My Personal Recommendations
You can run a safe, secure PC on a limited budget. These are my personal favorites, hopefully readers will contribute more based on their experiences.
Browsers
Firefox 2 has to be on the list. I use several browsers and I know people have strong preferences, but I still recommend Firefox. Tabbed browsing is now mainstream, with the introduction of IE7, but Firefox still gets the nod, in my opinion. It has a slight edge for security, again in my opinion. You can get it here: Link
Anti-virus
AVG Anti-Virus Free is still number one in my book. It is a full featured anti-virus program with a small footprint and is easy to use. It includes automatic updates and real-time file and e-mail scanning. You can get it for free at Link
Anti-spyware
Adaware SE and Spybot continue to be the premier programs for spyware detection and removal. I prefer the user interface for Adaware, but either is a good choice. You can download Adaware SE from
Link
Firewall
Firewalls provide another layer of protection from Trojans and malware. In the past I have recommended Zonealarm's free version, but this year I am going with Comodo. Several reviewers tested the application head to head and Comodo was found to be superior. You can download the free version from Link
Utilities
Over time, temporary files accumulate on your PC, degrading performance. CCleaner is a utility that removes temporary files from your PC, features a Registry cleaner and an uninstaller. Its a nice little add-on. You can download it for free from Link
Once your PC is cleaned of unnecessary files, you should Defrag. Of course Windows has a built-in defragmentation utility, but I have found AusLogic's free defrag utility faster. You can download it from Link
Graphics
If you just want a viewer with rudimentary editing capabilities (like crop or cut) IrfanView is the grand-daddy of them all. It is a tried-and-true solution. You can get it at Link
If you want a high-end program for creating and manipulating images, try Paint.Net. Here's the link: Link
Movie Viewers and Codecs
Ever try to play a movie on your PC and been unable to do so? Here are some suggestions.
The VideoLan VLC media player gets high reviews. Personally, I have always found the interface hard to use, but if you want to try it you can get it at Link
I prefer Zoom Player standard, which does everything that I want for movies (and works with my Logitech remote control.) You can download the free version from Link
I personally use the K-Lite Codec pack from Link This pack adds functionality to Windows Media Player (or WinAmp or ZoomPlayer or whatever) and also includes the Media Player Classic application.
The Free-Codec site also offers Real Alternative at Link and a QuickTime alternative at
Link
Portable Apps Suite
If you own a USB drive and it is U3 compliant, you can take your virtual office with you with the U3 software suite. See http://software.u3.com/softwarecentral.aspx?skip=1
That is it for now. I am sure that I missed some things, hopefully you will contribute your favorite apps.