The best programs for a laptop. Lightweight software for netbooks
Reading time: 4 min
Contrary to the wishes of hardware manufacturers, not everyone is ready to buy new computers every year and a half. And not everyone needs powerful machines for 3-D processing, HD playback, sophisticated computer games and so on.
Moreover, this device is actually mobile - you can take it with you on trips in order to type out articles on the keyboard on the road, in a hotel, or anywhere else, with subsequent prompt sending of them via e-mail using open Wi-Fi networks.
But the trouble is that the software bloats at an alarming rate, turns into Bloatware, slows down, heats up the processor and quickly drains the batteries. To avoid wasting time searching for humane programs, I bring to your attention a short overview of lightweight applications.
Browser
For a long time, Google Chrome was considered the lightest, as well as other varieties of Chromium, such as Comodo Dragon and SRWare Iron. At least the scripts were always processed perfectly.
However, in June 2011 the situation changed dramatically.
Chrome 12 came out, and it began to devour system resources simply disgracefully. Rendering a simple page required 77% of the processor power. In general, the browser has become as heavy as Firefox 4 (the fifth version is a little lighter, but, alas, only a little.)
In short, the most humane thing at the moment is Opera browser 11.50. The difference with heavy monsters is simply amazing - the program literally flies.
You can also try the old version 10.10, one of the most successful. Vintage releases can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.opera.com.
Mail client
The mail client is built into the Opera browser. Moreover, it can work using secure protocols, which is critically important in open Wi-Fi networks. The guys from Opera Sortware claim that they have finally fixed the not entirely adequate interaction with Gmail via IMAP protocol(Google's implementation of this protocol is somewhat unique).
But with another email service that provides an encrypted connection, Opera works perfectly.
If you decide to use Mozilla Thunderbird, then the latest release at the time of writing, number five for a netbook, will not be suitable in any way, because it is also Bloatware. You need to go to ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/releases/ and look for release 3.1.10 there. It’s also far from perfect, but at least it doesn’t cause a buffer overflow.
Antivirus
The situation with antiviruses is exactly the same as with all other software. Their developers, one must assume, are completely sincerely confident that the population only uses powerful computers, at least with quad-core processors and many gigabytes random access memory. (And if someone doesn’t use it, then they need to force it.)
AVG antivirus in the version designated as “2011” has become terribly heavy. Only release 9 works tolerably, but it uses Internet Explorer, clogging its cache. You don’t use this browser, and then you wonder why two or three hundred files accumulate in this cache per day.
The antivirus from PC Tools, a division of Symantec, was more or less lightweight (they also have a common signature database). The seventh version, released in 2010, looked pretty good. However, the 8.0 release has become even heavier than AVG 2011. In short, Bloatware.
You can choose Avira Antivir Personal, which does not harm the system at least while real-time protection (Antivir Guard) is running. When opening a folder with executable files The computer does not freeze due to overload.
But when on-call scanning is performed, there is still a fair amount of resource consumption. True, such scanning is performed very quickly. This is not Dr.Web, which likes to rummage through disks for several hours at a time.
The free version of Avira always suddenly pops up ads on the entire screen when updating its antivirus databases, so don’t be alarmed.
To this antivirus updated its databases automatically every day, you need to open its interface, click the “Manage” button and enter the “Scheduler”.
There, using the button depicting a plus clock, add a scheduled update task, in which indicate the desired execution time of this action. And don’t forget to check the “Restart task after time has expired” option. In case there was no Internet connection at the appointed time.
The best option would be Avast 6. At first, the sixth release looked a little heavy, but after updating the program to 6.0.1203 there were no comments. Moreover, this software, even in its free version, provides a web screen, p2p protection, checking client traffic using instant messages, and a file monitor.
Moreover, it provides a “sandbox” for free (for running suspicious programs in an isolated memory area). In general, in terms of functionality it is not much inferior to paid antiviruses.
