If earlier computers were something inaccessible to an ordinary person and used by units, now stationary computer systems, laptops or mobile devices, which can also be attributed to computers, will not surprise anyone. There are tens of thousands of manufacturers, hundreds of operating systems , but each of them contains the necessary and necessary computer programs. Let us try to briefly describe what is needed for the normal functioning of any computer system.
Programs necessary for computer operation
If we talk about the most necessary software, first of all, we need an “OS”. We will build on the fact that it is already installed.
What is a necessary set of programs for a computer? It can be conditionally divided into several main categories: device drivers, software packages for system protection (antiviruses), utilities for servicing the OS, applications for working with office documents, programs that provide full Internet access, archivers, packages for improving the quality of video playback or audio, as well as specialized software responsible for the advanced capabilities of computer systems.
Windows programs
So, consider the simplest programs for a computer. The list of Windows, unfortunately, does not meet all the requirements of modern systems. The fact is that after installing the "OSes" in it there is a minimal set, mostly focused on the use of system utilities.
In fact, for an ordinary user, he is not of any interest. Nevertheless, something can be found here. This applies to Windows diagnostic tools . But, depending on the version of the operating system itself and the hardware, not all devices may have appropriate drivers. As already clear, the result is a partial or complete inoperability of a component. That is why the correct installation of the right driver is one of the priority tasks for any system.
Drivers
What programs are needed for a computer from this point of view? First of all, a "native" utility called DirectX. In earlier versions, it was missing, and you had to install it manually. DirectX is now part of the standard Windows operating system.
It is worth noting that this is a universal utility not only for diagnosing the main hardware or some software components. DirectX is also a program for setting up a computer and a tool for finding out the version of device drivers. With its help, you can determine whether to install a new driver, and in general, whether it is in the system itself.
Installing Missing Drivers
To do this, you can use the standard features of Windows. For example, “Device Manager” in the Control Panel. All devices with missing or incorrectly installed drivers are marked in yellow. Using the “Properties” menu on the tabs, you can find the buttons for installing, updating and removing the driver, as well as disabling the device itself.
For example, when it is turned off, the system will display a message about the discovery of a new device and offer to install the appropriate software from its own distribution. This does not always help. If the installation fails, you will have to install the driver from the original disk, any removable media, or from the Internet if the network connection is active.
The minimum list of necessary programs for a computer in Windows
As already mentioned, in Windows itself, the list of programs is very limited. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the average user to work with what is available immediately after installing the "OS", because many tools that are so needed in the work are simply not available. Consider the most basic. Applications can be found using the sequence “Menu” / “All Programs” / “Accessories”.
Installed utilities will be listed here, as well as the System folder, which contains the necessary programs for the computer that are responsible for diagnostics, maintenance, administration and system recovery.
Standard programs
As for the average user, from the entire proposed list (say, in Windows 7), in the best case, he may need only four applets: Paint, Explorer, Notepad, and WordPad.
However, it is worth considering that the graphical editor and the Word document viewer have extremely limited capabilities not only for editing the corresponding files. These applications are also not able to recognize some other formats. That is why it is worth installing additional software that can work with files of other types.
In addition, in the Start menu itself there are utilities such as Internet Explorer for working on the World Wide Web and Outlook Express for the simplest actions performed with e-mail.
Utilities
Among the utilities included in the standard set of Windows, three components should be noted separately. The most necessary programs for the computer (not counting the rest) are presented here: "System Restore", "Disk Cleanup" and "Disk Defragmenter".
The first utility is responsible, as is already clear, for restoring the system to an earlier operational state (checkpoint). The second provides removal from the hard drive of unnecessary or unused files and folders. The third allows defragmentation by moving frequently called programs, files and directories to the fastest areas of the hard drive, which significantly speeds up access to them.
Microsoft Office
Speaking of what are the necessary programs for the computer, one cannot but mention such a well-known software package as Microsoft Office. Nowhere without him today.
The applications that make up this package allow you to work with almost all the main types of standard documents known today, apart from some specific formats. We single out the most basic programs:
- Microsoft Word - a text editor with advanced features;
- Microsoft Excel - editor of tables and tabular data;
- Microsoft Power Point - a system for creating presentations;
- Microsoft Access - a tool for working with databases;
- Microsoft Outlook - an e-mail application with a large functional set.
Of course, there is still a lot of everything, but it is unlikely that an inexperienced user will use absolutely all the programs presented in the standard office suite.
