I might want to reformat my netbook again soon--FOR NO REASON. Or maybe for a couple like speeding it up a bit and getting rid of stuffs I no longer need. There could be other ways, I know, but anyway, there's nothing much to keep. Lately, I was thinking, if I were to keep(reinstall) some programs I have now, what would they be?
So here's a list of those things. If you are still using Windows XP,you might want to check them out. (They work on Vista & 7,too but best on XP).
*Netbooks such as the DellMini10 are better off running WinXP and Linux since they are using Intel Atom.
With these applications, It would really take me a while to think of switching to Windows 7 or whatever.
(MOST OF THESE ARE EITHER OPEN-SOURCE OR FREEWARE)
1. Google Desktop
This one's my favorite. One feature of Vista and 7 that XP doesn't have is the improved search tool. With google desktop by pressing CTRL twice, a search bar will appear and search results appear as you type. Google desktop also comes with a sidebar which you can choose to appear on your desktop, be on your tray as a search bar, or keep hidden.
*With that search tool, Vista gets eaten alive by XP.(Well at least from my point of view)
2. Google Chrome
Since google chrome was out, I had started using it but still kept Firefox as my default web browser.I was fond of installing add-ons which were not supported by Chrome... way back then. One good example is Web Of Trust(WOT). It's a very helpful add-on that I started using in Firefox that is now available on Chrome.
BEST THINGS ABOUT IT: (1)It launches FASTER than IE and Firefox.(I was thinking, maybe,they don't allow too much add-ons to keep that feature), (2)light-weight and (2)has a clean and simple interface.
3. Avast!
Enough with Google. I've been using free anti-virs since then and it works pretty well. I have used Avira for almost a year, but uhh. Is it just me or it slows down the Start-up a bit? One day I just woke up and I decided to switch to Avast. And I don't think I'll be switching to something else on the next few years(maybe). It works just fine and plus-it has this so-called SILENT/GAMING MODE. ;)
4. Object Dock (from wincustomize.org)
I always want to keep my desktop simple and clutter-free. I hide all my dekstop icons and secure my desktop with a dock to keep all the files, folders and applications I use often. It just takes a little getting used to. ;)
Or if you really can't let go of those icons on you screen, you might want to install Fences (also from wincustomize). It keeps your icons in, yes, FENCES so you would only need a little portion of your screen for those shortcuts and files.
5. Yahoo! Messenger or Pidgin
Y!M used to be my favorite. But now it crashes more often since Y!M 9.0. I tried Trillian. The interface is cool but I think it was too much(and not so user-friendly) plus! it has no buzz (as far as I know). Pigdin is really simple. Start-up is fine. And allows you to BUZZ!! ("attention!" in that case)
Uhh. wait...
Y!M
pros:
-allows conferencing
-BUZZ! :)
-Video Call
-customizable theme
-and-all-those-other-fancy-things
cons:
-(latest verson) too fancy
-slow start-up
-crashes too often
Pidgin
pros:
-fast, simple
-shows IMs and chats in tabbed windows
-allows to use multiple accounts all at once
(without having to hack the registry :p)
-supports Yahoo!, Bonjour, Google Talk and a lot more
cons:
-does not allow conferencing and and video calling
-interface is not attractive
-does not have the BUZZ sound (what?)
6. Picasa
The Picasa Photo Viewer is the best photo viewer I've used so far. ThePicasa Photo Editor allows you to make simple adjustments and add effects to your photo.
If you want something more advanced try Photoscape, If you want more tryUlead, if you still want more use Photoshop or GIMP(an open-source alternative).
(I keep all of them. Photoscape for Animated GIFs, Picasa for minor editing, Photoshop for designing).
7. Visual Task Tips
It's another Vista/7 feature that displays a thumbnail view of your minimize window (the thumbnail appears when you hover the pointer over the minimized window). Yes, Windows XP can have that too with a 102KB software. Its just for fancy. Nothing useful here,really. Just wanted to have that. :p
8. Download Accelerator Plus
I don't think it really speeds up your downloads. (Well if it does, not much). But if you are using Google Chrome, you might want to have this to make your downloads easier to manage. It also gives you an option to let your PC shut down automatically after your downloads have finished (like Bittorrent).
9. Bittorrent
Its nothing but a torrent client. I don't know if there's anything special about it. I tried uTorrent. (Works pretty much the same.)
10. FrostWire
Limewire doesn't work anymore. Frostwire is the next best thing. I'm not sure about Bearshare. I tried that before, nothing special about it.
The rest are the basics, I guess:
Microsoft Office 2007 (Nothing so special about MS Office 2010)
PDF Readers (SLIM PDF, Adobe PDF, etc.)
WinRar
Some that I'll keep 'cause I HAVE TO:
NetBeans
Notepad++
iTunes
Some are for just WHATEVER:
Daemon Tools
WinImage
Muvee
SharePod
Cheat Engine
Team Viewer
TuneUp Utilities (for PC customization)
Garena
That's about it. Did I miss out on anything?
