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Long-time technology journalist Ed Bott just came out with his seven favorite Windows 7 utilities that he installs every time he sets up a new PC. Definitely worth a look at this top seven list.
The utilities he likes are:
7-Zip File Manager is an open-source free download that compresses and uncompresses files or groups of files in most formats - ZIP and GZIP, TAR and ARJ, CAB, and DMG files. Windows Explorer does do this, but Ed Bott says that 7-Zip is faster.
ClipMate is a $35 (one time purchase) clipboard extender utility. It’s not free, but Ed Bott describes it as “one of my 10 favorite Windows programs of all time." This clipboard extender saves every bit of text you cut or copy to a place where it’s easy to get to. It’s especially useful for when you’re working with an online editor. He uses it to back up his work in case he navigates away from a page.
Ninite is a free, multiple application installer utility. It provides you with a list of popular Windows add-on programs. You choose the ones you want and it installs all of them. It’s particularly useful if you’re upgrading from an older OS, or setting up a new PC.
Ninite Updater is a $10 per year utility that addresses the problem of having to stop what you’re doing to update all the different programs on your computer individually. Instead, you just check your Ninite Updater periodically and click on the updates you want and it takes care of them all at once. The Ninite website now includes 85 apps.
RoboForm is ‘freemium’ password manager software. Freemium means that you can use a free-but-limited version or get a more robust version for a yearly subscription fee. The more robust form is probably worth the money.
RoboForm Everywhere costs $10 for the first year and $20 to renew. It keeps track of your passwords, but also generates strong passwords for web logins. It saves your username/password combinations in an encrypted file, and fills in the information for you when you return to websites with logins. It can be installed on as many devices as you own. Your passwords are stored in an encrypted file that is on your own computer and other devices and it also keeps a copy in an encrypted file on RoboForm’s cloud servers. Any changes you make on one device are synchronized automatically to other devices. RoboForm Everywhere works on PCs and Macs, in all leading browsers, and on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
As computing moves more and more to the cloud, password managers will be ever more important. I don’t know about you, but I already have dozens of passwords to keep track of.
Snagit is a $50 (one time purchase) screenshot program. It takes a picture of whatever is on your computer screen for use in creating how-to pieces or grabbing pictures of error messages or anything you’d like someone else to see. Snagit extends the basic "print screen" function in Windows by offering a number of ways to customize screenshots and also edit them by cropping, resizing, or changing file formats.
Synergy is a free open-source utility that allows you to move from back and forth between two computers using a single mouse and keyboard if you happen to have both going at the same time - like Ed Bott admits he often does. He says he uses it to go between his Mac and PC. It also connects the PC and Mac clipboards. That’s a little rarified, admittedly, but believe it or not, the majority of comments on Ed’s favorite Windows 7 utilities piece is about Synergy.
What are your favorite Windows 7 utilities? Tell us in the comments.
Gadwin Printscreen. I use it constantly to take screenshots. It stores them all in one folder so I created a shortcut on my desktop to that folder. I have it set to store the pictures as JPG files so I can easily open and manipulate them. It's real basic, but does everything I need it to do. And it's FREE.
I can't live without Tight VNC (remote access) and Greenshot (similar to snag it.)
SyncToy 2.1 is a free application that synchronizes files and folders between locations. Typical uses include sharing files, such as photos, with other computers and creating backup copies of files and folders.
www.microsoft.com/.../details.aspx
I use Keepass which is free but doesn't feel in the information when you get to a website which is fine by me. If someone manages to get on my computer I don't want them to be able to open the browser and log into my sites.
If you are using Firefox you can use LastPass Password Manager which is free.
Windows 7 comes with Snipping tool which works pretty good for taking screen shots. And since it comes with W7 it is also free.
Ninite has been a real time saver for me.
Keep your new Windows 7 computer clean and smooth-running with CCleaner. Use this free utility regularly to clean out old junk files, cache/temp files, and more. And use it to maintain a healthy Windows registry.
When you uninstall a program from your computer, Windows will often leave behind traces of the program. These leftover items will linger behind as old registry entries in your computer. You should remove them. Otherwise, this old junk can accumulate in the registry over time and cause errors or conflicts while using programs on your computer.
Attempting to clean your registry manually without knowing what you're doing can be a dangerous task. Not recommended. At the same time, most registry cleaners are too aggressive in their cleaning approach and they can cause serious damage to your computer.
CCleaner is the opposite. It's a safe system/registry cleaner that effectively targets only those areas in your computer that need to be cleaned. It won't harm your machine, but instead will improve it in terms of performance and speed.
I have been using CCleaner for many years with great success. It's an essential utility for tech newbies and experts alike.
www.piriform.com/ccleaner
Revo uninstaller does a great job of removing all the leftovers when you uninstall a program. It runs the program's uninstaller first, then cleansup the registry and leftover files and shortcuts. The free version works just fine at www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html
Also Irfanview for easily cropping, resizing and doing general image changes is friendly and useful. Free at http://www.irfanview.com/ It's an open source program that is well supported and up to date. But don't forget Paint which comes with windows for adding to graphics, e.g. adding notes to maps you snip from Bing or Google maps or other images. Windows 7 comes with an improved version over XP.
Great tips and suggestions, everyone! Keep 'em coming! Sounds like for the most part Windows 7 has some real improvements over Vista and XP and the utilities out there expand its functionality even more. :)
BeckyEditorTechSoup.org
I use LastPass (Not just for Firefox) as I can log on from anywhere without it being installed on my computer). ScreenHunter is a free screen capture utility. To edit graphics, the free Paint.NET is great - much better than Windows paint - as Paint.NET can do layers, transparency, etc.
Don't forget Antivirus. The free Avast or Commodo are about the best. I prefer Avast. Sure better than trusting your valuable computer to Norton! :)