Windows utilities are required for 20 essential tasks

For a long time the American slogan was ' Don't leave home without it ' which means ' Don't leave home without the necessary things '. Similarly, there are a number of programs - separate from large applications like Word, Outlook or Firefox - that we can't use computers without.

How should utilities be found? Our dominant formula: It is the utility that you install on the new computer within a week after assembly. You can work without these programs, but your life will not be comfortable without them.

Finally we have compiled a list of tools that should be available in 20 different categories, plus a pair of convenient applications that allow test measurement. We are not limited to free or paid products but simply choose the best gadget in each category.

Note on copyright : While many programs here are free and do not imply open source, the software's code can still be completely changed by anyone, unlike chapters commercial process. Any program available for open source code registration will be deemed to be the same, except for the free software available.

Finally, the majority of the applications described here will work in 32-bit Windows versions: Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Note that in the case of Vista, most of these programs work well although some require more complex running requirements.

File management

Compression / archiving

The built-in .zip file in Windows Explorer is generally OK, but most people want a utility that has more features than it does. For me, the experience over time, the preferred third-party tool is Rarlab's WinRAR software.

Its .rar archive format performs much better compression than .zip, but it includes many audio and video compression algorithms - one that is not or compressed. (Note that the .rar format is quite great for your use and the date is spreading.) The trial version is completely free (with a 40-day deadline) and a registered version for individual users costs about $ 29.

A new, completely free and open-source rival is Igor Pavlov's 7-Zip, which includes multiple options for compression algorithms, AES-256 encryption for compressed files, multi-threaded performance for the system. Multi-core system and is compatible with existing .rar archives. If you convert from WinRAR, there is no need to extract all the old files. The interface is similar to WinRAR.

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Interface of 7-Zip

Burn CD / DVD

For a long time I was a fan of the Nero Ultra Edition, and now it's still one of the best commercial software packages for CD and DVD recording. It contains a number of video and audio manipulation features, $ 79 package, which not only supports data burning but also supports the creation of 'play' BD-AV discs. However, the capacity is Nero's weakness - the truth is that we often only use some of the features in the most basic version.

I have also used ImgBurn, a free software application with some features. In addition to performing simple tasks like 'burn' and compiling disk images, it also includes some advanced features. You can designate where to put breakers when doing 'burn' of double-layer DVDs; It also supports HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives; You can set options such as increasing burning speed, it depends on which operating system you have installed and many other things.

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ImgBurn compact software

However, there is a big obstacle to ImgBurn that it doesn't burn audio CDs. If you want to burn an audio CD, you can try Ashampoo's Burning Studio with a 30-day trial version and a $ 40 official version.

Download manager

Download manager is one of the more optional tools that is required, but when downloading a lot you may need help to help your work easily and quickly. FlashGet is one of the most popular software, its advantages: it's free, supports all protocols (including BitTorrent), has many of the same features as the remote command to the computer. to download a file by sending an email to a specific address.

Some website administrators are uncomfortable using some download managers - especially when they use multithreaded, need flexibility and accelerated technologies - and may prohibit you from using them. However, when used in time, download managers like FlashGet will not cause this annoyance.

Encode

Sometimes there are things you want to keep secret. Windows has an encryption function built into the file system but it is not strong and is part of the NTFS file system. TrueCrypt of TrueCrypt Foundation is a free and open source product that can create encrypted versions for files on disk or a physical disk (like USB drives).

Most of the program's functions (like creating encrypted editions) are very easy to use, even if you don't understand a bit of coding. The encryption algorithms it uses are given as industrial standards such as Triple DES and Blowfish, so it has many advantages.

FTP

A good FTP client is another component of the tool groups that are required, and we now have a lot of options. My favorite software is Open Source Filezilla from Tim Kosse, currently available in version 2.2.32, and is offering a 3.0 beta version for testing. There are a lot of features you want and most notable is its error correction capabilities: if your friend dies in the middle of a long operation (involving one or more files), then you can pick it up. out where you can go.

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FileZilla

A reputable commercial product is SmartSoft's SmartFTP. Its features are much more professional and progressive than FileZilla and have IPv6, Universal Plug and Play support, FXP (allowing you to transfer from one FTP server to another without must download to your device and then re-upload, verified the XCRC transmissions and other authentication protocols, protect the connection with TLS / SSL. Added ActiveX / COM + component for the program (allows you to control SmartFTP via other applications).

Efficiency

Processing and viewing photos

One of the programs I want to add to my newly installed computer is a program that replaces the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, both of which have a lot of limited functionality. I also like to have something that can be used for image processing - not really a photo editor or editor but simple tasks like resizing, cropping, converting formats .

IrfanView of Irfan Skiljan is one of my favorite and commonly used software: with very small size (only about 1,400K), can run from any folder without installation, support scanning and Camera input via TWAIN, can do everything from creating HTML thumbnail libraries to applying Adobe Photoshop plug-ins. Better yet, it can open any image format you encounter.

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Small, fast and full featured, IrfanView is really a suitable program.

Photo management

The biggest feature of IrfanView is the image management convergence. It will be an ideal program if you already have photos categorized manually in folders, but it is not the best tool for sorting or creating items in multiple disks and folder. With that, you need to have Cerious Software's ThumbsPlus software, which is a photo management software that includes a database system for organizing photos and categories. The price is about $ 50, but you can download the trial version for about 30 days.

Another interesting and free photo manager is Google's Picasa software, which provides local image management functions like searching and creating albums. Photos organized through Picasa can be shared via Web Album.

Edit pictures

If you are looking for a free photo editing tool - which may be more interesting than Microsoft's Paint application - go to Rick Brewster's Paint.Net open source software, its current version is 3.0

Create PDF

You don't have to spend a lot of money to buy PDF creation software, most of which are free or low cost.

CutePDF Writer of Acro Software is a small-sized software, it is a competitor to low-end free software products. Its main purpose is to convert your printed output into a PDF, with no more options than necessary. In fact you will only see the program interface when required to enter the file name to save the PDF.

A product of high quality but still free (open source) is PDFCreator software by Philip Chinery and Frank Heindörfer. It has added encryption and permissions, CMYK support, and many other higher-level features - all for free.

In addition, there is a free software to read PDF of Foxit Software named Foxit which is also an option.

Edit text

Notepad is one of the simplest and most useful text editors in all of Windows' natural tools, but it has many limitations. For example, it cannot handle files larger than a few hundred KB (like log files).

With the limitations of Notepad, we have Notepad2 open source by Florian Ballmer, this is a simple program that has some basic components that we might need, that is: readability The files are very large without slowing down, highlighting (highlighting) syntax for many common file types and the ability to run without installation (it is very convenient for a small utility contained in the USB drive).

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Notepad2: a new and improved version of NotePad

A more advanced application - this application requires installation but on the contrary it has more features - that is Fookes Software's NoteTab Pro, which currently has version 5.2. Tab-like HTML features and syntax are highlighted, spell-check, search and replace with regular expressions or expressions, and many other features. The software is priced at $ 30, but you can use the 30-day trial version and another version of it with fewer features is also free (NoteTab Light).

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