Standard Software

Here is how I commonly configure a Windows XP machine.

Setup 1: Basic

1. Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware
   1. AVG Free
2. PC Maintenance
   1. CCleaner
   2. Defraggler
3. Browsers
   1. IE7
      1. Flash Player for IE
   2. FireFox
      1. Flash Player for Non-IE
      2. See add-ons for FF below
4. Java Runtime
5. Adobe Air

Setup 2: Office

Basic setup and the following

1. Office Applications
   1. Adobe Reader
   2. CutePDF Writer
   3. 7-Zip

Setup 3: Media

1. iTunes
2. K-lite Mega Codec Pack
3. GOM Player
4. Quicktime Alternative
5. Windows Media Player
6. Paint.NET

Setup 4: Security!

1. TrueCrypt
2. KeePass
3. Sandboxie
4. Secunia PSA

Setup 5: IT Tools

1. mRemote

MISC

1. Windows
   1. .NET Framework
   2. DirectX
2. Office
   1. Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats – Open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.
   2. Open Office – Free substitute for Microsoft Office
3. Utilities
   1. Teracopy – Copy files fast and reliably.  Tera copy will continue to copy files even when you cannot copy 1 file at 85% into the copy. (TeraCopy Configuration Settings)
   2. CDBurnerXP – Free easy to use CD burner with .iso support
   3. Launchy – Spotlight for PC
   4. Virtual Desktop Manager – Virtualize 4 desktops
   5. all-Snap – Constrain windows within your desktop view
   6. Katmouse – Universal window scroll control

Customizations

FireFox: Add-Ons

1. IE Tab – an extension from Taiwan, features: Embedding Internet Explorer in tabs of Mozilla/Firefox
2. AdBlock Plus – Ever been annoyed by all those ads and banners on the internet that often take longer to download than everything else on the page? Install Adblock Plus now and get rid of them.
3. Morning Coffee – Keeps track of daily routine websites and opens them in tabs…
4. ColorfulTabs – The most beautiful yet the simplest add-on that makes a strong colorful appeal. Colors every tab in a different color and makes them easy to distinguish while beautifying the overall appearance of the interface. An essential…
5. NoScript – Allow active content to run only from sites you trust, and protect yourself against XSS and Clickjacking attacks.
6. Flashblock
7. Foxmarks – it works silently in the background to keep your bookmarks and (optionally) passwords synchronized. Foxmarks also keeps your data backed up and safe from computer failures. If you’re away from your computer, Foxmarks allows you to access your bookmarks online by logging into my.foxmarks.com.

Links

1. FileHippo.com