This is a kind of swiss army knife of tools for working with file types and extensions. As you can see from the description above, it does more in Vista/Windows Seven environments than in XP. And since I am using Windows XP I will not cover DefaultPrograms’ ability to edit autoplay handler programs, no’r will I be using it to edit the registered default programs and their assigned types.

Instead, for this review I will go through two exercises that can (a) show what this program can do and just how cool itis in general, and (b) illustrate the user experience a little bit.

Exercise #1. Changing the default icon for PDF files on Windows XP.

I use PDF-XChange Viewer as my default PDF reader, and don’t particularly care for the default icon it uses for PDF’s. Here’s how DefaultPrograms can change the default used icon for a specific file type.

1. Click the "Icon" button in the interface
2. The next screen will display a list of file extensions
3. Filter by the desired extension ("PDF" in this case)
4. The next screen shows the current icon used. Click "Browse" to select a new icon
5. Select the new icon. You can point to executables, individual icon files, or icon libraries
6. Click "Save Icon" and you’re done

Exercise #2: Changing the context menu options a file type (.JPG).

You may have noticed that, at least in XP, when you right click an image file and click "Edit" in the context menu, the default program used to edit is MS Paint. Here’s how you can use DefaultPrograms to edit the context menu for JPG’s.

1. Click the "Icon" button in the interface
2. The next screen will display a list of file extensions
3. Typed "JP" in the filter then CTRL-selected four image types at once (see image to the right)
4. Next, in the list of context menu commands, select "Edit" and click "Edited Selected Command"
5. The next prompt shows the command name and program path
6. Change the path and parameters to the new program; in this case I will be using my favorite "PhotoScape"
7. That’s it (although you will need to do this for remaining image types).

The verdict: what I like about this program is the user interface, which is simple and intuitive, and the fact that it works and does exactly what it claims to do. I’ve seen and written about a number of programs whose functions intersect with this one (Types and Icon Phile come to mind) but DefaultPrograms is without a question the utility that I would prefer to use to perform these sorts of tasks. Highly recommended.

Version Tested: 2.4

Compatibility: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7. MS .NET Framework 3.5 required.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx 675K).

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago: my computer started acting flaky and unreliable, taking an unreasonably long time to boot (and sometimes failing do so), and driving me nuts in the process. In these situations most people I (believe), start wondering if they’ve contracted a virus or other malware, or puzzling over whether a recently added software might have caused the matter. All of these are plausible avenues of exploration, but if nothing seems to work you should check to see if your hard drive might have bad sectors on it that may be causing the problem. This is what Surface Scanner does and performs the job quite rapidly.

Surface Scanner vs. Windows’ check disk tool: the main reason why you would use this is for a quick diagnosis – it is considerably faster than Windows’ built in checker and the scan can be performed from within Windows without a reboot. However, it does not have a “repair” bad sectors option which the Windows utility offers.

A couple of quick notes:

• How to use: install then run; mount the hard drive you want to check then press “scan”. This can be done from within Windows, no need to reboot.
• Fast: it took about 10 minutes to scan my 5400 rpm 80-gig drive.
• If you encounter many errors: then stop the scan; you now have the information you need, and forcing the scan might further damage the drive and decrease the chances of salvaging your data.

The verdict: the scan is fast enough that its worth doing every once in a while if your system is acting weird, seeming to work fine in one instance and hanging up the next.

If you do find bad sectors: the first thing I would do is get my data out of there ASAP. Next you might try to run software that will attempt to apply fixes to the problem. Windows’ own check disk seems to have an option to do that. I am not sure if there are any good freeware tools that will attempt to fix bad sectors … if you know of any let me know in the comments. In any case fix or no fix if you have bad sectors you should start planning to replace the drive immediately. (Oh, and in the case I described above my hard drive turned out fine, to my relief!).

Version Tested: 1.0

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx 1.78 megs).

I have a soft spot for little apps that access to favorite items on-the-fly. JumpTo provides access to folders, files, apps, and URLs from anywhere and can be displayed in any program. It is very similar to previously mentioned Folder Menu, with some differences. Here’s a list of pros and cons.

PROS:

• Launch your favorite folders, files, apps, or URLs from anywhere: simply launch the app via its keyboard shortcut and you can be quickly on your way.
• Memos: JumpTo also includes a simple notes app. It can quickly
• Create your own submenus: which is to say it lets you create and organize the cascading menu entries as you like.
• Adding items: can be performed via the context menu entry, by highlighting an item and pressing Alt+shift+S, or by opening the add items dialog and dragging and dropping items into it.
• Less than 4 megs in memory: makes this program truly lightweight.
• Extra functions: via the "extra functions" context menu entry launch a run box, insert dates dynamically into your text, or strip any text in the clipboard from any formatting. You can also hide and display windows.
• Portable version: is available for download on the site.

CONS:

• Does not provide access to favorite folders in Windows open/save dialogs: unlike for example similar apps such as Folder Menu.
• Does not support icons: which is to say your app shortcuts and other shortcuts will be represented using text only. Not a big deal, but could have looked better with icons.

The verdict: a nice little app that and is truly lightweight. It has room for improvement in terms of accessing folders in open/save dialogs but as it is it can be extremely useful and a huge time saver.

JumpTo video Tutorial:

Version Tested: 1.0

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx 787K).

Although I have a handful of folders designated for specific projects and topics, I notice that whenever I am working on something most of the files I am using invariably end up on the desktop. If this is your experience as well (or indeed if you download a lot of files into the desktop and have to sort them out later) then you should check this program out.

What DragTargets does is allow you to set up your frequently used favorite folders as buttons in a floating desktop widget. You can then drag and drop your files to the appropriate folder in the DragTargets window to copy or move them to the right place, or simply click on the folder button to open the folder. More notes on this program below:

• Copy or move: dragging files copies them by default; to move files instead check the little box next to the “stop” button.
• Open folders: click on the folder button to open it in explorer
• Portable: unzip and use, no install needed.
• Memory use: about 7 megs, which is fairly small.

Wish list (or how this program can be a lot better)

• Minimize to tray: essential, I think, for a program like this.
• Show and hide by hotkey: would make it so much more useful.
• The option to switch off semi-transparency

The verdict: a nice little program that can potentially be extremely useful. It can however be much improved with a few little tweaks though (see wish list above!).

Version Tested: 1.0

Compatibility: WinAll.

Click this link to download (approx 281K). Developer homepage here but does not provide any info. See this page for more info on this program.

This is one of those programs that are difficult to write about just because they contain so many functions and do many things. In some ways Signo is comparable to such automation tools as AutoHotkey, although it is less complex and more accessible. However, unlike AutoHotkey Signo does not have a scripting component so it is not a full fledged macro engine and development environment.

Aside from its accessibly what I also like about Signo is that it is very small (occupies a mere 9 megs in memory); I also like that it can give you a sort of "shortcut report" for your system that displays all of its keyboard shortcuts as well as ones that are used by other apps and by Windows (part of which is in fact pictured in the screenshot above).

