โปรแกรมมาตรฐาน

"Standard Programs" – The Time-Honored Tradition of PC Repair Shops

Ah yes, "Standard Programs" (โปรแกรมมาตรฐาน)—the sacred collection of software that every PC repair shop pre-installs for customers, ensuring that their freshly wiped computer is usable again. For decades, this carefully curated (read: questionably sourced) selection of software has been the backbone of fresh Windows installations across Thailand.

What’s Included in the Standard Programs?

A typical PC repair shop technician doesn’t ask "Do you want additional software?"—they just install the Standard Programs™ because, let’s be real, no one wants to deal with the blank slate of a fresh Windows install.

Here’s what you usually get:

1️⃣ Microsoft Office (or LibreOffice, Because Nobody Pays for 365)

Microsoft would love for everyone to pay a monthly subscription for Word and Excel, but let’s be honest—most people just need to open a .docx file once in a while. If the customer refuses to buy a license, LibreOffice is the backup plan (because productivity should be free, dammit).

2️⃣ Adobe Creative Cloud (Only If You Specifically Ask For It)

Want Photoshop? Sure. Want to pay $20/month for it? Hah, good one!

If you’re lucky, your local PC guy might hook you up with an older, perpetually activated version that "just works." If not, PhotoScape is installed as a budget alternative for those who just need to crop an image.

3️⃣ Google Chrome and/or Firefox (Because Edge Is for Downloading Browsers)

• Some shops install only Chrome.
• Some install only Firefox (because open-source enthusiasts exist).
• The smart ones install both and let you pick your poison.

But no matter what, nobody is using Microsoft Edge willingly.

4️⃣ CyberLink PowerDVD (Why Tho?) or VLC/MPC-HC

• PowerDVD is still included for nostalgic reasons—but mostly because it's bundled with old PC repair shop software CDs.
• VLC Media Player is the superior choice (free, fast, and doesn’t beg for money).
• MPC-HC is there for the true media purists who miss Windows Media Player Classic (may it rest in peace).

5️⃣ WinRAR or WinZip (Depends on Your Religion)

• WinRAR—because nobody pays for it, and the "trial" never really expires.
• WinZip—because somehow it’s still a thing, despite Windows being able to unzip files natively since XP.

6️⃣ CCleaner (Is This Still Needed in 2025?)

Once a must-have tool for clearing useless registry bloat, CCleaner became bloatware itself after it got acquired by Avast. If your PC repair guy still installs this, he either:

✅ Lives in 2010

✅ Still believes the Windows registry needs constant cleaning

Modern Windows manages itself just fine—but hey, it’s tradition.

7️⃣ Antivirus (Kaspersky, MSE, or "You Don’t Need One")

• Kaspersky if they’re old-school and don’t trust Windows Defender.
• Microsoft Security Essentials (or whatever it's called now) because Windows Defender does the job just fine.
• Nothing at all if the technician believes that "a good firewall and common sense" is the best antivirus.

Windows 10 & 11: The Death of Some Standard Programs?

With the evolution of Windows, some of these "essential" programs are becoming obsolete:

❌ Windows 10/11 already includes a decent media player—so PowerDVD is pointless.

❌ The built-in Photos app handles basic editing, reducing the need for PhotoScape.

❌ The new built-in unzip tool makes WinRAR and WinZip less critical.

❌ Windows Defender is actually good now, so antivirus software is debatable.

But no matter how much Microsoft tries to bake in "default apps", old habits die hard. People still expect their PC to come with Standard Programs™, and they sure as hell still want desktop shortcuts (because some users don’t even know how to use the Start Menu).

Final Thoughts: Just Let the Tech Guy Install It

Whether you actually use all these programs or not, the Standard Programs pack is a time-honored tradition that will never truly go away. As long as people keep bringing their computers to PC repair shops, some guy in the back will still be installing WinRAR, VLC, and LibreOffice—probably from a USB drive that hasn’t been formatted in 8 years.

And really, that’s just how it should be. Long live the Standard Programs™.