Wednesday, May 17, 2006

smart windows tools. I need better control of my desktop! Let's pick these. My Freeware Picks to Improve Windows Usability. Software can improve your life - so long as you know where to find it! The Internet is a treasure trove, filled with millions of tiny applications that'll help you through just about any quirk your OS delivers. Windows is replete with shortcomings, largely in its Explorer (otherwise known as the Shell). These utilities may seem frivolous to you, but they're quite helpful to me - and I bet you'll start using at least one of them on a regular basis: Windowpaper XP - With this, you can change the background of any folder on your system. Make it a solid color or set your favorite photo as the background. It's a snap to use, and helps making navigation easier (when you set certain folders to certain colors). TaskSwitchXP - A colossally improved task switcher, tweakable to your satisfaction. It takes virtually no resources when it's not being used - and seamlessly becomes your alternative Alt+Tab utility when you need it. Displays screen shots, extended process information, navigatable by mouse, etc. miniMIZE - When you normally minimize a window, it shows up in the Taskbar and is relatively information-neutral (other than the program's title and/or icon). miniMIZE maximizes your minimizes by shrinking the minimized program to a tiny screen shot on your desktop. Compelling, clever. Hawkeye ShellInit - I run at 1600x1200 on my primary monitor, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about screen real estate! With this scriptable app, I can set up margins which open applications aren't allowed to touch - letting me have certain edges always exposed for me to see or use. iColorFolder - Are you a visual learner, too? Here's an open source utility that'll enable you to easily change the icon of any folder. Again, this makes it easier to see where you're going inside of the Explorer. "I remember the icon is blue," is easier than trying to flip through folder names. This shell extension was partially inspired by the use of labels on the Mac. Folder2MyPC - The root of "My Computer" displays hardware and a few select folders. Now, you can actually select the folders that show up here. Consider this method an easier way of getting to your favorite or most frequently accessed folders. UberIcon - Visually speaking, Windows is bland - not even vanilla flavored. There's no feedback one receives after double-clicking on an icon. This tool turns on either visual "zoom out" or "bounce" feedback when you act upon an icon (file, folder, etc.). Visual Tooltip - Can't wait until 2009 when Windows Vista ships, but you want the enhanced Taskbar tooltip functionality today? Don't pirate a buggy copy of Vista - just use Visual Tooltip. Hovering over a program in your Taskbar will now produce a live / interactive window for you to see and use. Unlocker - What do you mean I can't delete the file or folder because it's being used? No, it's not - and I can prove it. Windows won't listen to you, so when some random process has locked a file, you can smack it around with Unlocker. No need to reboot in most cases! ClearTweak - While sub-pixel font rendering (ClearType) is an amazing experience to be cherished, No LCD screen is created equal. Even if you have the feature enabled for your monitor, it may not be optimized for the way your hardware was built. Tweak it clear - your eyes will thank you. And I certainly thank you for paying attention to this point. I'm sure I missed thousands of freeware apps, so recommendations are appreciated and encouraged. Windows should work better for you now. And if it still sucks for you, there's always OS X. [Chris Pirillo] 10:10:22 AM    comment []