Gentoo

Gentoo Foundation, Inc.

Gentoo is an alternative operating system based on Linux that you can install on your PC. It offers a wide range of tools for you to configure the system, as well as a large community of users and developers to help if required. One of the advantages Gentoo offers as an operating system is its flexibility, thanks to a technology called Portage. Whether you want to have a gaming environment, a secure server or develop any project, Gentoo offers you the necessary tools to achieve it. You can also customize the appearance to your liking. Of course, some specific knowledge is required, but if you have any doubts you can always count on the support of the community surrounding this operating system. Currently, Gentoo has volunteer developers around the world, many of whom are experts in different fields. So, if you are interested in converting Gentoo into your operating system, you can quickly find the solution to any problems that arise. If you have the necessary knowledge, you too can be part of the community and become an expert in this operating system and help others. Download Gentoo here and take advantage of a unique operating system.

WhatIsHang

Nir Sofer

WhatIsHang is a curious application that will tell you the reasons that have made that other application hang. You only have to choose the hanged program and WhatisHang will tell you more details about the reasons that have made this happen. Although if you are a novice user and you don't know about programming those codes and numbers will not tell you anything, maybe your friends can help you.

Stims

N/A

Stims is a simple application that prevents your computer from turning off accidentally, or sleeping or shutting down due to inactivity. You can program Stims to run from 30 minutes to two days, or even permanently, if you want. It works simply by simulating pressing a shift key every minute you leave it running. One of the best features of Stims is its small size (it's much smaller than an image). This means that you can easily take it with you on a USB drive and run it anywhere without installation. Stims is an interesting application. It will always ask twice for your confirmation before restarting your computer, which is useful when you're installing various applications and might accidentally select 'restart now.'

Fast Folder Access

Eusing Software

Fast Folder Access is an excellent, lightweight, effective tool that can really help you move more easily between your favorite folders. With just one click of the mouse in any window in Windows, you'll have access to your most-used folders. What the program does is add new options to the shortcut menu, allowing you to move directly to the folders that you've created shortcuts to. Fast Folder Access is very easy to use, even for novice computer users. You will be able to add directories using an extremely intuitive interface - all you have to do is enter its file path. You will also be able to organize your new accesses from within the menu itself, adding separators to keep things neat, and importing and exporting the folder list for future use.

Inmersive Explorer

Julien Mancini

Immersive Explorer is one of the alternatives available to the file explorer used by Windows. It is based in the tile design featured in Windows 8, and differentiates the folders on your hard drive by color, according to the disk unit where they are housed, which adds a layer of convenience to your file browsing. The program brings several concrete tasks together into one window to make navigation easier. One of the best features from this view is the fact that you don't need to open another window to navigate between tasks. Not only that, but Immersive Explorer needs no installation.

DelayedSleep

Bust A TECH

DelayedSleep is a small app to put your computer to sleep automatically. The options include setting up a countdown or a specific hour of the day. In any case, you'll see a countdown that will minimize into your system's tray after a few seconds. You can click on the countdown icon at any given time to stop or reconfigure it. DelayedSleep takes up very little space on your hard drive and doesn't require any installation. This is perfect, for example, for all those times when you need to go out but you have something that needs to finish downloading.

What's My Computer Doing

Itsth

What's My Computer Doing is a useful application that helps you find out, in detail, what your computer is doing at any time. This lets you find out much more about an open process than what the task manager would show you, such as which program is consuming the most resources and what problems are affecting it. The application creates a comprehensive list of all the programs running on your PC at a certain time, and from there shows you the install path and the installed version. If you want you can even stop the process. It also lets you uninstall a specific program instead of stopping it or, if you prefer, freeze it to stop any problem it may be causing. What's My Computer Doing is, in short, a great tool to find out every detail about what's happening on your PC at all times and stop dangerous processes without freezing your computer.

XP Update Extender

N/A

XP Update Extender is a software that lets you patch Windows XP to keep receiving updates for the operating system and avoid some of the security issues that come when using a version without support. This program establishes a registration key to make your Windows version appear to be XP Embedded (POSReady) – used on certain systems such as ATMs – which has extended service for many more years. It won't modify any file on your system. The XP Update Extender updates can be done just by clicking on the 'activate' button. This way, if a new official update is launched for the XP Embedded version, it will also show up on your Windows update client and you'll be able to install it in the usual way. Keep in mind that this program is not officially approved by Microsoft, so in some situations it might alter how your operating system works, with unknown results.