Here are 7 (Seven!) cool things that this program can do:

1. Snap windows to the edges of the screen: in the style of Windows 7, using keyboard shortcuts (Alt+Win+Up/left/right/top/bottom).
2. Minimize to tray: (Ctrl+Win+T) will minimize the current window or app to the tray. Interestingly, you can minimize all windows to the tray in one fell swoop by pressing (Ctrl+Win+Z).
3. Launch apps and URLs: from the system tray or via hotkey.
4. Auto corrections (and abbreviations): we’ve seen this before with AutoHotkey; you can add frequently misspelled words to a list such that every time you type in a misspelling it is automatically corrected for you.
5. Insert predefined text: you can either set a custom hotkey that would insert a specified text, or define a "textkey" that you can type in and watch it magically being transformed to your predefined text (e.g. you can set "#sig" to automatically insert your signature/name/etc. inside the text you’re writing).
6. Optimize applications’ memory utilization: this program is by the same developer who released Minimem, an excellent memory optimization utility designed to reduce the memory footprint of individual programs. It would appear that they have incorporated that program’s functionality into Signo such that you could add any app from within Signo and create a shortcut that would optimize its memory use. Super cool!. For browsers use the predefined Shift+Win+B if your browser starts gobbling up large amounts of RAM.
7. Context menu of functions, anywhere: Ctrl+Alt+leftmouse will display a handy context menu of Signo functions anywhere you happen to be at that time.

Wish list: (or how this program can be even better)

• Disabling functions: although it is possible to delete functions you don’t want, I found myself wishing I could simply de-activate them without deleting (as it is you have the option to export them then delete, which keeps the option to re-import later if you want to).
• The screenshot function: needs to be improved. I was not able to capture a screenshot of a context menu (the program kept releasing it for me), wasn’t able to define a quality setting for my saved JPG, wasn’t able to attach a suffix or prefix to filenames. A "Repeat last capture" function would also be good.

The verdict: a nice program overall. If you find that it contains a bit too many functions and shortcuts you can always remove the ones that you don’t want and customize the keyboard shortcuts if needed. And at 9 megs in memory, Signo manages to be both powerful and small. Check it out.

Version Tested: 1.4

Compatibility: Windows 2003, Vista, Server 2008, 2000, XP, Windows 7.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx 2.46 megs).

Do you want a cool application switching / Alt+Tab replacement app? Check out VistaSwitch. More notes on this one below:

• It looks pretty darn slick: don’t take my word for it, check out the screenshot.
• Preview thumbnails: see a thumbnail preview of the apps or windows as you scroll through them. Previews are available not just for maximized windows but for minimized windows in Vista and Windows 7 (but not in XP).
• Sticky: you can turn this mode on if you like. It will allow you to launch VistaSwitcher with Alt+Tab (or another shortcut), release the keys, and have the VistaSwitcher interface remain open. (Which I quite like actually)
• Windows operations: you can right click on an entry in the VistaSwitcher interface and perform some operations such as minimize, maximize, or close.
• Memory use: about 9 megs (which is fairly small).
• Native 64 bit version available.

The verdict: this app is the successor to TaskSwitchXP, which I am very fond of (they are both from the same developer). What I like about it is that it manages to be simultaneously slick, simple, and low on resources (and of course free). What more could you ask for?

Version Tested: 1.0.3

Compatibility: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7. 32 bit and 64 bit versions available.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx 271K).

A reader asked me about how he could launch a number of different apps using a single shortcut, and Lacuna Launcher is the small freeware program that I found that can do this. As an example, you may find that you always launch and work with your image editor, screen capturing program, and HTML editor together, and would like the ability to simply click on a single shortcut to launch all three simultaneously.

How to use this app: here’s an example that illustrates how Lacuna Launcher works.

1. Download and unzip: let’s say that the location is “D:\Lacuna Launcher”
2. Create a list of items: using your favorite text editor, enter the full path for each item you want to launch, one per line. Save it somewhere (say as “D:’Lacuna Launcher’newlist.txt’”
3. Create a shortcut for Lacuna Launcher: right-click on the executable (ll.exe) and select “create shortcut”.
4. Customize the new shortcut: right click properties, then edit the “target” field such that the path to the exe is followed by the path to your new text file. Both paths need to be inside quotes. You can (optionally) add two numbers after the paths; the first to specify the number of seconds to wait before the items should start running, and the second to specify the number of seconds to wait before running the next item. The following is an example where the apps launch immediately after and wait one second before each successive item (of course you can skip the numbers altogether for instant launches).
   • example: “D:\Lacuna Launcher\ll.exe” “D:\Lacuna Launcher\newlist.txt” 0 1
5. Modify the shortcut name and icon: if you want. Right click properties/change icon to change the icon in XP, rename the shortcut, then place it in the desired location (e.g. the desktop)
6. That’s it. Your new shortcut will now launch all the items on your list specified in your text file. Note that you can make as many lists and create as many shortcuts as you want.

Supported file types: Lacuna Launcher will launch executables (.exe’s), shortcuts (.lnk), internet shortcuts (.url), or anything that can be opened on your system (image files, music files, movies, etc.)

Usage from the command line interface: is supported.

The verdict: a nice, simple, freeware that gets the job done. What I like is that you can make as many lists as you like and as many shortcuts that all point to the single executable on your hard drive. Although a GUI for this where users could drag and drop shortcuts would be nice, as it is the program is very easy to use and you will be up and running within minutes of downloading. Recommended.

Version Tested: 1.0.0

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 234K).

This is a simple shell extension that allows you to copy the path for files and folder via the right click menu. Interestingly, there are at least two other utilities on the internet with the same exact name that do the same thing; also, this function is offered in other utilities bundled-in with other functions (see here, here, and here for example). It is also built into Vista if you press shift while right clicking on a file, but I nonetheless really like this program for several reasons:

1. Path, folderpath, or filename: you can specify whether to copy the entire path, the filename only, or the folder path only.
2. UNC: can generate a UNC (Uniform Naming Convention) path, which can be very useful. For example “\\YOURCOMPUTER\C$\File.txt” instead of “C:\File.txt”.
3. Multiple items: select multiple files and folders and copy the path for all at once into the clipboard.
4. I like that it’s an individual download not bundled with other functions.
5. Will display the path in the context menu itself (see screenshot above). Note that this is optional and can be switched off.

The verdict: really nice. Recommended.

Version Tested: 1.1

Compatibility: WinAll. There’s a fix that allows it to run on 64 bit machines. Read the comment section on the program page (read all the way to the end).

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 348K).

This program can provide instant termination of a program or app that may have crashed or frozen on you. It is designed to always be running in the background should the need for it arise, wherein it can kick into action via hotkey.

You might wonder why you may want this since you could always press Alt+F4 or CTRL+ALT+Delete, get to the “Task Manager”, and terminate the app from there. The answer is that when doing it this way the program can refuse to quit; in this case, to quote the developer’s site “Windows essentially only asks the program to quit, and lets it decide for itself what to do”; SuperF4, on the other hand, will force the program to quit. Here are more notes on this program:

• Termination: SuperF4 is designed to terminate any program; note, however, that the terminated program will shut down immediately and will not give the option to save your work.
• Hotkeys: CTRL+ALT+F4 terminates active app;WIN+F4 will allow you to use
  click on a visible window to terminate it. You cannot change these hotkeys.
• Terminate by clicking on an app: once you press the hotkey (WIN+F4) they cursor will change its appearance to a skull and crossbones icon (see screenshot above). Press ESC if you change your mind and don’t want to terminate anything.
• Size in memory: approx. 7 megs. Which is rather small if you’re wondering.
• System tray icon: can be disabled if you do not want it to show.

