The Windows Apps You Never Need To Install
August 17, 2006
One of the interesting things about being a serious Windows user is that very little attention is paid to efficient users of Windows, and that we suffer from a lot of folklore or misinformation that gets passed around.
Now, I'm not referring to the alleged power users who like to have every toolbar enabled on every program they use, but more the class of Windows users who are as particular about their operating system as most Mac users are about theirs. I count myself in that group, and I'd say there are roughly as many picky Windows users as there are OS X users.
So, the folklore. Due to the proliferation of anything-goes download sites and word-of-mouth system recommendations from well-intentioned experts such as Your Cousin or That Guy At Best Buy, people do all kinds of stupid things to their Windows machines. Some of this advice might even have been relevant 5 or 10 or 15 years ago, but people still keep blindly following along, and then wondering why using their PC is so unpleasant. (Mac users: This is the same as the Cult of Repair Permissions. It bugs the hell out of me for the same computers-are-not-voodoo reasons.)
All that preface aside, it makes sense to point out some mistakes that I still see even savvy Windows users make, and perhaps convince you to break the habit. Here, then, are Windows applicaitons you should never need to install on your system.
Never Install: WinZip
This one makes me poke my eyes out. Guys who grew up using WinZip on Windows 3.1 are always foisting this on newbie users, who are then doomed to spend the rest of their days clicking on the "please stop making me feel bad" nag button. All they're trying to do is unzip a file -- it's built into Windows! This was something Windows actually got right before the Mac did, and there are still people suffering through the bloated, overbuilt WinZip experience.
If you must extract some of the more esoteric compression formats out there, go get 7-Zip. It's free, open source, supports every common format out there, and doesn't spew links all over the place when you install it.
Never Install: Sketchy Codec Packs
There are tons of bogus codec packs out there for download, which promise to let you play back virtually any media file. What most people find after downloading them is that their media players become permanently brain damaged and they're stuck not being able to play the movie or music they carefully pirated acquired. That sucks. Chris Lanier covered the subject in detail and knows of what he speaks. "If you have not figured it out yet, there is ZERO reason to ever install a Codec Pack."
Again, there are people who need support for less common formats, and again, there's a great free and open source option that won't leave you screwed. The abominably-named ffdshow lets you record or play in almost any format, including DivX and XviD movies.
There are many, many more applications that cause more annoyance or harm than they prevent, but this is a pretty good starting point for most people. Of course, a lot of people would also include Internet Explorer on this list, and there's no reason not to Get Firefox. It's also worth noting that all the recommendations here are free, open source tools, but that's not why I recommended them. They just plain work better.
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When somebody requests my help because their Windows PC has slowed to a crawl, what irks me is when I find plenty of "optional" software that's installed by legitimate applications. It's tough enough to weed out the spyware/adware/pointlessware without having to deal with this junk.
The "optional" software that I'm referring to are things like toolbars, shortcuts, System Tray icons and so on. Adobe Reader installs the Yahoo! Toolbar for IE. Winamp dumps a shortcut on the Windows Destkop for 50 free MP3s, and the list goes on. All these useless freebies can be avoided if the user would select the "Custom" option during the installation of the app they intended to instead, instead of next-next-nexting their way through the setup. The garbage that legitimate apps are bundling nowadays in their default installs annoys me tremendously.
And don't get me started on Real Player...
A colleague of mine once gave me the best bit of advice about choosing whether to install a bit of shareware: on his wall, a bit of paper with "VBRUN.DLL" and a giant red X over it.
Very good advice. I don't even want to think of how many computers of friends and family I've had to look at because of codec pack problems.
Liking the new layout and photo!
'there's no reason not to Get Firefox.'
Opera? Especially if your machine isn't much cop.
Windows XP's built-in zip file support is abysmal and read/unzip-only. If you want to create archives you'll need a tool like WinZip, which also comes with a self-extracting utility so you can give other people archives.
There are other options of course, but sticking with the built-in support for Windows is NOT an option. One of the first things I do when I install a new Windows system is to disable support for zip files (which itself is a chore). I also hate how Windows displays zip files as folders which is just wrong.
Codec packs are fine if they are virus free. I'd rather keep one programme up to date than have to hunt around for the latest versions of things myself. Keeping bundles like this is really common in *nix but not so much with Windows, and virtually unheard-of on the Mac (mostly because of limited market share, probably).
Firefox is always a good idea.
"If you want to create archives you'll need a tool like WinZip"
Sorry, Jough, that's not true. In any version of Windows in the past 6 years or so, you can right-click or choose the File menu and make a New Compressed Folder. That's how you create a .zip file.
