The Best set of software on a clean install?

[Damian Adelle]

Hello again SevenForums, I want to thank everyone who helped me before.
This post is more of a question than anything. I have checked some great posts here about good software like Free Native 64-bit programs and FREE Great Programs for Windows 7.

But I was wondering, is there some kind of list of programs that are, let's say, Editor's Choice when it comes to a full clean Win 7 install?, for example, I seen the white list feature in Spyware Search & Destroy, that in order to work at it's best, the PC must have a fresh installed OS, so in the future the white list can be used as a reference (although I haven't used it, and I can't speak about it's efficacy) but it sounds interesting. And then we have the option to encrypt the full OS with TrueCrypt (which I believe, it has to be faster and easier when you have a new OS). I used DriverGenius to update/install my drivers, but from some time ago, I switched to other programs like Driver Booster or SlimDrivers, because I noticed that, even though these programs are free, they gave me better results for my hardware, DriverGenius sometimes downloaded drivers for hardware I never had. And my AV/Firewall of choice has been AVG Internet Security, and sometimes I use PeerBlock as a secondary firewall. Of course I install all of this after I have downloaded/installed the system latest Windows Updates.

These are just a couple of things I can think of, so if anyone here could suggest "starting software", or share with me their usual habits when it comes to a fresh OS, it would really help me. Software that I'm still leaving out, are related to Office, CD/DVD burning, Graphics, Media and Games, since I install this in a later phase, so right now, I'm just into Security, Utilities and Maintenance, with no particular order.

If it helps, the version I want to install is Windows 7 x64 Ultimate, my 1.5 TB HDD has 2 partitions, I use the smaller one (about 500 GB for the OS) and the larger one (about 1 TB for storage purposes), but this time I'm thinking of formatting the smaller partition only because I have some files in the larger one (hope this doesn't have any negative effect in the future).
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[Britton30]

As with butts, as are opinions, here's mine.

I've had Spybot on w7 and it was horrible, freezing and slowing the system.

AVG products get implicated in many BSOD scenarios.

So called Driver Finder programs are mostly scams or recommend drivers you don't need and are hard to uninstall. Stick with the hardware maker's for drivers, always. w7 is fairly driver complete, or updates will do it.

For a free firewall many use Comodo.

True Crypt I think is OK for specific file, not the whole system. Anything added would grow it. IT uses a virtual invisible drive.

Paint.NET, GIMP, Inkscape, are all good free graphics editors.

In my sig are links to Malwarebytes, Super Anti Spyware, and CCleaner for some security and a temp file cleaner.

You wants and needs will determine what else you need.

Open Office is a good suite of productivity applications and compatible with MS office.

 

[Kari]

I'm a fan of customizing a general system image with Sysprep in Audit Mode, installing Windows and my list of essential software then creating a generalized and personalized system image which I can use for installing (deploying) to any PC. My current Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 images contain the following:

• Office 2013
• Sharepoint Designer
• Visual Studio 2013
• VLC Player
• XBMC
• Adobe PDF Reader
• Maxthon Browser
• Opera Browser
• Customized default user profile to use as base profile for all new user accounts

As my browsing habits are quite kosher I manage my AV protection with adding the free Microsoft Security Essentials to Windows 7 image (Windows 8 contains Defender to replace MSE).

That's it. Using these images I have a fully working Windows 7 respective Windows 8.1 system whenever I need to install.

Kari

 

[Damian Adelle]

Hey, thanks for your suggestions Britton and Kari. Didn't know Spybot made so much lag, I just tought it was a good option before Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, being second in popularity. And about AVG BSODs you are right, I been hearing something about it, although I been using it almost 5 years, and the only problem I had with it, turned out to be a faulty HDD, not the antivirus, even it looked like it was the AV. The thing about encrypting the OS using TrueCrypt it's more for my paranoid mentality, if it were for me, I had everything locked with a password hehehe. And about creating an image I used Redo-Backup, but for some reason I can't trust an image creation program (for fear of file corruption or something similar, not even the native Windows utilities for that purpose) I like to take my time to always install everything from the ground. Thanks for your advise, it's interesting to know what particular procedures/measures other people take.

 

[kathy025]

Revo Uninstaller for your utility collection.

Also, stay away from so-called "registry cleaners". Like "driver finders", they are more trouble than they are worth.