The verdict: a very nice program. And while you may not have an immediate use for it when you first use it, you will really appreciate that its there when/if you encounter an obstinate program that previously would have required a reboot.

Check out previously mentioned AltDrag from the same author.

Version Tested: 1.0

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 1.15 megs).

[Editor’s note: this review was written by Freewaregenius contributor Jason H. Check out his tech blog: 404techsupport.com].

Mouse Gestures serve much the same purpose as keyboard shortcuts; they’re supposed to make you faster, more productive, more efficient, and more comfortable. Instead of switching hands from mouse to keyboard and back or minimizing everything to the desktop, mouse gestures allow you to perform actions or start programs all from the mouse with a few swift movements. High Sign comes pre-loaded with a number of gestures, some work for all applications like closing or minimizing a window.

You can create your own gestures by entering a Training mode. High Sign starts in Training mode by default or right-click on the system tray icon to find the option to toggle. Anything you draw (by holding down the right-click) in training will prompt and ask what you drew. You can specify an existing gesture or create a new gesture. The prompt offers what it thinks the closest existing gesture is. This is a good function because it can let you know if the gestures are too much alike where a different action might occur because your gesturing was a little sloppy. For example, when I drew the number 4 below, it prompted with a pre-existing gesture ’H’. When you toggle out of Training Mode, it will just perform any actions that are associated with the gestures you’ve drawn.

High Sign seems to be very forgiving and very accurate when it comes to getting the correct gesture from what you drew. When you create a new gesture, you can specify the action that it takes to come from a list of preset functions like sending a hotkey, sending a keystroke, running a command, opening a web browser or others. You can choose to affect a select program by choosing from those processes running at the time. To send keystrokes, you use the Send Keys syntax. You can do a quick Google Search to find the Send Keys syntax. As an example, the keystroke Alt-D would be %D, Ctrl-C would be ^C, and taking a screenshot of the active window (Alt + Print Screen) would be %{PRTSC}. For some more tips on using High Sign, read the brief wiki article on the High Sign page.

High Sign, by default, does not start up with Windows. It has a system tray icon that allows you access to all the different functions. You can find the preferences and preconfigured actions and gestures. High Sign comes as 820 KB installer and a 50 MB process when running. You can’t easily toggle HighSign off or on, but you can close the program from the system tray.

The preferences allow you to customize a lot of the different options. You can change the color of your line and startup options. It also allows a sneak peak at some upcoming features that could be pretty cool like opacity control and an “Ignore” key option.

While High Sign is only a 2nd alpha preview release, it’s fully functional. If the program continues to see development time, I have to believe that it’s going to be made into one stellar program as far as mouse gesture programs can go. It was originally created as a StrokeIt replacement but the developer has changed his goals to be more ambitious than just recreating StrokeIt. High Sign is open source and hosted by CodePlex, a site and repository for open-source projects.

Version Tested: Alpha Preview 2

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 2.09 megs).

I recently needed to find a way around Vista’s blocking of my favorite desktop search app (Everything) which launches as a startup entry on my Windows XP machine but is perpetually blocked on startup on my wife’s Vista laptop. I was somewhat surprised to find that there was no easy way to simply override this and enable the item on startup. This is because of Windows Vista’s “User Account Control” (UAC) security infrastructure; and although it is possible to disable the UAC, this is not at all recommended. There is, however, a relatively simple method to get any app to launch on startup using Windows’ task scheduling feature. (A number of interventions that are mentioned on the internet that will NOT work, including allowing the program on Windows’ firewall.)

For the purposes of this post I will use the example of the “Everything” app mentioned above. The way we will do this is to remove the app from the startup items and schedule it to launch on log-on using Windows Vista’s task scheduler.

Step by step:

First we will remove the app from the startup items (”everything.exe” in this example). You can do this using some startup items’ management utilities or manually as follows:

1. Click on Vista’s start menu, and type “run” in the search box. Select the “run” program which should appear as the first entry in the set of results:
   
2. In the Run program dialog, type “msconfig” and press enter.
    
3. Once the system configuration program shows up, click on the “startup” tab. Find your app in the list (”everything.exe” in this example) and uncheck the box next to it so it no longer starts with windows. Note the path to the app, as you will need it later. Also note any arguments (”-startup” in this case). Click “Ok” to close; if you are prompted to restart the computer select “exit without restart” and continue with the steps below.
   

Next, we will need to create a scheduled event that will launch the app on logon, as follows:

1. Launch Vista’s “Task Scheduler” app. An easy way to do this is to type “task scheduler” in the search box in Vista’s start menu, then select “task scheduler” which should appear as the first entry in the set of results.
   
2. Once launched, click on “Create Task” in the right pane.
   
3. In the “general” tab, enter a name for your task and (optionally) a description. Click on “Run only when user is logged on” and check “Run with highest privileges”.
4. Next go to the “triggers” tab and click the “new” button to create a new trigger.
5. Once the “new trigger” dialog appears select “At logon” from the dropdown, “any user” in the settings, and “enabled” in the advanced settings.
6. Go to the “Actions” tab and click the “New..” button
7. In the “Edit Action” dialog that appears, select “Start a program” from the actions dropdown. Click “browse” and browse to your desired app, then type in any arguments in the “add arguments” field. Remember that this (the path to your app and any arguments used) is simply re-stating the path and arguments from step #3 above.
   
8. Go to the “Settings” tab. Make sure that the following are checked: “Allow task to be run on demand” , and “Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed”. If “stop the task if it runs longer than” is checked then uncheck it.
   
9. [This step only relevant on laptops]. Go to the “Conditions” tab and uncheck “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power”. (Unless you want the task to only start if the computer is plugged in, inwhich case keep it checked).
   
10. Click “Ok” then exit the Task Scheduler. Restart the computer or log off/log on.

That’s it! The next time you log on your app will launch without the dreaded (”Windows blocked some startup programs” message).

[Editor’s note: this review was written by Freewaregenius contributor Jason H. Check out his tech blog: 404techsupport.com].You can focus on a wall by double-clicking it. This will cause you to fly-in so you only look at that wall. You’ll be able to see the edges of the adjacent walls and the floor while you’re focused on one wall, so you can double click on the edge to move from one wall to the next. Don’t worry! The four walls and the floor makes your desktop seem more like diorama than another cubicle. You can throw icons on to the wall to hang them there or slide them across the floor and they’ll bump into other icons. You can use this to throw files to the recycle bin or into some of the desktop widgets that integrates E-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. These widgets will allow you to throw a file into them and then start a new message with the file attached. You can also pin sticky notes to the walls so you can write down notes to yourself. You’re limited to two (2) notes in the free version. Double click to edit a sticky note or right-click to add one.