So here's a list of those things. If you are still using Windows XP,you might want to check them out. (They work on Vista & 7,too but best on XP).
*Netbooks such as the DellMini10 are better off running WinXP and Linux since they are using Intel Atom.
With these applications, It would really take me a while to think of switching to Windows 7 or whatever.
(MOST OF THESE ARE EITHER OPEN-SOURCE OR FREEWARE)
1. Google Desktop
This one's my favorite. One feature of Vista and 7 that XP doesn't have is the improved search tool. With google desktop by pressing CTRL twice, a search bar will appear and search results appear as you type. Google desktop also comes with a sidebar which you can choose to appear on your desktop, be on your tray as a search bar, or keep hidden.
*With that search tool, Vista gets eaten alive by XP.(Well at least from my point of view)
2. Google Chrome
Since google chrome was out, I had started using it but still kept Firefox as my default web browser.I was fond of installing add-ons which were not supported by Chrome... way back then. One good example is Web Of Trust(WOT). It's a very helpful add-on that I started using in Firefox that is now available on Chrome.
BEST THINGS ABOUT IT: (1)It launches FASTER than IE and Firefox.(I was thinking, maybe,they don't allow too much add-ons to keep that feature), (2)light-weight and (2)has a clean and simple interface.
3. Avast!
Enough with Google. I've been using free anti-virs since then and it works pretty well. I have used Avira for almost a year, but uhh. Is it just me or it slows down the Start-up a bit? One day I just woke up and I decided to switch to Avast. And I don't think I'll be switching to something else on the next few years(maybe). It works just fine and plus-it has this so-called SILENT/GAMING MODE. ;)
4. Object Dock (from wincustomize.org)
I always want to keep my desktop simple and clutter-free. I hide all my dekstop icons and secure my desktop with a dock to keep all the files, folders and applications I use often. It just takes a little getting used to. ;)
Or if you really can't let go of those icons on you screen, you might want to install Fences (also from wincustomize). It keeps your icons in, yes, FENCES so you would only need a little portion of your screen for those shortcuts and files.
5. Yahoo! Messenger or Pidgin
Y!M used to be my favorite. But now it crashes more often since Y!M 9.0. I tried Trillian. The interface is cool but I think it was too much(and not so user-friendly) plus! it has no buzz (as far as I know). Pigdin is really simple. Start-up is fine. And allows you to BUZZ!! ("attention!" in that case)
Uhh. wait...
Y!M
pros:
-allows conferencing
-BUZZ! :)
-Video Call
-customizable theme
-and-all-those-other-fancy-things
cons:
-(latest verson) too fancy
-slow start-up
-crashes too often
Pidgin
pros:
-fast, simple
-shows IMs and chats in tabbed windows
-allows to use multiple accounts all at once
(without having to hack the registry :p)
-supports Yahoo!, Bonjour, Google Talk and a lot more
cons:
-does not allow conferencing and and video calling
-interface is not attractive
-does not have the BUZZ sound (what?)
6. Picasa
The Picasa Photo Viewer is the best photo viewer I've used so far. ThePicasa Photo Editor allows you to make simple adjustments and add effects to your photo.
If you want something more advanced try Photoscape, If you want more tryUlead, if you still want more use Photoshop or GIMP(an open-source alternative).
(I keep all of them. Photoscape for Animated GIFs, Picasa for minor editing, Photoshop for designing).
7. Visual Task Tips
It's another Vista/7 feature that displays a thumbnail view of your minimize window (the thumbnail appears when you hover the pointer over the minimized window). Yes, Windows XP can have that too with a 102KB software. Its just for fancy. Nothing useful here,really. Just wanted to have that. :p
8. Download Accelerator Plus
I don't think it really speeds up your downloads. (Well if it does, not much). But if you are using Google Chrome, you might want to have this to make your downloads easier to manage. It also gives you an option to let your PC shut down automatically after your downloads have finished (like Bittorrent).
9. Bittorrent
Its nothing but a torrent client. I don't know if there's anything special about it. I tried uTorrent. (Works pretty much the same.)
10. FrostWire
Limewire doesn't work anymore. Frostwire is the next best thing. I'm not sure about Bearshare. I tried that before, nothing special about it.
The rest are the basics, I guess:
Microsoft Office 2007 (Nothing so special about MS Office 2010)
PDF Readers (SLIM PDF, Adobe PDF, etc.)
WinRar
Some that I'll keep 'cause I HAVE TO:
NetBeans
Notepad++
iTunes
Some are for just WHATEVER:
Daemon Tools
WinImage
Muvee
SharePod
Cheat Engine
Team Viewer
TuneUp Utilities (for PC customization)
Garena
That's about it. Did I miss out on anything?
