Your Favorite Utilities for Windows 7/8

[peti1212]

What are some applications you guys like to use with Windows 7 or Windows 8, and why? Here is my list:


CCleaner
Dropbox
AVG Free
K-Lite Codec Pack
VLC Player


CCleaner is nice because it allows me to clean my system with just a few clicks of button, plus it has a feature for SSDs or any other storage device where you can Secure Erase your SSD, but only the free portions of your disk. This seemed to help me at times when TRIM didn't seem to work and my SSDs lost some performance.

Dropbox, I use to back up all the important files I have that I share between my systems, school work, work related materials, and documents.

AVG Free has worked for me ever since I installed it on my system 2 years ago. Hasn't slowed down my system even during gameplay and has given me good enough anti-virus protection. Never been infected, but AVG caught some instances of viruses, so I know it's working.

K-Lite Codec Pack seems to be the be the best codec pack I could find to date. While FFDShow was fine, K-Lite seems to have a lot more codecs including the FFDShow codec pack. Comes with a Medial Player that seems to run lots of formats the VLC might struggle with, but I keep both on my system just in case one of the players fails to play a video, or if I need specific things in my videos like audio delay, subtitles, etc.

So what do you guys like to use, and why?

[PP Mguire]

7Zip
Daemon Tools Lite
CCCP
WinRAR
Handbrake.

I think all of them are pretty obvious. I ditched K-Lite due to CCCP having better support and I have never had a problem playing any video file I've ever come across.

I use Handbrake cause it's free, easy to use, and takes advantage of my CPU. Rip a BD to DVD in about 10 minutes.

[peti1212]

I use WinRAR also, though I never heard of CCCP, sounds interesting. Might have to give it a try next time I reinstall my system. Daemon Tools Lite, I haven't used in a long long time. I tend to use PowerISO for mounting images. Works on most images that I've used. Handbreak, interesting... I haven't used it, though heard about it, but never knew what it was for. Does it convert any video format to anything, or is it mainly used for just ripping BD to DVD or DVD to some other format?

[PP Mguire]

http://cccp-project.net/

Check it out.

I use Daemon cause it was what I went to during the switch from XP to Vista/7. Alcohol 120% didn't work well and Daemon did. I also use it in Windows 98 so it's kind of a complete package. I also like how it doesn't require reboot.

Handbrake can convert (I think) any video file to MKV or MP4. It has other profiles but I haven't used it. Definitely worth a look cause I've tried many different things like Daniusoft, Mediaespresso, ConvertX, Xilosoft, ect. Wound up coming to this and it stuck.

[Pablo 54]

Going to try cccp. Love Handbrake and VLC. I use My Movies in WMC because of its WHS11 support. Anything better out there?

[werty316]

Too many to list really but here are the ones I use the most:

Avidemux
Handbrake
MPC-HC
SmoothVideo Project (Give it a try; your PC video viewing experience will never be same once you do)
Winrar
Jdownloader
IDM

[peti1212]

Does IDM actually work? I never really believed in the download accelerator type applications. Never seemed to help.

[werty316]

Yup, it works like a charm.

I use it because it has the ability to downland a file by using multiple connections rather than a single connection to maximize your download speed.

[PP Mguire]

Yup, it works like a charm.

I use it because it has the ability to downland a file by using multiple connections rather than a single connection to maximize your download speed.
Ding ding. This is great for large pipes so you can hog some server bandwidth. I don't personally use any accelerators because even though I have a fast connection I usually max it out.

[peti1212]

Yeah, that's why I don't think I ever saw any performance increase either. I'm running on a 10Mbps connection with 30Mbps turbo boost (Time Warner) but usually I max out the performance from my provider so I don't see any gains. The speed is still limited by the provider. I guess the only time you would see a performance increase is if your connection is faster than the server's speed, then you can take advantage of multiple servers at once.

[PP Mguire]

How you do get turbo boost? I have 20Mb TW and don't have that.

