Useful Windows, Making Windows Useful, Tips and Tricks

The Power Toys for Windows XP were very popular to the point that Microsoft made you pay for the ones in Vista and called them Ultimate Extras, but unlike their XP counterparts they did not release a lot of the Ultimate Extras.  In Windows 7 we really don’t see any Power Toys or Ultimate Extras… or do we?  I have a list of some great add ons for Windows 7 that will bring functionality and fun to this great OS.

Now some of these are from Microsoft others from third-party developers, but all are tested and are very useful.  In Part 2 we will be looking at Utilities.

Utilities Not From Microsoft

I do not use a lot of third-party applications but the ones I do use are very helpful, here are a few utilities I use a lot and suggest.

1. 7-Zip   7-Zip is a great program to work with compressed files.  It works with every major format including .rar   No more installing Winrar.    Best of all it is free.

7zip in Windows 7

I suggest changing the options though if you click on Tools and then Options you will see the following.

7Zip File Type Options

I select all but .zip .cab and .iso which I let Windows manage .cab and .zip and I let another app manage .iso which I will cover later.  It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and XP and you can get it at http://www.7-zip.org/

2. Ccleaner  Ccleaner is short for Crap Cleaner.  It is an awesome utility for removing temporary files and registry errors from Windows.  It is very customizable and supports many applications.  It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and XP and you can get it at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Ccleaner 3 in Windows 7

3. Context Menu Editor   Is is an application for editing the right-click context menu in Windows.  You can put links to any application, Win32 Command, or website that you wish.  This tool is only available for Windows 7 and Vista and you can get more information and download it here at http://www.thewindowsclub.com/context-menu-editor-for-windows-7-vista-released

Context Menu Editor in Windows 7

4. Right Click Extender If the Context Menu Editor is a little over your head check out the Right Click Extender.  It has many options that you can enable for Context Menus on the Desktop, My Computer, Files/Folders, and Drives.  It is easy to use just select the ones you want. It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and some features work in XP too.  You can learn more and download it at http://www.thewindowsclub.com/right-click-context-menu-extender-for-windows-7-released

Right Click Extender in Windows 7

For more check out

Communication and Games in Part 1

Utilities from Microsoft in Part 3