Since I just did ANOTHER reinstall of windows 7 I thought I should take a minute and jot down some of the essential programs and services you might consider using...
Gmail - Google email - use it when you need to sign up for something that requires an email address and keep spam down to a minimum!
Norton 360 - Keeps you safe and your pc running smoothly
Firefox - Browse the web properly - MUCH better than IE
Thunderbird - Email Client supports your personal email and gmail!
Moz Backup - Backs up your email and browser because nothing is worse than losing all your bookmarks, mail or logins!
Notepad++ A better text editor
Open Office MS Office replacement
Print Screen Captures your screen for sharing
WinSCP A program that transfers files to and from your website