Some servers are slow or limit you. You can use this to do multiple connections and gain fasters speeds.

[peti1212]

when you start downloading PP, do you get speeds up in the 3-4MB/s range? The way it works is that you start your download at around 3-4MB/s, and then it slowly slows down to your actual speed. So my 10MBps is usually around 1200kb/s, but for the first 5-10 seconds I get 3-4MB/s. It should come automatically with your TimeWarner plan. Not sure how much you're paying but our plan includes it. We pay $29.99.

Edit: It's neat for smaller downloads in the 20-50mb range, but doesn't help much when you have to download 1GB or 10GB, because you only get the boost for like 10 seconds max.

[James86]

VLC is a must I install it on all the comps I use
CCleaner for removing bloatware on new pc's and general maintenance
PowerISO for burning and mounting ISO's
My dad uses handbrake for converting media files to run on his tablet

[PP Mguire]

when you start downloading PP, do you get speeds up in the 3-4MB/s range? The way it works is that you start your download at around 3-4MB/s, and then it slowly slows down to your actual speed. So my 10MBps is usually around 1200kb/s, but for the first 5-10 seconds I get 3-4MB/s. It should come automatically with your TimeWarner plan. Not sure how much you're paying but our plan includes it. We pay $29.99.

Edit: It's neat for smaller downloads in the 20-50mb range, but doesn't help much when you have to download 1GB or 10GB, because you only get the boost for like 10 seconds max.Paying 50 for the 20 and my downloads are always 2.3-2.5MB/s.

[peti1212]

Sounds reasonable, so you don't get the boost at the beginning?

[foxmobouser]

All my systems have these.
-Winrar
-YoutubeGrabber
-CPU-z
-GPU-z
-EVGA precision

[PP Mguire]

Sounds reasonable, so you don't get the boost at the beginning?
Yea my speeds are spot on and never low unless I'm on a loaded server. I never get boosted speeds and when I grabbed this net few months back the boost wasn't advertised. My best friend last year was paying for the 20 and always had 30 while still paying the 50 bucks. Wtf

[rrplay]

I always get
CPU-Z - GPU-Z HWMoitor WinRar EVGA Precision CCleaner OCCT Mini Tool Box (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/minitoolbox/) Been finding TMonitor (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/tmonitor.html) handy at times for checking multis and clocks. Some apps like ATTO and Crystal to test out drive speeds. always use VLC and bunch of apps that I need to get things done.Been having to monitor my ISP due to some problems last few weeks with UVRrealtime but seems that I got that sorted out.

[najiro]

CPU-Z
HW monitor
EVGA precision (since i use an EVGA card)
Core Temp
GPU observer by Orbmu2k
7-zip
3dmark 11 and 3dmark vantage
HD tune pro
Hard Disk Sentinel
Deep Freeze
TeraCopy
Malwarebytes
Acronis True Image
MagicDisc (for ISO images)

I currently use and have these installed in my PC. :)

[Joshua_Mahr]

CCleaner
Chrome
Defragler
Cpu-Z
Gpu-Z
Afterburner
RealTemp
PowerIso
Putty
WinRar

Some of my desktop fav's.

[ryandigweed]

Chrome - Fastest !
WinRAR - A must in this Era
Defraggler - I like to Keep a check on drives :)
System Ninja - Way better than CCleaner !
MVPS Hosts - Keeps Malware Sites away
Panda Security USB Vaccine - Keeps USB viruses away ! :)
VLC - Plays all the videos
PuTTy - To access my Router, Phone, NAS through SSH :)
HDtune - To check my Hard drives
TeraCopy - Amazing File Copier
Windows Live Mail - Gotta Be updated with the forums :)

[Saryn]

Chrome - Fastest !
WinRAR - A must in this Era
Defraggler - I like to Keep a check on drives :)
System Ninja - Way better than CCleaner !
MVPS Hosts - Keeps Malware Sites away
Panda Security USB Vaccine - Keeps USB viruses away ! :)
VLC - Plays all the videos
PuTTy - To access my Router, Phone, NAS through SSH :)
HDtune - To check my Hard drives
TeraCopy - Amazing File Copier
Windows Live Mail - Gotta Be updated with the forums :)

I've tried Chrome for a few months and decided to get rid of it. Alot of websites are not compatible with it and say out right that chrome is not supported. Weird things happen on some sites and programs/apps on sites. Decided to sotp with the hassle and go back to the newest Mozilla which is running great for me.