The description of your preferences about .zip files is relevant to you, but I'm talking about normal users who just want to get a spreadsheet that was too big to email. I'd urge all of us who are power users not to inflict matters of preference on people for whom it'd place an undue burden over time.
A good start. Definitely agree about the codec packs. God, what a load of crap those are. ffdshow all the way. (BTW, bleeding edge development of ffdshow is happening here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow-tryout/ )
Some other things you never need to install:
- Any "official" IM client that only works with one service. Install Trillian or WinGAIM instead.
- Adobe Reader. Install FoxIt instead.
- Download "accelerators" like DAP. If you must have resumable downloads, install a Firefox extension like DownThemAll instead.
One that I often see mentioned along with those bogus codecs is Media Player Classic. This is useless crap in its best (worst?) form.
Also, it's good to see 7-Zip getting some link love. That's a great app that is much more functional than WinZip and skips those annoying nags.
If you want to play something more esoteric than the norm, there's a very good codec guide on ZoomPlayer's format listing.
Maybe I just spend too much time unzipping large files, but the built in to windows unzipper is painfully slow, as in an order of magnitude slower than winzip.
Forget even bothering with codecs, I'm surprised no one has mentioned VLC.
Also, TuneUp Utilities is the best maintenance package hands down. It'll keep your Windows install in top shape.
And if you're a semi power user, I'd suggest Altiris SVS. It lets you package installs and completely remove or deploy an app with the click of a button. All files, settings, registry entries. (It does it by comprehensively monitoring installs)
Ed: I think you have it backwards. Windows unzip sucks for large amounts of small files. It works fine for large ones.
VLC is for the large chunk of the windows populous a vastly overcomplex frontend to libavcodec which is the core of ffdshow. I'd much sooner recommend Media player clasic or windows media player itself to the non-power user.
I'd also recommend Winrar as a paid file compression solution if only for its "right click, unpack here" option that I didn't see in 7zip.
I'd disagree about installing Gaim or Trillian over individual clients. Like Mac users (sometimes we just have to admit "Sorry, I can't do that, I have a Mac"), Windows users of combined programs sometimes end up not being able to use a feature that a Windows user with a regular program will expect to just work. Everyone else is using official clients, and there are lots of experts in those programs that aren't power users in other regards. Multiclients are just more likely to cause problems for the regular user.
the windows unzipper is vastly slower on all my pcs then the winzip one is. and i believe osx has had "add to archive" since its first release.
The reason I installed Media Player Classic and the Codecs is so that I could avoid installing RealPlayer. VLC doesn't appear to play Real streams (accd to the VLC site), so it wouldn't be an option for me.
For my zip needs, I use JustZipIt. Freeware, though every 10th time or so that you use they put a bookmark to their site on the desktop. I can deal with that.
I recommend TugZip instead of 7-Zip. TugZip has a few more features than 7-Zip such as folder tree view a la Windows Explorer, recent files, encryption, self-extractor creator, and repair. (In general, TugZip is more fleshed out than 7-Zip.) It also supports a few more file types such as the CD images family (BIN, ISO, IMG, NRG).
It's also free and free of ads.
http://www.tugzip.com/
For a good free unzipper with no fuss, use ExtractNow. I adore this little app. :) Even even does rars and many others.
Also, I use MusikCube as my music player. VERY lightway, iTunes-like interface and has all those great features you would like with the 'bloated' media jukeboxes out there.
Hate to say it, but I have to disagree on the Adobe/FoxIt thing. At first, I was in love with FoxIt, loads in a 20th of the time of the resource-bloated Adobe Reader. However, FoxIt consistently gave me errors in which images would be horribly mis-displayed: reversed images, inverted colors, weird graininess - generally turning them into unusable garbage. Adobe does not do this. Especially because I do graphic design and images matter, I had to switch back to Adobe.
You never need to install an internet browser as Internet Explorer is all you ever really need.
Also .zip files are now managed out of the box and most digital cameras you can unload out of the box as well.
@Ryan You should check out SumatraPDF if you want an alternative to Adobe for PDFs. Sumatra is blazing fast compared to Adobe Reader.
Ditch Quicktime and RealPlayer. Quicktime Alternative and Real Alternative are much less intrusive.
Also, I like IZArc for zipping.
Anything by Corel.
Includes winzip, word perfect, Corel draw (pre-press nightmare)... pretty much anything by them
I use ALZip for compressing/decompressing files...it is free!!!!
Anything by Corel.
Includes winzip, word perfect, Corel draw (pre-press nightmare)... pretty much anything by them
Sony software, as a rule, is awful, be it Connect Player/SonicStage, camcorder software - it's all pretty awful in my experience. Luckily their camcorders work with Windows Movie Player/Windows Explorer after initial driver installation.
