Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Gadgets

By Cate Eales

Appeared Mar 2, 2006 on castanet.net

There are many useful tools for diagnosing problems in Windows and fixing them. I have a USB Flash Drive crammed with useful tools…and with gadgets. Some are useful, others are just fun. You decide which is which!

Microsoft offers Windows XP Power Toys, which they describe as "additional programs that developers work on after a product has been released." Microsoft does not support Power Toys, but they do make them available free, and there are several to choose from. You can see the entire list here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx.

My favourite is TweakUI, which lets you change Windows settings that are otherwise hidden away. Do you want to turn off "Balloon Help" on the Taskbar? How about repairing icons when the wrong icon is associated with a program on the desktop? Want to turn off that annoying "unread mail" message on the login screen? Go for it.

Do you know that if you have more than one application open you can use the Alt+Tab keys to switch between them? Try that a couple of times, then go ahead and download Taskswitch which shows a preview of the page you're switching to as well as the program icon for the page. This is very useful if you have more than one browser or email window open, or if you're looking at several photos.

SyncToy helps you keep track of multiple copies of files and folders, whether those files and folders are on the same drive, in a camera, on a flash drive, or on another computer in your network. I use SyncToy to streamline the process of backing up my archived email, PalmPilot calendar, and archived business files onto another computer here. You can customize it so it knows only to back up folders/files that have changed, or in several other configurations.

Microsoft recently released another gadget called USB Flash Drive Manager. If you have a flash drive, you might want to give this a try. I have been using it for a week, and frankly I haven't found it to be much fun or very useful, but maybe I'm missing something? Flash Drive Manager is available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=94991901-bfc4-485e-bcae-c9df0accdaae&displaylang=en.

For those with friends and family in other time zones, Microsoft offers a gadget called Time Zone. Time Zone installs as an icon in the system tray and you can use it to keep track of the time in up to five time zones. I tried it (three zones) and found it annoying so I uninstalled it. If you want to try it, you can download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=07fb0bd8-f390-458d-a629-6f0258ac7cdf&DisplayLang=en.

What is your favourite gadget? Why do you like it? Send us email and we'll include your recommendations in a future column.


Links
Microsoft Power Toys: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=94991901-bfc4-485e-bcae-c9df0accdaae&displaylang=en
Microsoft Time Zone: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=07fb0bd8-f390-458d-a629-6f0258ac7cdf&DisplayLang=en
Subscribe to this column by email: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=20618

---
Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.