Computer Programs Everyone Should Have

There are certain programs that everybody should have installed on their computer to stop problems from occurring. Here are a list of programs and some free places to find them.

1. Anti-virus programs. I think anybody who uses a computer anymore knows how important it is to have an anti-virus program to keep things running smoothly. New trojans and viruses pop up all the time so keeping a program up-to-date is also an issue. Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus Free is the program that I prefer. It has above average performance and detects most viruses. It's easy to use. PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition is also another good option.

2. Anti-spyware software. Most people think that because they have anti-virus programs installed on their computer that they're safe, but that's simply not true. Viruses are spyware (and adware) are extremely different things so if you want to make sure that you're keeping your computer safe spend the time running anti-spyware software as well. I use Ad-Aware SE Personal to catch these things and have found that it's pretty good at finding the spyware on my computer.

3. Personal Firewall. If you have DSL or a cable connection this is definitely a must-have. This will monitor each and every connection into and out from your computer. PC Tools Firewall Plus is a reliable program.

4. Browser. Now many people will have strong opinions about which is best. Safari, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are the most commonly used. I will say that I have found that IE 7 has a lot of problems running with Windows XP SP2. So if you have that, I would recommend using Firefox instead. All of these browsers are located online for free downloads.

5. Anti-phishing software. Using your head is the best tool but sometimes we're not thinking like we should be, so having additional help is always the best precaution. Phishing Detector v.1.0 is always a good choice.

6. File-Recovery Tool. We've all heard the horror stories of some important file that was lost and not being able to trust a computer. Having a tool to recover it is always a good idea. I recommend choosing one that will work well for you and testing it out before a crisis so you know how to work it. This will reduce some of the panic that will occur when a critical file has been lost. Convar's PC Inspector File Recovery 4.x is a good free program to use.

Now there are always other programs that could be helpful to put on your computer but these are things that I feel everybody needs to have to run a computer, especially if you have an internet connection.