@Mr.E I really hope the IE comment was sarcasm.
that's it? that's your list: don't install winzip and codec packs?
wow! thanks for wasting my time ;)
RE: codec packs
No, they're not necessary for most people, but CCCP is a quick, easily managed way to get ffdshow and a few other bits installed, filetypes associated, and so on.
In addition, if you plan on viewing much h.264 content, run far away from ffdshow and install the CoreAVC codec. It ain't free, but it makes non-hardware-assisted HD a realistic goal on older machines.
RE: WinZIP
To echo someone else: pony up the cash for WinRAR and forget about everything else.
Media Player Classic is the best out there. Lightweight, fast, and only 2 files.
Winrar is the best achieve utility I've ever used. I think its better than 7-zip. Though you do have to pay for it.
I have to use Adobe Acrobat because I use the advanced functions. But I've never liked Foxit or the alternatives. The only alternative I've liked is the Mac OS X preview that opens PDFs.
Firefox 3 beta 5 is my preferred browser. Switched from opera after firefox got memory usage under control.
itunes, quicktime, and pretty much anything apple makes for Windows is crap. Avoid them.
I would recommend not to install
1. Yahoo Messenger (alternative - Pidgin)
2. Adobe Acrobat reader (altermative - Foxit,Sumatra)
3. WinZip and WinRar (alternative - 7Zip)
4. Internet Explorer (comes by default... but prevent its usage and restrict your browsing to Firefox, Opera)
5. Anti virus/spyware products from pctools (go with AVG,NOD 32)
6. Zone alarm Firewall and Windows default firewall (disable it) - Alternative - Comodo Firewall,AVG
Why not download winrar, then google for the co...oh wait, that would be piracy. But yeah, winrar is by far, the best archive manager out there. For media players, I have found TCPMP (www.tcpmp.org) (The Core) to handle most everything I have ever needed.
Now, in addition to the stuff NOT to load:
Any crap that wants you to install a toolbar. yes, firefox is great, but once you start having 20 or so toolbars installed (or other extensions) it gets bloated and acts worse than, god forbid, IE 7 (Ie 8 is not bad). (oh, but you can fix this with some memory tweeks if you know where to look)
There's a lot of chatter about Winzip on here, but has anybody discovered the simplicity of "JustZipIt"? Like Foxit reader, it is simple and doesn't hog up sytstem resources.
Another reason to install WinZip is if you require path support. This can be critical when moving zipped files between different machines where many files across many paths are involved.
"You never need to install an internet browser as Internet Explorer is all you ever really need."
Wow, Mr. E. Don't get out much, do you?
CODECs???? Why? Use Kmplayer, a.k.a. 'Korean Media Player', extreme fast player, low resources, and Every Codec you imagine inside. If you care about craps in the system, this software don't need instalattion , can be portable.
Jim Wylie: 7zip has path support.
shadytrees: use 7-zip via Windows Explorer for a folder tree view, AES-256 encryption, self-extractor creator. If you think it's going to be needed to be repaired then use PAR. It also supports a lot of file types including ISO's. It’s also free and free of ads.
Jough Dempsey: Right click on a file "Send to" > "Compressed folder". Instant zipping.
7zip's native format is far superior to rar and isn't proprietary people should see the light and ditch WinRAR.
LINUX !!!!
Everyting you will ever need can be obtained in the add/remove window.
If you get certain distributions you will never need anything everyting you need is there.!!
Hello Anil!
I agree with you wholeheartedly!!!!!
"You never need to install an internet browser as Internet Explorer is all you ever really need.
Also .zip files are now managed out of the box and most digital cameras you can unload out of the box as well."
bahahah
on a more serious note, Windows. Just don't install it. There is a fresh new version of Ubuntu out Today I believe :)
See what a LifeHacker bump will do to ya? :-)
I agree 100%. I'm frequently being invited over to friends' houses to exorcise the crap off their 'puters.
The worst of the worst though is always anything by Nokia, Having to uninstall the Nokia manager which associates itself with every extension possible is a nightmare, it does not put the extensions back to their original values, so you end up with a system that can not open any typical files because it is looking for its nokia based reader/software.
They even have a section on their website where you can download a tool to completely remove the software, but even that is broken and will still not fix everything... Never ever let anyone install from the nokia cds included with new phones...
I'll second the nomination of ExtractNow as the best unzip utility. It is elegant, lightweight, and free. My favorite feature is the ability to extract all the zip archives in a folder. It saves me a lot of time. Highly recommended.
