When you install Windows, even Windows 8.1, you immediately feel that something is missing. For example, you cannot open a website, you cannot open a video, or you cannot read a PDF file, all things that should be normal and natural for a computer. This problem is due to the fact that Microsoft does not have all the licenses to open all types of existing files because they are owned by other companies. For this the user is required to add plugins, i.e. external programs that integrate into Windows and on web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and all the others) and enable certain functions absent from the system.
Below, we can count 10 plugins (intended as desktop software and browser plugins) to always or almost always be installed (with some exceptions) on every Windows computer or PC .
READ ALSO: The 10 PC programs to always install and free
1) Adobe Flash Player
The Adobe Flash plugin is essential to open streaming videos, to open sites with flash animations and online game sites.
The Flash is still an indispensable plugin on Windows, which is added to all the browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome etc.) installed on the computer (On Chrome Flash is already integrated).
In another article the link to download Adobe Flash Player latest version .
2) K-Lite
K-Lite is the name of the most famous "all-in-one" package of audio and video codecs.
After installing K-Lite, you can finally see videos and movies on your computer, of any format: Avi, divx, mp4, mkv etc.
To download K-lite and other codecs, refer to the software page to view all the videos and movies on your computer
3) Adobe Reader
Still Adobe owns one of the most important programs for a computer: Adobe Reader, to open PDF files.
See here to download Adobe Reader 11 (XI) in Italian also for Windows 8
4) DoPDF
On a Windows PC, you cannot save a document as a PDF without having an external program.
The simplest, which really integrates itself as a plugin into the system, is DoPDF, which installs a virtual printer to create the PDF.
Basically you go to print the document, but instead of choosing the normal printer, you select the printer (virtual in the sense that it doesn't really exist) DoPDF.
Further details are in the article on how to create PDF and convert Office documents (.doc)
READ ALSO: How to manage all browser plugins with a single tool
5) 7-Zip
Windows is able to extract and open archives and ZIP files, but not RAR, another common format.
To avoid getting stuck with a RAR file and not knowing how to open it, it is worth installing 7-zip for free, to open Zip Rar and all the archives .
7-Zip works as a standalone program and as a Windows plugin that integrates into the system.
When you encounter a ZIP or RAR file, just press the right mouse button on that file and choose to extract it with 7-Zip.
6) Java
There are some websites and applications that require the Java plugin to work. I was very undecided whether or not to include Java in this list so some explanation is needed. The problem with Java is that it is a very insecure plugin targeted by hackers. In practice, installing Java on your computer opens a potential security hole. If you choose to install Java it is important to always keep it updated.
In other articles:
- Where to download Java latest version
- How to disable Java on the browser to avoid security problems
7) .NET Framework
This is not a program, but a set of libraries on which many Windows programs are developed.
.Net Framework is installed by Microsoft in Windows updates, but to be sure that everything works, it is worth checking that all versions from 2.0 to 4.5 are installed.
In another article how to install the Microsoft .NET Framework
8) Microsoft Silverlight
Silverlight is a browser plugin very similar to Flash, which is used to watch streaming videos on some sites.
Few sites use Silverlight, but it's still worth installing this software component.
Silverlight can be downloaded from the Microsoft website
9) Unity
Unity is another browser plugin that works as a 3D video game platform.
Anyone who enjoys playing online games should install Unity to make them work on the browser.
10) Skype Web Plugin
Thanks to the plug-in for the Skype browser it is possible to call from the browser without having to necessarily install the Skype program.
The guide is on the page on how to call with Skype from Outlook.com .
READ ALSO: 10 Programs to be installed always and immediately on Windows PC
