10 'table top' utilities for Windows

Windows' built-in utilities are poor, with few features. We have reviewed and selected 10 very useful utilities to help you. Interestingly, these 10 gadgets are very compact and completely free.

Your Web site needs to load faster, or your digital photo collection takes up too much disk space. What should I do? Use StripFile of Nuetools. This program can minimize Web pages (HTML) and Web image files such as gif, jpeg, and png. However, the uniqueness and appeal of the program is to remove only the excess information such as color profile, caption . Please select Settings to filter the data you want to remove, or menu. simpler just right click on the folder, file and press Compress . Alternatively, right-click the folder and file and select Strip to remove excess information. You wonder, if this process fails, or the quality is not guaranteed, what to do? Don't worry, StripFile will create a folder to backup these folders and files when you have problems

What about quality? Quality depends on the type of file you compress, but the program will ensure it can be reduced by up to 50%. According to our tests, StripFile reduced the size of HTML files by 7%, with JPEG files at 6.3%. This miniature does not seem to have changed much. However, if you have a "batch" of such files, that number is significant, they will significantly reduce your hard disk space.

Photo management

There are many digital photo management programs. However, they are not well designed, or you pay a fee. We would like to introduce you to Google's Picasa program. Picasa will scan and manage all your hard drive photos and movies into the program library. Through this library, you will easily copy, move, delete, and perform other file functions. Picasa is also a perfect image processing program, allowing you to crop, rotate, make adjustments, add effects . to your photos.

Although, you will see the results of your editing process in the preview frames, but there will be no immediate changes in that image. To ensure that you really want to change, you must export this image to another folder.

A great feature of Picasa is the ability to change names by group. With this capability, you can automatically add the date and resolution of the image to the image file name. Other features include: grouping photos into albums without having to copy to another folder, allowing to create slideshows of image files, storing images into CDs or DVDs, creating photo galleries for Web sites, possible printing capabilities . However, Picasa is not as good as Photoshop. But Picasa is easy to use, many unique features will be your indispensable tool.

File management tool

To keep folders, your program window is always open and re-arranged in order is difficult. But with Nikolay Avrionov's ExplorerXP. The program allows you to set the title or arrange open folders in another window. ExplorerXP allows you to customize the toolbar, rename multiple files simultaneously, the ability to drag and drop into the Explorer window. What about the weakness of the program? The program does not preview, only view in detailed mode, the mode of browsing network drives is only simple. However, ExplorerXP is really a great file manager and is free again. Why don't you try it?

Convert to PDF format

Many programs can convert any document to PDF ( Portable Document Format ) very quickly. However, some of these programs come with ads, or embed their logo in the conversion file. Acro Software's CutePDF Writer is not.

This program adds a CutePDF printer icon to your system. When you need to convert to PDF format, you just need to select the function to print in other programs, and choose the correct CutePDF printer instead of your real printer, you will have a perfect PDF file. CutePDF Writer requires you to download and install the PostScript printer language interpreter interpreter like GhostScript (available on the CutePDF Writer website). CutePDF Writer cannot have as many features as Adobe Acrobat but the program is really useful and attractive.

Mac icons

For users who love the look and glamor that Mac OS X offers, many Windows users want to change the " boring " Windows taskbar and Start menu. StarDock's ObjectDock utility can start and switch applications, use animation effects like Mac's, zoom in on icons when you point your mouse. Features like weather forecast information may not be necessary, but the ObjectDock clock provided, along with the Google search box pop-up format is quite appealing. If you want more features, upgrade to the free version (upgrade price of 20 USD). This registered version is capable of supporting multiple monitors, .

Automatic shutdown

If you let your system work continuously, you can schedule tools such as virus scanning and spyware scanning, system backups, and many other maintenance activities for your PC. But do you want to turn off the computer after finishing your working day? Use FileWare's LastChance to add the applications and commands you want to execute before Windows turns itself off. When you exit Windows, LastChance will interrupt all machine operations, running the commands you requested. Once processed, the program will turn off Windows. You can also set utilities to use some special resources (like network drives). You can also set a timer before turning off the device.

Arrange icons

On a certain morning, when you open Windows and you see the familiar icons on your screen "run" wildly. It is frustrating to arrange these icons. Try Tim Taylor's Restore Icon, which adds two new commands when you right-click an icon, assuming My Computer - a frequently used icon, available at almost all both systems. Right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Save Desktop Icon Layout. When the icons are disturbed, you just need to select Restore Desktop Icon Layout. However, this program does not have the uninstall function included, so you should also download the UnInstall Icon Restore uninstaller, when needed you can remove the Restore Icon from your system.

Tidy taskbar

Gone are the days of DOS's glory, Windows allowed to run multiple programs at once. You can listen to music, scan for viruses . while writing documents, you can switch to these programs using the keyboard shortcut. However, when you open many programs, it is difficult to manage.

Elias Fotinis' TaskArrange utility allows you to drag and drop all running programs into a single window, you can organize them the way you like, you can also arrange icons according to things. own control program. If you use the grouping feature (grouping) of programs that work in the Windows XP taskbar, TaskArrange can organize programs in groups of pop-ups.

Program icons overflow your system tray. Create more space with Tray Pilot Lite of Two Pilot. Pilot Lite Tray will add a button right next to the system tray that allows to display or hide all clocks with icons. With only 16 USD, you can upgrade the free version with some features such as icon marks but still have clocks, or use other watches . This utility is very useful in Windows 98 and Me . Windows XP has this feature available, but does not allow clocking.

Perfect watch