Your normal right-click context menu is replaced with an easy to use circle menu where you can choose different features of BumpTop. You can still access the normal right-click menu (with some additions) under the More… selection. All of these selections, as you can see, also come with keyboard shortcuts so you can really work how you do.

One great feature of BumpTop is the ability to increase or decrease icon size. If you use something frequently, why not make it bigger so it’s an easier target to hit? You can increase the size of icons to make them easier to access. With the physics that are implemented by BumpTop, this also increases their weight and they won’t get bumped out of the way so easily. It could also make the Recycle Bin an easier target if you want to throw files away.

Some of the practical uses of BumpTop include searching and piling. You can search your desktop for a file just by typing and any matching icons will be highlighted. You can also access the search through the right-click menu. You can also pile icons together to tag them as related and to keep them physically together. To pile icons, you just highlight them and go to the pile icon. This will move all the icons on to a stack and you can then double-click on the pile to spread them out in a separated grid or right-click and fan them out.

Your mileage may vary, but BumpTop measured in as a 60-75 MB process for me and was a 10.7MB download for the installer. You can optionally configure BumpTop to start with Windows. Otherwise you can start it manually and close it with a system tray icon. It will remember your icon layout each time it starts up.

I used BB Flashback Express to record a video of going through the opening tutorial, so you can see some of the animations in action in the below video.

You can configure a number of settings: icons physics, photo frame cycling, and the desk widgets which allow integration to e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also change some of the visuals and graphic card usage. If you have multiple monitors, it looks like BumpTop can only be used on one desktop at a time. You can change the theme that BumpTop uses or just specify individual images for each wall/floor. You can have your current Windows background be the floor and then specify images for each wall or leave it with the theme defaults. You can see how to install a theme and browse the growing number of themes to really customize it to your liking. There are some really cool themes out there!

Another cool thing that BumpTop adds to your desktop comes in the form of Photoframes. Photoframes allow you to run a slide show from a local directory or an online source like a Flickr RSS feed. They can be configured with how frequently they update their source and how often they change images.

If you’re curious for more info you can watch a TED talk on the software.

Version tested: 1.0 build 3038

Compatibility: A 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, with latest service packs. Intel 915 integrated graphics or Nvidia GeForce 6200 or ATI X300 or better with updated drivers. OpenGL 2.0 driver support required (may require additional drivers available at the bumptop drivers page).

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 10.73 megs).

There is an impressive range of excellent freeware Windows enhancements and tweaks. This posting will present forty three excellent additions to Windows that you will like.

When I first thought of this post, I more or less knew what programs I wanted to list here. The common theme that brought these together was that they were all really cool Windows “enhancements”: i.e. apps that tweak or change the way we work with files, folders, applications, or the system environment itself (or, apps that brings functionality to the Windows environment that could or should have been a built-in option in Windows ).

Two more things to say before presenting the list itself; the first is that this list might not include some well known titles because in some cases I shied away from Windows enhancement apps that try to do many things at once in favor of simpler, more straightforward ones. The second is to be aware that many of these have overlapping functions and hotkeys that you wouldn’t necessarily want installed on the same system at the same time (you also dont want to overburden your PC, so install selectively).

Note: this post took a long time to write, so please Stumble or Digg!

Here’s the list:

1- Fences: do you ever wish that there was some way to organize your icons into general, clearly-labeled areas on your desktop that you could move or organize without needing to deal with each icon individually? If so, you’re in luck, as this is exactly what Fences does. You can create floating areas on your desktop, label them, and move icons of any type into them; you can then re-arrange these by moving entire units around, etc. Fences will do two more things for you (1) it will preserve/save icon locations on your screen, and (2) it will allow you to double click an empty area on the desktop to hide all icons.

Note that Fences is still in beta and seems to exhibit some bugs on some machines. It works fine on my XP (with XP’s Dr. Watson debugger disabled).

2- QTTabbar: ever imagined using explorer windows in a Firefox style tabbed interface? This is essentially what this (terrific) freeware does, but it also manages to deliver a range of nice functions, including the ability to browse contents of folders without clicking into them (see screenshot), the option to bookmark groups of open tabs, a searchbox for filtering files, image previews on mouse-hover, as well as a slew of others.

QTTabbar is extendible through a handful of plugins that provide extra functionality, including a “folder memo” plugin to add notes to folders.

3- Filebox Extender: this one adds new buttons on the title bar next to the minimize, maximize, and close buttons that provide favorite folders and recent folders access anywhere (including file open/save dialogs). Other functions: a “stay on top” pushpin button, and a window roll-up button that hides all but the title bar of a window.

There are many apps that are designed to access favorite folders and files, but this one is one of the most original and innovative.

4- Desktop Media: this may be familiar to you if you’ve worked with Liunx. Desktop Media is a free program that creates automatic shortcuts on the desktop whenever you plug in a USB drive, CD, or other media. The shortcuts will automatically disappear when the media is ejected.

This program also provides an interesting option whereby hardlink rather than shortcuts can be (optionally) created on NTFS drives (see “Link Shell Extension” below for more on hardlinks).

5- Sizer: allows you to you right click on the “maximize”button on the title bar in order to quickly change the size and/or placement of the active Window using a selection of pre-set profiles. You can add your own user-defined sizes and placements.

While this function hardly sounds revolutionary, I will tell you that once you start using this one you will wonder how you managed without it. Sizer will prove to be very useful and is in fact one of my first installs on a new machine.

6- Folder Menu: this is a terrific little free app that displays favorite folders anywhere on Middle mouse click or using a hotkey. It can even invoke favorite folders in Windows and MS Office open/save dialogs.

This is a new Autohotkey-based program that deserves to be more well known; since installing it it’s become one of my favorites, and I am betting that you will like it as well.

7- Folder Size: ever noticed that Windows’ detail folder view does not display sizes for folders? Well guess what, this free Windows extension adds a column to Windows’ “detailed” view that displays folder sizes. Check out my review for how to get this set up.

The latest information as I write this is that a new version 2.5 is about to be released, so watch out for that.

8- WinSplit Revolution: a freeware program that brings instant, versatile docking and resizing of windows to the sides of the and/or corners of the screen. But what is really nice is that the program allows you to control the placement of your windows by using hotkeys, by using a “virtual numpad” control that is prompted by clicking on the app’s icon in the system tray, or by so-called “drag’n go”, which involves moving your window around the screen while pressing Ctrl+Alt (whereupon it will display visual previews of the resize area as you move your window around – see screenshot).

For another interesting program that offers a similar function check out PowerResizer, which is also excellent.

9- Q-Dir: is a free dual-pane file manager that is simply terrific. It offers a slew of nice functions, including bookmarking favorite folders, a search box for filtering files and folders, the ability to save configurations of open panes and folders, and a whole host of other nifty options. What is quite innovative about Q-Dir are the nifty buttons on the toolbar that let the user access multiple configurations of file panes, quickly and easily.

I personally use Q-Dir as a replacement for Windows explorer, such that clicking on a folder in Windows will open it using Q-Dir; In that sense it is the ultimate Windows enhancement. (See my original review of the program for instructions on how to do this, find favorite feature #6).

