First Ten Programs on New Install?
Posted by Daniel Stout on Wed 2 Mar 2005 at 9:18 PM
To go with this Slashdot thread, what are the first 10 Windows programs you’d install on a freshly installed machine?
I tend to wipe Windows machines about once a year, which keeps things running smoothly. The first ten apps I install, more or less in order:
- Mozilla Firefox
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Norton Internet Security
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Macromedia Studio
- Apple iTunes
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
- Mic rosoft Office
- BitTorrent
- Nero
A mixture of open source, freeware, and corporate stuff.
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I don't tend to wipe Windows machines on a regular basis as part of a maintenance routine. It is a long day of pain. I only do that when they aren't running smoothly. Assuming I don't already have all of these on a CD, here are the first ten applications I install, more or less in order:
An essential mixture of not very “fun” open source and freeware.
I don't reinstall as part of a maintenance routine. For me, reinstalls are more of a learning process than anything. I'm wiping the machine because I've been messing around with it enough that it's better to start off fresh. Or I'm reinstalling because I want to try something out. That's basically how I taught myself Windows--I had a Windows 3.1 box in college that I would totally fuck around with and end up rebuilding it every couple of months. Pain in the ass? I suppose, but I learned a lot by doing that.
Macs are different. Or at least they used to be. You'd upgrade the operating system from time to time, and pre-Mac OS X it was pretty simple generally to troubleshoot a sick Mac. Now when Apple updates Mac OS X, it's better to just do a clean install than to upgrade IMO. Each new major version of Mac OS X (10.1, 10.2, etc.) changes enough that upgrades can be problematic. That's the same for Windows too. Upgrading an operating system across major versions is a bad idea. If you don't believe me, ask Zeldman.
Here are the next 10, more or less in order:
Next time I have to wipe my PC, I'll keep track of what I in stall and in what order.
1. Firefox - with proxy, stumbleupon and del.icio.us
extensions.....
2. Norton Internet Security
3. MS Office
4. Trillian
5. XP Powertoys
6. Ad Aware
7. A media player - currently looking for a fav.
8. Tracks Eraser
9. WinVNC
10. (oh I can feel the flames) Adobe Acrobat...
Whoops - forgot Skype...