• OS Installer

System installers

If the OS you need is WIN XP SP2, then you should have a backup of this installer. Preferably from a bootable CD. Maintain at least 2 backup copies.

If you have a background in LINUX, then a second partition of your bootable drive must be LINUX of any of your own liking, i.e. Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.

• Office Application

Because of Microsoft's supremacy in PC application, MS Office became a must-have in many computers. Get hold of a copy and maintain a back-up copy.

If budget is a constraint, try Open Office or Portable Open Office. They are available for FREE download, no licensing required as they are covered under GPL. It is very similar to the MS Office having spreadsheet, desktop publishing, presentation, and database.

• Applications
  

When we say, applications, these are the programs commonly needed for either personal or business activities. These are the categories:

Graphics

• Ulead PhotoShop

Multimedia

• Ulead Videostudio
• Pinnacle

Utilities

Anti-virus

• Norton Antivus
• AVG

File compressors (archivers)

• WINRar
• WINZip

Convertors

Toolbars

• Google
  
• Yahoo
• Alexa
• HitechFusion