Great Free SCP Program for Windows
I'm not a big fan of Windows as an operating system, but I'm glad that there are some really great open source programs for windows that do their job so well they make the computing experience pleasant.
WinSCP is a perfect example of such a program. It is an open source program for secure file transfers with support for SFTP and SCP. It's list of features is very lengthy and I'll barely do it justice in this short post.
If you have the need to transfer files securely between your computer and a remote server somewhere WinSCP is the best choice I've found to get the job done. It has two basic styles for the interface -- Explorer or Commander (you pick the one you want upon installation). Explorer gives you a display of your local machine on one side and the remote machine on the other side. The Commander display gives you a Norton Commander type feel. Either one will allow you to drag and drop files between the two machines. Since this is a native Windows application you can even drag and drop files from anywhere on your desktop to the remote server in WinSCP to transfer files.
Great Free Anti-Virus Software
Nearly everyone has a computer these days but even the best computer can be brought to its knees in short order without solid virus protection. But anti-virus programs seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Sure most computers have some anti-virus program pre-installed for you when you buy it. What you may not have noticed was the fine print that indicates that it's only a trial subscription after which you must pay up to continue receiving updates. Some people will renew their subscription but many won't as they're just not aware of the importance (yea, the necessity) of updated virus defintions.