Text editors
Don't be confused by the empty gray window. The toolbar in FocusWriter appears when you move the mouse pointer to the top of the window and statistics to the bottom. You can add spell checking dictionaries used in OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice.
Flexible settings allow you to set the background color (even background picture), fields and areas with text, font (plus its size and style), windowed mode (without expanding to full screen) and anything at all (for example, turn off the sound of the typewriter keys).
In the Format menu you can set RTF (Make Rich Text). Or save as TXT, anyway, the spell check has already taken place. By the way, saving occurs automatically; it is not at all necessary to constantly take time off from work and press the Save button. FocusWriter also remembers and opens the document you worked with.
The program takes up only 25 megabytes in memory and works as self-respecting software should - very quickly. Even faster than AbiWord. Let's move on to it.
Dictionaries for AbiWord will have to be downloaded and installed additionally; fortunately, on the official website they are offered along with the installation package of the program itself.
AbiWord opens documents in DOC formats, RTF and ODT, which is why it is valuable. True, one should not expect any special quality of document display from this modest program.
The most important thing is to save all your texts in RTF. Moreover, in the “File type” list you need to select Rich Text Rotmat for old apps, it’s more reliable.
In addition, the current version, when saved, for some reason refuses to recognize the encoding in Russian-language file names.
You have to enter these names in Latin letters. But such an inconvenience can be tolerated for the sake of the speed of operation and the lack of slowdown of the netbook. AbiWord occupies 21 megabytes of memory.
Perhaps the main drawback of the above text editors is related to typography - there is no auto-correction for hyphens on em dash where necessary (before the space). It is treated as follows: 1. Copy the em dash, “-”, from somewhere. Press Ctrl + H (currently search and replace is called by this particular key combination in both editors, but you can find the corresponding command in the menu).
2. In the “Search for” field, put a short hyphen and a space after it, and in the “Replace with” field, insert the previously copied long dash, after which we also put a space.
3. We start autocorrection by pressing the “Replace all” confirmation button - and you’re done.
There are no problems with typography in office suite LibreOffice (or its original version OpenOffice.org, whichever you prefer). On a netbook, this software does not launch very quickly; it eats up a fair amount of disk space, as does memory.
But if you are not nervous about some slowdowns, and also if you have a not very old netbook, you can still work. However, you can say goodbye to the battery charge in advance.
Oddly enough, the portable versions of OpenOffice.org and especially LibreOffice look better and start up faster. Moreover, they can be launched from a flash drive. You should download it from the portal portableapps.com (by the way, there is much of the software mentioned in the article).
PDF viewer
Don't even think about installing a new one on your netbook. Adobe version Reader! Not only will it take up an unreasonably large amount of space (more than a powerful video editor, for example), but it will also begin to freeze the system when opening even a very small and modest file. System registry It will also be a mess, since the very smart software constantly writes there a story about previously opened documents.
A good alternative is STDU Viewer. Displays not only PDF, but also other formats e-books. However, you need to get used to the fact that by default, navigating through tabs is done by double-clicking the mouse rather than single-clicking (you need to change it to one click in the settings), and scrolling with the wheel only works after clicking on the page.
Foxit Reader launches and works quickly, but the fonts are displayed poorly, so you won't be able to read much - your eyes will get tired. A good option will be Sumatra PDF. This small program takes up only four megabytes on disk.
It is quite enough to open a document, read and copy fragments of text from it (yes, the latest release already allows copying), without warming up the processor and without getting irritated by slow operation.
Photos
Windows has its own image viewer, but its usability is somewhat questionable. Therefore, let's consider more appropriate options.
Cornice also makes a pleasant impression.
True, only the portable version works without glitches. This software is convenient when you just need to find and view graphic files on disks, without wasting an unreasonable amount of time on such a simple action.
A program called XnView is suitable for viewing, rotating, resizing, sorting, convenient copying and moving. There are even filters that allow you to make simple sharpening adjustments.
Slightly more complex processing is possible in PhotoFiltre from French manufacturers. The program is simply fantastically fast, especially considering the presence of many goodies.
