The Windows Fix » Freeware

Easily Hide Your Browsing Activity with Chrome Icognito Switcher

T.J. Mininday — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:15:46 +0000

One of the great features recently implemented by just about every browser is the ability to hide your browsing activity. Many people have many different reasons for doing so, but the fact is is that it is used on a regular basis by all of these people and it’s here to stay.

Google Chrome makes it easy to switch to it by simply adding it as a sub-menu option, but why not make it even easier with a Chrome Plug-in that adds an incognito button to you menu bar. This great extension does just that.

Link (via gHacks)

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Get an Overview of Windows Shortcut Keys with ActiveHotKeys

T.J. Mininday — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:46:17 +0000

Most people don’t know it, but there are dozens and dozens of Windows shortcut/hotkeys out there for you to use. Whether it be using the Win, Ctrl, Alt or Shift, there are plenty to choose from. The issue that most have with it though, is that none of us really know what they are and some of us want to create our own with the available ones.

ActiveHotKeys is a simple and free application that can give you a quick and easy overview of your entire plethora of shortcut keys. Whether it be a couple key strokes with the Win key, or a few with Ctrl-Alt-Shift, this application will display them all and help you take advantage of the ones that you’re not using on a regular basis.

This program does not however list what particular application a shortcut key may be registered for, and it also does not allow you to create your own. It’s a just an easy way to get a quick look at the ones that you can presently take advantage of.

via Elite Freeware

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Device Remover is the Best Windows Device Manager Alternative

T.J. Mininday — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:42:00 +0000

One of the many built-in Windows system tools that still lacks in many ways, is the Windows Device Manager. Getting to the deep down details of the hardware installed on your system can be annoying via the default Windows method. I’ve previously seen many alternatives to other utilities within Windows, but none in particular for the Device Manager. That’s why Device Remover caught me off guard, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Device Remover is an incredibly in depth Windows Device Manager alternative that gives you many more features than the one built-in. Easy removal, driver views, troubleshooting and mass editing of multiple devices makes this easily one of the best of it’s kind out there. The best part of it is that it appears to be compatible with every version of Windows, XP and beyond, including Windows 7.

It’d be a great utility to have on a small or large network for quick troubleshooting of hardware devices on a Windows PC.

via Teknobites

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Run Applications on a Virtual Hard Drive with Sandboxie

T.J. Mininday — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:44:04 +0000

With any new application that’s installed on your computer, there’s always a worry that it’s going to possibly infect your system with something. Some worry more than others, but why should this be such a worrisome. It would be nice if you could isolate any application from the rest of your critical programs. You can run them in a complete virtual environment with VMWARE or Microsoft’s Virtual PC, but that can be time consuming and time is something a lot of us don’t have. There is another great alternative though.

Sandboxie essentially runs all applications in a isolated protected environment, away from the rest of your precious Windows programs. Secure Web Browsing, Enhanced Privacy and Secure E-Mailing are the app’s main protective measures. The program places any installed application that you specify, into a completely separate area of your hard disk. The below animation gives you a better idea of how exactly it works.

So if you want to try out some free applications, but worried about infecting your system, this program is perfect for you. Check it out…Sandboxie.

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Keep Caps, Num or Scroll Lock Always On..or Off

T.J. Mininday — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:02:03 +0000

One of the big annoyances I continually find myself running into is that the number lock is never on when I need it to be. I open up Excel and find my highlighted cell jumping all over the place, with no numbers to be seen. I look up on the keyboard and…duhh, the number lock is of course off. This typically happens during a reboot.

There are also times where you find yourself bumping the the caps lock key as well. It would be nice to permanently have these on or off. Well, there are registry hacks to do it, or you can do it with this simple free utility.

Numlocker quite simply allows you to “lock” the state of the Caps, Num or Scroll lock keys to Always On or Always Off. That’s all it does. It resides quitely in the background of your Windows PC and does just that. Locks the state of those keys.

Download Here – via Elite Freeware

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Remove Factory Installed Software with PC Decrapifier

T.J. Mininday — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:00:10 +0000

The major problem with buying a new PC at discount prices from your Best Buy, Dell, and HPs of the world that although they do come at a reduced cost, they do come LOADED with junkware. Trial Office, AntiVirus, Cheap ISPs and added security features, just to name a few. Removing these features typically is accomplished by going to Add/Remove Programs in the control panel and removing one-by-one. Fortunately however, there is an all-in-one solution called PC Decrapifier.

