the developer of a particular utility, then it is best, of course, to download the “program” directly “from the manufacturer”. To find the desired developer site, as a rule, it is enough to search engine make a request with the name of the program and add: official site.

As a rule, the site of the developers, especially if it is in Russian, will be the first in the search results. If the “program” is in English, then just even its name can give out the developer’s site in one of the first positions in the search.

Another point that sometimes needs to be taken into account when downloading installation files is the bit depth (32 and 64-bit) and version (Windows XP, 7, 10, etc.) of the operating system. Developers make some versions of their programs for specific computer parameters. Therefore, if on the download pages we meet a choice of certain versions of utilities with certain parameters, then it is worth downloading setup file, suitable for the parameters of our computer.

So, for a 32-bit system, there can be one version of the installer (it can also be marked as x86 ).

For a 64-bit system, there may be a different version of the installer (marked as x64 ).

How to find out what bit depth and version of the operating system our computer has?

Left click on the Start menu, then right click on Computer and left on Properties.

In the properties of the computer, you can see the necessary parameters.

What to do if there are doubts about the security of a file?

When installing programs on a computer, the security system of the operating system may issue a warning so that we still think whether to run this file or not.

As you can see in the picture above, the system was unable to determine the publisher. And since it's an .exe file, it's not surprising to see such a warning.

What to do in this case?

First, you need to understand that little-known and uncommon "programs" may not have digital signature, even if we download them directly from the developers' sites.

Secondly, the system of our computer may simply issue a warning about opening a file with the .exe extension and you should not be afraid of this. With such an extension, you can download some kind of malicious utility on the Web. But the system cannot determine this, since this is already the competence of antiviruses. But it can and does warn (if the appropriate settings are set in the system).

If we still doubt the reliability of the source of the downloaded program, then before running the installation file, it is advisable to scan the downloaded file (or archive with files) with an antivirus installed on the computer with an up-to-date anti-virus database.

If the antivirus on the computer is not installed or has not been updated for a long time, then you can use one of the online scanners.

Let's move on to the installation.

What is the main algorithm for installing programs?

The algorithm or process for installing a program is usually done in the form step by step wizard installer, which requests certain information from the user and installs the utility based on that person's choice.

In the installation of some "progs" there is often a normal (simple) and advanced installation modes. Easy mode eliminates additional choice certain settings. In advanced mode, you can both exclude and add certain functions, features and additions.

The main steps of the program installation wizard (the order may vary and some steps may not be):

1. You need to select a language (if multilingual).
2. Must be accepted license agreement(without it, further steps are not available).
3. You need to select the installation folder for all utility files on your computer. In most cases, the default is the Program Files folder on system drive(where this operating system).
4. You need to confirm or change the name of the program that will be displayed in the Start menu.
5. Perhaps there will be a suggestion to add labels for quick launch on the desktop and in the quick launch menu.
6. Depending on the purpose of the "program" and their interests, developers can include other steps at their discretion.

For a better understanding of what the utility installation wizards are, it will be more practical to look visually at concrete examples installations. The section on our website already contains several dozen detailed instructions for installation different programs. So, there you can get to know more about different options and features of installing computer utilities.

Why does the program download something from the Internet during installation?

With some programs, it also happens that when it seems to have already downloaded the installation file, but during the installation process it starts downloading something. Do not be surprised, as this is usually a feature of a particular utility.

In some "programs", developers specifically provide a small installation file for download, and already during installation, an additional download of the main database of necessary elements is launched. For example, this can be observed when installing some antiviruses.

There are also cases (rarely) when the full installation of a certain program requires some additional utility, without which the installed one will not work. In this case, the installation wizard will notify the user and offer the choice to download the desired program.

Which version of the program to install: regular or portable?

Often you can find along with the stationary version of the program also portable (Portable).

The portable version differs in that it does not need to be installed on a computer, going through the entire process of the installation wizard. I downloaded, unpacked, clicked on the launch file of this utility.exe, the “program” opened and you use it.

But, along with such convenience, there are also disadvantages. For example, many portable versions are cut down on some functionality.

Also, Portable utilities can be unstable, especially if they are not made by the developers of these programs.

If you work with a program often, then, as a rule, the choice of most users outweighs in favor of the usual stationary version. But also portable versions have their supporters.

Therefore, which program to install: regular or portable - the choice is up to the user. And it depends on various factors: on the “program” itself; from whose assembly it is ( official developers utilities, other trusted manufacturers or no one knows who); on the goals and objectives assigned to the utility used; on the frequency of use; from the required functionality, etc.

Where on the computer is it better to install this or that program?

By default, the installation wizards suggest or immediately install programs in the "Program Files" folder located on local disk The on which the current operating system is installed.

But in most programs, when installing them, it is possible to choose a different location for saving all the “program” files by clicking on the Browse button.

Therefore, of course, a natural question arises for many users: “Change the installation location or leave it by default?”

If there is still at least more than 30% free space on the local disk where the current operating system is installed, then it is best, of course, to install the “programs” in the “Program Files” shared folder. This will allow, for example, when creating a system image (for Reserve copy) restore all installed programs along with the operating system.

The only exceptions are modern games, which take up a lot of space. It is more expedient to install them on another logical drive(on which there is no operating system).

How to avoid unnecessary programs appearing on your computer?

Some novice users eventually wonder why some programs appeared on their computers, as well as extensions in browsers that they themselves did not install and did not intend to do so.

In most cases, this is simply the result of installing utilities in normal mode, or not thoughtfully installing in advanced mode.

The fact is that the developers of many programs in the installation wizard of their "progs" add the ability to download and install additional programs. And in most cases, at the next step of the installation wizard, the option to install these programs is already selected.

In order to prevent the installation of unnecessary utilities, you must first of all select the advanced installation mode (if there is such a choice). And then you also need to carefully read what this or that program offers additionally during the installation process, and simply disable unnecessary options.

Of course, not all programs on the Web are free. Although there are many alternatives to paid programs. So, for example, in a paid package Microsoft applications office, yes free replacement and others. At the paid Winamp player, if the free alternative is . Instead of a paid WinRAR archiver, you can use a free archiver.

The examples can be continued, but the bottom line is that you should not rush to purchase paid programs, since in most cases, novice users may well be sufficient alternative free options.

But, if still without functionality paid program indispensable or there is no free alternative, then for proper activation desired program you must follow the instructions from the utility developers.

Different paid "programs" can also be activated in different ways. And it depends on what kind of activation process the developers of a particular program have done.

So, for example, after paying for the programs, the owners of the utilities (or their intermediaries) can provide special code to be inserted into the activation field. Such a code may make it possible to activate the program from one to several computers.

Developers can also provide special license file, to be added to the location folder of the installed program.

Some programs can be activated quickly online, while others require more complex steps.

Each developer protects their intellectual property from unauthorized use as best they can. Therefore, you should not be surprised and annoyed if, having paid for a particular program, you also have to deal with the issues of its activation.

Conclusion

So, in this article, we have addressed several issues related to correct download and installation of programs on the computer. If you have additional questions, write in the comments.

Basically, there is nothing difficult in these tasks, and experience comes with practice.

Try to download programs from official websites of developers. If in doubt, scan the downloaded files with an antivirus. Pay close attention to what the installation wizard of a particular utility offers.