Instant messaging
The ICQ 7.5 client is now well suited for instant messaging, calls and video communications. The version turned out to be successful. At least, much lighter than Mail.ru Agent, which consumes an unreasonably large amount of system resources.
Messaging only - free Pidgin 2.9.0 client that works with different protocols, not just ICQ. It doesn’t have any goodies, but it doesn’t drain battery power.
However, for official purposes it is often necessary to use something that is not at all what one’s heart is drawn to, so it depends on your luck.
Let's summarize
So, the minimum kit for a writer and journalist who uses a not very powerful netbook and does not want the battery to quickly drain in the middle of work looks something like this.
- Avast 6.0.1203
- Opera 11.50 or 10.10;
- ICQ 7.5 or Pidgin 2.9.0 (text messages only);
- FocusWriter plus spelling dictionaries from OpenOffice.org, AbiWord and its dictionaries;
- XnView or Cornice Portable, PhotoFiltre;
- STDU Viewer or Sumatra PDF.
This kit is quite enough for writing articles, sending them by e-mail from some civilized place with a Wi-Fi network, communicating with customers via ICQ and viewing sent documents. Since there is no heavy software, the netbook’s battery will not run out soon.
This set provides a list of the most necessary programs, which are perfect for installation on new laptop or a device with a new Windows operating system.
Good antivirus protection
1 The first thing you need to install is, of course, good protection. Without good antivirus visiting any pages on the Internet, using third party applications or devices may lead to infection of your computer dangerous viruses and Trojan programs. To do this, we suggest you use the new, free 360 antivirus solution Total Security, which you can download from a special page on our website.
Multifunctional browser
2 Next, to visit sites on the Internet, you must have an installed, modern browser. There are quite a lot of applications, but each of them is unique in its own way. If you want to spend your time as efficiently and safely as possible while visiting Internet resources and using various services online, we recommend that you download and install the free Yandex browser. This program has all the necessary tools for effective and safe work in the Internet.
Good file archiver
3 After which you can install a shareware archiver. Most files on the Internet are distributed in archived form, and in order to extract content from them, you need to special program. We highly recommend that you download good app WinRAR and install it as the main tool for working with archives. You can find out more about it and download it by clicking on the button below.
Multimedia
4 To play music and watch videos, we recommend that you pay attention to the KMPlayer player and the AIMP player. By downloading and installing the proposed programs for working with multimedia files, you can easily listen to music and watch any video, without the need to additionally install codecs.
Optimization
5 During use and installation additional programs on a laptop, various unnecessary information and records accumulate in the system, which load your computer and significantly slow down its operation. For such cases, we recommend downloading special utility CCleaner, a program for cleaning and optimizing the system. With this application, you can easily delete all unnecessary entries and junk files that accumulate during active use of the laptop.
Here are 5 essential programs that should be installed on your laptop. If this list does not satisfy your needs, then you can always use our website and select from the list all those applications that you want to download to your computer.
Hello! Here I will post the most useful programs For Windows computer 7, 8, 10, which I use myself, and which you can download to your computer for free without any SMS, displaying advertising, entering captcha, etc. via direct link!
Often, to find the right program, especially if you are a beginner, it takes a lot of time to search for this program on the Internet. Now there are a lot of so-called “file dumpers” on the Internet, from which I do not recommend you download various programs. Not only will you, before downloading any program from these sites, watch a lot of advertising and waste your time, but you will also download, along with the program you need, “wrong” and unnecessary programs, or even some kind of Trojan or virus.
You must download programs only from the official websites of these programs!
But it is not always possible to quickly find a link to download the program even on the official website of the program. After all, developers of programs, especially free ones, also have to earn money somehow and also show their advertising or impose other paid software.
Therefore, I decided the most necessary and interesting programs in my opinion, place it on this page so that you can download for free without the above-mentioned problems, in one click!
Basically, all the programs presented are free or shareware.
If any program interests you, and you want me to talk about it in more detail on the pages of this blog, then write about it in the comments, maybe I will review this program.
