PowerResizer is a free program that brings the window resizing/docking function popularized by Windows 7 to all Windows platforms. It is unique in that once two windows are docked PowerResizer will let you grab ahold of any one of the edges in the ”border” are between the two Windows and drag it to resize both windows simultaneously, in case you wanted one of them to take up a larger area than the other. A really nifty feature. Additionally, you can perform all sorts of resizing behaviors using a combination of resizing and hotkeys.

I’ve previously discussed virtual server infrastructure with an article on Microsoft’s Hyper-V which comes included with Windows Server 2008. Due to the performance hit that a Server 2008 machine will take just by having the Hyper-V role installed, I went looking for another solution. I had a few criteria though. Since I was just doing this for myself and my own curiosity, I wanted it to be free or near there. I also wanted it to have as little performance impact as possible, but produce a fully stable and functional virtual machine.

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

MaxTo is a free program that splits your screen into custom regions and then nables you to maximize and snap your windows to these regions on-demand. It supports 2 “layers”, main and alternate, such that the user can split the screen into, say, vertical regions in one layer and horizontal regions in another (or even vertical/horizontal combinations) . It allows you to toggle window maximization for the main and alternate settings via two user-definable hotkeys, such that maximizing without pressing hotkeys results in normal window maximizing behavior.

StExBar is a free Windows extension that adds a number of useful functions as a Windows explorer toolbar, including a filtering box, toggle show system files, copy names or paths, mass rename, and a command line console. It allows you to add your own functions to the toolbar (or as keyboard shortcuts) if you have an executable or script.

Dyson is a free cross-platform real time strategy game with abstract visuals. It manages to be simple and elegant even as it combines elements such as the emergence of life, a Darwinian “sperm wars” motif, and intra-species competition with your standard world-domination game concept.

WindowsPager is a free program that adds four virtual desktops/workspaces to your desktop. It integrates the new workspaces as icons in your taskbar and allows for managing your open windows through the right click context menu. WindowsPager is a portable app with very light resource consumption.

Open++ is a free program that allows you to install functions in the Windows’ context menu extension. You can choose from a number of built-in functions or otherwise use any command line executable to add custom commands that can work on folders, specific file type(s) or both.

Easeus Partition Manager Home Edition is a free disk partitioning utility that offers a powerful range of functions such as resizing drive partitions, formatting partitions, copying partitions/drives, creating new partitions, deleting partitions, hiding partitions, changing drive letters, setting active partitions, and a handful other functions.

Shock Bookmark is a free program that provides access to your favorite folders, files, internet bookmarks, and program shortcuts straight from the Windows explorer right click context menu. It also enables quick right-click copy and/or move operations to your bookmarked locations.

JavaRa is a free, portable program that quickly updates the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on your computer to the latest available version. It can optionally remove all older versions that may exist on your machine, as well as a host of related temporary files that may be taking up space on your hard drive.