Windows comes with many programs preinstalled, but it’s hardly perfect. No software, however good, can satisfy the diverse needs of hundreds of millions of users at once. One good way to tailor the system to your own tastes is to keep a lookout for free utility programs.
Once the domain of PC geeks, little add-on utilities are ready to help a broader audience add a bit of missing functionality to Windows. Here’s a selection of favorite programs.
Most users regard Windows Explorer as the final word in file management. Yet there are other programs available for Windows that handle the same task with more functionality and performance than Explorer itself. One such program is Q-Dir. It provides the same core functionality of Explorer, yet it’s quicker. The Q-Dir view window can also be divided into up to four sub-windows. That’s helpful for copying or moving files between different folders.
Expicula is another file manager, but with a twist: it allows for filtering. You can set it to display only files or folders of a certain size, for example. You can also just as easily browse based on creation date or name. Other function-rich free file managers of note include SE-Explorer and Total Commander, which includes an integrated FTP client.
The number of portable computers is rising, with more and more consumers opting for notebooks or netbooks. Yet it’s in the very nature of portable devices that they sometimes get lost, meaning that a sensible encryption plan should be put in place beforehand in case the worst should occur. One popular program that comes with numerous seals of approval from the experts is TrueCrypt. Depending on the user’s desires, the program encrypts either a file container or an entire partition. Because encryption is handled on-the-fly while the data is being stored, TrueCrypt is considered convenient….