New HP A1510N Media Center Computer

[dthomsen8]

A good, smart, but completely non-technical friend just bought a new New HP A1510N Media Center Computer, which is still in the box from the local computer store.

Tomorrow morning I am going over to her place to set up the computer hardware, and then do some cleanup on the software stuff that new computers come complete, or even too complete, with.

I plan to take Firefox 1.5.0.6 on a CD. She will be having Verizon DSL installed in the afternoon, so Firefox should be in there before she gets that installed.

My question is whether there is any other cheap or free software that she should be getting for her new computer. I am guessing that there will be a firewall program and anti-virus software with the new computer. She will be using AOL (won't give it up), which comes with new computers. I have been using SpyBot 1.5, but there is probably something better along that line than that.

Any other ideas? Any warnings about software that comes with the computer?