WinUpdatesView

Nir Sofer

WinUpdatesViewis a very simple tool that gives you a complete list of all the Windows updates that you've carried out over time. The program can load your operating system's update history directly from your local files using an API, and it can also read the information directly from a database file that you have on an external disk or on a local network. WinUpdatesView gives you access to an enormous amount of information. For each update you'll be able to see its title, as well as its description, the date of installation, the result of the operation (usually successful), the category, the URL with more information, the update ID, and much, much more. From the options menu, you can also customize the information you want to see and the order in which you want to see it. WinUpdatesView is an incredibly useful program that, like many other programs from Nir Soft, doesn't require any sort of installation. All you have to do is unzip the compressed file and double click on the executable file. You'll instantly be able to see the complete list of the updates of your operating system, whether it's Windows XP, Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Windows 7 Logon Message

N/A

Windows 7 Logon Message is a lite and curious application that will let you change the message appearing in the logon screen of Windows7 The program is totally portable, so you can use it on any computer and surprise your friends by changing the original message. Using it is as easy as running it and enter a new text for the Logon Screen. That's all. Windows 7 Logon Message can be funny if you want to give a surprise to anyone.

Privacy Hide

4Dots Software

Logon Screen

Stardock Corporation

Logon Screen is a free application for Windows that allows you to change the Windows 7 logon screen in an easy way. Once installed, you can access it using the shortcut on desktop or right-clicking any empty area on desktop and choosing it in the right-click menu. Then, you'll find it so easy. You'l only have to choose the image you want to set as backgroud for the logon screen. If the mage size doesn't fit the screen perfectly, the program will stretch it, don't worry. This is one of the easiest ways to change the Window 7 logon screen.

KM Remote

N/A

KM Remote is an app that allows you to control your computer by using both keyboard shortcuts created for specific programs as well as voice commands. That means that you can use the program to establish what combination of keys should be pressed to open your favorite music player, or to set it so that speaking 'e-mail' into the microphone immediately brings up your inbox. The program may be a little confusing in the beginning because it has so many features, but once you successfully create your first shortcuts, you'll gain momentum and shouldn't have any trouble using it. KM Remote is especially useful for anyone with a mouse that has more than three buttons, as it can help you make the most out of those extra buttons.

AcFolders

SVAr soft.

When downloading things from the Internet, it can get annoying to have to search in the dialog box for the specific folder to where you want to save the file every single time. The most convenient solution is to either save everything to the same folder and move the files afterwards, or use a tool like AcFolders. AcFolders is a plugin that lets you add shortcuts to the dialog box that opens with every download, as well as the one Microsoft Office applications use for opening and saving documents. AcFolders adds a toolbar to your browser window, containing all the shortcuts you find necessary. The program is completely customizable. You can add as many folders as you want, organize them into categories, search to find documents more quickly, or access recently opened files. All of this can be done from the same window, with just a few clicks of the mouse.

7Plus

Christian Sander

7Plus is a package with dozens of upgrades and add-ons for Windows Explorer that will make it easier for you to browse between tabs and improve the overall functionality of its interface. The first thing that stands out is the number of keyboard shortcuts it offers, from creating folders by just hitting F8 to retrieving previous items on your clipboard with Win+v. Other interesting add-ons include the options to close windows by middle-clicking them, to shut down programs by pressing Alt+F5, or to enable the 'Always on top' mode by right-clicking the title bar on a folder. 7Plus is a really interesting add-on for any Windows user. Not only it will make your browsing experience more fluid, but it'll also help you discover many features you probably didn't know about.

TimeComX

N/A

TimeComX is a very simple tool that you can use to organize many different types of activities to make sure they are automatically accomplished after a certain amount of time. You can use this tool to program restarts, monitor or computer shut downs, videos and sounds, file and webpage executions, and even screenshots. The different options offered will let you make the TimeComX window always visible, on top of whatever task you're completing (this option is ideal for those instances where the countdown is about to begin), or hide it, which means that you won't notice it until the countdown has hit zero. TimeComX is a very interesting app, since it lets you program activities and reminders, with time intervals that range from a few minutes to a few months.

Burg

N/A

Burg is a lite application that allows you to choose the opreating system you want to be run at startup. The program supports Linux, Windows, OSX, Solaris and FreeBSD amond a good bunch of them. If you have more than one operating system installed and you want to decide which one will be run, Burg can be really useful.

Close All Windows

NTWind

Close All Windows is a small application that enables you to (you'll never guess!) close all active windows on your desktop. It doesn't need any installation, you can use it just like you would any executable that you'd find within a compressed file. Create a shortcut on your desktop to allow for easy access. This Close All Windows function will save you time in those moments when you have too many windows open and you want to begin a different task, or simply when the number of open windows is making it hard for you to find something. As you can see, it's not an essential tool but since it's free and lightweight, it could be useful for anyone who frequently works with a lot of windows open.

Bad Shortcut Killer

N/A

Have you ever had so many icons on your desktop that you could barely see the wallpaper? This application will help you clean that up. Bad Shortcut Killer gets rid of all the shortcuts that don't work, meaning the ones that don't open up a program or file when you click on them. This program creates a list of shortcuts that don't link up to the folders or files they should open so that you can get rid of them in just a few clicks. It's really simple: you just select all the shortcuts that aren't valid and delete them.