10- Taskbar shuffle: this freeware Windows extension gives you the ability to reorder the tabs in your taskbar (on the bottom of your desktop) by dragging them at will. Very cool!

11- Standalone Stack: this freeware allows you to create folder shortcuts that, when clicked, open up as Mac-style hovering icon stacks. It supports two styles of icons “grid” and “fan”. The screenshot here depicts a grid-style such shortcut that I strategically placed in the “Quick Launch” area.

12- TaskSwitchXP: this is a freeware Alt+Tab replacement. It’s my favorite because it is straightforward and simply scrolls across the different open apps and windows while (reliably) displaying a screenshot of the selected app. It strength is function rather than form, and I like the fact that it bucks the 3D vista-style and the Mac Expose trends (but if you must have these, check out WinFlip, Shock Aero, and DExpose2).

13- Link Shell Extension: is a freeware app that allows you to right click on files and folders and create instant (and effortless) hardlinked clones, with the single stipulation that your hard drive should be NTFS formatted.

A clone is NOT a copy. A little known piece of information is that a file in Windows XP and Vista can be in two places at once (as long as the hard drive is NTFS formatted and not FAT). Suppose that you keep videos of “The Sopranos” in their “Sopranos” folder, but that you had set up a “Favorite TV shows” folder where you wanted to keep a list of some of the TV-show episodes you like the most. If your hard drive is NTFS formatted, you can keep a clone of that video in that folder that does not occupy extra space on your hard drive (rather than create a duplicate copy.

14- Launchy: this is a freeware launcher for apps and files where, instead of clicking on shortcuts or icons of the programs or files you want to open, you type in the name of the program you are seeking in a search box and select it from a list of results (the program will refine the list of selections as-you-type, which is a very nice effect).

By default this program will monitor (index) the execs and shortcuts in your start menu but can be configured to look anywhere for any file type you want. Lastly I will say that once you start using this I guarantee you will not want to use your computer without it. Some good Launchy alternatives (also free): Find and Run Robot, Key Launch and Keybreeze.

15- Freesnap: ever wanted to snap just one or two edges of your window that you’re working with right to the side of the screen? Freesnap is a freeware that lets you do just that (see screenshot). It will also let you use hotkeys to quickly send your window to any of the 4 corners of the screen (or the center), and perform a number of window-resizing operations.

16- Everything: this one is a free desktop file search program that works ONLY on NTFS formatted drives. The reason: it relies on the Master File Table of the NTFS volume to build its index of files, rather than constantly scanning and scouring the hard drive. What this means is that Everything will always be up to date with all file changes that occur on your hard drive.

The reason this one is included in this post is that more than any other program it has changed the way I work with Windows (with the possible exception of Launchy, above). I now find myself constantly right-clicking “Search Everything” on folders in order to locate the files that I am working with. Being able to right click on my computer in order to find a file or files anywhere on my drives is an extremely powerful thing to be able to do.

17- 3RVX: this freeware allows you to control your system’s volume (up/down/mute) through hotkeys. Its not the most feature-packed utility of its kind (Volumouse might have that distinction), but it just may be the most pleasant to use, looks really pretty (emulates the MacOSX volume bezel, but is skinnable and comes with many other cool skins).

This is another one of those apps I have to have installed on my machine.

18- OSD Mute: a very simple free app that does a very simple thing: displays a “Mute On” message on your desktop near the system tray when the system volume is muted. While this is not quite revolutionary, it is so useful that I install it on all my machine, and is really an option that should have come built into Windows.

19- Dexpot: this is without a doubt the best, most feature rich and advanced freeware virtual desktop program for Windows. It doesn’t offer some of the eye candy that you might find in some others (animated 3D cube transitions between desktops, for example), but what it lacks in style in makes up for in substance (e.g. rules, hotkeys, icon placements on different desktops). If you are unfamiliar with virtual desktops imagine being able to work on, say, your Office applications in one desktop, then flipping to another that has your browser/webmail, and then flipping to a third that displays, say, your media player.

One thing you can do with Dexpot that I have not found anywhere else is to actually designate different icons to different desktops. This alone makes it the undisputed number one virtual desktop app as far as I am concerned.

20- Infotag Magic: a freeware shell extension that tweaks Windows to display informational tooltips when hovering over a range of filetypes, including audio files, text files, shortcuts, and executables (see screenshot).

File extension types supported: wp3, wma, ape, and Ogg Vorbis (for audio), txt, ini, log, bat, diz, bak, and que files (for text files), exe, dll, ocx and lnk (for executables/shortcuts). I would have liked to have tooltips support for video files; if that’s something you want it is provided in the latest beta of MediaInfo.

21- AudioShell: a freeware shell extension that allows you to view and edit audio files tags directly in Windows Explorer (for individual files or groups of files). It adds tabs in the audio file’s right-click “properties” dialog that enable you to edit tag information on the fly. (Including album art, which you can easily import into the Audioshell tab and save it into the audio file itself.)

Audioshell will also display your audio file tag information inside tooltips when you mouse-over your audio files, and will add additional audio related columns that can be displayed in Windows explorer’s folder “detail” view (e.g. Title, Album, Artist, etc.)

22- Stick: is an interesting freeware app that places dockable tabs on the sides of your screen that can contain a variety of functions, such as notes, RSS feeds, shortcuts for apps or favorite folders, etc.

The nice thing about this one is that the “dockable tab” effect works really well, and its a very interesting innovation on the typical Windows user interface.

23- Xentient Thumbnails: a freeware that automatically changes the icons for image files to appear as little thumbnail previews of the images themselves.

This means that the even in icon or tile view each individual image will display a thumbnail for its icon that reflects a preview of the image itself. It also means that your image files will display little thumbnails for their icons even when placed on the desktop (a nifty and rather unusual effect).

24- Thumbview: you might have noticed that some image file types (e.g. JPG, GIF, BMP and a few others). display preview thumbnails in Windows Explorer while others do not . What Thumbview does is provide support for 19 additional image file types such that Explorer is able to provide thumbnail previews for those as well. It also adds tooltips for image files in Explorer such that hovering over an image file displays its type, dimension, bitdepth, and filesize.

25- WinCDemu: a small, free, extension that adds to Windows the ability to mount disk images as virtual drives simply by double clicking on the image files. Supports .ISO, .IMG, .CUE, .BIN and .RAW disk images and an unlimited number of virtual drives.

Runs in the background with no user interface, and seamlessly integrates disk image files into Windows.

26- Allsnap: imagine that your windows had a little “magnetic field” around them such that if they came sufficiently close to each other they would simply snap together. This effect, which we have all seen employed by various apps (such as Winamp for example) is exactly what this freeware does. Very cool, and also configurable so that you could set exactly how many pixels around each window this “magnetic field ” should be in effect.

There is also, interestingly, a portable version of this app which I just discovered.

27- TeraCopy: this free program integrates itself with Windows to deliver accelerated file copying in many instances as well as the ability to pause and resume copy operations. It comes especially handy when copying or moving a large number of files such that the entire process will not break down if it encounters, say, a file error.

