How to identify unnecessary programs in Windows 7. Necessary programs for your computer

How to identify unnecessary programs in Windows 7. Necessary programs for your computer

Often a lot of unnecessary software accumulates on the user’s desktop. Incredibly, many of us are completely unaware of this. Of course, over time, the eye gets used to the established label chaos, and spontaneous attempts to restore order are usually neutralized by doubts appearing out of nowhere like “What if this is needed?” or “I don’t know how to do this!” However, at one “wonderful” moment, a threatening (at first glance) service message pops up on the screen: “Not enough space on drive C.” It is at such a moment that a natural and completely logical question materializes in the user’s head: “How to clean your computer from unnecessary programs?” Well, dear reader, consider that you have found a solution to your difficulties. Moreover, from the article you will learn how to increase system performance, increase the speed of the OS and, of course, receive a number of effective recommendations on how to most effectively use the disk space of your HDD.

Cleaning up your desktop using standard tools

What programs do you use most often? Answer this question for yourself, and then begin the process of uninstalling unnecessary applications. It is worth noting that the examples given are relevant for Windows 7 and the subsequent eighth OS. However, the algorithm of actions can also be applied to operating systems of earlier versions.

Step #1. Integrated removal tool

  • Go to the Start menu.
  • Then go to the Control Panel tab.
  • In the “Programs and Features” section, select the software that needs to be uninstalled.
  • At the top of the working window there is a “Delete” button - activate it.

As you can see, the solution to the question of how to clean your computer from unnecessary programs is incredibly easy.

Step #2. When there is no candidate for elimination on the standard list

It may well be that software that is undesirable for further use is not displayed in the service window of the “Programs and Features” section.

  • Using Windows Explorer, open your system drive (C:\).
  • Go to the Program Files directory.
  • Open the program folder.
  • From the root directory you need to run a file called Uninstall or an abbreviation of the same name.

Step #3. Emptying the Trash

Now you know how to clean your computer of unnecessary programs, and thanks to your actions, the files are moved to a special area of ​​the operating system. Of course, this is a trash can that needs to be systematically emptied. Place the marker over this shortcut and use the left mouse button to bring up the context menu, from which select “Clear”. Confirm your actions by clicking "OK".

Two ideal assistants, or a review of the easiest ways to get rid of digital waste

There are special programs, so to speak, effective cleaners. For example, CCleaner is precisely a multifunctional software solution for users who do not understand how to clean their computer of unnecessary programs. In addition, CCleaner is absolutely free, but at the same time it is very effective when used. The main advantage of this program can be considered stability in operation and ease of management.

Step #1. Running the uninstaller

  • Go to the “Service” tab, which is located on the left side of the main program window.
  • From the column that appears next to it, select the top tab.
  • The Uninstall a Program window is almost identical to the integrated Windows tool. However, in this case, the “Uninstall” button is activated.

Step #2. Total cleaning process

Now you know which program removes unnecessary programs. However, this software is capable of more. The fact is that over a long period of using a PC, the computer’s hard drive is literally filled with various digital garbage. For this reason, the operating system gradually and irreversibly loses its speed. To return the OS to its former performance and free up additional space in the system HDD partition, it is necessary to comprehensively dispose of unused data.

  • Use the first tab of the Cleaning program.
  • Then click on the “Analyze” button.
  • After a short indexing, activate the “Cleanup” button.

How to remove unnecessary programs using Your Uninstaller

The presented software copes well with uninstallation tasks. Moreover, the program is endowed with unique functionality. In particular, after removing the body of the software, Your Uninstaller clears traces of the uninstalled application in the system registry, which has an incredibly effective effect on OS productivity. At the same time, the double deletion scheme used in this way creates a certain comfort when working with the program. Let's take a closer look at how Your Uninstaller works.

Step #1. Cleaning

To clean your computer of unnecessary programs, run this software. The main window will display all installed applications. Select the program you want, then click Uninstall.

The uninstallation process takes a little longer than in the previously described CCleaner program. However, the difference is not so significant.

