Included are excellent free security applications, one doesn’t have to break the bank to get protection for that new PC.
Update 2011
My own preferences,
Firewall
At this time my operating system is Windows 7 and I am quite happy with its native firewall.
Windows XP native firewall blocks incoming traffic only.
Free: Comodo Pro
Certifiedbug, May 27, 2008. Comodo SafeSurf Toolbar-ASK Toolbar
Windows Vista and Windows 7 native firewall filters both incoming and outgoing network traffic.
Anti-Virus
Pay for: Eset NOD32
Free and pay for versions: Avast
Free and pay for versions: Avira AntiVir
Free: Microsoft Security Essentials
Anti-Spyware
Free for personal use: Patrick M Kolla’s Spybot-Search and Destroy
Multi purpose support utility
Free and pay for versions: Bill Pytlovany’s WinPatrol
Defragmentator
Free: Windows Vista Disk Defragmenter FAQ
By default Disk Defragmenter on Vista runs automatically at 4:00 am every Sunday morning. It is a pretty basic utility which does not give you any detailed information about the hard disk fragmentation level or the defragmentation progress.
Free: Windows 7 Disk Defragmentation
Pay for: Diskeeper
I have DisKeeper 2008 Pro Premier set on automatic defragmentation, which it does using low CPU priority resources. No need to fuss with scheduling anymore.
Shuffling a lot of files around daily, I like DisKeeper running silently in the background defragging files on-the-fly. The program has plenty of documentation, options and useful Help Topics.
Plus you can watch it at work if you want to.
Screen Capture and more
Pay for: SnagIt by TechSmith.
With SnagIt, users can capture, edit and share any image, including scrolling windows, objects, menus, video, text, and Web pages and include them in emails and instant messages, PowerPoint presentations, MS Office documents, marketing and sales materials, technical documentation, class handouts, Web sites and blogs.
Video Creator
Pay for: Camtasia Studio by TechSmith.
System optimization and privacy tool
Free: CCleaner
Data backup and disaster recovery
Pay for: Acronis® True Image
Paint-with a difference.
Open Source and Free: Paint.NET
This is not the application that comes with Windows, it has many features one would expect in a pay for program.
Open Source: KeePass
Good program with updates frequent enough to show this is an open source project with heart.
News Reader
FeedDemon for Windows
FTP
Free: FileZilla
Free: SmartFTP
Browsers
Microsoft IE9
Mozilla FireFox
Mail Client
Mozilla Thunderbird
Thunderbird has a integrated Calendar extension called Lightning allowing it to perform email-related calendar tasks.
Mozilla Sunbird is a stand alone Calendar.
Web Mail
Windows Live Hotmail
