help a windows nub out.

[ashish]

tweaks,
Word Processing:
Spend some money and get MS office

Audio/vVdeo:
VLC player, does not need codecs and plays almost all formats.
Real player, for .rm files.

Utilities:
Winzip/Winrar
Skype
MSN
Nero
Gtalk
Picasa
Webshots


Security:

Webroot spy sweeper - bit of a system hog, but better than the free ones available and does catch.block most spyware.
ESET NOD32 - easy on the system, catches everything, better than norton.

 

[tamoreit]

Thanks again, guys. You've all been very helpful. =)
Am I better to go with ZoneAlarm + Avg or stick with Windows firewall + Norton? Or any other combination for that matter?

For security, I'd use Kaspersky Internet Security. It's lighter on your system and I find it works better than Norton.

 

[LeX]

Nero7's bloated IMO. If you need burning software, either try Deepburner like Ben recommended, or you can use CDBurnerXP Pro, also free. I've used both, and deepburner didn't work out for me.

Avira's free antivirus software works for me. It's free, you only get an ad screen when you update the virus database, it doesn't put load on my system, it doesn't try to interfere with anything, and I haven't experienced any software conflicts so far.

I don't really recommend using Norton. It's also bloated, and I've heard that virus writers like to target it because of its relatively large userbase.
I've tried Kaspersky once, didn't like it, for reasons I now don't remember.

List of my essentials:
Photoshop
Office 2007
Winrar

Free:
Filezilla - FTP client
Ad-aware 2007
Winamp lite
CDBurnerXP Pro - CD/DVD burning software
Avira AntiVir Personal Edition
VLC

 

[bigperm]

http://shsc.info/UsefulWindowsSoftware

 

[Clucked]

Thanks again, guys. You've all been very helpful. =)

I do have a couple questions:

Is PuTTY still the best SSH/Telnet client available for windows?

Am I better to go with ZoneAlarm + Avg or stick with Windows firewall + Norton? Or any other combination for that matter?

How does Miranda compare to Pidgin? The only real thing driving me towards Pidgin right now is the OTR support.

Also, right now I am using iTunes for audio playback as well as managing my iPod. Is this my best bet? Or am I better off using something like Winamp for audio and some other tool for managing the iPod?

Thanks.

@Ben - BlackViper has helped me out a tonne. Thanks for passing on that link, you're a lifesaver.

I'm not sure if it's the best, but I do use PuTTY. In terms of an antivirus, it's better to shy away from AVG and ZoneAlarm. I'd suggest Kaspersky but Norton would be fine too. Lastly, stick with iTunes.