New Dell Mini Questions

I just bought a Dell Mini 10. I already have a 17" desktop replacement notebook so the Mini will be used mainly just for portability. I'll mostly be doing web browsing and typing documents on it.

Few Quick Questions:

1. I installed AVG on it. I'm always used that in the past because it's pretty light on resources and gets the job done. I almost installed Avira but didn't want to bother with the popups and Avast looks good too, but I figured since I was used to AVG, I'll just install that. Do you think I made the right choice?

2. The battery meter in the taskbar showed up the first time I booted it, but it hasn't displayed since. I know I can just push F3, but I'd still like to see the battery in the bottom right. I already tried disabling the "hide inactive icons" and I have "show battery" checked in the power options. Any ideas?

3. Is there any specific must-have software that you recommend? I already installed Revo Uninstaller, CCleaner, Auslogics Disk Defrag, Google Chrome, and FoxIt Reader.

Any other tips?

Thanks!

BTW, is sticking with XP Home SP3 my best option?

 

A must-have piece of software for me is FreeClip. It expands the function of the clipboard so you can keep 25 items in the clipboard and it remembers all of them even when the computer is turned off.

I don't know what to tell you about virus protection. I have been using Avast and like it because it is very inobtrusive and works well. The one you decide on is more a matter of preference than anything else.

 

I recommend Avast as well; I've used both it and AVG, and I generally find Avast to be superior.

 

FYI you can get rid of the popups with Avira. Google "Avira popups removal" for more information.