Important software for Windows

Download from internet

Avast - free antivirus.
Dropbox - sync folders across multiple devices.
KeePass - password manager.
- Change font:
  1. Tools > Options... > Interface (2) > Fonts and tick Custom list font.
  2. Change font to Hack.
  3. Change font size to 20.
Node.js - runs JavaScript on the command-line.
- Useful npm modules:
  1. npm i cheerio@1.0.0-rc.6 - jQuery alternative for Node.js.
    - @1.0.0-rc.12 is problematic
    - @1.0.0-rc.3 minimum version that worked
    - @1.0.0-rc.7 starts breaking
  2. npm i console.table - console.table method for Node.js.
  3. npm i glob@8.0.3 - match files using patterns.
  4. npm i jsdom@9.12.0 - DOM for Node.js.
    - @21.0.0 is problematic
    - @9.5.0 minimum version that worked
    - @10.0.0 starts breaking
  5. npm install --global mocha - unit testing.
nircmd.exe - speak text using command-line (programmatically)
- Reference:
  - https://nircmd.nirsoft.net/script.html
  - https://nircmd.nirsoft.net/speak.html
Notepad++ - text editor with syntax highlighting.
- Initial setup:
  1. Settings > Preferences... > General > Toolbar and choose Fluent UI: large.
  2. Settings > Preferences... > Dark Mode and choose Dark mode.
  3. Settings > Preferences... > Margins/Border/Edge > Vertical Edge Settings and type 80.
  4. Settings > Preferences... > Language > Tab Settings and change Tab size to 2.
  5. Settings > Preferences... > Language > Tab Settings and tick Replace by space.
  6. Settings > Preferences... > Cloud & Link > Clickable Link Settings and untick Enable.
  7. View and tick Word wrap.
  8. View and tick Document List.
  9. View and tick Folder as workspace.
  10. View > Show Symbol and tick Show White Space and TAB.
  11. View > Show Symbol and tick Show Wrap Symbol.
  12. Settings > Style Configurator... > Global Styles : Global override > Font Style > Font name : and choose Hack.
  13. Settings > Style Configurator... > Global Styles : Global override and tick Enable global font.
- Acceptable theme:
  - DarkModeDefault
  - Default
  - Deep Black
  - Plastic Code Wrap
  - Vibrant Ink
FastCopy - sync folders, fast file/folder copier.
Mozilla Firefox - web browser.
- Initial setup:
  1. Right click Mozilla Firefox logo then Bookmarks Toolbar > Always Show.
  2. Right click Mozilla Firefox logo then Customize Toolbar... and tick Title Bar.
- Useful extension:
  1. Hamburger menu > Add-ons and themes > Extensions > Find more add-ons and search for Video DownloadHelper then click Add to Firefox.
AutoHotkey - automation scripting language.
FileZilla - FTP client.
- When installing:
  1. decline install Google Chrome browser.
  2. decline install Brave browser.
- Default transfer type binary:
  1. Edit > Settings... > Transfers > FTP File Types > Default transfer type: and choose Binary.
Google Chrome - web browser.
- Initial setup:
  1. 3 vertical dots > Settings > Appearance and tick Show bookmarks bar.
Canon printer G2010 - driver and scan utility.
- When installing:
  1. untick My ImageGarden.
  2. untick Easy-WebPrint EX.
IrfanView - image viewer.
LilyPond - create beautiful music sheet and MIDI file.
Foxit PDF Reader - view PDF file, screenshot whole page.
- When installing:
  1. untick Plugin used to open PDF files inside browser.
  2. untick Show PDF files in browsers.
  3. choose Don't install a free 14 day trial of Foxit PDF Editor.
PDFtk Server - combine several PDF files into a single PDF file.
Greenshot - screenshot editor with auto-crop, upload to imgur.com.
- When installing:
  1. untick Start Greenshot with Windows start.
K-Lite Codec Pack Mega - video player.
- After installing:
  1. open Media Player Classic.
  2. View > Options... > Tweaks and tick Show preview on seek bar
MuseScore - convert MIDI file to MP3 file.
Synthesia - play MIDI file.
ShareX - screen recording.
- When installing:
  1. untick Show "Upload with ShareX" button in Windows Explorer context menu.
  2. untick Create a send to shorcut.
  3. untick Run ShareX when Windows starts.
ExpressVPN - VPN (Virtual Private Network).
GIMP - image editor.
SeaTools - display information about Seagate drive and test the Seagate drive.
Seagate Drive Detect (drivedetect.exe) - display information about Seagate drive and find firmware/support page.
Everything - a very quick file/folder search (search by name) .
- When installing:
  1. untick Start Everything on system startup.
Icaros - show thumbnail for video file in Windows Explorer.
- When installing:
  1. tick Activate Icaros.
FFmpeg Library for Audacity - Audacity needs this library to extract audio from video.
Audacity - extract audio from video.
OpenShot - video editor.
- If you want to reset OpenShot to default settings:
  1. delete this folder C:\Users\(USERNAME)\.openshot_qt.

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Important software for Windows

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Download from internet

Windows built-in