Step #2. Freeing up disk space

As mentioned earlier, deleting a single application is only part of a comprehensive solution to such a task as cleaning your computer from unnecessary programs. Of course, Your Uninstaller is not a perfect OS optimization tool, but it does an excellent job with basic utilization functions.

  • So, click on the “Disk Cleanup” button.
  • Select the partition of the hard drive on which you want to perform a digital cleaning, so to speak.
  • Then click on the “Check” button.
  • When the analysis is complete, click “Delete All.”

As a result of just two steps, you can “win back” the disk space you need. Of course, if you take advantage of the full potential of the program, you will certainly achieve more significant results in the cleanliness of your PC.

Finally

At this point, the question of how to remove unnecessary programs can be considered exhausted. By applying the knowledge gained, you can quickly and easily carry out a comprehensive PC cleaning at any time. However, to fully optimize the system, there are still some things that need to be done. But more on that in the next article. All the best!

You are probably familiar with the situation when it suddenly turns out that there is too little free space on the system disk. Or you suddenly notice that your computer has become noticeably slower compared to how it worked before. And when you bought a new laptop, you probably saw a huge list of installed demo versions of programs that you clearly don’t need. To solve all the problems described above, you just need to remove all the “junk” from the system. But how do you know which programs are really not needed and which ones should be left on the computer? The free Should I Remove It? utility will give us the answer to this question.

How to find unnecessary programs on your PC

When you launch the program, you will see a list of installed programs, sorted by the frequency of removal by other users (the “Removal%” column). The higher the program is at the top of the list, the higher its uninstallation percentage (the more often other users deleted this application).

If the program's uninstall percentage is in the green area, this means that other users hardly uninstall this application and it can be left on the computer. If the program's uninstall percentage is displayed in red, it means that it is recommended to uninstall the application (other users very often uninstall this application).

Ideally, you should strive to ensure that all programs in the list have a green scale - this will mean that there are no unnecessary programs on the computer.

In addition, you can look at the “Rating” column, in which the ratings of programs given by other users are marked with stars. Based on this assessment, you can also evaluate how good or bad the chosen program is.

To remove a program, select it in the list and click on the “Uninstall” button. In this case, after deletion, the data will be sent to the server, adding to the overall application statistics in the program.

To find out details about the selected program, you need to click on the “What is it?” button. and the program will send you to its website, opening the description of the selected application.

How Should I Remove It?

While using the program, statistical information about uninstalled applications is automatically collected. This data is sent to the server of the utility manufacturer, where it is combined with data from other users. All this allows you to build a list of programs in descending order by the number of deletions.

Who is in the lead for removal?

If you look at the Should I Remove It? statistics, you can immediately notice that many users remove pre-installed programs from computer manufacturers and their partners, annoying panels (toolbars) and other unnecessary applications.

For example, 81% of users uninstall Ask Toolbar. 57% decide to destroy the program for purchasing original HP cartridges. Then in a dense crowd follow little-known safe searches from services of very different authority, many toolbars with extremely convenient buttons, which in fact turn out to be simple links to some dubious sites.

In the Russian part of the Internet, everything is also very clear. When installing various domestic programs, it is suggested to install, for example, Yandex.Bar. Only some crazy fan of Yandex and its services can use it constantly.

Conclusion

When removing unnecessary programs, you need to understand which programs are really needed and which can be removed. The Should I Remove It? service will help you with this; it will not only report useless applications, but also recommend removing low-quality programs. The most interesting thing is that users themselves help each other by collecting a large amount of statistical information, which underlies the operation of the service.

Unfortunately, the service only works in English; there is no Russian support found in it. But even in this case, it can help you find unnecessary programs - you just need to look for applications with a red rating in the list - they can definitely be deleted.

