You can avoid unnecessary software if you are using Windows 7 by taking advantage of the facilities provided in the Operating System. Many of these were not available in earlier versions of Windows, and if you are upgrading from XP, especially, you probably have a lot of software that is no longer needed. Some of this may be free software, but some may also be items that need an annual payment.
Woody Leonhard has written two recent articles on the subject in Windows Secrets. Here are the links:
http://WindowsSecrets.com/comp/110505 and http://WindowsSecrets.com/comp/101125 .
Here is a summary of the software he says you can avoid:
Antivirus
This was the first surprise for me. In Windows XP, running without a third-party antivirus program was courting disaster. With Windows 7, however, you have access to Microsoft Security Essentials. As Woody Leonhard says:
“Microsoft Security Essentials (download page) goes in easily, runs quietly, needs no tending, and catches as many infectious programs as any of the big-name antivirus products. And it’s free.”
Does it catch everything? No, but then neither does any antivirus program. To quote Woody Leonhard again:
“If you shoot yourself in the foot and wittingly install a rogue anti-malware program, for example, MSE may not keep you from pulling the trigger. In desperate situations, you may need a special-purpose program such as Malwarebytes to cleanse your system.”
Having said that, I admit that I intend to continue using AVG Free. It has protected me more than once from links that people have sent me. I don’t think MSE does that, but I’m open to correction.
Defragging
You don’t need to keep defragging your hard drive if you’re using Windows 7. I had not realized this when I wrote my earlier article (7 Tips on Improving Windows Performance), but the Windows default setup defrags your drive automatically one day per week at 1:00AM.
Backup Programs
Windows 7‘s backup works well for creating shadow copies, data backups, system restore points and full system images. To learn more about how to do these, refer to the first article mentioned above.
Registry Cleaners
My experience of these is that they often seem to create more problems than they solve. The registry is a huge database and you don’t get much of a saving by cleaning up unnecessary entries. Removing an entry that is not unnecessary, though, can give serious problems.
Disk Partitioners
I was delighted to find when I installed Windows 7 that it has an excellent partition manager. You can create, resize and remove partitions at will.
Firewalls
Windows 7 has all the firewall protection you should need, and it operates quietly in the background without interfering with your work. Since I’m using AVG Free as well, I get protection from it, too, and suspect it may have saved me from problems in the past.
Conclusion
Avoid unnecessary software. With Windows 7, many of the programs you found essential in Windows XP are unnecessary. Above all, don’t be misled into paying for software you don’t need.
Hey Alan,
Interesting post about software. My computer has Vista which I guess people have had problems with but it has run fine on my computer. The advice on virus protection I found to be timely since I just got a virus/malware on my computer and I was running Microsoft Essential but somehow it slipped in.
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
I’m glad you had success with Vista. My wife tried it and ended up buying a Mac! So I stayed with XP until my laptop finally died, when I bought a new one with Win7. So far I’ve been really pleased with it on both the laptop and the desktop. It’s not perfect, but it’s by far my best Windows experience.
Alan
Hey Alan,
I don’t currently have Windows 7, (although Windows 7 was MY idea Lol!)
It’s great that you have posted this as it will shed some light for those who are thinking about buying a new computer or upgrading their current system.
Sales people do like to scare you by saying that you will need this and you will need that but it’s nice to see that many of these “extras” are embedded right into the Windows 7 software.
I too have software which I have used and trust for years and I am unlikely to switch even if I change to a new platform. We are creatures of habit after all aren’t we and if we really like something then we are very reluctant to give it up and try something new.
Thanks for sharing this Alan, that’s awesome.
Kevin
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Thanks, Kevin. Yes – we are creatures of habit, but I’m certainly glad to lose some of my old habits! Defragging, particularly, was always annoying.
Hi Alan, I’m still using Windows XP:-) I purchased a new laptop about 4 years ago, just before Vista was released (I think), so I was able to get an operating system I was used to. I was lucky because my XP includes the backup software, but my husband’s laptop only has the “home version of XP” which didn’t include backup software.
Sounds great that you don’t have to defrag. I’ve been using the Microsoft Security Essentials for over a year now, and took off my other anti-virus program, because the 2 of them together were fighting and caused extreme slowness. So far, I’ve been okay:-)
Thanks for the updates Alan, regards from Julieanne
Julieanne van Zyl recently posted..Discover your Niche before marketing your MLM Business
Wow thanks for this info Alan. I haven’t updated to Windows 7 yet but this gave
me something to think about. I think that its really great to see the advancements in technology that just keep getting better which helps us more and more.
Thanks for the post. Will look into this software.
JFoster
John Foster recently posted..Last post 300 mobile tools in 1 revisited
Thanks John – I’m glad you found it helpful.
Interesting stuff Alan. I was recently wondering about the defrag thing. I’ve had my current laptop for about a year and have never defragged. Now I know I don’t have to. Thanks because I was really dreading the idea!