I will try to update all programs in this section once every 3 months. So stay tuned for updates to these programs.
Total 87 files, overall size 2.9 GiB Total number of downloads: 126 740
Shown from 1 before 87 from 87 files.
AdwCleaner is an easy-to-use OS security utility that will allow you to get rid of adware on your computer in seconds with a quick system scan.
» 7.1 MiB - downloaded: 3,060 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
The HitmanPro antivirus scanner works in conjunction with the main antivirus. The utility is capable of conducting a deep analysis of the system and identifying threats that other antiviruses could not detect. Uses cloud base SophosLabs, Kaspersky and Bitdefender.
» 10.5 MiB - downloaded: 1,342 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Cloudy antivirus scanner, which uses multiple detection engines and technologies to remove advanced threats. Additional protection compatible with your antivirus, antispyware or firewall. 14-day trial version.
» 6.3 MiB - downloaded: 1,359 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
A single solution for PC security and optimization. One of the best free antiviruses.
» 74.7 MiB - downloaded: 1,577 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Intuitive and low-resource free antivirus with all the necessary functions to reliably protect your computer, home network and data.
» 7.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,084 times - Updated: 10/09/2018
AVZ anti-virus utility is designed to detect and remove SpyWare and AdWare spyware, Trojans and network and email worms
» 9.6 MiB - downloaded: 1,219 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition - free antivirus. Real-time protection, active virus control, cloud, proactive technologies. Interface in English.
» 9.5 MiB - downloaded: 428 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Bitdefender antivirus has protected more than 500 million users without missing a single ransomware attack.
» 10.4 MiB - downloaded: 392 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Antivirus ESET Smart Security Business Edition 10.1 (for 32 bit)
» 126.1 MiB - downloaded: 3,819 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
ESET Antivirus Smart Security Business Edition 10.1 (for 64 bit)
» 131.6 MiB - downloaded: 3,021 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Kaspersky Anti-Virus - free version
» 2.3 MiB - downloaded: 1,355 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
The archiver is free. For Windows (64 bit)
» 1.4 MiB - downloaded: 1,907 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
The archiver is free. For Windows (32 bit)
» 1.1 MiB - downloaded: 5,440 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Winrar. A powerful utility for creating and managing archives, containing a whole range of additional useful functions. For Windows (32 bit). Trial. 40 days.
» 3.0 MiB - downloaded: 931 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Winrar. A powerful utility for creating and managing archives, containing a whole range of additional useful functions. For Windows (64 bit). Trial. 40 days.
» 3.2 MiB - downloaded: 1,261 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Download Master- free download manager.
» 7.4 MiB - downloaded: 1,349 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Evernote is a web service and program for creating and storing notes. The note can be a piece of formatted text, an entire web page, a photograph, an audio file, or a handwritten note. Notes may also contain attachments of other file types. Notes can be sorted into notebooks, labeled, edited, and exported.
» 130.0 MiB - downloaded: 859 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
FTP client FileZilla (for 32 bit)
» 7.3 MiB - downloaded: 1,148 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
FTP client FileZilla (for 64 bit)
» 7.6 MiB - downloaded: 792 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Isendsms - a program for sending free SMS and MMS to operator mobile phones cellular communications Russia and CIS countries.
» 2.0 MiB - downloaded: 1,808 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Java
» 68.5 MiB - downloaded: 7,183 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Skype - communication without restrictions. Call, text, share any files - and all this is free
» 55.8 MiB - downloaded: 1,858 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Telegram is a cross-platform messenger that allows you to exchange messages and media files of many formats. Messages on Telegram are securely encrypted and can self-destruct.
» 22.0 MiB - downloaded: 410 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Mail program Thunderbird
» 38.9 MiB - downloaded: 1,200 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
uTorrent torrent client. Archive password: free-pc
» 4.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,648 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Viber for Windows allows you to send messages and call other Viber users for free on any device in any network and country! Viber syncs your contacts, messages and call history with your mobile phone.