You have the option to set whether to have TeraCopy perform all file copy operations by default (which is what I do), just when invoked by the user, or only when the “Caps Lock” key is on.

28- HOBComment: this free Windows extension adds a context menu entry that allows users to instantly add a comment to files and folders (yes, folders, which normally you wouldn’t be able to add comments to in Windows). I’ve been looking for a long time and this remains my favorite way to add comments to files and folders (despite relatively sophisticated freeware general file tagging apps such as Tag2Find and Taggedfrog.

The one conspicuous drawback that afflicts HOBComment though is that it is sometimes unable to add comments to some file types, such as .MSI and MS Office files (forcing me to resort to right clicking properties/summary/comment in Windows to do so).

29- StyleFolder: this freeware adds a simple entry to the Windows context menu that makes it possible to change folder icons. And while there are a handful such apps, I like StyleFolder because it is simple and unassuming; but, more importantly, it saves the icon info within the folder rather than simply pointing to it, which means that folders retain their new, customized icons when they are moved to portable media or across the network, etc.

30- Unlocker: have you ever tried to move, delete, or perform other operations on a file or folder only to be notified that it is locked because it is being used by another process? Enter freeware Unlocker to the rescue. This software can (a) identify the process(es) that are using your files/folders and holding them hostage, and (b) will let you “unlock” these or optionally to kill the offending process so its no longer running.

Unlocker installs a convenient entry in the Windows context menu that can be used to right click any file or folder and investigate the processes that might be working with it, if any.

31- Send To Toys: this app will breathe new life into the “send to” entry in Windows’ context menu by making it extremely useful and customizable. There are a number of commands that “Send To Toys” can introduce into the send to menu, including send to clipboard, send to command prompt, send to run, send to trash, and send to quicklaunch. But what makes this program really useful is the ability to add your favorite folders to the send to menu, whereby you can quickly copy or move any item to them (pressing Shift as you use the send to folder command will move your files/items rather than copy them, while pressing ctrl+shift will copy a shortcut).

32- RBTray: minimize any window to the system tray by right-clicking on the “minimize” button. Simple with fairly low resource consumption.

What I like about this one is that is coexists very well with other Windows enhancements (aforementioned Sizer, for example), when some other apps like it do not.

33- Trayconizer: this interesting free app is for those programs that you use that you wished would simply minimize to the system tray every time by default. Trayconizer can create special, modified shortcuts to these apps that, when run, will make these always minimize to the system tray without any further intervention by the user.

34- Flashfolder: this freeware apps makes it easy to access your favorite folders in Windows’ open/save dialog (as well as that of MS Office). What is notable about FlashFolder, aside from it being extremely useful, is that in terms of coolness/form factor alone it scores extremely high points with me (check out the toolbar that add overlays on top of the open/save dialog in the screenshot to the right).

Aside from favorite folders, Flashfolder can also quickly access recently used folders and a number of other functions.

35- Folder Guide: this freeware lets you right click to access your favorite folders. Works on the desktop, in Windows’ open/save dialog, as well as the MS Office open/save dialog.

There are two ways to add your favorite folders to “Folder Guide”; from the settings, you could browse to the folder of your choice, or simply right click on the folder you want to add and use the “Folder Guide” context menu entry.

36- Shock Bookmark: another freeware app that, similar to Folder Guide above installs your favorite folders in your right click context menu and enables quick access to these on your desktop and in the Windows open/save dialog (but, interestingly, not in the MS Office open/save dialog for this one). Shock Bookmark goes one further in that it lets you access favorite apps as well as favorite files in the context menu in addition to folders.

Like Folder Guide, Shock Bookmark allows you to right click on a folder in order to add it to the app’s context menu. However, it also features “copy to” and “move to” functions on right click for quickly moving or copying your files to your bookmarked folders (similar to “Send to Toys” above).

37-Open Target Shell Extension: [XP only]. This extension adds a right click context menu entry to Windows that shows up when you right-click on shortcut files, giving the option to instantly open the target folder where the item actually resides. This saves the user a few steps that would otherwise be required right-clicking properties then “find target” on XP.

Vista users do not need this as this functionality is already built into that OS.

38- MenuApp: this tiny free app lets you create shortcuts to folders that, when clicked on, display a browsable, cascading-style menu similar to the Windows Start menu. You can create a shortcut folder any folder(s) you like and place them in all sorts of convenient places, such as the quick launch menu area, on your desktop, or within your favorite launcher app, etc.

39- Visual Subst: this freeware presents an interesting way to access favorite folders by mapping them as virtual drives that you could access from “My Computer”.

The idea is that this makes it easier to access these using on or two clicks from open/save dialogs or by navigating from anywhere all the way back to the root drive.

40- Visual Task Tips: [XP only] a lightweight freeware utility that brings thumbnail previews to minimized task bar items in Windows XP. Simply hover over a minimized taskbar button to display a preview pop-up (Windows Vista already has this functionality built in).

Check out my original Freewaregenius site design template in the screenshot!

41- Explorer BreadCrumbs: [XP only] a free Windows explorer extension that add a “breadcrumbs navigation” toolbar for folders in XP. The breadcrumb navigation method is already built into Windows Vista; it comprises a flat path structure whereby each “node” in the path is interactive and can be navigated at will in order to quickly move back and forth across the folder structure.

Note: QT Address Bar is another freeware that delivers the same functionality.

42- VSO Image Resizer: delivers image conversion and resizing as a function within the Windows explorer context menu. What is interesting about VSO Image resizer, aside from the fact that it does a great job, is that it allows for the creation of different size/format/quality profiles that make it easy for the user to right click and quickly perform multiple, different resizing operation while accessing their commonly used settings. Also allows for image processing in batch.

43- XnView Shell Extension: freeware that embeds a number of image-related operations into the Windows context menu, including an interesting image preview inside the right click menu. Other functions include the ability to edit image IPTC metadata and to resize image and/or convert them to other image formats on-the-fly

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Generally speaking one of the things that I often do and frequently recommend is to manage the programs that start automatically with Windows and limit these to the bare-bones minimum (using for example a program like Starter). This will guarantee that as more and more programs are added to your system they do not unnecessarily load up at once on startup, slowing down the boot process and unnecessarily overloading your system resources.

Of course, there is a price to pay for doing this: some programs would at times be desirable as startup programs, but maybe not at all times (depending on how you are going to use your system). Wouldn’t it be great if there was an easy way to control whether some programs automatically start with Windows such that they load only when you need them? This is exactly what Capster provides.

What Capster allows you to do is add “modified” shortcuts to your startup folder such that these applications only load on startup if the user allows them to do so by pressing the Caps Lock button (or, conversely, only if the Caps Lock button is not pressed, depending on your preference). The following is a quick’n dirty guide on how to use this software:

1. Use a startup programs management software to determine the items that currently launch on startup (I use Starter). Find the startup entries you would like to control with Capster; note the path to these because you will need it, then disable them.
2. Run Capster and point it to the desired executables. You will need to specify whether you want these to run on Caps on or Caps Off. Capster will automatically place these shortcuts in your startup folder.
3. Caps on vs. Caps off: there is a subtle difference. Caps on will force you to intervene every time to get these programs to launch on startup, so that the default is that they will not. Caps off will require your intervention only if you do NOT want them to start with Windows, such that the default is that they will.
4. That’s it. Press (or unpress) Caps Lock next time you boot or log-on to load the correct programs.

