The Programs That Come With A New Computer

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New computer front
Photo by Phil Romans

A new computer comes with a variety of pre-installed programs, but the specific programs you receive depend on where you purchase your computer and the country you reside in. For example, in the UK, all new computers come with Windows pre-loaded, while in Thailand, some come with Linux, although this may be a recent development.

How useful are these “free” programs that come with your new computer? Well, to be honest, it varies. In the following section, we will take a look at some of the most common pre-loaded programs.

Sometimes you get “Notepad,” sometimes you get “Wordpad,” and sometimes you get both. Wordpad is a more advanced version of Notepad and can open older “Write” documents. It can also open rich text files (.rtf) and plain text (.txt) files.

Many people see Wordpad as an upgrade to Notepad, and in many ways, that’s exactly what it is. However, it lacks enough features to make me want to use it. I use Notepad daily, but I rarely use Wordpad. Wordpad is often used as a middle ground between Notepad and MS Word, as it can also read Word documents.

Wordpad is a useful program if you don’t have Word, as it allows you to create attractive-looking documents and embed audio, image, and text files. Unfortunately, it does not have a spell-checker, but it can also open Excel files, which is handy.

If you have the MS Office suite, then Wordpad becomes redundant. If you don’t have MS Office, you can download OpenOffice, which is a free and open-source alternative to Office.

Outlook Express is a capable email client that can perform certain tasks that Outlook cannot. It also includes an address book. Outlook Express is sufficient for most users, but if it doesn’t meet your needs, you can download Opera and use its integrated email client and address book.

The calculator that comes free with Windows is surprisingly powerful. The version that comes with Windows 7 can be converted into a mathematical, scientific, statistical, or programming calculator, among others. If you have this tool, you may not need another calculator. In one word, it’s excellent.

Paint is a basic image editor. It’s not particularly sophisticated, but it can perform many useful functions. If you need more advanced features, which many people do, you can find better free image editors on the internet .

Windows Media Player is a robust media player for audio, images, and videos. However, sometimes you may need to search for a new codec if you want to play a file in an uncommon format. This is not a significant drawback. WMP is a very practical and fully-equipped tool. You can even listen to radio stations from around the world through it.

The system tools provided with Windows are good. They can monitor system resources and help you manage your hard drives. However, many users eventually move on to more specialized tools in the long run.

Internet Explorer is a good browser, but many users prefer to use different browsers (and there are quite a few options available). In summary, the tools and programs that come with Windows are suitable to get you started (although there are a few standout programs). However, you may need to upgrade, and this can often be done by downloading additional programs free of charge.

Manuel Marino

Manuel Marino is a seasoned Senior Producer, Music Composer, and Artist with over a decade of experience. He specializes in branded entertainment across various mediums, including video games, films, and advertising campaigns. With 20+ years as a game music composer, Manuel has worked on numerous platforms, creating diverse orchestral soundtracks. HIRE ME