I’ll give criticism from myself both in relation to the topicstarter and in relation to the enemy)

1. Firewood - no comments here, they are needed. True, for starters (if possible), we update Windows via Windows update (as for Windows 7 and everything above), a good half of the firewood is installed, and that’s all. Why do you need to install firewood from the off-site and the latest ones on the video card (otherwise you won’t work properly) and on the sound card (if it’s not built-in and you’re a hell of a sound guy)))) There are, of course, cases that none of the methods given by the author, it’s not suitable for some kind of crap (such as a USB 3.0 controller on a monoblock motherboard, and there’s no damn disk in the box, and the firewood is on the offsite current on Win10 x64, and on a candybar, out of your ass, 7 x86 should be installed, but without firewood 2 usb ports do not work, DRPs do not help and you have to look for the controller chip and insert another driver altogether, but the main thing is that everything works) But this is an exception.

2. Browser, depending on who you like (someone surfs with Iklorer 5.0 and is fine with it). I won’t say anything against Edg, but browser extensions like AdBlock and BrowSec - well, have more fun with them.

3. Antivirus. A separate topic, of course. A full-time user shouldn't live without it. I completely agree, in Win8-10 the built-in defender is generally a neat thing, it catches everything with a bang, I missed dr web, kaspersky, nod32, but the defender caught everything. Avira, Avast, Comodo and the like (free versions, paid ones have not tested) are still trash, they let in viruses, and quite serious ones, after this I don’t install them and don’t recommend them to anyone. In general, Windows 7 also (with the latest updates) has a built-in defender, but I can’t say anything about its operation, so if you have Windows 7, XP you need to install something like dr web, kaspersky, nod32.

4. Archiver. Built-in archiver...hmm...to be honest, I see zip less often, but rar is more common, especially in a corporate environment. WinRar is paid, this is its main disadvantage, 7Zip is required to be installed, it reads just a lot of archive formats, it’s great to use as a console archiver for backups, it’s lightweight and, most importantly, free.

5. Codecs yes, definitely yes at home. Provided that you download movies somewhere and watch them on your computer. Among the population, this type of viewing is becoming a thing of the past. No one has been downloading films and TV series for a long time - they watch online, watch online on smart TV, watch online on a tablet, etc., etc. Codecs were relevant at the dawn of the development of peer-to-peer networks, when providers created their local networks in cities/districts of the city and everyone hung in flylinkDC++, pumped pyrobytes of films for themselves (which, by the way, they never watched), the films were in extremely different formats. Well, you can plug it into your home computer, just in case, but definitely not into your office computer. No codecs.

6. PDF, I once used it back in the distant version 4.0, in general I was happy with the interface and functionality, but in the latest versions it has become very heavy, it is constantly crashing to update, starts its own services and positions itself in security reports as an information collector on par with google, apple, etc., so I’m starting to abandon it. A good alternative to FoxitReader - lightweight and convenient. Regarding djvu “and the masses of different formats”, I haven’t seen djvu for a long time (at university only books on calculus and linear algebra were in this format), if someone is really interested in heaps of books scanned in poor quality, then you can djvu viewer without installation throw it off, but “mass of other formats” doesn’t even come to mind what it could be and who might need it.

7. Office applications of any kind (well, when installing, we select Word and Excel, the rest is of course not needed at home), on a corporate computer, plus PowerPoint and Outlook, by the way, you can also use the mailer at home, it’s a convenient thing. And there are so many documents on the Internet in doc and xls format, so it’s impossible to live without an office and people often take work home to finish a sign, some document, or even a presentation. If you do everything according to Feng Shui (Feng Shui in the field of copyright), then set up an open office - it will fit right into your home.

8. Disk images. UltraIso (by the way, paid, if anything) is needed by administrators, enikeys and others like them, and usually at work or for work purposes, it’s very good at collecting system images (the required wim archive is added to the original msdn image), boot disks are written (and in vain the critic shouts that the disks are like mammoth shit and we’re all suckers here, it’s a hot topic in enterprises, and in some places it’s even necessary - where the computers are categorized, who knows, he’ll understand), bootable flash drives, etc. The average user doesn’t need UltraIso, especially since he needs to crack it additionally. “Win10-8 works with images out of the box - you are all suckers” the question is broader than it might seem, at the moment 7% is the market share of Windows XP, 50% is the market share of Windows 7 (MacOS - 9%, *nix - 2%) , draw conclusions about how it works from a box with images))) Almost all games come in iso images, so at home DTLite for me won’t be superfluous, at work it’s not needed.

