Got a new PC? Don’t know what tools you should install? Well I’ve been in your shoes before. Fortunately I’ve been a geek long enough to show you which free applications you may be interested in installing to get the most out of your new machine.

Cloud Storage

Dropbox* (FREE) If you ever need to access important documents on every computer you touch or just like to have all your files in one place and synced between your machine and the cloud, Dropbox won’t let you down. Get 2.5GB free starting out.

Runner Up: Box* (FREE) Get 5GB free. Haven’t used this one much. I just prefer Dropbox, personally.

Maintenance

CCleaner* (FREE) This is by far one of the best tools I’ve used to keep my computer in tip top shape. CCleaner makes it easy to clean out all the nooks and crannies that get stopped up with data caches and temporary files. You can also clean out your PC registry among other things.

Communications

Skype* (FREE) Skype seems to be the backbone of VOIP communications. Businesses and average people like you and me use Skype eveyday to keep in contact with clients or loved ones anywhere from across the street to halfway around the word.

Torrenting

uTorrent (FREE) If you delve in the dark arts of pirating (don’t ask if we support that) or like to be the first in line to nab the new episode of a torrent-only show, uTorrent is the torrenting client to have. The application makes it easy to manage all of those stolen…err…I mean legitimately purchased programs and media downloads. You can even sniff out RSS feeds for downloadable content. Perfect to help build your media library.

FTP Client

Filezilla (FREE) Filezilla is a free and easy FTP client. Setting up a new profile to connect to a site is a breeze. The interface provides for direct file transfer from the parallel client machine directory to the web directory (or vice versa.)

Runner Up: WinSCP (FREE) Allows for FTP, SFTP and of course SCP. A little more difficult to use.

 * Indicates applications that have free and paid plans or options