How about this one:
Never install any of the crappy "software" on the CDs that come with any cable/DSL modem, router, etc. It's all junk, providing no additional functionality.
Second, regarding the multi-IM programs, by far the best available for Windows for some time now is Miranda (www.miranda-im.org). It is much more streamlined than the bloated trillian, more powerful than wingaim and extremely flexible (and yes, open source).
Never install symantec products. they are the crappiest coded stuff which kills your machine even if it is a quad-core!!
Linux just won't do the job for power users.... yet. Yes it's fun to work with, and configure, and you can look super-cool to other nerds.
Someday soon it will be the ultimate OS, but it isn't yet... Though I'd suggest having a copy of it on a computer so you're not lost when that day comes.
As for file archiving, 7zip alongside the native zip functions of Windows is all you need.
For codecs, media player and something that plays divx should be all you need. I can't understand why people even encode movies in other formats.
For PDF, yeah I've seen some documents get messed up by Foxit Reader, so I keep a copy of Acrobat on my system for when I need it (but foxit is the default program)
And for messengers, the only problem I have with multi-client messengers is that they aren't always fully compliant with the subtle features of each program (for instance, some people on Adium use smileys I dont see on GoogleTalk)
I will never use IE ever again for as long as I live. The only thing I got out of IE was a whole lot of trouble. I would use Firefox or Opera anyday. Although, I mainly use Opera because of Firefox's slow download times on my computer(not sure of the problem). I reccomend Firefox to anyone who is ignorant or naive enough to use anything else as their browser.
The best media player I have EVER use and will never turn my back on is KMPlayer. The best thing I have ever used. It's interface is so simple, plays absolutely anything I throw at it, comes with codec pack of any file I've had to play and looks nice to boot.
Oh and I use WinRAR. It works really well for me and I have never had any problems with it. Easy to use, just right-click and you can uncompress or archive into .ZIP or .RAR formats.
I think that a lot of people have good points here. I have seen many cases where these so called free (or once free) applications install other things that clutter down systems.
@Mr. E -- I can't install IE due to being on Mac therefore it doesn't meet my needs. TBQH, I wouldn't recommend IE to anyone. When someone tells me they use IE, I chuckle and direct them to firefox's website.
I do however have to say that while we are stating that codec packs are never needed, I have grown fond of klite mega codec pack. This is only because some of the vids I used to download wouldn't play on anything else and Media Player Classic was always the quickest application to launch. I know there are other's out there.
I use Adium as do some people on here. I would highly recommend that as opposed to using just one client. It's just more convenient.
One thing I despise is 'nix users thinking they are superior or better because they use the distro. Get over it. I can't tell you how many times my father flaunts that he is an Oracle DBA and making fun of windows yet he runs 2k Pro(not to mention mistakes AGP for PCIE,that's a whole nother story). Doesn't matter how good you *think* you are, MS has the upper hand right now and will more than likely always. So when people say "OMG SWITCH TO LINUX...ITS DA WIN!!!!" It's not for everyone and it most certainly isn't for your average home user that is all about the point and click.
Anil - You could have added about 1000 more to this, not to mention 100 web-aware apps running simultaneously and people wondering why their computers are slow :)
@Jat
Thanks for the recommendation
MusikCube as a Music Player rules.
A note on IE and associated comments
(disclamer: I am a techie, administered tons of unix and windows huge networks, managed large installations, yada yada yada)
I used to use firefox, which is a great browser, for years.
Then I gave a try to IE7 and:
- it is not as powerful as firefox
- there are no zillions of add-ons
- it is branded Microsoft (which is THE sin)
- ... and I stick to it because it works for me. It has tabs, usually works, usually displays pages, has ONE PROXY SETTING which is used by the vast majority of Windows programs (so I need to change that only there).
It crashes maybe once a week or so -- like any other program.
If someone complains about that he/she should use a dishwasher as it usually works fone for years.
In our world software do crash and this is how life goes. It sucks, I know.
An operating ssytem is not a life-saving device or a plane. It is supposed to be nice, colorful, work more or less and play movies. And MP3.
If you use your broswer as an interface for everything (emacs used to be like that... emacs... what was that?) well then you should maybe install FirefoxOS and yo, no more OS to complain about.
What I want to say here is that 97.7% of users worldwide have an understanding that internet = browser, that they laboriously type in an URL ... slowly ... and look at the porn^H^H^H^H news. They do nto need a web acclerator and a gmail add-on and a tracker of the current phase of moona nd a weather thingie on the bottom and ... and ... and .. and...
Now - there is still the 2.3% of power users. It is importnat to create the right tools for these 2.3% of people.