» 87.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,524 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform application for smartphones that allows you to exchange messages without paying as for SMS. (for windows 8 and higher) (32 bit)
» 124.5 MiB - downloaded: 888 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform application for smartphones that allows you to exchange messages without paying the same as SMS. (for windows 8 and higher) (64 bit)
» 131.8 MiB - downloaded: 943 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Aimp is one of the best free Audio players.
» 10.2 MiB - downloaded: 1,961 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
ComboPlayer is a free program for watching TV online. Supports watching Torrent videos without waiting for downloads, listening to Internet radio, and also plays any audio and video file on your computer.
» unknown - downloaded: 1,807 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
FileOptimizer is a small utility designed for additional compression of graphic files using a special algorithm
» 77.3 MiB - downloaded: 457 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
K-Lite_Codec_Pack - a universal set of codecs for viewing and processing audio and video files. The package includes a video player Media Player Classic
» 52.8 MiB - downloaded: 1,984 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Mp3DirectCut is a small MP3 file editor that allows you to cut or copy parts of files without decompression
» 287.6 KiB - downloaded: 1,004 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC) (for 64 bit) is a multimedia player built on the basis of the Media Player Classic player and has one of the best integrated sets of media codecs. Thanks to this, MPC HC can play many video and audio file formats without installing third-party tools.
» 13.5 MiB - downloaded: 1,385 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC) (for 32 bit) is a multimedia player built on the basis of the Media Player Classic player and has one of the best integrated sets of media codecs. Thanks to this, MPC HC can play many video and audio file formats without installing third-party tools.
» 12.7 MiB - downloaded: 1,104 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
PicPick - Full featured screen capture, intuitive image editor, color picker, color palette, pixel ruler, protractor, crosshair, slate and more
» 14.8 MiB - downloaded: 815 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
The radio station is stylish and convenient program for listening and recording radio on a computer
» 13.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,805 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
A program for editing compressed video while maintaining quality. Editor for MPEG-2, AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MKV, MOV, AVCHD, WEBM, FLV, MP3, WMA files. The intuitive interface allows you to edit video files with just a few clicks of the mouse. Trial version.
» 51.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,079 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
XnView is a cross-platform free image viewer that supports viewing over 400 and saving (converting) up to 50 different graphics and multimedia file formats
» 19.4 MiB - downloaded: 1,420 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
XviD4PSP is a program for convenient and high-quality video and audio conversion. Does not depend on codecs installed in the system. No installation required. For Windows (32 bit)
» 19.2 MiB - downloaded: 585 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
XviD4PSP is a program for convenient and high-quality video and audio conversion. Does not depend on codecs installed in the system. No installation required. For Windows (64 bit)
» 22.5 MiB - downloaded: 778 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Adobe Reader- a program for reading and printing documents in PDF format
» 115.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,642 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
LibreOffice is free Microsoft alternative Office. The program includes text editor Writer, table processor Calc, Impress Presentation Wizard, Vector graphics editor Draw, Math formula editor and database management module Base data. For Windows (64 bit).
» 261.5 MiB - downloaded: 1,148 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
LibreOffice is a free alternative to Microsoft Office. The program includes the Writer text editor, the Calc spreadsheet processor, the Impress presentation wizard, the Draw vector graphics editor, the Math formula editor and the Base database management module. For Windows (32 bit).
» 240.5 MiB - downloaded: 904 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Notepad++ is a free text editor with syntax highlighting for most programming and markup languages. Supports opening more than 100 formats. For Windows (32 bit).
» 4.1 MiB - downloaded: 746 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Notepad++ is a free text editor with syntax highlighting for most programming and markup languages. Supports opening more than 100 formats. For Windows (64 bit).
» 4.4 MiB - downloaded: 1,145 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
STDU Viewer - small in size PDF viewer, DjVu, Comic Book Archive (CBR or CBZ), FB2, ePub, XPS, TCR, multi-page TIFF, TXT, GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, PSD, PCX, PalmDoc, EMF, WMF, BMP, DCX, MOBI, AZW For Microsoft Windows, free for non-commercial use.
