I could tell you the typical ones, the Google Chrome browser, the Office package or one of the hackneyed alternatives or the typical management software from the laptop or peripheral manufacturer. I am going to opt for much more specific tools that can be tremendously useful to you.
SSDFresh
I must say that since I discovered this software, I am no longer interested in any other SSD monitoring application. I really like it because of the extremely simple and clear interface it offers. It is an informative, extremely intuitive tool that adds drive optimization tools. This is the website where you can download this program.
Without a doubt, the best part is in the “SSD Information” tab. Here it gives us crucial data about the state and health of our storage unit. The most important data are the operating hours, total read operations, total write operations, and the number of times the drive has been started. All vital values to know the health and life left in the unit
Battery Optimizer
If you want to try to stretch your laptop battery a little, this application can help you. The Battery Optimizer software has a very simple and intuitive interface. It seeks to help us optimize the battery as much as possible, extending its life until we have to recharge the system again. You can download this software from here.
The main interface gives us information about the status of the battery at that moment and the different optimizations to be performed. We simply must carry out an analysis of it in order to find points where we can optimize it. Normally, you can’t stretch it very much, but every minute counts.
HWMonitor
Something I do periodically is run a game and monitor my system temperature. To do this, I use the HWMonitor software that records the maximum temperature reached, in addition to displaying the temperature in real time. This is a completely free program that you can download from the official website.
This tool allows me to know in games what the temperature is and if there are any problems. If I detect any strange temperature in the processor or graphics card, I already know that I must carry out a maintenance process. It helps me, therefore, to know when to clean the fans and change the thermal paste without being too careful.
Teracopy
Something I like is to get the most out of my systems and Windows is not exactly good at these tasks. Normally, to transfer large files to external drives, I use Teracopy software. It allows me to transfer files faster than Windows Explorer itself allows. You can download this program from here.
Mainly, I use it for when I transfer files to USB sticks, a process that Windows does not usually handle very well. This software is very simple and bypasses some limitations of the operating system, so to speak.
Wintoys
This is a program that should be essential for everyone, but that few people know about. The Wintoys application allows you to perform a lot of actions within Windows, come on, it is a beastly optimization tool. The great thing is that you can find it within the Microsoft Store.
It allows, among other things, to optimize system performance, stop unnecessary services or functions, uninstall annoying programs and bloatware (annoying programs installed by laptop manufacturers), manage applications that run at startup and much more. One of the fundamental programs for me and that should also be fundamental for you.
HWInfo64
The following application is very complete, since it shows us a lot of information about the system. HWInfo64 is a fairly complete program that gives us a lot of useful information. It integrates load sensors for the processor, graphics card and RAM, as well as a large number of temperature sensors.
It is a fundamental application to monitor all components and see their characteristics. Thanks to this tool we can have great control of the system. Although it seems to be a bit complicated with HWMonitor, the good thing about it is that it allows you to generate reports to have greater control of the state of the system.
VPN
I think if you are a laptop user you should have one of these tools installed. The reason is, above all, if you are going to connect from open WiFi networks such as at the university, library, cafeteria or any other similar point. There are two reasons to use it.
The first is that there could be data monitoring taking advantage of the multiple vulnerabilities that exist in routers. But, without a doubt, the most dangerous is the existence of a system called “man in the middle”. This is nothing more than someone who has generated a fake WiFi network by copying the name of an existing network.
Using a VPN serves to encrypt the information that leaves our computer to the server that actually connects us to the Internet. Thus, any type of malicious actor will not be able to see absolutely anything, since all traffic is encrypted. It means gaining security and thus avoiding exposing our social media, banking credentials or any other key information.