Antiviruses
Now go to the cornerstone. Antivirus protection has become an integral part of any system. It's no secret that there are now a huge number of viruses, as they say, for every taste. Here you will find viruses, the action of which disables the system, and crackers of the OS and passwords to gain access to confidential information, and trojans, and computer worms, and keyloggers, etc. Just do not list. Therefore, in order to be completely confident in its security, each user must use anti-virus packages with the latest databases. It is better if the virus signature databases are updated automatically. But it already depends only on the developer and the installed antivirus.
It is clear that in this list you can find a lot of packages. There is a certain choice to make. Say, not every free program has enough capabilities and tools to prevent virus attacks or unauthorized access. On the other hand, paid applications are not affordable for everyone. Here you can install trial versions, renewing keys (as with NOD applications), or use “hacked” utilities, although this is illegal. Which package to choose, you have to decide for yourself. It is worth paying attention to the fact that although professional software products like Kaspersky provide maximum protection, they nevertheless use computer system resources to a very high degree.
However, in any case, such a program for the computer system in terms of protection is mandatory for installation.
System maintenance
In terms of services, optimization and acceleration, Windows does not have much. In this case, it is better to install third-party utilities such as TuneUp Utilities, Ashampoo WinOptimizer, Advanced System Care and others. Such packages can optimize the system “in one click” (1-Click Maintenance) and offer many additional modules.
In fact, any of these applications is a program for setting up a computer in terms of its system part. In some cases, it is worth installing special applications that are responsible for updating device drivers or correctly removing unused ones. However, in most cases they are paid. In general, you can install such packages only at your own peril and risk. Therefore, do not particularly engage in experiments.
the Internet
Many people don't like the native Windows Internet tool (Internet Explorer). And there is a reason. We will not go into technical details. At least this browser seems too slow and inconvenient to work with. Therefore, it is jokingly called a means to find and download Opera.
However, you can now find a lot of browser systems. This is, say, Opera, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Yandex Browser, etc. The list goes on and on. Here you just need to test each application in order to choose the best option for yourself.
Do not forget about specialized downloaders that can speed up the download of files. It can be anything: from ordinary “Download Wizards” and programs from file-sharing networks to almost illegal programs that work with torrent trackers.
Archivers
The archiver application is an integral part of the system, especially when the user actively uses the Internet, downloads applications, installs new software products from removable media, etc. It is no secret that any programs for installation on a computer are delivered in the form of the Setup installation file (sometimes with additional information files, less often in the form of dynamic libraries connected to work through hosts such as DX, VST, RTAS, AAX, etc.). But, as a rule, such files take up a lot of space. In order to save disk space, they are packed in special archives having a smaller size.
It is precisely the archivers that make it possible to extract all the data from files of this type. The most famous here are WinRAR, WinZIP, 7-ZIP, etc. But here, as with browsers, it is better to immediately study all the features of the application, and only then use it for everyday tasks.
Connecting tablets and smartphones
As for connecting mobile gadgets, which have recently gained incredible popularity, here you can use the "native" utilities that come with your smartphone or tablet. For example, for “apple” devices it is iTunes, for Samsung gadgets it is programs like Samsung Kies, etc.
If the software was not included, you can find universal utilities on the Internet that allow you to work on a computer terminal or laptop with a specific device through communication via a USB connection or Bluetooth.
Multimedia
We can not say a few words about the reproduction of audio and video. The problem here is that the system does not always have special codecs and decoders responsible for the correct operation with files of these types. Technologies for encoding and decoding audio and video do not stand still. So it’s best to install the latest package containing all the tools. The easiest option might be the K-Lite Codec Pack software product. This, as they say, is a universal remedy for all occasions.
However, when setting in the task of parameters it is necessary to select all components. Perhaps some of them will not be needed, but it’s not worth the risk. You never know what situations may arise.
Conclusion
It is important to understand that this article provides only a brief overview of the programs and applications that are necessary for the computer to work or use its advanced features. However, it is worth noting that this is a basic functional set that no modern user can do without. Naturally, there is still a huge variety of tools that allow not only to expand the functional base, but also to get some comfort when working. However, as is already clear, to describe them all is simply impossible.
The only thing that can be noted is the desired installation of the means for partitioning the hard disk into logical partitions. Indeed, if the system “flies”, then the information stored in virtual partitions will remain unchanged. And after restoring the system, it will be possible to use the saved data as if nothing had happened.