» 2.5 MiB - downloaded: 2,378 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Ashampoo Burning Studio Free 1.14.5 - free version of a multifunctional program for working with CD, DVD and Blu-Ray discs
» 31.3 MiB - downloaded: 1,438 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
CDBurnerXP is a free program for burning CD, DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs. Archive password: free-pc
» 5.9 MiB - downloaded: 798 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Classic Shell- a utility that allows you to enable the classic design of the Start menu in Windows 8, 10
» 6.9 MiB - downloaded: 1,455 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
DriverHub is a free program for installing drivers. Has a driver rollback feature.
» 976.6 KiB - downloaded: 507 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
DAEMON Tools Lite - small in size but powerful in capabilities, popular CD/DVD drive emulator
» 773.2 KiB - downloaded: 1,213 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
ToolWiz Time Freeze is a useful free program that will allow you to “freeze” the operating system and return it to its original state after installing malware, unwanted adware, etc. Old version(works without rebooting the system)
» 2.5 MiB - downloaded: 1,524 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
XPTweaker. Tweaker for Windows XP
» 802.5 KiB - downloaded: 2,137 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
AOMEI Backupper Standard. Great program for creating backup copy or system recovery, Works also with disks and partitions. The program works with Microsoft VSS technology, which will allow you to create a backup copy without interrupting your work on your computer.
» 89.7 MiB - downloaded: 1,217 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. An effective program for simple and reliable management of disk partitions on your computer without data loss. The multifunctional program is free for home and commercial use.
» 10.5 MiB - downloaded: 1,154 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Aomei PE Builder helps you create a bootable environment based on Windows PE for FREE without Windows installations Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), which contains a set of tools and allows you to boot your computer for maintenance and quick recovery when the operating room Windows system damaged and cannot be used.
» 146.8 MiB - downloaded: 1,186 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Defraggler is a free defragmenter from Piriform Ltd., known for its CCleaner programs and Recuva. Can work both with the whole disk and with individual folders and files
» 6.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,125 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Puran File Recovery- a unique free program for recovering deleted or damaged files on a hard drive, flash drive, memory card, mobile phone, CD/DVD disk and other storage media, regardless of the file system. Portable version.
» 1.4 MiB - downloaded: 790 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Recuva is a free utility for recovering lost (due to software failure) or deleted data
» 5.3 MiB - downloaded: 1,173 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Scanner - a program for analyzing the contents of hard drives, CD/DVDs, floppy disks and other media
» 213.8 KiB - downloaded: 968 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Victoria - designed for performance assessment, testing and minor repairs hard drives
» 533.3 KiB - downloaded: 1,466 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Auslogics BoostSpeed is a powerful and free tool for cleaning, fixing and speeding up your computer. Archive password: free-pc
» 20.2 MiB - downloaded: 4,213 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
CCleaner deletes unused files, frees up space on hard drives, allowing Windows to run faster
» 15.2 MiB - downloaded: 1,611 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
PrivaZer is a powerful and free tool for cleaning your computer from accumulated garbage and destroying any remains of visited websites and other activity on your computer
» 7.1 MiB - downloaded: 1,733 times - Updated: 07/06/2018
Cobian Backup is a free program that allows you to schedule a backup separate files or directories, transferring them to a specific directory in other folders/drives on the same computer or on remote server online
Mobile computing has more advantages than disadvantages. They are not afraid of power outages; they are always close to their owner. Of course, many of these devices are inferior in performance to desktop PCs, but expensive models are quite suitable for “heavy” applications and games.
Upgrade options for most mobile computers, as a rule, are quite modest - most often you can change HDD, sometimes you can add memory, in some cases it is possible to replace a discrete video card. But all this cannot always be done, and many laptop models are almost impossible to upgrade. Therefore, there is only one way to improve the characteristics of the device, expand its functionality and increase productivity - by wisely selecting the applications used.
