Must have windows apps

[still learning]

What are some must have windows apps? I am trying to build the perfect windows install then going to back it up with norton ghost, so i dont have to reinstall everything , everytime i format.

so far i have :

firefox, tweaked out , good plugins

mirc

toosies? side bar (i am still looking for a sidebar that works with xp and uses vista gadgets)

comodo firewall

AVG antivirus

spybot and adaware

process explorer

cports

hexeditor, php, dev-c++, notepad++, dreamweaver. macromedia flash, photoshop

superscan, nmap, intellitamper, brutus, accessdiver, proxy finder enterprise, metasploit, ophcrack, true crypt, charon

putty

filezilla

utorrent

wise registry cleaner

cc cleaner

free ram xp

any good windows tweaks to speed up the pc? what other must have programs would you recommend? does anyone know of a side bar that works with xp but can use vista gadgets? also how do i pimp my command prompt out, i know the code (prompt $p$g, ect..) but how do I get it to load the new prompt i create everytime i goto cmd?

i tried to change the autoexec.bat file to

@echo off

prompt $p$g$T$whatever but it did not show the new prompt change when i goto cmd.. any ideas?

thanks

[VaKo]

Winroll

CPU-Z

UnxUtils

Notepad2

Sysinternals Suite

Elevation PowerToys for Windows Vista

Microsoft Office 2007: Save as PDF or XPS

ISO Recorder

IMG Burn

Timekeeper (and others)

Unetbootin (converts Linux ISO's to boot from a usb stick)

Windows Automated Install Kit

Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7

WinMerge

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008

Lots more here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/magazine/cc135905.aspx

For cmd line pimping under Windows XP/Vista : http://hak5.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8146

[vector]

vmware workstation

[Lazyshot]

python

ruby

wireshark

cain

itunes

[ryanlash]

I love how most of your must have apps are spyware and virus prevention lol, sounds like alot of overkill

[PLuNK]

Winhound

[still learning]

great suggestions, i forgot about some of those.. why would running 1 firewall and 1 virus scanner be overkill?

also Vako, thanks i checked out the link but that was gear to make the DOS prompt look like a Linux prompt, i just want to edit how the DOS prompt looks per say if in cmd i enter "prompt $T$B$p$g" then hit enter the prompt will look something like "12:04PM | C:\>" with the time added in front, i would just run linux if i wanted a linux prompt =)

in older versions of windows i would put the prompt command change in autoexec.bat file and it would automatically boot so the prompt would always look how i wanted it too, but with XP it does not seem to be working.. any ideas?

Vector, yeah i have VMware workstation installed forgot to mention that one.. defintely a must have

thanks everybody! and lol @ winhound.. I typed winhound and into google and the first 3 pages were full of nothing but "How to remove winhound malware, how to remove winhound virus" ect.. lol

[ryanlash]

well u also had two registry cleaners, i was just teasing ya. Using an image is a good idea tho!