Now Windows is installed and optimized, it's time to install other preferred commercial software and other freeware/shareware software utilities. On this page I have summarized a few very interesting utilities which you should have on your new computer. Between the lines, I have already mentioned a lot on the other pages, here are some others. Don't forget to install software updates of your commercial software, if they are available on their website!
Recovery of files and partitions with PC Inspector File Recovery
The free tools PC Inspector File Recovery (download
www.pcinspector.de)
and Recuva (download:
www.recuva.com) enables recovery of deleted files, even if they are removed from your
recycle bin (if they are not damaged of course....). Install this software
before you deside to delete files by accident :-)
Recovering CD's and DVD's
The free tool IsoBuster (download:
www.smart-projects.net/nl/;
the paid version has more features) might be able to recover data from a damaged CD's
and DVD's. Very useful when a CD/DVD with important data can no longer be
accessed!
IE Privacy Keeper
After a while you leave a lot of private information on your computer. Most of
them can be erased with the tool IE Privacy Keeper (download:
www.browsertools.net/IE-Privacy-Keeper).
Permanent deleting (temporary) files with Active@ Eraser for Windows
I have very good experience with the Active@ Eraser for Windows
application (download
www.active-eraser.com).
With this utility you are able to delete your Internet & Local Activities.
It will permanently delete files like temporary files, history files, recycle
bin, cookies, auto complete lists and other personal settings. This is done by
deleting the files and overwrite them with useless info (so you are not able to
recover them anymore, even with data recovery software). With this application
you are also able to erase already deleted files (read: the empty space) from
your hard disk. The free version will overwrite the surface with zeros. (I
prefer to use this tool before
creating a
system backup, it saves time and gives a smaller and quicker backup).
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WinZip and WinRar
Many utilities and data you can download from the internet are zipped. Most of
them you will be able to unzip within Windows XP. Some of them need extra unzip
software like WinZip (download
www.winzip.com) or WinRar (download
www.rarsoft.com). With these tools you can also create zip files yourself.
7-Zip
Many utilities and data you can download from the internet are zipped. Most of
them you will be able to unzip within Windows XP. Some of them need extra unzip
software. Most frequently used zip formats (like ZIP, ISO, MSI and RAR) can be
unpacked with the free tool 7-Zip (download:
www.7-zip.org).
Adobe Acrobat Reader
With the Adobe Acrobat Reader (download
www.adobe.com) you are able to read PDF files. This is a must have for all
systems. After you installed Adobe go to Edit, Preferences, tab
Internet and disable all the Web Browser Options (this will prevent that Adobe is loaded
within the Internet Explorer). On the tab Startup,
disable the option Display splash screen in the Application Startup
area.
TIP: By holding down the SHIFT key while starting the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you are able to prevent starting up all the Adobe plug-ins (most of them you don't even use at all). The plug-ins which will be loaded are placed in the folder C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Reader\plug-ins. By moving specific plug-ins to a safe location, you are able to prevent loading them at every startup (only move the ones you don't need!). Using Help, Info about Adobe plug-ins you can learn more about the currently used plug-ins. If you are looking for a quick PDF-reader, try Foxit Reader (download: www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php).
Printing to PDF files
Visit the page about
printing to a PDF file for more information about creating your own PDF
files.
PDFTools
The tool PDFTools (XP, download:
www.sheelapps.com) kunnen diverse bewerkingen op PDF-bestanden
worden uitgevoerd, zoals splitsen/samenvoegen, encryptie/decryptie, watermerken
en herindelen. Er kunnen zelfs XML-bestanden worden geconverteerd naar het
PDF-formaat. Voor het functioneren van PDFTools moet wel de Java
Runtime Environment zijn geïnstalleerd, bij het opstarten van PDFTools
wordt gevraagd of deze eventueel moet worden gedownload en geïnstalleerd.
Live Messenger
Of course most of us know the Live Messenger (download:
http://get.live.com/messenger/overview). With
the tool A-patcher (download:
www.apatch.org) you are able
to tweak the Live Messenger down while the tool
Messenger Plus! Live (download:
www.msgpluslive.net) enables you add more options to your Live Messenger! By default the Live Messenger will
startup with Windows, which can be disabled on the tab General (Tools,
Options). On this tab you are also disable the Windows Live Today screen, but
only after you are logged on with your Live account. Make sure you disable
the add-options during the setup of Live Messenger and Messenger Plus!
By the way, A-patcher gives you the opportunity to remove the remaining
adds.
TrayIt!
Every opened program places a shortcut on the task bar which makes it possible
to place the program on top of the other programs. When multiple programs are
active, the task bar will become badly arranged. To solve this problem, the tool TrayIt!
(download:
www.teamcti.com/trayit/trayit.htm)
selectively minimizes programs to the system tray.