[PP Mguire]

I browse a ton of sites daily and have not come across this issue. Care to elaborate a site specifically that has this problem?

I used to be an avid FF user until their consistent releases caused the OS to be bloated, crash, and all around not be the superior go to browser anymore.

[ryandigweed]

I've tried Chrome for a few months and decided to get rid of it. Alot of websites are not compatible with it and say out right that chrome is not supported. Weird things happen on some sites and programs/apps on sites. Decided to sotp with the hassle and go back to the newest Mozilla which is running great for me.

Used to be a Mozilla User way before. It's secure and all, but the load up time was such a drag. :D

And I haven't come across any website being incompatible or something.

[keen]

Firefox with adblock plus
avast
defraggler
winrar
ccleaner
videolan

[PP Mguire]

I guess I can add:
FRAPS
MSI Afterburner
Coretemp
GPU-Z
CPU-Z
Photoshop CS5
Nexus Mod Manager
Xfire
Chrome.

[najiro]

I browse a ton of sites daily and have not come across this issue. Care to elaborate a site specifically that has this problem?

I used to be an avid FF user until their consistent releases caused the OS to be bloated, crash, and all around not be the superior go to browser anymore.

true... well I actually use both Firefox and google chrome. Sites have heavy graphics and flash stuff are best with firefox.. some sites just like google chrome and vice versa. I think it's best to have both..

[PP Mguire]

Here again, I have no such problems with flash based sites using Chrome. I don't have any other browser installed. Anybody who has a problem if you wish to elaborate what site it is I want to see it for myself. Like I said I used to be an avid FF user since around 2003 or so. With the way Chrome is made it is lighter on the system, faster to load, the ability to tie it to your Google account (cloud based bookmarks FTW), doesn't require Flash to be installed (I hate installing extra junk), has Adblock (which used to be FF user arguments including my own), and in my experience faster with web pages all around. With a machine like mine I can get major scroll lag using FF, I don't have said problem in Chrome.

To be perfectly frank, I used to be a Chrome basher like it was the new IE. Completely turned around where my opinion of the browser is concerned. If you're worried about Google spying on you then there are also other variants of the Chrome browser without the built in Google stuff.

[najiro]

Here again, I have no such problems with flash based sites using Chrome.

try this
https://www.tiberiumalliances.com

I used FF's greasemonkey stuff in some browser games I play. Can't play tiberium alliances well in chrome... the screen lags. FF runs the game better :)

[PP Mguire]

I just played for about 30 or so minutes in Chrome. I experienced slight lag but currently I am on a 5Mb connection. When I go home to my 20Mb connection I'll try again. I enabled WebGL too, so that might make a difference for you in Chrome and after this pretty much all lag that I did experience went away. Again I'll try when I go home and see if it was WebGL or connection speed.

All that aside, I meant actual sites, not games. I don't play flash games at all.

[najiro]

^ for sites, I think both are fine :) there's a suggestion I read somewhere wherein one installs the browser (chrome or FF) in a RAMDISK partition. Ramdisk are said to be faster than SSDs in terms of read and write, hence will make browsing faster claimed the reviewer. I'll try to find that review...

[PP Mguire]

Personally using a RAMDisk right now, it makes no difference in browsing speed over an SSD. Non-cached sites still rely on your connection speed to load. Games may make a difference if you can get Adobe to load all of the game to cache but in Chrome that is hard to do. As for FF, it still doesn't make a difference to how bloated it is and for crashing I have never had Chrome crash on me in the past 6 months I have been using it. Before I ditched FF I had it in RAMDisk to get over the load up and in Youtube it used to crash constantly.