Desk Drive

Blue Onion Software

Oftentimes when you connect a USB pen drive, external disk, or a CD/DVD without auto run, you have to go through the trouble of opening the Computer window and using Windows explorer to access the newly connected device. A practical and simple solution is to use this program, Desk Drive, that will add a temporary shortcut to this new device on your Windows Desktop. The shortcut is temporary because the moment you disconnect the pen drive or USB memory stick from your computer it'll go away without leaving a trace. Desk Drive runs in the background of your system tray and every time you connect a device or disk it'll activate the corresponding shortcut.

Passvers iOS System Recovery

tranhom

qliner Hotkeys

QLiner

Anfibia Switch

Anfibia Software

Anfibia Switch is one of the easiest ways you can find to shut down your PC. In fact, it's so easy to use that anyone can figure it out without any experience. To use Anfibia Switch, just click its icon to shut down your computer. That's it. Once you click the icon, you can program the computer to shut down in 10, 20, or however many minutes you want. It's all simple and automatic. If you want to restart the computer, just do the same thing with the restart button. If you leave your computer on for a few days at a time, you can also program your computer to shut down on a certain day. Or, if you often fall asleep watching TV on your computer, you can program the computer to shut down in a few hours once you're asleep.

Explore2fs

John Newbigin

Surely you have found yourself in a scenario before where you needed to access information in Linux from Windows to extract a file or important document. The problem is that every time this happens you have to restart your computer, open Linux, and copy the file in question to be saved for Windows. With Explore2fs you'll save time by being able to access your files without having to go through the process of opening Linux. This program can read information stored in these filesystems as well as write in them. Copy a file or folder directly from Windows and free yourself from the inconvenient step of switching operating systems. The program, while very useful, is still in a developmental state and has certain shortcomings, such as not supporting link icons.

FixGo

iToolab

PC Auto Shutdown

GoldSolution Software, Inc.

When you're completing a task and need to leave your PC on for a while, managing when it shuts down from the Windows Task Manager can become quite complicated. With PC Auto Shutdown, however, you can shut down, restart, sleep, or hibernate your system much more easily, simply by setting the exact time and date, as well as the action you want to apply. The tool lets you set up two different schedules so that if it tries to shut down while you're working, you can delay the action with a keyboard shortcut. It also includes options to password-protect all changes and log your shutdown information in PC Auto Shutdown.

Macgo Free iPhone Explorer

Macgo International Ltd.

Macgo iPhone Explorer is an efficient tool for hassle-free management of the content of your iOS device. An ideal program for all those who can't make peace with iTunes. The program interface can be divided into several basic categories: files, user data, user apps, and system apps. From each of these options you can access loads of information and features to control your device. Macgo iPhone Explorer can be very useful to back up the entire contents of your iPhone or iPod, safely delete files (without leaving any trace), protect your content, and even uninstall all the apps you no longer use that consume memory needed for your device's good performance. Macgo iPhone Explorer also features a very simple way to transfer or copy files from your PC to your iOS device, and vice versa. This way, you can ensure you have backups of your pictures and favorite music, and at the same time get rid of all the files you no longer want to keep.

CDReader

DigitalSystem

CDReader is the application you need if you want to know if the files you have stored i your HD are in perfect conditions or not. The procedure is as easy as effective: It scans all files one by one and, once the analysis is complete it creates a report indicating if there is any file with problems. CDReader is very light, it doesn't require to be installed ad it will let you have all your files in perfect conditions.

JeS Multi-Monitor Suite

Jesconsultancy

JeS Multi-Monitor Suite is a set of tools that will help you to better configure computers with a number of monitors. It offers features that increase user productivity, including keyboard shortcuts and multi-monitor task bars. This program allows you to better manage a computer with two or more connected screens. JeS Multi-Monitor Suite will provide you with separate, different task bars on each monitor. In addition, it allows you to switch between the different windows that you have open on several monitors using keyboard shortcuts, which makes it a lot easier to work with multiple monitors. Another interesting thing about the app is that it also allows you to create all of the virtual desktops that you need, and you can customize all of their details. So, it will be a lot easier to move between different desktops and it will make you work more productively.

Win 8 Start Menu Changer

N/A

Win 8 Start Menu Changer is a tool that allows you to change the default appearance of the Windows 8 start menu so that it looks more like that of Windows 7. It also allows you to activate or deactivate the Metro user interface and Ribbon interface for the file Explorer, among other things. Using the application is very simple, since it just displays a small window where you can select one start menu style or another, and a box to check if you want to deactivate the Ribbon interface. It's become quite common to add Windows 8 style to Windows 7, but if you feel differently and want to return to an older look, Win 8 Start Menu Changer is a lightweight, easy-to-use solution.