Utilities to install on your PC to get the most out of Windows 10

Your operating system is the starting point that allows you to do just about anything you want to do with your computer. However, certain programs, which can also be called utilities, will be indispensable to you in order to view certain videos on the Internet or consult certain documents. Although you are probably running Windows if you are reading these lines, most of the utilities below are also available under other operating systems whose alternatives will also be discussed.

Here is a short overview of the modules that are essential to benefit from the basic functions of your computer…

Adobe Reader DC

Adobe Reader DC is a free utility developed by Adobe software developer and is available in Windows and macOS for your computer and mobile devices on the App Store and Play Store as Adobe Acrobat Reader.

As you may already know this software allows you to read and edit PDF files for documents that allow it. It also allows you to read other document formats but also to convert them to the PDF format which may be required in certain cases of use. It may be of interest to users of a computer running macOS who already have the Preview application, originally installed, and which offers similar common features. However, the latter has proven to be less efficient for managing the growing number of editable PDF files on the web, especially for administrative formalities.

Java Runtime Environment 8

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is a set of software that allows you to run applications programmed in Java on your computer. Indeed, a certain number of software such as the open source office suite LibreOffice or some websites use this programming language. In order to be able to use them or take advantage of some of their features you must equip your hardware with the JRE. You can however find yourself, depending on your use, in case you do not need it. It is however an extremely interesting utility to install on your computer to make sure you don’t get an error message when you want to use a software or a website using Java.

Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player is an extension for playing interactive content on the web such as videos or slideshows using Flash technology. However, it will soon have no place in this list for several reasons:

• Adobe is scheduled to cease development by the end of 2020.
• More and more multimedia content on the Internet is being or has already been migrated to alternative solutions due to the announced halt in its development for some time.
• Several web browsers already integrate this extension by default to avoid the need to install it individually. Deactivated by default, the browser then offers to activate it as soon as it is necessary to display content using Flash.

As a result, it may still be useful for some time as there is still Flash content available on the internet. However, it will be preferable not to use it anymore as of next year because of the stop of its development.

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 – Microsoft Silverlight

We saw earlier that the JRE was a runtime environment. The same is true for the .NET framework. The presence of the .NET Framework on your system is essential in order to run the software and applications that target this tool. Depending on your version of Windows and your level of progress in updates, you may already have a version installed on your computer. You can easily find this out by checking for a folder named Microsoft.NET in the Windows installation directory on your machine. It is also possible that software that you will later be able to install on your computer and that requires a specific version of this environment will also install the version of the .NET Framework that the software needs to work by default in its installation module. However, it can be very useful to obtain and install the latest version of the .NET Framework on your machine. The .NET Framework is only available on Windows. If you use macOS or Linux, you can get .NET Core 3.1 which is the cross-platform version of .NET.

Microsoft Silverlight is a derivative version of the .NET Framework for web and mobile applications to access interactive online content. In particular, it is used by Netflix to deliver video content on Windows and macOS in certain browsers. If this reminds you of Flash, presented earlier, this is completely normal because it is an alternative to it. On the other hand, we will be able to reiterate here part of what has been said about Flash, namely that it is a tool that is gradually being replaced by alternative solutions. The end of its support should come at the end of 2021.

PDF Creator

PDF Creator is a program available exclusively under Windows that mainly allows, through the use of a virtual printer, to convert printable files into PDF files. There are also several alternatives to perform this task. Among them, as mentioned above, Adobe Reader DC usually includes the Adobe PDF printer. Again, the Preview application, if you are running macOS, allows you to export files in PDF format from other formats that are among the formats compatible with the application. If you don’t have either of these formats, PDF Creator will be a great resource to help you perform file conversions to PDF.

VLC Media Player

We end this list of utilities with the one that we could classify among the must-have ones. Known by many and downloaded tens of millions of times on all the platforms for which it is available. Among them are Windows, macOS, Linux and the Android and iOS mobile operating systems to name only the main ones. Today it is a preferred tool for playing audio and video files in a wide range of formats but also for playing network streams, we are of course talking about the VLC media player.

If you want to be able to easily play audio or video content from multiple sources without having to download additional codecs or avoid an error message on your device telling you that the format of the file you are trying to open is incompatible, VLC is the utility for you. It is the basis of entertainment applications to have on your computer but also on all your mobile devices.

This is not an exhaustive list but a set of utilities that you may need to use your computer to enjoy the features that we all expect from a computer tool. The essential software depends of course on the use and needs of each person.

If you are interested in equipping your configuration with the utilities we have just presented, you can access the corresponding download pages via the links below. You will then benefit from the latest versions available for each of them.

For more particular uses, we suggest you to go to our article The software you will certainly need in which you will find other software and utilities classified by categories in order to allow you to find at the same time very useful applications for general uses as well as programs corresponding to all your most specific needs.