⇡ Save the battery, or Marathon for the battery
To installed on a laptop computer software special requirements apply. If you can run complex and cumbersome packages on a regular desktop, then laptop computer Each additional process means energy consumption and time reduction battery life devices. Therefore, when installing software, you must constantly “keep your finger on the pulse” and especially carefully monitor the startup list. And also, in order not to get into a situation where the battery is discharged earlier than expected, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the battery.
This utility has many advantages. First of all, it's free. Secondly, it has a Russian interface. Thirdly, during the installation process you can select the portable version - in this case the utility can be launched from any USB drive. It is not necessary to keep NetSetMan running all the time, so this installation option is especially convenient - the registry is not clogged with unnecessary entries, and in addition, you can quickly configure several devices at once using one flash drive.
NetSetMan is very convenient for everyday work. For example, the user does not need to save the current profile - the program can create it automatically, remembering the configuration used. In total, the user has six profiles for different network configurations. This is more than enough even for a very “mobile” user who manages to work on the computer both here and there in a day.
Mode automatic switching settings will allow your laptop to quickly adapt to the new network. As soon as the application determines the new network name, it immediately uses the corresponding profile. In the utility settings you can bind identification new network by a unique MAC address.
⇡ Connectify - your own access point
A mobile computer almost always contains a standard set of devices, including a network adapter for working with Ethernet and a Wi-Fi module. If you have the ability to connect wired Internet to your laptop, you can distribute it via Wi-Fi to other users, turning your computer into a real access point. It is convenient to use the Connectify utility for this purpose. The program installs a virtual Wi-Fi adapter into the system, which acts as a router, providing other users with various resources, including access to the Internet.
The main Connectify window is accessed via the system tray icon. It contains all the necessary settings to manage the access point, so the user does not even need to access network settings Windows and look for the checkbox "Allow other network users to use the Internet connection on this computer" In the list of available network adapters it is indicated which device will share the Internet, which device will be used to distribute wireless Wi-Fi access, and also select one of the security levels Wi-Fi networks. In addition, you need to assign a name to the access point and specify an access password.
As soon as one of the users tries to connect to the activated access point (Start Hotspot button), the program begins to keep connection statistics. On the Clients tab, you can see a list of users who are connected to the computer that provides network resources.
The Connectify utility comes in two versions: free version and Connectify Pro, with more advanced features. The latter allows you to choose any name for the access point (in the free version you have to put up with the Connectify prefix), use administration tools, and also has advanced functions for accessing deleted files. To organize regular access to sites via http or https, the free version of the program is quite sufficient.
⇡ Finishing the keyboard
A laptop, unlike a desktop PC, does not have the ability to replace the keyboard with a more convenient model. Therefore, the user has to put up with all the shortcomings of the mobile layout. However, you can get rid of some of the inconveniences of a portable keyboard.
⇡ Keyboard Leds: installing “flashing lights”
Laptop developers strive to make the device as small as possible, sometimes forgetting that a laptop should not only be compact, but also easy to use. Some models do not have LED indicators frequently used keys such as Caps Lock and Num Lock. This minor but annoying drawback will disappear as soon as you install a small free utility Keyboard Leds. Of course, lights will not appear on your laptop, but the application will report each of the operating modes of the above-mentioned keys. Moreover, this program It can also track the press of the Scroll Lock key, the indicator of which is not even found on every desktop keyboard.
Keyboard Leds runs in the background, occupying approximately one or two megabytes of RAM. The program can inform the user about the keys pressed in two ways - using a changing icon in the system tray or a constant text information field in the corner of the screen. Also in the program you can customize the color design of the indicator and enable sound signal, which will accompany each press of the controlled keys.
⇡ Touchpad Blocker - seeing off the touchpad for retirement
Many users who purchase a laptop never get used to touchpad and in the bag with the laptop they keep a more familiar pointing device for work - a mouse.