More notes on this software:

• Portable: unzip and run
• Creates modified shortcuts in the startup folder. You can delete these and replace them with the original program shortcuts to revert to the normal state.

The verdict: this is one of those programs where I imagine some people will be extremely excited about while others will have no use for. Either way it scores extremely high points in my book for originality and innovation. Oh, and did I mention that it works really well?

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (a mere 10K).

Do you believe in synchronicity? That’s when, for example, you may be feeling depressed and randomly come upon a book at a yard sale that really speaks to you and makes you feel a lot better. Or you decide to quit your job but the day before you do it they tell you that they’re laying you off with 6 months severance pay.

The reason I mention this is because I had a whole bunch of folders (43 folders to be exact) full of freeware that I downloaded over the past 12 months that I wanted to consolidate into a single folder. I was thinking about how best to do this and it so happened that I came upon this program by pure chance.

Here’s what you need to know about Suction:

1. Portable; unzip and run
2. Integrates into Windows’ context menu: from the about section
3. Two ways to use it; (1) run suction.exe and then drop all the folders you want to “unify” onto the program dialog, or (2) if the context menu entry is enabled, right click on the folder containing all the other folders you want to process.
4. Works recursively: all files within potentially complex folder structures will be scooped up and deposited in the parent directory.
5. De-duplication option: this setting (which you can toggle in the about section) removes dupes have the same name and content. Different versions of the file that have the same name, however, will NOT be deleted but rather will have a numbered suffix added to their filename (e.g. name-1, name-2).
6. Deletes all empty folders: once the consolidation of the files is over and done with. It should also display the number of suctioned files (if it does not do this then the consolidation has not been performed properly).
7. Use with care: once you consolidate your files there is simply no way to go back to the previous structure. This can be an especially hard lesson if you mistakenly right click “suction” on a folder and watch as the contents are flattened when you don’t want them to be and the directory structure removed.

The verdict: nice, small, and lightweight, and can really save you a lot of time. The only thing I found is that the program will at times NOT perform the consolidation if you move folders onto it, but will do it if you move the root folder onto it instead (but I am guessing this will be rectified in future versions).

Version tested: 1.0.6

Compatibility: WinAll

Go to the program page to download the latestoar version (approx 180K).

Honestly I feel like I’ve said all that’s to be said about this app in the introductory paragraph above. My advice to you is to download it and see if you like it. But for now, as an added bonus, let’s do a bit of a Q&A:

Q: Why would I want to use this? What’s the value-added?
A: The idea is to allow moving windows without having to grab the title bar, and to resize them without having to grab the edges. It’s just a nice way to work with open windows, makes moving them around and sizing them much more versatile once you get used to it. The snap to edge functionality is also a very nice addition.

Q: is this just for XP?
A: No, its for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Q: So how does this work, exactly?
A: Press Alt then left-click anywhere on your window to move it. To resize, press Alt then right click and move your mouse horizontally or vertically. Snapping to the screen’s edge involves moving the window such that it’s edge is off-screen, and following it up with a quick right-click. Note that multiple monitors are not supported.

Q: How much memory does it consume?
A: Approximately six megs, which is quite reasonable.

Q: Any last words? What’s your verdict?
A: Overall a nice app. If you’re a bit of a geek like me you’ll definitely like this extra functionality.

Version tested: 1.0.47.5

Compatibility: Windows XP, Vista, Seven.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 218K).

NOTE: if you have trouble downloading make sure you are not using a download manager. If that doesn’t solve the problem in IE you might need to download in Firefox or another browser.

There are many excellent freeware programs that can mount disk images into virtual drives. What is interesting about this one, however, is that it is completely integrated into Windows explorer, such that mounting an image file becomes a simple matter of double clicking on the disk image file (as you would any other file), and – voila! it is mounted.

If you don’t know what mounting a disk image means, here’s a quick description: a disk image file (of which .ISO files are the most common) is a CD or DVD saved locally on the hard drive as a single file, and which can be burned to a CD or DVD with a program like Imgburn. “Mounting” this file to a virtual drive means that your system will behave as if a real, physical CD or DVD was inserted into a real drive. Virtual drives are much faster than physical drives.

More notes below:

• Image formats supported: I’m quoting the website; “supports ISO, CUE, BIN/RAW/IMG file formats as well as SMB network shares and includes a workaround for Windows cache bug“
• Number of drives supported: unlimited.
• Supports network shares.

The verdict: there are many freeware disk image mounting options but I like the fact that this one is invisibly integrated into Windows explorer and that it supports such a wide range of image formats. I reviewed MagicDisc previously which has the added option of creating image files from CDs/DVD, but if you do not want that functionality (or if you already have it via your CD/DVD burning program), the WinCDEmu may be a more attractive option.

Version tested: 2.2

Compatibility: Windows XP and Vista, 32 and 64 bit.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 783K).

Is there anything more useful than an app that can instantly open your favorite folders or files or launch your favorite apps or websites? It’s possible, I suppose, but either way this favorite-folders at your fingertips app is pretty darn handy.

Folder Menu provides a number of interesting features; for example it can display a list of recently-opened folders, and it allows you to browse your files and folders within the interface if you like. It works within Windows explorer as well as inside many other apps, and provides the possibility of manually adding any apps that are not supported by default. More notes below:

• My favorite Folder Menu functions: (1) Favorite folders; (2) Browsing folders within the interface; (3) Launching favorite apps, and (4) Opening selected path/URL by hotkey (see “open selected text” below).
• How it works: the middle mouse button will bring up the Folder Menu by default. For those who are keyboard-inclined (or, like me, use a laptop) Win+W can invoke the app as well.
• Entities supported: you can launch folders, files, URLs, as well as registry keys.
• Browsing: bring Folder Menu on screen, then press CTRL and left-click on your folders. This allows you to browse your folders quickly and freely. CTRL+Shift will display files as well as folders. Also, CAPS LOCK will toggle browsing if its on (this behavior can be switched off in the settings).
• Filtering (for vista): a handy function where you can filter open folders by your desired file type. Sadly does not work on XP, so I couldn’t see it in action.
• Open selected text: select/highlight a URL or path (or registry key) then press
  Win+J to open it. Pretty cool.
• Adding favorites: go to options/favorites, and then drag and drop the folder you want to add. To change the display order use shift+arrows; to delete press “delete”.
• System tray icon: you can access Folder Menu from the system tray. Note that it is possible to hid the system tray icon from the settings if you want to.
• Memory use: approx. 11 megs in memory, which is reasonable though not lightweight.
• Installation: portable, no installation needed. Place the .exe in an appropriate folder and run; it will create a config file when first run.

Wish list: (or how this program could be even better)

• Support for Open/Save dialogs: while the program states that it supports open/save dialogs in Windows and MS Office, I couldn’t get this to work when I tested on XP (using both ver. 1.20 and 2.0 beta).

