home	recommendations menu

---

Geekgirl's utility software picks

 

We all know Windows isn't perfect. It's full of holes and features that work counter-intuitively. With the help of utility software, you can plug those holes, improve upon Windows in-built features, and add some bells and whistles to make your operating system…well, maybe not sing, but at least dance a little more closely to your own tune.

After playing with Windows since before the day it was first released, these are the utilities I have found stand the test of time and stand out from the crowd. Many of them are free; all of them will improve your computing life.

 

Do more with your mouse

Program: StrokeIt
Price: Free for personal use

Doug Englebart did us a great turn by inventing the mouse. Apple chipped in by bringing the mouse to the world stage. Microsoft improved on a good thing by giving the mouse a wheel. And Jeff Doozan contributed to the rodent's evolution by writing Strokeit.

StrokeIt lets you control programs by drawing simple symbols on the screen with your mouse. Drag down diagonally and all open windows minimise. Draw a W and your web browser pops open. Drag left and your browser returns to the last page. StrokeIt comes with over 80 built-in gestures and works with dozens of applications. You can also create your own gestures.

It sounds simple, and it is. It's also insanely useful. Once you use StrokeIt, you'll feel lost without it.

Open folders instantly

Program: WinGO
Price: $US12

Do you constantly use the same folders? If so, one way to get at them more easilyis to put shortcuts to those folders on your desktop, but that can make for an awfully cluttered desktop. A better option is to use WinGO Folder Alias. This is the predecessor of a program called TrayIcon Explorer, but it's cheaper and does the job even better than its successor. WinGO will save you tens of thousands of mouse clicks. It lets you instantly access favorite folders directly from the system tray. Right-click the WinGO icon to set up your folder list, left-click to access any of the configured folders.

Control Your Network

Program: Network Magic
Price: $US49.95 for a network of 5 PCs

Network Magic shines light on the dark art of home networking, making it both easy and enjoyable.

This beautifully designed software creates a map of all computers, printers and other devices – even Tivos and other digital media servers – on your network, using friendly names instead of the usual horrifying network device identifiers. The stylish interface gives you complete information about all network devices and tips on using and configuring them. When something goes wrong, Network Magic tries to fix it automatically, and usually succeeds. If it doesn't, it displays the steps you need to take to restore order.

Network Magic lets you share files and folders with a click or two, pooling all shared folders in a single location. It guards your security by alerting you to intruders, working hand-in-hand with your firewall, and helping you set up security on wireless networks.

If you have a home network, you need this software.

 

technote: install with care

Before installing any system utility, make sure your system has been backed up recently and you've set a recent System Restore point (click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore -> Create A Restore Point). This is a wise move when installing any program, but goes double for system utilities, which tend to mess with the internals of the operating system.

Improve the clipboard

Program: Clipomatic
Price: Free

The Windows Clipboard is a handy tool for copying information between programs, but it's horribly limited. You see, it has an exceedingly restricted brain space. It can hold one thing, and one thing only, in its memory. Copy a second item to the Clipboard, and it has to dump the first item before it can accommodate the new one.

That's why Clipomatic is so useful. It's like ginkgo biloba for your Clipboard, enhancing its memory many times over so it can store not one but a multitude of items.
To use Clipomatic, simply go about your business copying items in the normal manner via the Copy command or by pressing Ctrl-C. To insert the last item you copied to the Clipboard, use the regular Ctrl-V shortcut. To select which item to copy, press Ctrl-Alt-V instead. Up will pop a list of items, from which you can choose the needed entry. You can even save a permanent set of entries, such as your name and address, which will never be removed from the list.

Zip 'em up

Program: WinZip
Price: $US29

Everyone needs a zipper and WinZip is the best available.

A zip program compresses and decompresses files, so they take up less space on your computer and are smaller for emailing. Zipping files also lets you evade over-zealous anti-virus software which tries to stop you from receiving or sending email with attached Word documents, program files or HTML pages.

WinZip's Wizard mode simplifies the job of zipping for beginners, while its Classic mode gives advanced users all the tools they could desire. It can span zip files across disks, to let you make multi-floppy backups, for example. It provides encryption as well as compression. It lets you share self-extracting zips with zip-less recipients.

The program integrates beautifully with Windows, providing right-click access its functions. Buy it and get free upgrades for life.

Print a file list

Program: Directory Printer
Price: Free

Microsoft omitted one very important feature when it created Windows (well, it omitted dozens of important features, but few quite so basic as this): It failed to include a method of printing the contents of folders. If you want a quick list of all the files in a particular folder, there's no simple way to do it.

Directory Printer plugs that glaring hole in Windows and does it with gusto. It combines flexibility and ease, allowing you to print the entire contents of a folder – and its sub-folders – or use the filters to print only selected files.

The name, by the way, is a hangover from the old days of DOS, when folders were called directories. DOS, unlike Windows, had built-in directory printing support.

