Category: Windows x64

If you've ever received an error message when trying to delete a file, then you know what Unlocker is for. It's a free utility for deleting or moving files that are locked by a Windows process -- which is why Unlocker has long been a part of my malware-busting toolkit. If you've got a 64-bit Windows system, you might have tried an existing version only to find out that it can't work its ...

Avoiding distractions on while working your computer can be tricky business. Fortunately, there are plenty of great, free apps out there to help you get things done! CinemaDrape, for example, is a great way to turn off the "background noise" so you can focus on one particular app or area of your screen. You can download an installable version of CinemaDrape or grab the portable remix and run ...

Let's start with a disclaimer: I'm strictly a Windows guy. Have never used a Mac. But I do know what Time Machine is supposed to do, and I was quite envious of my fellow Macheads when it was released. I have a serious backup fetish, and my combined backup strategy (remote + complete local mirroring) was lacking in just that one area -- intuitive versioning which stays out of your way but is ...

Some sites are referring to Iomega's v.Clone as a backup utility, but that's not a very accurate description of what it does. Sure, it could come in handy if your system fails, but traditional methods are probably more useful to the average PC user. What makes v.Clone interesting is the fact that it creates a VMware virtual machine from your system and then wraps it in a portable version of ...

It's not often that you find a decent commercial utility being given away for free. It's usually a marginally-useful app or a program for which there's a better (and often free!) alternative. Today, however, you can score Driver Magician at no charge from Giveaway of the Day. It's a very good driver backup, restore, and removal utility - and there aren't a ton of good free programs that offer ...

Windows 7's built-in libraries are a great way to organize information on your system. Windows 7's libraries provide a powerful addition to Explorer. They simplify file sharing, speed browsing and searching, and improve organization. Libraries are also a fantastic way to group related content regardless of where it's stored - especially if you suck at maintaining a logical folder setup like me. ...

I'm not sure when the last time was that I needed to dig through my start menu. Between the Windows 7 Super Bar and the search box Vista added, there are just easier ways for me to find and launch programs. Still, for some of my customers, friends, and family, the newer menus are just a distraction. They were fine with Windows XP's interface, and they might not want to be bothered learning ...

Plenty of people were thrown off by the Quick Launch toolbar's disappearance from Windows 7. It hadn't actually disappeared, per se - it's just hiding where you're not likely to notice it. You can handle this a couple of different ways. The Superbar still supports toolbars, so you can right click it, choose toolbars -> new toolbar and paste "\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick launch" in the ...

I'm not sure I'd ever go for the kind of 3D desktop BumpTop implements, but I don't mind seeing a little imaginary depth rendered on my 2D Windows desktop. Enter T3Desk, a Window manager which does exactly that. It's a bit of an alt-tab replacement and reminiscent of the Window arranging wizardry provided by Compiz. One of my favorite features of T3Desk is that all applications you minimize ...

Task Manager is an extremely handy tool, but it does lack a few features that would make it even more useful. Say, for example, the ability to control + click or shift + click to quickly select multiple processes you want to terminate. Like so many tiny omissions in Windows, there's a free utility which steps in nicely to add that missing functionality. Spacetornado Killer is a tiny (44KB) ...

Opera have released version 10 of their browser, now with Opera Unite and Opera Turbo included. Opera Unite gives your web browser the ability to deliver content as well as consume it. The standard download includes a number of Unite applications, with more available for download from the application directory. The bundled applications include a file sharing server that allows you to make ...

Defragmentation (like backing up) is one of those chores I don't think about doing all that often. And I really should, since my desktop at work is a cluttered mess of downloads, screenshots, temp files, and other digital flotsam. When Auslogics mentioned they've got a new version of their Disk Defrag tool available for download, I figured why not take it for a spin? My drive could use the TLC, ...

Most keyboards built in the last twenty years or so sport three LEDs - number lock, caps lock, and scroll lock. I'm pretty sure that over those same twenty years I've used each one for a combined total of five minutes. It sure would be nice if I could somehow force the LEDs to perform another duty. Say, for example, blinking in time with my network activity? That would be pretty slick. And ...

It doesn't happen often, but every now and then I receive a customer's laptop which just doesn't want to believe it's no longer attached to an external monitor. And it never fails - some important app is going to appear in the display Twilight Zone. If only there was some kind of digital shepherd to corral those errant windows. Hey, if not a shepherd, why not SheepDog? It's a tiny, portable ...

Panda Cloud Antivirus is one of the more talked about releases of 2009. Its new spin on the traditional antivirus model -- like many new programs which embrace cloud computing -- has been met with both praise and criticism. Panda themselves are bullish on Cloud AV, and I was fortunate enough to speak about it with CEO Juan Santana and Senior Research Advisor Pedro Bustamante. To Santana and ...