If you are looking for a great way to download the best free software out there for Windows then look to Ninite Easy PC Setup to make this really easy. The web site makes it simple to get the up to date versions of all of the software listed in one quick process. Check off the applications you want and then click on Get Installer. The site builds a custom installer that when it is run will download each of the programs and then install them. It couldn’t be simpler and is a great time saver. Come back again and select different applications to try something else out.

The site is divided up into the following sections and I have listed specific applications you may want to consider.

Web Browsers

• Chrome – Google’s web browser is the newest of the group but its popularity is growing fast. It is fast and supports plug-ins. It has a sparse interface reminiscent of the Google search site.

• Firefox – Mozilla’s web browser that started up competition with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. It is often preferred due to it’s features and large number of plug-ins. Most web sites will work with Internet Explorer and Firefox so it is a good one to have. Developers tend to love the plug-ins.

• Opera – Often overlooked, Opera has some unique features that you may like. I don’t normally install it but see what you think.

• Safari – While this is my browser of choice on the Mac it isn’t a great choice on Windows. In my opinion, Apple hasn’t done enough to make it work well in Windows or look like a good Windows app.

Messaging

• Skype – Very good way to communicate between computers for free in both voice and video. They have plans for cheap calls to phone lines as well.

• AOL Instant Messenger – The oldest instant messaging client with many users from America Online.

• Thunderbird – Mozilla’s email client. A good free solution for email especially if you like Outlook but don’t want to purchase a copy.

• Digsby and Pidgin – I haven’t used them but they are well rated and can combine multiple messaging services into one single application.

Media

• iTunes – Apple’s media player. If you have an iOS device such as an iPod, iPhone or iPad you likely already have this installed.

• VLC – A great open source media player. VLC can likely play anything you throw at it.

• Hulu – This is the desktop application for the Hulu web site. Content can be oddly limited and they are pushing to get you to buy a Hulu Plus subscription at $7.99 per month for more content. There is however a lot of good quality content available from the major television studios that can’t be found all in one spot like this.

• Audacity – If you need a free audio recorder and editor, this is a great choice. Used by many for podcasting on Windows.

Imaging

• GIMP – This photo and image editor is very powerful. The interface gets criticized but I haven’t used it enough to have an opinion.

• Picasa – Google’s photo manager to go along with their photo sharing site.

Documents

• OpenOffice – An open source alternative to Microsoft Office. It will remind you a lot of Microsoft Office 2003 or before.

• Adobe Reader – Adobe’s PDF reader that is likely already on your system.

• CutePDF – I highly recommend this application to print your own PDF files without paying for Adobe Acrobat. The output doesn’t add any advertising like some other PDF programs. PDF files are ideal when you want someone to receive the document as you intended it.

Security

I recommend you choose one antivirus plus Malwarebytes for free security protection.

• Microsoft Essentials – Microsoft’s free antivirus product. An excellent choice.

• Avast – Avast’s free antivirus which gets good reviews.

• AVG – AVG’s free antivirus which gets good reviews.

• Malwarebytes – This antispyware program has cleaned many a system for me. Highly recommend.

Runtimes

• Flash/Flash(IE) – Adobe’s Flash Player is needed for many web sites for it’s animation and video capabilities. You likely have this already installed on your system.

• Java – Now owned by Oracle since they purchased Sun Microsystems, Java is used by a number of web sites.

• .NET – Microsoft’s .NET framework is used in many applications. You likely have it installed if you have a program that requires it.

• Silverlight – Microsoft’s response to Adobe Flash. Silverlight is used on a number of web sites but is not nearly as prevalent as Adobe Flash.

• AIR – Adobe created AIR to be a way to create cross platform applications. There are some interesting applications written in AIR. I wouldn’t install unless you have an application you want to run that uses it.

File Sharing

Can’t say that I have used either of these file sharing clients.

Other

• Dropbox – I highly recommend this utility. It provides online file storage and sharing. If you have multiple systems you can keep the files in sync between them. If you want to share a folder with one or more people, you can easily do that as well. Dropbox has become the best method to share files between your mobile devices and your desktop or laptop. It is free for an account of 2GB of storage. They charge if you need more storage.

• Evernote – This program is cross platform as well as available on mobile devices. It allows you to store interesting web sites, pictures, text, screen shots and other items. The site will recognize text on these items which will make them searchable. Connect it to all your computers and devices or log onto the web site and you have the information available from anywhere. I like the service but don’t have it worked into my normal routine.

• Google Earth – This is Google’s map of the world. It’s kind of like Google Maps on steroids. Worth checking out.

• Steam − This program connects you to the Steam web site which provides many games available for download for PC gaming. It’s become a very popular way to get PC games. They often run special pricing on games.

Utilities

• CCleaner – A very good Windows registry cleaner. The registry is a common data store that has entries for every program you’ve installed. Sometimes things are left behind when programs are removed or updated. CCleaner will help clear these things out.

Compression

• 7-Zip – An excellent, fast compression tool that is more flexible than the built in Windows compression.

Developer Tools

You likely won’t need any of these developer tools.