Pump up the interface

Program: Powertoys for Windows XP
Price: Free

The Windows development team has a tradition of providing a set of unsupported utilities, called Powertoys, which boost the capabilities of each version of Windows. That 'unsupported' tag means don't go crying to Microsoft if you run aground when trying to use them.

Despite that lack of support, the XP Powertoys are well worth using. Download them all or pick and choose. The Toys include ClearType Tuner; Super Fast Task Switcher; the absolutely must-have Tweak UI; Power Calculator; Open Command Window Here; Image Resizer; CD Slide Show Generator; Virtual Desktop Manager; Taskbar Magnifier; HTML Slide Show Wizard; and Webcam Timershot. Once you install the Powertoys, you'll find some of them accessible by clicking Start -> All Programs; the rest of the utilities worm their way into the operating system itself and add features to existing components. Read the Readme file, which you'll find on the All Programs menu, to discover what each toy does and how to use it.

Turn your printer into a copier

Program: Photocopier and Photocopier Pro
Price: Free (Photocopier Pro is $US19.95)

With a bit of fiddling around you can use your scanner and printer to simulate a photocopier, but usually it's more fuss than it's worth. Photocopier takes all the bother out of the process and makes it a snap to copy directly from your scanner to your printer.

This program comes in two versions, the advertising-supported, free Photocopier and the $25 Photocopier Pro version. For most people, the freebie does a more than passable job.

To use it, run Photocopier and click the Settings -> Select Twain Device option to make sure it can detect your scanner. Close the Settings box, slip a document onto your scanner, adjust the number of copies, darkness, and enlargement factor, and click Copy.

Get a better clock for Windows 98

Program: TClockEx
Price: Free

At the end of your Taskbar in the bottom-right corner of your screen sits the Windows clock. It's useful in its own, unadventurous way, but surely that precious bit of desktop space could be put to better use.

Enter TClockEx. It's an uninspired name for a dynamic little program that will turbo charge your clock.

TClockEx displays the time and date in any format at all. If you want, it can also display information about your system, such as how much memory is being used and how hard you're working your computer's processor.

Right-click the time display to see a list of additional options including a handy little calendar.

Definitely a must-have for anyone still using Windows 98 or Windows Me.

Get a better clock for Windows XP

Program: Chameleon Clock
Price: $US24.95

TClockEx is perfect if you use an earlier version of Windows, but it doesn't do all that much for Windows XP. If you want to beef up XP's clock, opt for Chameleon Clock instead. It replaces Windows own time display with a far more adventurous show, shoehorning multitudinous features into the space available.

For starters, it displays the date as well as the time. Both displays are completely customisable and you can skin the clock, too, changing its whole appearance.
Let your mouse pointer rest on the time display and a full monthly calendar pops into view. From the calendar, you can instantly add alarms or recurring reminders.
A right-click of Chameleon Clock brings up a menu of options, while a double-click opens the main window where you you'll find enough settings to keep you busy for some time.

technote: use the right version

Most utilities tend to be very picky about the operating system on which they work. That's because these programs interact so closely with the operating system. So it's important you only install utilities designed for your version of Windows. Some utilities will run on any version, others provide different versions for different variants of the operating system, while others are entirely version-specific. Make sure you check the information on the download site before you install any utility.

Roll your own icons

Program: IconXP
Price: $US19.95

Windows XP adds flair to the desktop with its translucent icons. If you've ever wanted to try your hand at creating your own icons, IconXP gives you all the tools you need to build icons in any version of Windows. When run on Windows XP, IconXP's background and foreground transparency controls plus its support for 32-bit icons with alpha channels let you add that pellucid touch.

Point in style

Program: CursorXP
Price: $US10 for CursorXP Plus

What IconXP does for icons, CursorXP does for cursors, taking advantage of features in Windows XP and Windows 2000 that let you create interesting cursor effects.

The free version of CursorXP adds a single tab to your Mouse Control Panel applet. From there you can choose one of the packaged CursorXP themes or create your own theme from existing cursors on your computer.

If you'd like to go to town with your cursors, get the Plus version of CursorXP. It adds all sorts of interesting options, including cursor mirroring (handy for southpaws), trail effects, sizing, transparency and special on-click effects.

If creating your own cursor theme sounds like too much effort, download someone else's from Wincustomize.
 

Revamp your desktop

Program: Webshots Desktop
Price: $US2.49/month for Premium Membership

Many utilities are...well...utilitarian. But Webshots Desktop's purpose is purely decorative. This program lets you change your desktop wallpaper each and every day. The program checks into its Web site each day (or whenever you choose) to locate the photo of the day. If you like the looks of it, you can download the photo and Webshots will automatically set it as your wallpaper. You can also take your pick from thousands of other photos, and save your photos in categorised collections.

The software itself is free, and you then have a choice of free basic membership or a Premium membership option that does away with online ads and lets you download higher resolution images. I thoroughly recommend the Premium version.

© 2005  Rose Vines

 

---

top

home

recommendations menu