The Windows Starter Kit is a collection of some of the best and most essential freeware to get your new PC going. From browsers to productivity to utilities, we cover all the bases. If you're looking for the best in security freeware, check out our Security Starter Kit for all your antivirus needs. Essential utilities have earned their own kit, too: the Windows Utilities Starter Kit.
Torrenting
uTorrent
- CNET editors' rating: 5.0 stars
What computer would be ready for the broadband age without a dedicated torrent client? Miro supports torrents, but if all you want is a torrent it can be a bit much. uTorrent is so light on resources and memory that it's small enough to run off an old USB key. uTorrent's clean button interface makes it easy to pause downloading, and it's still the best torrent-only app for Windows.
Finding torrents can be hard, but included are both a torrent search bar and an RSS-feed manager that will automatically download files as they publish. Adding, starting, pausing, and listing torrents takes merely a click or two each. A speed guide tests ports and adjusts system settings for optimal performance. uTorrent isn't feature-heavy, but has enough to make it the torrent program of choice for novice, intermediate, and advanced users.
If you're looking for some extras with your torrenting, we suggest the aforementioned Miro, or Vuze. Vuze offers a side dish of socializing with your torrents, and sports a less basic, more graphically engaging interface for torrent discovery and sharing. It's not our fave, but it's worth a look.
