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Servant Salamander is still my favorite way
of moving, deleting, copying and organizing files and
folders under Windows.
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technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and
commentaries, continuously available online since
1983
T e c h n o f i l
e
Personal favorites: Utility programs for
Windows
Jan. 26, 2003
By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard
It's been a while since I wrote
about my favorite utilities for Windows. Here's an
updated list.
I'd better explain what I'm
referring to first. Utilities are programs that perform
special functions. Often, they're designed to fill in
the gap left by major programs or by the operating system
itself.
The Windows Defrag program is an example
of a single-purpose utility. All-purpose "repair"
or "fix-it" suites are examples of utilities that
perform functions that the operating system can't
do.
SystemSuite. This started out as
Fix-It from Mijenix, then morphed into SystemSuite. It has
the best and safest Windows registry repair method
available, and I use that part of SystemSuite every month
or so on all my Windows PCs. It costs $50 to $60. Web site:
www.v-com.com.
PowerPro. I've used this
utility for years to create macros (keystrokes that press
themselves, more or less) and to automate much of what
happens in Windows. PowerPro has too many functions to name
here, so check out my review. Go to my site (http://technofileonline)
and use the search form.
You might even see my endorsement on the
PowerPro site. (No, I didn't get paid to endorse it.
The site is simply quoting my review.) It's free. Web
site: www.windowspowerpro.com.
TclockEx. This oddly named
utility turns the taskbar clock into something truly
wonderful. You get the full time and date (expressed any
way you want) along with a popup calendar. Microsoft missed
the boat when it failed to put this feature into Windows.
It's free. Web site: http://users.iafrica.com/d/da/dalen.
Servant Salamander. Superb file
manager, despite the odd name. I've used version 1.52
of Sal for years, and it's still my favorite way of
moving, deleting, copying and organizing files and folders
under Windows. Skip the newest version; it's not as
good. Look for Servant Salamander 1.52. Cost: free. Site:
www.altap.cz.
ACDSee Classic. If you don't
have a good image viewer (and I don't mean any of the
image editors that are given away with cameras and
scanners), you're paddling without a canoe. ACDSee is
the best image viewer ever designed. The
"Classic" version in what I use, despite the
introduction of "improved" (in other words,
bloated) versions over the years. Be sure to read what
I've written about setting up ACDSee properly. (Search
my site; you'll see the articles.) Cost: $35. Site:
www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSeeClassic.
Tweak UI. Microsoft's own
Windows tweaker. (It's not officially supported, so
don't expect help if you have a problem. But what's
new with that?) Check out my full report (on my site; just
use the search) on how to install Tweak UI if you can't
figure it out. Cost: Free. The "NT" version is
the latest and runs on all versions of Windows. Site:
www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp.
HotKey Detective. Wonderfully
useful way to find out what you've assigned as Windows
hotkeys (shortcut keys that launch programs, open folders
and more). Cost: free. Site: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,6319,00.asp.
Cookie Pal. Protect yourself from
bad cookies while making use of the good ones. (Yes, there
are good Web cookies.) Cookie Pal is unmatched. Be sure to
let it learn your habits. Cost: $15. Site: www.kburra.com.
Snadboy's Revelation. If you
have ever forgotten a password that's already in use,
you need Revelation. Or if you are a system administrator
and still believe what Microsoft says about security, you
need to see Revelation in action. It displays the hidden
(and supposedly uncrackable) passwords in Windows in the
most amazingly simply way. Security? Find out for yourself.
Cost: Free. Site: www.snadboy.com.
Startup Cop. Put an end to the
nonsense of programs sneaking into your Windows startup
sequence. Stuff should install itself and run automatically
unless you say it's OK. Deadbeats, sayonara. Startup
Cop is free. Site: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,2173,00.asp.
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