Packages are too inflexible and don't provide competitive differentiation,
but custom-built solutions are too slow [to develop] and costly.
System integrators are starting to offer next-generation pre-built solutions. - Gartner Research
Did you know?
xSynthesis Search includes features often found only
in enterprise search packages, at the cost and ease of use of
entry-level search engines. Use it for your publicly accessible
e-commerce, membership, or marketing web site, your protected
members-only content, or your intranet.
Top 10 (OR SO) Utilities
You may like to consider these excellent and time savings
utilities:
Top 10 (or so) Free Utilities
We carefully compiled this
list of free utilities that we have found as most helpful in
improving our productivity.
- Make your Windows XP more like Windows Vista or
Windows 7, without the
suffering from the negatives of upgrading from Windows XP:
- Start Menu Programs Search (like Vista), Launchy,
Open Source Keystroke Launcher for Windows:
www.launchy.net
- Windows Side Snap-On (like Win 7), WinSplit
Revolution, under GNU/GPL License:
winsplit-revolution.com
- Nicer Task Switcher (like Vista), TaskSwitchXP
by NTWind Software:
www.ntwind.com/software/taskswitchxp.html
- Virtual Desktops: VirtuaWin, The Virtual
Desktop Manager (GNU General Public License):
virtuawin.sourceforge.net
- Better Image Viewer/Editor (like Vista),
FastStone by FastStone Soft (free for home use
only):
www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm
- Much better Paint Application, Paint.NET by
Rick Brewster at
www.getpaint.net/index.html
- Mac OS X/ Linux like pop up launch bar:
ObjectDock by Stardock
-
Google Desktop, gives you the Vista looking
sidebar with gadgets. Note: the search component may
slow down your computer, indexing lots of your files.
You can
disable this feature.
- Easy
Duplicate Finder (PC
World Review)
"Easy Duplicate File Finder is a free powerful tool that
helps you to find and remove duplicate files on your PC."
[1]
This utility can search your hard drive(s) and find
duplicate files, allowing you to match files by name, as
well as byte-by-byte comparisons. Once you find the
duplicate files, you can rename them, remove them, move
them, or manually research them in order to determine what
is best to do with them.
- Unlocker
(or from
CNet)
If you have received Windows messages such as "Cannot delete
file: Access is denied", "The source or destination file may
be in use.", "The file is in use by another program or
user.", then you probably had to deal with locked files that
are very hard to unlock. This program solves that for you.
-
SureDelete by W.-Industries
(or from
PC World Magazine download)
"Sure Delete offers two utilities that work to permanently
delete data from a hard drive. When you need to shred
sensitive information, Sure Delete ensures that its done
right. Rather than simply deleting file references on your
computer, the program actually destroys the data itself.
Sure Delete goes much further than the Windows Recycle Bin,
and ultimately makes the data irretrievable. Best of all,
the process is virtually effortless." [1]
- Eraser by Heidi
Computers Ltd (or from
SourceForge)
"Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which
allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your
hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully
selected patterns." [1]
- CCleaner
from
Piriform
"CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and
cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system -
allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard
disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities
such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a
fully featured registry cleaner." [1]
- Recuvva from
Piriform
"Recuva (pronounced "recover") is a freeware Windows utility
to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from
your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle
bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted
by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3
players. It will even bring back files that have been
deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses!" [1]
- Defraggler by
Piriform
"It differs from other defrag tools on the market, by
enabling you to quickly and simply defrag the files you want
to, without having to process the whole drive. Simply run
it, select the file and defragment in seconds. No more
struggling with the Windows defragmentation tool!" [1]
- HJSplit
by FreeByte
Allows you to split and later merge large files, for any
needs you may have, like putting them on CDs, DVDs, those
old floppies you may have to use at some times!
- Hex Editor by
HHD Software
"Free Hex Editor Neo is award-winning large files optimized
freeware editor for everyone who works with ASCII, hex,
decimal, float, double and binary data.
Free Hex Editor Neo allows you to view, modify, analyze your
hexadecimal data and binary files, edit, exchange data with
other applications through the clipboard, insert new data
and delete existing data, as well as perform other editing
actions.
This hex and binary code data editing software utility for
Windows includes the following basic functionality:
Unlimited Undo/Redo; Find; Replace; Visual History Save and
Load; Patch Creation; Clipboard Operations; Bytes, Words,
Double Words, Quad Words, Floats and Doubles Edit Mode." [1]
-
Sysinternals, now owned by Microsoft
"The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark
Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell to host their advanced system
utilities and technical information. Microsoft acquired
Sysinternals in July, 2006. Whether you’re an IT Pro or a
developer, you’ll find Sysinternals utilities to help you
manage, troubleshoot and diagnose your Windows systems and
applications." [1]
-
TreeSize Free by Jam Software
"Every hard disk is too small if you just wait long enough.
TreeSize Free tells you where precious space has gone to.
TreeSize Free can be started from the context menu of a
folder or drive and shows you the size of this folder,
including its subfolders. You can expand this folder in
Explorer-like style and you will see the size of every
subfolder. Scanning is done in a thread, so you can already
see results while TreeSize Free is working." [1]
-
CPU Speed - Processor Speed Test by W. Software
"CPU Speed measures the REAL speed of your Intel or AMD
central processing unit (CPU)." [1]
-
Drive Speed Checker by eXibition Software
"This program is a free download provided by eXibition
Software. This application will help you diagnose system
issues by checking the read, write, and search speed of your
disk drive." [1]
-
Virtual CloneDrive by SlySoft.com
"Virtual CloneDrive works and behaves just like a physical
CD/DVD drive, however it exists only virtually. Image files
generated with CloneDVD or CloneCD can be mounted onto a
virtual drive from your hard-disk or from a network drive
and used in the same manner as inserting them into a normal
CD/DVD drive.
Probably the best virtual drive software, Virtual CloneDrive
allows you to enjoy the freedom of a virtual drive and is
completely free."
-
JR Screen Ruler by Spadix Software
"This Screen Ruler is a great tool that allows you to
accurately measure anything on your screen. This is
especially useful when measuring graphics, web page browser
sizes or whatever. Screen Ruler can display Pixels, Inches,
Picas or Centimeters." [1]
- Memorex
exPressit (TM) Label Design Studio
Free application for creating and printing professional CD/
DVD labels. Software is free, but you will have to buy your
own labels paper!
- Stellarium,
Astronomy Planetarium
"Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your
computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you
see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is
being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your
coordinates and go." [1]
-
e-Sword
by Rick Meyers
Free Bible study software. Load various Bible translations
(from English, to many foreign languages, to original
languages such as Hebrew and Greek). Search, lookup, take
notes, even read many popular commentaries, such as Matthew
Henry, review charts and maps, and much more.
References
[1] From the respective company web site.
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