Edit: Totally forgot to mention, I played last night on my own connection and connection speed made no difference. The initial loading was obviously faster but it appears enabling WebGL in the game settings fixed the lag problem under Chrome.

[najiro]

^ I see. i was curious about ramdisk but since I only have 8gb of ram, I can only create a 2gb partition LOL. I do get odd problems with chrome's flash stuff. once flash crashes in one page, it kills everything else in other tabs wherein I need to close and restart google chrome :( could be connection issues? Also, I find that google search engine is faster in FF LOL. It displays the search results faster for some reason.

[PP Mguire]

Chrome has a process for each tab open so if something goes wrong in one tab it shouldn't effect the others. I would say you got something weird going on not browser related.

[najiro]

^ eehh?! a malware perhaps??? I hope there's nothing wrong X__X
it usually happens when I open multiple tabs like 20+ tabs wherein 80% of the tabs would contain flash material....
sometimes I reach 30+ tabs opened due to research stuff I do. then it would crash.. not all the time but it did happen a couple of times.

This is the message I get:
2937

[PP Mguire]

Oh then in that case it is just crappy Flash crashing itself. Not browser related either and that's why each tab with flash content derps out on you.

[brokenwave]

try download the latest flash, it helps , i think , didn't get any restate crash form chrome. i used to hate chrome too,every time it crash i have to power off my computer holdin the power buttom and lost alot of download stuff

[najiro]

Oh then in that case it is just crappy Flash crashing itself. Not browser related either and that's why each tab with flash content derps out on you.

Hmmm.. says "Google Chrome is up to date."
Any tips on how to avoid that? is there any chance that its related to my graphics card? (gtx 560ti)
I have weird experiences with my card that I don't experience with my HD 6770 before. Sometimes it would run 851Mhz but GPU usage says its at 0% so why would it do that in just browsing in chrome or in firefox as well. Already asked evga about it.. answers where not helpful. As of now, I concluded that is a gpu based problem.

[PP Mguire]

Nvidia cards will run max power if set in the NVCP. Newer drivers seem to have fixed the adaptive power problem.

I don't think it's related to GPU honestly. Just too many flash based tabs going at once. Flash is fail anyways.

[phenom2]

My advices for Win8 are two utilities...to bring back the start menu. One still in beta: Startmenu8. The more professional and configurable instead is Classic Shell.

[CDsDontBurn]

On my personal systems, after a clean install of windows, and after installation of system drivers, I go to ninite.com and select the following:


Chrome
Digsby
CCCP
CutePDF
Microsoft Security Essentials
uTorrent
DropBox
ImgBurn
WinRAR

Additionally, I also install Microsoft Office 2007 (my next OS install will be MO 2010 :D ), UltraISO, Driver Sweeper, MS Visio, and a few other apps for specifically related for school.

Once I get my rig up for gaming, it'll have many of those same apps, but it will also have Steam and a few other game and benchmark related things installed as well :)


I've tried Chrome for a few months and decided to get rid of it. Alot of websites are not compatible with it and say out right that chrome is not supported. Weird things happen on some sites and programs/apps on sites. Decided to sotp with the hassle and go back to the newest Mozilla which is running great for me.

I found this to be true in early revisions of Chrome, but not so much anymore. There are a few websites here and there I do come across that have issues. One for example is my work's intranet website. Not all functions work in Chrome so I have to use IE for that.


I browse a ton of sites daily and have not come across this issue. Care to elaborate a site specifically that has this problem?

I used to be an avid FF user until their consistent releases caused the OS to be bloated, crash, and all around not be the superior go to browser anymore.

Before, I also used to be an avid FF user. But when they started to move to new versions repeatedly, it got old and mundane. Their layout also changed dramatically and I didn't like it. Chrome keeps it simple and easy to use.