PC Decrapifier is essentially an uninstaller that detects junkware that is installed on your factory built laptop or desktop. It runs a quick detection process on your PC, determines what is and what isn’t needed, and then displays what can be removed.

After you select what you’d like to remove, it runs the uninstaller for each and every specified application, one-by-one, making your machine squeaky clean and diverting you from formatting the machine completely.

The program is update every few months with new applications to remove, and it is continuously monitoring what items are being consistently uninstalled, display it on their website.

PC Decrapifier

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Snackr – Scrolling RSS Reader for Windows

T.J. Mininday — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:49:36 +0000

The go to method to receiving up to date news information these days is via RSS feeds. Whether through blogging, news, or just a periodically updated website, it is THE defacto method of delivering information. Although to those who aren’t quiet as tech savvy, may have no idea of its purpose, those of us whom are, are always looking for new way to receiving our “feeds”.

Google Reader quickly came to the forefront as the most popular RSS reader on the net. There were many online and offline competitors to Google’s powerful product, none have really come close thus far. One that I recently discovered that works much differently than most, is Snackr RSS.

Snackr RSS Reader is both an on and offline RSS reading solution that has a much different approach to displaying feeds. Snackr utilizes Adobe’s amazing Air product, scrolling your news across the bottom, top, left or right sections of your screen.

After you begin either manually entering your feeds, or importing them via a OPML file, Snackr will begin randomly scrolling your various articles at your specified location. As they scroll across the screen, you can simply click on any item and see a quick snippet of what it has to offer. If you want to continue onto the full article, you can do so quickly by clicking “View Post”, where it will take you to the posting in your default web browser.

via MakeUseOf

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Discover File Extensions and Freeware to Open them on Openwith.org

T.J. Mininday — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:23:39 +0000

Discovering files that you cannot open can be a real annoyance. Whether you have downloaded it, received it via e-mail or found it on your company’s network, discovering an unknown extension typically leads you straight to Google. There are a lot of file extension sites out there, but none quite like this.

OpenWith.org is a simple online and offline application that can quickly find whatever extension that you are searching for and not only tell you what program it’s typically used for, but also free apps that will open them as well. Trying to find a conversion tool or combing for a free alternative has never been any easier.

In the below screenshot, you’ll see that I looked up the popular Powerpoint Presentation Extension, PPT. It has given me not just one, but two free options to opening this file type.

Openwith.org

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Backup and Monitor the Windows Registry with SpyMe Tools

T.J. Mininday — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:44:42 +0000

Any time a new installation is needed on any version of Windows, people tend to hold their breath or cross their fingers, hoping that it won’t screw up their computer. And as we all know, malware can really screw up your system as well, especially when it does so without your knowledge. It would be nice to see any modifications made to a system in real-time. SpyMe Tools does just that.

SpyMe Tools is an application to monitor any registry and disk changes to the system. If anything is installed your PC, SpyMe is able to detect such modifications. Which can become particularly handy when it comes to adware, spyware and just about every other file change at any given point and time.

They do this by constantly looking for changes in your computer and “dumping” them during the various states that it is in. The type of procedure it uses, also makes it work very well for registry backup purposes as well. The dump files are encrypted so that any authorized access cannot look at the specific changes made to the system.

SpyMe Tools

via Lifehacker

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Password Protect any Windows Folder from Anyone

T.J. Mininday — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:49:21 +0000

Protecting confidential data is highly important in today’s world. In a life scammers, identity thieves and many other crooks. The built-in security in Windows sometimes just isn’t enough protection when it comes to protecting tax documents and confidential data. If your PC is left on and someone wants to walk in and peruse your folders, it can easily be done. Having password protection on folders even against the administrator account is necessary.

My Lockbox can password protect any folder from any user account on your computer. It has the ability to require a password from even the administrator and even in safe mode. Almost any folder can be protected.

As you can see above, protecting folders is as simple as browsing to its location, selecting it, and setting your password of choice.

Just another added piece of security, in a every growing insecure world.

My Lockbox

via Techie Portal

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