About to Reformat, any Must have software I might be missing for my fresh drive?

J

JordanCL

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 26, 2006
Messages
1,943
I'm about to reformat so I just downloaded all the installers I'll need for the programs I want/need and threw them on my external hard drive, but I was wondering if there are any programs that you guys find indispensable.

They can be any type of programs, simple software that you couldn't imagine being without, or software that when you first got it you said 'wow.. i wish I knew of this earlier'

Thanks :)
 
First thing I install for a fresh OS is daemon tools. I archive all my stuff because I hate poking around for the correct disc. Make sure you have drivers for all your parts.

Otherwise, other than a good browser (unless you're the IE type) and antivirus, you should be set to go.
 
it depends what OS are u gonna install?
 
Sorry I should have been more specific. I'm reformatting and fresh installing either Windows XP Pro or MCE.

I have all the drivers and CDs and stuff (Dell laptop.. so one of the first installs afterwards will be CCleaner :()

I have all the essentials covered like antivirus, browser, torrent handler, irc, mounting tools, mp3 player, Divx codecs, etc.

I'm looking for some new apps to try. Like Launchy or the Ubiquity add-on, etc. Things I will try before I reformat.. this way if I don't like them I won't have their registry residuals sitting around hidden somewhere.
 
okey if it´s WinXP

i'd say CCleaner, Rivatuner, TweakUI, some disk management software like Acronis Disk Director, codecs (CCCP),

Firefox, lots of AntiSpyware apps, Antivirus, Pidgin, uTorrent, Torrent Harvester

u might also try XPY a nice little tweaking utility
 
leSLIe said:
okey if it´s WinXP

i'd say CCleaner, Rivatuner, TweakUI, some disk management software like Acronis Disk Director, codecs (CCCP),

Firefox, lots of AntiSpyware apps, Antivirus, Pidgin, uTorrent, Torrent Harvester
Click to expand...

Maybe it would help if I post what I have already:

Ad-Aware
Avast
CableNut
D-Tools
AusLogics Disk Defrag
Divx
Dvd shrink
FoxitReader
HJT
i8kfangui
JV16 PTs
Launchy
mIRC
pidgin
PIXresizer
Imgburn
uTorrent
winamp
WinRar

+ Firefox (best way to save my bookmarks?? just grabbing the folder out of app data?) and probably chrome which I'm enjoying too
 
JordanCL said:
+ Firefox (best way to save my bookmarks?? just grabbing the folder out of app data?) and probably chrome which I'm enjoying too
Click to expand...

Well under "organize bookmarks" in Firefox there is a Backup & import option ;)
 
PIXresizer?
hmm... i rather use ACDSee v10
it's does a lot of stuff kinda like Adobe Lightroom :)
 
I'll look into it. I use photoshop for everything digital, pixresizer is just to shrink all the pics coming off my digital camera that I want to keep, but don't need in high res
 
Deffo check out FFDShow - superb stuff - seriously!
Someone mentioned the CCCP codec pack earlier but imo it's convoluted. You can do some really nice stuff with FFDShow, it's very slick - never have to worry about codecs again.
The only thing FFDShow can't decode is MKV files, for that use VLC.
Here's the codecs page from the audio and video consoles - give you some idea of it's flexibility:
FFDSa_v.PNG

The only thing it can't do is resize its windows. As you can see there's many more in those lists. There's tons of guides online but I'll save you the searching if you want and type out my settings - through trial and error I think I've found the best all rounders. Guaranteed quality improvement.

Revo Uninstaller's really nice. Properly strips apps off your HDD.

AnyDVD's a beauty for numerous reasons. Let you look in to that one yourself.

Thought of another a second ago but it's gone already.

IrFanView's nice.

GCalDaemon's awesome if you use Thunderbird and GMail. Sits in the background and runs as a service. I've got it set up to sync contacts through LDAP and calender (read & write) through iCal using the lightning calender extension. On top of that e-mail's already being done through imapi so it's a nice little syncing solution, one that can't be done with Outlook unfortunatley. Thunderbird 3's just round the corner as well. Currently codenamed Shredder.

Handbrake's awesome for ripping DVD's to avi or many other formats. Can be a little tricky to get up and running but once you do it's a fantastic little app. Good one to leave running while at work cause you can set it up to rip entire series from multiply dvd drives.

QuickMediaConverter's useful. Last time I used this was to quickly convert the Battlestar G series to 3GP so I could watch it while travelling on my Sony E W910i.

And a generally useful website to keep an eye on for useful apps and guides is Lifehacker.
 
JordanCL said:
This interests me, I've previously used RoboForm for all my passwords, but something freeware and a bit more lightweight would be great. Quick user review?
Click to expand...

Here's some info taken from PC World:
"This program offers a simple way to keep track of all your passwords while keeping them safe. It lets you store all of your passwords in a lightweight, simple-to-use database, and encrypts the database so that only you can access it. You can either lock it with a master password or file key. KeePass Password Safe stores all your passwords in groups, so that it's easy to find the one you want quickly. And the program does more than just store the passwords; it also lets you easily copy them onto a Web page or an application. You can drag and drop them, copy them to the clipboard, and copy them using a hot key. You can also easily search for passwords, and print and export them in a variety of formats, including TXT, HTML, XML and CSV files. You can import them as well.

The application can also generate hard-to-crack passwords for you, a very nice extra for those who want to make their passwords extra-secure."

Also checkout: Lifehacker: Eight Best KeePass Plug-Ins to Master Your Passwords

Download KeePass 1.13 here: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/keepass/KeePass-1.13.zip. There is no installer required for this version, which makes it portable. Great for those flash drives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top