How to launch programs in only 3 keys

ClifNotesNewsletters has a post on How to launch programs using only 3 keys.

It’s simple and speeds up getting started, and works for up to 36 programs.

Windows SteadyState from Microsoft

Windows SteadyState is a Microsoft freeware product which returns your computer to the same condition as it was before the last user.

Got pranksters around?  Someone who downloads who knows what?

“Windows SteadyState can return your family computer and hard disk to the condition it was before your children changed it. You just restart your computer.”

Get all security patches without WGA nightmares

Windows Secrets has a post on how to Get all security patches without WGA nightmares.

“In an April 16 Windows Secrets story, contributing editor Ryan Russell argued that WGA poses a risk to the world because Microsoft prevents machines that fail WGA validation from getting some security patches through Windows’ Automatic Updates mechanism. Unpatched machines are vulnerable to remote attacks that enroll them in hackers’ bot armies.

In today’s Known Issues column, several WS readers report that WGA wrongly disabled software they’d legitimately purchased. (An Ars Technica article back in January 2007 estimated at least 5 million WGA false positives, based on Microsoft’s own numbers.)”

The article describes how to avoid the WGA and get the patches yourself if you want to avoid this problem.

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will check your system to see if it can run Windows 7.  Freeware.

Simplify Media – Connect Your Music

Simplify Media is freeware which lets you play your music in iTunes, Front Row, Winamp, Windows Media Player 11, or Linux’s Rhythmbox.

It’s file streaming software for Windows/Mac/Linux systems as well as iPhone/iPod Touch.

Top 10 Ways to Clean Up Your PC

Lifehacker has a post on the Top 10 Ways to Clean Up Your PC and speed it up.

10 tweaks to make Windows 7 even better

TechRepublic has a post on 10 tweaks to make Windows 7 even better.

How to improve Windows 7 with a few tweaks.

“Operating System Not Found” Error

Can I Remedy An Operating System Not Found Error? is an Internet Fixes post on what to do when you get this message on booting up your computer.

13 Great Free Backup Programs for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Download Squad has 13 Great Free Backup Programs for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Pick your operating system and find a backup program for it — and use it!

Ext2 IFS For Windows and Linux

Ext2 IFS For Windows “provides Windows NT4.0/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008 with full access to Linux Ext2 volumes (read access and write access). This may be useful if you have installed both Windows and Linux as a dual boot environment on your computer.”

PowerResizer for Windows

PowerResizer lets you size and arrange your windows on the desktop.

It’s a handy way to compare two or more files, graphics, etc. in two windows, sized so they can stay side by side or top and bottom.

Or just have multiple windows up with different programs running in each, so you can keep track of them all… or just look really, really busy.

Alternative software for Windows, Mac, Linux

AlternativeTo.net helps you find alternative software for other operating systems.

What’s comparable to Microsoft Office on a Mac?  Or Linux? Find alternatives to your favorite software even running other systems.  Or just find alternatives.

SpeedCrunch – fast and usable calculator

SpeedCrunch is a fast and usable calculator which is available for Windows, Linux, and Apple Mac OS X.

Overview

• history and results on a scrollable display
• up to 50 decimal precisions
• unlimited variable storage
• intelligent automatic completion
• fully usable from the keyboard
• more than 50 built-in math functions
• optional virtual keypad to be used with a mouse
• on-the-fly and selection calculation
• customizable appearance
• syntax highlighting and parentheses matching

This is recommended by a number of sites (links available on this site).

15 free downloads to pep up your old PC

ComputerWorld has a post on 15 free downloads to pep up your old PC.

These are freeware programs that will speed up your old PC as much as possible, and all are compatible with XP.

You might also want to check out their post on How to make Windows XP last forever.

Stardock Fences organize your desktop

Freeware Genius has a post on Stardock Fences which allow you to organize your icons into floating areas on your desktop.

Stardock Fences is freeware (with a fancier pay version to come) but the freeware version is pretty impressive.

Got a desktop full of icons?  Fences can organize it for you (and then you can modify that if you like), or you can start from basics and do it yourself.

Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 (On Vista and Windows 7, both 32bit and 64bit versions are supported.)

Speed up boot times using Bootvis

Online Tech Tips has a post on how to Speed up boot times using Bootvis.

This is actually a program from Microsoft that checks all the things that happen when your PC boots up, and then optimises the settings to speed that up.

Use at your own risk, and do a System Restore set point first, but this could help.  Freeware.

Lifehacker’s Beginner’s Guide to Creating Virtual Machines with VirtualBox

Lifehacker has a post on The Beginner’s Guide to Creating Virtual Machines with VirtualBox.

” it’s an easy, free way to try or use a separate OS without messing with your hard drive.”

This might be your chance to try Linux, or maybe run just enough Windows for your needs on a Linux netbook, or whatever.

daVinci Script: Free Automation Software

daVinci Script: Free Automation Software for the Windows platforms is for automating Windows tasks, such as automatic backups and other chores

All the latest Windows platforms are supported, such as XP/Vista, Mobile 2002/2003/5/6 and Server 2000/2003/2008.

Just a few examples out of many:

• Open a dialog box to display text from files.
• Replace or remove portions of text in text variables.
• Find and extract plain text from HTML files.
• Compose and send emails (also with attachments).
• Resize or crop a loaded image.
• Create, copy, move and delete files and folders on a mobile unit.
• Send a keyboard key or a keyboard string to the currently active window

4 Open Source Collection Manager Apps

MakeUseOf has an article reviewing 4 Open Source Collection Manager Apps.

Alexandria (Linux) is a Gnome application specifically aimed at cataloging books.

Griffith (Windows, Linux) is fairly similar to Alexandria, but is designed for movies.

Tellico (Linux) comes packaged with support for books, comic books, videos, music, coins, stamps, cards, wines, video games, and board games and also allows custom collection types.

GCStar (Linux) has options and customization similar to Tellico.

GAG me with a Graphical Boot Manager

GAG, the Graphical Boot Manager is for people who want to try different operating systems on their computer: Windows, Linux, whatever.