The verdict: a great little app which can be extremely useful. The interface (for setting up your favorite folders and customizing the app) could be more user friendly, but overall the program works really well. I remain continually amazed with the kind of cool apps that are made using Autohotkey.

Version Tested: 2.00 b5

Compatibility: Windows All.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 267K).

PowerTools Lite is a free registry and system cleaning utility based on jv16 PowerTools 2009 utility suite, one of the best available registry cleaning utilities. PowerTools Lite is designed to provide regular or novice users with a safe, effective registry and system cleanup. It removes unnecessary data from the registry, performs a general PC cleanup, and cleans MRU and history data from most applications and from Windows.

PowerTools lite is a freeware version of what arguably is one of the best commercially available registry cleaners out there, jv16 PowerTools. I first used that program about 10 years ago or so when it first came out. At the time it was freeware and was very well received and as it developed it was widely lauded as one of the best programs in it’s class; which is why it was eventually bought and re-released as shareware (the last freeware version is still available on the net). This newly release freeware version (PowerTools Lite) is a version of jv16 PowerTools which contains some of the core functionality of that software (and to be honest with you this functionality is what I would care about anyway; all the other utilities that are added to the “suite” are bells and whistles that can be found in a number of available freeware titles).

This posting will feel more like an endorsement than a review, and, well… that would be a fair characterization. I cannot credibly review a registry cleaner without something to compare the cleaning results with (a ’clean’ system, say, and/or some sort of quantitative measure of system performance improvement). I have taken a stab at reviewing free registry cleaners in the past (see Registry Distiller and TweakNow RegCleaner), but generally speaking reviewing registry cleaners is a tricky business. This is for several reasons (a) there is a big question mark as to the extent to which a “cleaned” registry would contribute towards better performance in any significant or measurable way, and (b) there is always an inherent risk that a registry cleaner will do damage or remove/change information which it shouldn’t, which when weighed against concerns that even a “successful” registry cleaning may not boost performance that much anyway, makes it difficult to recommend apps in this category.

However insofar as there is value in using a registry/system cleaner, I have no qualms recommending PowerTools Lite as a safe and powerful free option. This is mainly due to (a) the excellent reputation that this program has, and, (b) the fact that it has been around for many years, enough time to iron out any kinks.

Here are more notes on this program:

• The Interface: designed for extremely simple, 1-click operation. The results set of proposed fixes is segmented into 4 sections (registry errors, registry junk, MRU & history data, and temp files) where you can drill down to see the various proposed fixes and check or uncheck these for implementation as needed (selecting an entry will display more information).
• Undo: gives you the option to backup its pre-intervention state and to undo all changes if needed (just in case).
• Search: you can search within the results listings (regular expressions supported).

Differences between the free and paid versions: in addition to the registry cleaning and system optimization functions which are available in the free version, the (paid) jv16 PowerTools 2009 utility suite includes a startup manager, a program uninstaller, File and directory tools with advanced system functions such as encryption and file attribute editing, a File Cleaner, Start Menu Cleaner, a Script Manager and an automated back-up tool, and a service manager.

The verdict: the way I see it, registry cleaning is really more an art than a science, and finding a “good” registry cleaner is to some degree a matter of trust. This re-release of jv16 PowerTools registry cleaner as freeware, therefore, is music to my ears, as it has a long history and an established reputation.

I will also add that, personally, I am GRATEFUL that this free version cuts out all the other utilities and apps. Not only does this make for a more lightweight app free from bloat, but the function that remains is the one I am interested in, and the one that made this software special in the first place. If anything I would have preferred that they did not include the “temp file” cleaning function of this software (which a hard drive cleaner like CCleaner can take care of).

Finally I will mention that lately I had been hearing good things about another freeware registry cleaner, Comodo System Cleaner, so that’s another program you might want to look at as well if you’re interested.

Version Tested: 1.9.0.575

Compatibility: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista.

Go HERE to download the latest version (approx 4.1 megs), also go HERE and HERE for more info.

[Editor’s note: this review was written by Freewaregenius contributor Gaurav Paul with subsequent editing by the webmaster].

There are two kinds of people reading this right now; readers in the first group are excited about the prospect of easily and quickly backing up their drivers and being able to restore all or some of them at will. Readers in the second group, on the other hand, are not quite sure (a) why this is of value, and/or (b) why they should bother with this activity at all.

The answer to these questions is simple: backing up drivers is very useful in case things go wrong. Specifically, if you decide to re-install your operating system it is possible/likely that you will need to invest considerable time and energy hunting down the correct device drivers online or on random CDs that you didn’t know you had. You can prevent this by using a program like DriverBackup and instantly get all of your drivers restored. The other situation where having drivers backed up is useful is if your drivers are corrupted and/or your hardware is not working properly, inwhich case you can use DriverBackup to remove the drivers as well as quickly get your working drivers back.

Here are some notes on this program:

• The main window: lists all types of drivers that are installed in the system with their full info.
• Selection modes: the three available modes of operation are (a) Backup (b)Restore, and (c)Remove
• The backup process: is fairly straightforward. Check the drivers you want to backup, select the path, and (optionally) enter a short description about the device/driver type.
• Filtering: you can filter the list of drivers using tabs ("All" "OEM", and "Third Party" drivers). You can also use the "Digital Signature" and "Full portability" buttons to select the device which has WHQL(Windows Hardware Quality Labs) signature and full portability button list you the device drivers which has full capability to be backup and restore.
• Restore: allows you to select and restore the previous versions of drivers that has been saved by the Driverbackup program in case of errors.
• Remove drivers: gives you a very simply and handy method to remove drivers, if that is what you want.
• Automatic Driver Restoration: this functionality under "Start Backup" is designed to create the necessary files if the drivers are to be restored on a system which doesn’t have "DriverBackup" installed. The "Generate file for auto-restoration” checkbox forces DriverBackup! to generate executable files for automatic drivers’ restoration. These files include a batch file “Restore.bat” and “Autorun.inf” that enables autorun in removable devices (USB Flash,CD-DVD-ROM). Note that in order to enable autorun, backup files (Backup Info file “.BKI” and directory tree) must be copied in the root path of device.
• Command Line Builder: this feature can be accessed from the "Tools" menu and is like magic; it offfers a simple way to access DriverBackup from a command line or script. For example you can burn the driver files into a Windows CD and all drivers can be installed from the command line at once; very cool!

The verdict: this program combines powerful functionality with an Easy GUI that both a "normal" and advanced user can easily interact with. There is no hitch in the backup/restore functionality, and expert functions like "Command line Builder" and "Automatic Driver Restoration" can be extremely useful.

One thing comes to mind with respect to "Automatic Driver Restoration; we’ve previously featured a similar program on Freewaregenius, DriverMax, which is excellent and offers a similar functionality, but requires installation on a new computer in order to restore drivers. In this light DriverBackup’s ability to create .exe files and restore in batch without the program itself being installed is a very nice innovation. An excellent software overall.

Version Tested: 2.0.0

Compatibility: 64-bit MS Windows, All 32-bit MS Windows (95/98/NT/2000/XP), Vista

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 319K).