QT Tabbar
Where the Internet Explorer has been enhanced with tabs, tabs would be
welcome in Windows Explorer as well. The tool
QT TabBar (download:
http://qttabbar.wikidot.com)
adds those tabs which makes it possible to open multiple location at the same
time within the same window. Working with the tabs saves a lot of clicks while
switching between the file locations. Besides the tabs, QT TabBar has
some more interesting features like saving favourite locations.
Virtual CloneDrive
Ever downloaded a CD-image, burned on CD-ROM and thrown away because it wasn't
what you expected? Load the image in a virtual CD player and you will know
whether it's worth burning. Dit kan
bijvoorbeeld met
Virtual CloneDrive (download:
www.slysoft.com/nl/virtual-clonedrive.html). You can create multiple virtual CD/DVD-players, which is very useful if you need
more then one CD/DVD's at the same time.
Virual PC
Virtual PC 2007 (download:
www.microsoft.com) makes it possible to run multiple
operating systems within a virtual computer environment. This property is a
perfect solution to test software safely. The 2007-version is most suitable for running Windows Vista in a virtual
PC environment.
Editing JPG files: Paint.NET
The freeware tool Paint.NET (download:
www.getpaint.net) offers great opportunities to edit your photo's.
Before you install Paint.NET, you first need to go to the Windows update
website and update your Windows with the Microsoft .NET Framework 2 or
later versions.
JPG files recovery: Zero-Assumption Digital Image Recovery
The tool Zero-Assumption Digital Image Recovery (download:
www.z-a-recovery.com) makes it possible to recover deleted images from the
memory of your camera (see also the tool PC Inspector Smart Recovery for
recovering image files, see chapter File recovery on this page for more
information).
TaskSwitchXP
If you are a frequent user of the ALT-TAB Replacement Tool, I advise
to switch to the free tool TaskSwitchXP (download:
www.ntwind.com/software/taskswitchxp.html). TaskSwitchXP is a better
alternative for the Microsoft tool. See the screendumps on the mentioned website
to get an idea.
FlashPaste Lite
With FlashPaste (download:
www.download.com/Flashpaste-Lite/3000-2384_4-10537714.html, the last version
is not for free anymore!) it's
possible to quickly insert a frequently used text (think of all the e-mails you
send: name, address...). Once you have started using FlashPaste you don't
want to miss it anymore! Visit the page about
shortcuts for more
information about FlashPaste.
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org (download:
http://nl.openoffice.org)
is a free office suite for text editing, spreadsheets, presentations, ...
Notepad++
Notepad++ (download:
http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net) is one of the better text editors with
support for many programming languages..
WordWeb
The free tool WordWeb (download:
www.wordweb.info) uses the
shortcut CTRL-ALT-W to check an English word. You simply retrieve the
information you need: definitions, synonyms, related words and pronunciations.
This is a very useful tool for writing in English. The tool
1-Click Answers (download:
www.answers.com) offers similar features.
CamStudio: recording screen and audio activity
The free tool CamStudio (download:
http://camstudio.org)
is able to record screen and audio activity and saved in a video file like AVI.
This tool is very useful in creating a tutorial, a demonstration video of any
software program or by recording a played movie on a website! After the
recording is started (with the red button
Record), an area of the screen to record has to be selected. After the
recording is stopped, CamStudio asks where to store the video file. I can't even
think of a better solution to capture a video... Don't forget to change the
configuration options first to obtain the best result possible!
Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility
Maybe you have seen this problem: playing a DVD doesn't work using the Windows
Media Player. This is the case if you didn't install the DVD codec's, which are
part of software like Power DVD. With the tool Windows XP Video
Decoder Checkup Utility it's possible to find out if any DVD codec's are
installed.
You can download this tool from the Microsoft site.
GSpot Codec
If you download a lot of movies with file sharing software, you probably have had
the problem of no sound and/or no video. This will happen if you haven't
installed the specific codec's for this file. With the tool GSpot Codec
(download:
www.headbands.com/gspot) you are able to find out which (of the many) codec
you need to view and hear your movie. Have a look at MediaInfo (download:
http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/nl) as well to find out which codec has to
be used and where to download it. Most used codecs are DivX (download:
www.divx.com), Xvid
(download: www.xvid.org) and
AC3Filter (download:
www.ac3filter.net). If needed, a codec pack (with most known codecs) like
K-Lite Codec Pack (download:
www.free-codecs.com/K_Lite_Codec_Pack_download.htm) or Vista Codec Pack
(download:
www.free-codecs.com/vista_codec_package_download.htm) can be used.
KEEPING SOFTWARE UP-TO-DATE AUTOMATICALLYWhen the list of installed programs becomes longer, it becomes hard to keep them up-to-date. Fortunately there are tools to verify all installed software automatically for updates. Of these tools, UpdateStar (download: www.updatestar.com) is probably the most user friendly tool. The look and feel is comparable to Office 2007. When it is not desired to keep UpdateStar running in the background after each Windows startup, disable it by Start page, Settings, tab Other and deactivate the option Launch at Windows startup. |
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