I have also been using MSE and have had no problems whatsoever. It’s crazy for me to think that maybe Microsoft has finally gotten it right. Well they certainly had enough time to practice ;o)
Cheryl James recently posted..Poor Economy Means More Opportunity
Yes, it’s amazing that Redmond finally did something right
As you say, Cheryl, they’ve had plenty of practice! Thanks for the comment.
Alan
It’s true! For example, I used Window Movie Maker and for a while I did great things with it and it did serve me well (although I noticed that it is not really designed to do complected things, but I was certainly able to use it to edit videos with very sweet effects.
Thanks for the reminder Alan.
Always nice to stop by your blog.
Much love, light and joy,
Sigal Zoldan
Clinical Hypnotherapist & Master Results Coach
http://blog.sigalzoldan.com
http://AttractYourTrueLove.com
Sigal Zoldan@Your Values Can Be Really Valuable recently posted..Your Values Can Be Really Valuable – How to Create Your List Of Values
That’s good to know, Sigal. I have never used Windows Movie Maker – must add it to my ever-growing list of things to do
Thanks for the information. BTW I loved your post on “How to Create a List of Values” – revisiting that is also on my list, as is setting aside the time to do it!
Alan
Hey Alan, Those are some great tips. I had no idea that windows 7 would automatically defrag my computer weekly. Also, I have been doing the exact same thing with virus protection. I use AVG free and the Windows 7 firewall. It seems to keep the bugs out!
Thanks for the great info man.
Steve Dooley
Steve Dooley recently posted..Why Are We In Business We Must Keep Things In Perspective
Windows 7 may not be perfect, but they’re certainly getting some things right at last!
Thanks for the comment, Steve – I enjoyed your post on why we are in business. Got me thinking …
Alan
Hi Alan! Interesting to learn about the anti-virus with Win7! I still want my AVG, though
Also really good to know about the automatic defrag, too! I recently got a new laptop with Win7 – so it’s good to know about these thing – thanks for sharing them!
Lori
Lori Tisot recently posted..Backing Up Facebook Profiles and Fan Pages – A Few Solutions
I keep my AVG, too. I just saw that Microsoft has a new free scanner for malware – I posted about it on Facebook. Just tested it on my desktop and it was clean
Thanks for the kind words.
Alan
Hi Alan,
This is a great update about Windows 7. In general we’ve become so dependent upon anti-virus software while at the same time, many are completely frustrated at having to pay annual fees for slowing down their computers. I’m really happy that Microsoft ‘gets it’ and if offering this to users.
I haven’t heard any of the past frustrations with Windows 7 (as with Vista for example) so it seems MSN has possibly turned a corner. I’m also beginning to hear the buzz about Windows 8. Some of those new features makes me think I’ll wait for that version before upgrading any more computers.
Thanks for this post.
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I wouldn’t wait, Linnea, provided that your computer can handle Windows7. It’s more stable than XP and faster, and certainly more reliable than Vista. Maybe I’m superstitious, but I find that every second version of Windows seems to be good – I skipped Vista after it drove my wife to buy a Mac!
Thanks for the comment – I’m pleased that you found the post helpful.
Alan
Alan Jenkin recently posted..Avoid Unnecessary Software
Alan,
That is great news. Over the years I have performed many of those tasks manually. It is nice to hear that Microsoft is adding greater value to it’s products. We’ve all had those moments in the past when we reach heavenward and curse the name of Microsoft and the blue screen of death.
RICK
Rick Lelchuk recently posted..New USDA “My Plate” Assures Obesity Epidemic Alive and Well
Unfortunately, the BSD is still with us! I just had one right now. However, the recovery seems to be a lot better and quicker than it used to be.
Now – Windows 8? Not sure about that yet …
Thanks, Rick.
Alan
Hi Alan,
thanks for the great information and the heads up for Windows 7.
It was good to read about Microsoft Security Essentials too. You mentioned that you use AVG, do you use both? I thought that you needed to delete one to have the other or does that just apply for Norton, which apperantly is really hard to get rid of.
I just recently learned somewhere how to speed up your startup by typing into search ‘msconfig’ and untick any programs from the start up. It stop the onlywire upgrade window from popping up.
Thanks again fro the great post.
To your Success!
Yorinda
Yorinda recently posted..Living in Cruise mode
Hi Yorinda,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I still use AVG – it doesn’t seem to cause any conflicts. I have used Norton and McAfee in the past (not together, though), but both of them gave me problems, so I dropped them. I heard that at one time the Norton people were writing bugs to break McAfee and vice versa, but I’m not sure that was really true.
Yes, you can use msconfig to turn off startup programs that you don’t want, but you need to know what they all are. Sometimes you will find that you have turned off something that’s required for something else to work, so make a note of what you did so you can change it back if there is a problem. Many of them are obvious, but some can fool you!
Avoiding programs you don’t need in the first place is the best way to keep out of trouble.
Alan
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