9. Skype is a rather individual thing, if you communicate with relatives from another city, then yes (or at work you organize something like a conference between branches). And now everyone is on telegram and wats"up, there are even video calls on mobile phones (:-D even the mail agent has it) and cellular communications have become quite cheap.

10.Torrent. Well, at home, yes, everyone seems to use this thing, but at work, of course not. some other incomprehensible rocking chairs are not needed, there are enough built-in ones in browsers. Still, we don’t download IE 4.0 via the dial-up channel (just don’t disconnect, just don’t disconnect!!! aaaaa!!! if anyone remembers Masyanya))))

12. Flash player. Well, if you’re into watching videos of all sorts of shit on the Internet, then you can put it on, but at work, definitely not.

13. Player. Well, if you install K-lite codecs, then install the MPC (media player classic) player with them, a great thing, IMHO you don’t need an extra hat on your computer, and the player built into Windows is also ok.

14. Well, recording discs...again, Nero (I have nothing against an excellent program in its class) - it’s paid (copyrights, feng shui and all that). Just burn a disc or a disc with music - Windows (starting from 7) and the built-in player handle this perfectly. If you really want something special, then there is a free analogue of BurnAwareFree, the standard theme. There is also freemake video converter - it burns discs, DVD can make menus and navigation.

15. Punto Switcher - well, it tastes good. I always set this for myself, though only at work; at home she didn’t give up. Unless someone types a lot of something (well, that is, works at home). In general, a convenient thing.

16. Remote access. Again, teamviewer and ammy admin are paid. If you want to work even harder helping everyone. This is if you have some kind of outsourced office, then yes, these programs are needed (oh my God, a violation of copyright and feng shui). And the enterprise has RDP. In general, there are some at home (if there is a white IP, of course), but at home I don’t recommend allowing it.

Often a lot of unnecessary software accumulates on the user’s desktop. Incredibly, many of us are completely unaware of this. Of course, over time, the eye gets used to the established label chaos, and spontaneous attempts to restore order are usually neutralized by doubts appearing out of nowhere like “What if this is needed?” or “I don’t know how to do this!” However, at one “wonderful” moment, a threatening (at first glance) service message pops up on the screen: “Not enough space on drive C.” It is at such a moment that a natural and completely logical question materializes in the user’s head: “How to clean your computer from unnecessary programs?” Well, dear reader, consider that you have found a solution to your difficulties. Moreover, from the article you will learn how to increase system performance, increase the speed of the OS and, of course, receive a number of effective recommendations on how to most effectively use the disk space of your HDD.

Cleaning up your desktop using standard tools

What programs do you use most often? Answer this question for yourself, and then begin the process of uninstalling unnecessary applications. It is worth noting that the examples given are relevant for Windows 7 and the subsequent eighth OS. However, the algorithm of actions can also be applied to operating systems of earlier versions.

Step #1. Integrated removal tool

  • Go to the Start menu.
  • Then go to the Control Panel tab.
  • In the “Programs and Features” section, select the software that needs to be uninstalled.
  • At the top of the working window there is a “Delete” button - activate it.

As you can see, the solution to the question of how to clean your computer from unnecessary programs is incredibly easy.

Step #2. When there is no candidate for elimination on the standard list

It may well be that software that is undesirable for further use is not displayed in the service window of the “Programs and Features” section.

  • Using Windows Explorer, open your system drive (C:\).
  • Go to the Program Files directory.
  • Open the program folder.
  • From the root directory you need to run a file called Uninstall or an abbreviation of the same name.

Step #3. Emptying the Trash

Now you know how to clean your computer of unnecessary programs, and thanks to your actions, the files are moved to a special area of ​​the operating system. Of course, this is a trash can that needs to be systematically emptied. Place the marker over this shortcut and use the left mouse button to bring up the context menu, from which select “Clear”. Confirm your actions by clicking "OK".

