After installing a new Windows-PC i always ask myself what software i want to install.

Here is a list of programs i like to use, because they are free, fast, reliable and useful. (or there are just no alternatives)

If you think something is missing or if you find mistakes, please let me know in the comments!

Unsorted

• Unchecky Must have! Prevent the installation of unwanted Software
• WinDirStat Analyse your harddrives for disk-usage
• Putty Client for SSH, Telnet, Serial, etc.
• NMap Discover and map your network
• FileZilla Powerful FTP-Client
• CutePDF Print documents to a PDF-File
• SysInternals-Suite Very nice additional tools for Windows

Archive and Compression

• 7zip (De)Comporesses pretty much everything

Browsers

• Firefox Still my favourite Browser
• Opera Another fast Browser
• Vivaldi Yet another Browser

Email

• Thunderbird E-Mail-Pendant to Firefox

Image viewing/editing

• The Gimp Very powerful Image-Editor
• Irfanview Fast and opens nearly everything image-related
  (install the plugins/addons!)
• Inkscape Create and edit vector-based images (svg)

Office-Suits and (Text-)Editors

• Libreoffice Better alternative to OpenOffice
• Notepad++ Best Text/Code-Editor i came across so far...
• HxD Simple but powerful Hex-Editor

Multimedia

• VLC Opens and plays ALOT
• CCCP Opens and plays ALOT too
• Audacity Audio-Editor
• MilkyTracker Create your own ChipTunes!

Medium-Creation

• CDBurnerXP Simple but versatile CD/DVD-burning-software
• Rufus Write images/iso to media like USB-Sticks

Gaming and PC-Emulators

• VirtualBox Emulate a whole PC (like VM-Ware)
• DosBox Play DOS-Games on modern Windows
• ZSNES Play SuperNintendo/Famicom Games on Windows
  (you need roms for that)

Games

• Battle for Wesnoth Turn-based fantasy strategy game
• OpenRA Clone of classic C&C-Games
• OpenTTD Clone of Transport Tycoon Deluxe
• Urban Terror Something like CounterStrike
• FreeCIV Clone of classic Civilisation
• Return to the Roots Clone of The Settlers 2
• Dune Legacy Clone of Dune 2