Laptops do a good job of making us feel like we’re on a regular desktop. However, desktops don’t have trackpads or batteries to worry about. Dealing with these pieces of hardware can be a bit annoying, and can ruin your computing experience. For instance, bumping that trackpad and moving your cursor to a different spot in your document can be rather annoying. And having a dead battery causes some obvious issues. So how do you get the most out of your notebook? Well, there are a few pieces of freeware that can really help you out.

The people over at MakeUseOf have put together a great guide containing some of the most essential software for you to run on your laptop. One of my favorites is TouchFreeze, which can detect when you’re using the keyboard, and automatically disable the trackpad while you’re typing. If you’re forced to use the trackpad instead of a mouse, this can be a lifesaver. Other programs will help squeeze some extra life out of your battery, and even help you track down your beloved notebook, in the even that it is stolen. After all, setting up some free software is a lot easier than paying for a new computer.