Two ideal assistants, or a review of the easiest ways to get rid of digital waste

There are special programs, so to speak, effective cleaners. For example, CCleaner is precisely a multifunctional software solution for users who do not understand how to clean their computer of unnecessary programs. In addition, CCleaner is absolutely free, but at the same time it is very effective when used. The main advantage of this program can be considered stability in operation and ease of management.

Step #1. Running the uninstaller

  • Go to the “Service” tab, which is located on the left side of the main program window.
  • From the column that appears next to it, select the top tab.
  • The Uninstall a Program window is almost identical to the integrated Windows tool. However, in this case, the “Uninstall” button is activated.

Step #2. Total cleaning process

Now you know which program removes unnecessary programs. However, this software is capable of more. The fact is that over a long period of using a PC, the computer’s hard drive is literally filled with various digital garbage. For this reason, the operating system gradually and irreversibly loses its speed. To return the OS to its former performance and free up additional space in the system HDD partition, it is necessary to comprehensively dispose of unused data.

  • Use the first tab of the Cleaning program.
  • Then click on the “Analyze” button.
  • After a short indexing, activate the “Cleanup” button.

How to remove unnecessary programs using Your Uninstaller

The presented software copes well with uninstallation tasks. Moreover, the program is endowed with unique functionality. In particular, after removing the body of the software, Your Uninstaller clears traces of the uninstalled application in the system registry, which has an incredibly effective effect on OS productivity. At the same time, the double deletion scheme used in this way creates a certain comfort when working with the program. Let's take a closer look at how Your Uninstaller works.

Step #1. Cleaning

To clean your computer of unnecessary programs, run this software. The main window will display all installed applications. Select the program you want, then click Uninstall.

The uninstallation process takes a little longer than in the previously described CCleaner program. However, the difference is not so significant.

Step #2. Freeing up disk space

As mentioned earlier, deleting a single application is only part of a comprehensive solution to such a task as cleaning your computer from unnecessary programs. Of course, Your Uninstaller is not a perfect OS optimization tool, but it does an excellent job with basic utilization functions.

  • So, click on the “Disk Cleanup” button.
  • Select the partition of the hard drive on which you want to perform a digital cleaning, so to speak.
  • Then click on the “Check” button.
  • When the analysis is complete, click “Delete All.”

As a result of just two steps, you can “win back” the disk space you need. Of course, if you take advantage of the full potential of the program, you will certainly achieve more significant results in the cleanliness of your PC.

Finally

At this point, the question of how to remove unnecessary programs can be considered exhausted. By applying the knowledge gained, you can quickly and easily carry out a comprehensive PC cleaning at any time. However, to fully optimize the system, there are still some things that need to be done. But more on that in the next article. All the best!

The seventh generation operating system from Microsoft is the most popular OS among all currently existing ones, and, of course, the most successful of the Windows family. This is the last “OS”, which was a not fully optimized tool for working with a computer, requiring modifications and configurations. Starting with Windows 8, the procedure for installing and configuring the operating system has become accessible to the majority of average users, and the system itself has received, by default, many useful tools for working with documents and files. In the case of Windows 7, users had to independently install the most necessary programs for the computer.

Let's look at the package of the most necessary software, which must certainly be present on any modern or not the most modern PC running the legendary “Seven”.

Uninstallers
Perhaps the first of the most necessary programs that are recommended to be installed immediately after installing/reinstalling Windows 7 are uninstallers. The seventh generation OS is a representative of the old line of systems, when they could easily be “ruined” by installing an excessive number of unnecessary programs, utilities and games. Therefore, users are recommended to use special uninstallers that allow them to remove existing programs without a trace, restoring the computer to the state it was before installing unnecessary software.
And among uninstaller programs, two obvious leaders can be distinguished:
CCleaner;
Uninstall Tool

Both solutions allow you to perform comprehensive removal of programs from your computer, however, unlike its opponent, the Uninstall Tool is a paid software. However, finding a key or crack on the Internet for home use of the software is not so difficult.
As for CCleaner, this tool is also capable of removing programs installed on the system efficiently and without leaving a trace. In addition, the “software” also has a set of functions for cleaning the computer.