Even those who have learned to masterfully move their fingers on the touchpad are unlikely to argue that this cursor control tool has drawbacks. Firstly, it is less accurate and is completely unsuitable for dynamic cursor movements, such as in games. Secondly, its implementation sometimes leaves much to be desired. On some models, the location of the touchpad is chosen so poorly that when typing, the palm constantly touches the pad, as a result of which the cursor accidentally “jumps” into the middle of the document being typed. This is the best case scenario. At worst, the cursor can spontaneously select and delete a fragment of typed text, or even launch some program function if it accidentally hits an interface element.
Another drawback that accompanies many laptop models is the lack of a hardware switch for this device. This is not to say that the touchpad is completely useless; sometimes its presence is very useful, for example, when there is no room for a mouse in your backpack. However, from time to time I would like to somehow quickly disable the touchpad for a while, say, while typing.
You can block the touchpad standard means, using a list installed devices. But there is an even more convenient way - use a small free program Touchpad Blocker. This utility monitors user activity by tracking keystrokes on the keyboard. As soon as the laptop owner starts writing text or typing a command, the Touchpad Blocker utility temporarily blocks the functions of the touchpad, and the user no longer has to be afraid of touching the pad of this device with his hand.
The program saves statistics on blocked touchpad commands—in the utility window, you can see at any time how many times Touchpad Blocker prevented accidental clicks. In addition, the utility allows you to configure the duration of the touchpad lock.
⇡ Conclusion
Laptop computers are updated very often, and a completely new laptop can go out of style in just a couple of years. However, the main software “stuffing” of mobile PCs, despite the improvement of the hardware of these devices, remains the same. In addition to the applications presented in this article, there are many alternative solutions - both free and commercial, so the user has plenty to choose from.
Netbooks are very popular today, many users prefer them to laptops and personal computers. What is their appeal? As it turns out, the size of a netbook is significantly smaller than a laptop, not to mention a desktop computer. Accordingly, its mass is also less. However, it is worth noting that manufacturers had to sacrifice power and performance to reduce the size. For the most part, netbooks are designed to work with various office applications, as well as to access the Internet. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to hack games; it all depends on the configuration, as well as the needs of the users.
So, which ones are free for a netbook? Naturally, first you need to install the operating system. The choice here is great, netbooks support the Windows line, including the most latest versions Windows 7 and 8, as well as operating systems Linux systems. Downloading any of these systems is not difficult. However, it is worth remembering that such systems are largely intended for clean install from under the BIOS, for which you will need to write the image of the downloaded file to disk. In this case, you will need a disc burning program, for example, Nero. This is a multifunctional application package with which you can burn discs, create images, delete data from optical media, even create animated menus and covers for DVDs.
But all this will happen in the future, and after installation operating system it will be necessary to take care of her safety. So be sure to install antivirus programs, the choice of which is very large. If you need to download programs for your netbook for free, then pay attention to Avira AntiVir Personal. This is a very convenient and wonderful utility that protects your computer in real time. In addition, Avira checks all sites visited on the Internet - if any web page poses a danger to your computer, the antivirus will immediately report this. It's nice to note that this program does not consume large quantity system resources, which is very important for netbook users.
Since netbooks are intended primarily for working with the network, it is recommended to install a high-quality browser. Let's talk about a program like Opera. This free application, which boasts many useful qualities. Any page can be bookmarked for viewing at any other convenient time. There is a panel quick launch, where you can place your most frequently visited pages. Opera is very fast and websites load at an amazing speed. In addition, you can use hot keys that allow you to access all important functions.
Naturally, you can’t do without office applications on your computer. You will definitely need to install the Microsoft Office application package, which includes such important utilities as Word and Excel. Word is a very convenient text editor that boasts a nice graphic design and many functions. After all, the program works not only with text, but also with various graphic files, including pictures, diagrams, tables, and various symbols. If you need to download programs for your netbook for free to work with spreadsheets, then your choice is Excel. The software is very easy to use, while allowing you to create tables of any degree of complexity.
