Just to be different for a change, I’ve decided to write up a quick news post concerning some of the more interesting programs I currently have installed on my Windows Vista notebook and recommend my favorites onto you, the readers of Novice2Expert.com. However, I must first point out that while some of you may not consider some of the items I list as ‘essential’, please bear in mind that all of the programs I catalogue below just happen to be things that I happen to find very useful and help make my computing-life a whole heck of alot easier.

And with that said, let’s get on with the show and I’ll introduce my Top 10 Recommended Programs for Windows Vista for January ‘08. I may even reduce it to a ‘Top 5' in the future and turn this a monthly event! Depending on whether or not I can come across enough great programs for Windows Vista, that is. Software doesn’t grow on trees, you know!

10. WinRAR
“WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can backup your data and reduce size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.” — couldn’t have said it better myself.
Link: http://www.rarlab.com/

9. Eraser
Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns.
Link: http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/

8. SonicStage
A fantastic music player and a great alternative to iTunes and WinAmp. It’s also the only program compatible with my Sony Walkman Bean MP3 player.
Link: http://musicstore.connect.com/

7. TextPad
TextPad is an award winning text editor for Windows XP and Windows Vista. It’s certainly a much better alternative to Windows’ built-in NotePad and WordPad. An absolute much download for web designers who spend the majority of their time coding up templates in HTML and programming complex applications in PHP and JavaScript.
Link: http://www.textpad.com/

6. Spybot: Search and Destroy
Spybot: Search and Destroy is a program dedicated to eliminating all the nasty spyware and malware that resides on your computer. A fantastic piece of software and comes very highly recommended if you intend to keep your computer safe and sound from spyware.
Link: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

5. AVG Anti-Virus Professional
Security protection against viruses, worms, trojans and potentially unwanted programs.
Link: http://www1.grisoft.com/doc/products-avg-anti-virus/us/crp/2

4. ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall
Shield yourself with an unrivaled firewall enhanced with powerful anti-spyware and unique identity protection services.
Link: http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_zap.jsp

3. SmartFTP
SmartFTP is an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client which allows you to transfer files between your local computer and a server on the Internet. Much better than its closest competitors, CuteFTP and FileZilla, in my opinion.
Link: http://www.smartftp.com/

2. Firefox
A genuinely incredible internet browser that, in my humble opinion, sets the standard for all current and next generation web browsers. Firefox is an absolute shining example of how it should be done. And this is coming from someone who has tasted what Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, Maxthon, Netscape and a wealth of other browsers have to offer. Get Firefox now!
Link: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

1. Adobe Photoshop CS3
Adobe Photoshop CS3 — without a doubt the finest graphics editing software available today and an absolute must for digital photography enthusiasts and web designers. Sadly, it doesn’t come cheap, though. Adobe Photoshop CS3 currently retails for the rather terrifying price of US$649 and Photoshop CS3 Extended Edition retails for US$999. Unless, of course, you are upgrading from a previous version of Photoshop, whereby you are eligible to purchase at a discount price.
Link: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/index.html