Programs for media files.
Of course, when it comes to what programs are needed for a computer with Windows 7, we must not forget that at home computers are often used for entertainment. And entertainment, first of all, is watching films and television series, listening to music. And for all this to be played correctly, the system must have not only the appropriate players, but also codec packages. This will probably come as news to fans of newer members of the Windows family, but versions released before Windows 8 were not able to play all media file formats by default.
Therefore, first of all, the most necessary programs for Windows 7 are tools such as K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. This software includes all the necessary codecs to play most of the media formats known today. In addition, the software also includes a simple, concise and fast media player “Media player Classic”, which is indispensable when viewing video files.

Archivers
Next on the list of programs you need after reinstalling Windows 7 are archivers. This, as they say, is our everything, because most files downloaded from the Internet are packed into archives. And, which will again be news for users of newer versions of Windows, “Seven” by default is not trained to open files in the “.rar” format, etc.
Therefore, it is recommended that immediately after installing the OS you think about installing the following software to choose from:
WinRar;
7zip.

These two options will be enough for you, because these are unprecedented leaders in the field of unpacking any archives. As for leadership among these two software giants, WinRar certainly wins the battle for leadership, but this “software” has one drawback - it is paid. However, here there is no need for users to even think about activators or cracks, because the software does not require a mandatory purchase, and users can continue to use it for decades. The only inconvenience will be an annoying window notifying them that the program needs to be purchased.
If you do not want to see such pop-up information on your PC screen, then you should think about installing the 7zip archiver.

Web browsers
Of course, we must not forget about something without which today it is truly impossible to imagine any computer, laptop, tablet or even smartphone. We are talking about a web browser, a program that allows us to access the Internet. And here the answer to the question of what browser programs are needed after installing Windows 7 has three options:
Mozilla Firefox;
Opera;
Google Chrome.

We strongly recommend that you do not pay attention to other analogues, such as the browser from Yandex, Amigo and other dubious software solutions. Often this software is built on the basis of Google Chrome, and will bring nothing but annoying advertising and unnecessary plugins into your life.
The choice should be made on user-recognized, world-famous, convenient and reliable browsers, which we listed above. They all have their advantages. However, for the average user it is almost impossible to identify any significant differences between such software. Therefore, you can make a choice in favor of the browser interface that best suits your preferences.

Work with documents
Even if the list of the most necessary programs for Windows 7 is selected for a home computer, text editors must be present in it. And among the most suitable options are the following:


Microsoft Office is an application that includes all the necessary tools for working with text documents, tables, presentations, databases, etc. It is offered for use only for a fee, but you can always find solutions for using the software in the form of license code generators and cracks;

Libre Office is a completely free analogue of the office software package from Microsoft, which includes all the most necessary tools for text editing, working with tables and presentations.
These two options will be more than enough for both home use and work.

Antivirus
The last thing on the list of the most necessary programs for Windows 7 we want to mention is antivirus software. If in Windows 10 the standard “Defender” is at a high level and, in principle, does not require replacement with any analogues, then the standard “Firewall” of Windows 7 from antivirus software has, alas, only a name, and requires mandatory replacement.

The most suitable options for use include Avast antivirus. This is shareware software that offers a full range of tools to reliably protect your computer from malware, Trojans and other “evil spirits” that are so often found on the Internet.
The free version includes all the functionality necessary to safely use your computer. The only thing that users need to use Avast software for free is to provide their email address to complete the registration procedure.
This was a list of the most necessary programs for Windows 7, which are necessary for correct and comfortable work on a computer or laptop running the legendary OS. As for further optimization of the system, the software should be installed solely at the discretion and needs of the users. This applies to graphic editors, instant messengers, cloud systems and services, remote support utilities, email clients and other software that can be found on the Internet.
We recommend that you do not overdo it with experiments and do not install too many unnecessary programs on your PC, as this may affect the speed of the computer in the future.



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