Windows 8 (64 bits)

Microsoft

The evolution of the Windows Operating system has been slow but correct! All but Windows ME or Windows Vista, have been versions of Windows have been truly functional and have been great additions to the previous versions, with great security and hardware added on to the existing software. Windows 8 has come to revolutionize the world of Windows and adapt to the new necessities needed today in age. The main change that you will see is its new Metro interface, similar to the one on Windows Phone, and the one which Microsoft wants to use for new devices like tablets. The new interface of Windows is totally interactive, and converts every application to widgets, with which we will be able to directly interact with them without having to open the corresponding program. The inclusion of this interface does not mean that Windows 8 will not be used like Windows 7, Vista, XP, ect. The classic Windows desktop will be available like another application. Now it will be a state from which to run more complex applications or prepared for previous versions of Windows. Another interesting thing from this version of Windows 8 is the compatibility that it has with online accounts. To begin a session on Windows you will be able to use your Windows Live account. On top of that, other services like Skype and Facebook will be available to use as applications like Windows Photos and Windows People. The new Windows Applications will execute in a new screen, although there are ways to make the screen formatted so you can have more than one application running on one screen dividing the screen into smaller spaces. Also these applications will be connected to each other using the API system. So some functions like the share feature and searching can be used globally. The new applications can be installed from the new Windows Store, a similar to the Mac App Store, Ubuntu Software Center and the Android Market. Another different change that is very attractive to Windows 8 is the low resource consumption. This makes the program more compatible with even more devices (if available). Also, the start up of this program has had a great change in speed, making it start up almost instantly. So Windows 8 is the logical evolution of the program and the groundbreaking software that we have been waiting for!

Windows 11

Microsoft

Windows 11 is the latest version of Microsoft's operating system. Although it was initially planned as an aesthetic and functional improvement over Windows 10, Microsoft decided to launch it as a new version in October 2021. Windows 11 removes some features from Windows 11 while adding and improving others. The taskbar has a more minimalist design with centered icons. The start menu was simplified to show the most used apps and new installations. The search is faster, and you have a new Widgets section to view news, weather, and the stock market. In terms of functionality, Windows 11 includes many interesting new features, such as the ability to run Android applications natively. The operating system windows can be reset more quickly thanks to Snap Layout. The operating system also has a more modern design based on Fluent Design. Windows and apps feature simple gradient backgrounds, as well as rounded corners. Many system apps, such as Notepad, Alarms, Clock, and Windows Media Player are completely redesigned. In terms of security, there's now Sandbox. With it, you can run programs in an isolated environment to avoid introducing malware to your whole computer. And, as you would expect, this new version of Windows comes with newer, more modern, and simpler sounds, which are less intrusive and annoying. So if you want to download the latest available version of Windows 11, you can download the Windows 11 ISO.

UndoClose

AddictiveTips

UndoClose is a lightweight tool to undo the closing of a window or application, just by using a keyboard shortcut. From the app's main interface you can choose the shortcut you want to use (by default, Control+Shift+F for closed folders). You can also see a list of recently closed applications and folders. This way, you can quickly reopen a window, no matter whether you closed it by accident when you were clicking too fast, or just closed it intentionally and need it open again. As soon as you press the keyboard shortcut the last window or folder you closed will reopen. UndoClose is a very useful tool that barely takes space on the memory, runs discreetly, and can be integrated into Windows. Likely to become another of your go-to tools on Windows.

Vista Start Menu

Denis Nazarenko

Vista Start Menu is a serious candidate to take the place of your boring Windows Start Menu. It integrates itself with the Operating System, hiding the classical Start Menu. It lets you locate your programs easily and faster than before. It respects the icons of each application, an interesting feature, because from now on you will not have to read the full list of programs to find the one you want. It is a new way to live your Windows Experience, try it, you will like it.

VisualCron

VisualCron.com

Do you know the famous Linux Cron? It is a very useful task planner with lots of options which can become really useful. In this case, VisualCron is presented like an idependent version of Cron for Windows, though it is really similar to the Linux version. It is specially developed for some programs to run at a certain time. By this way, you will not have to click on them at 4:00 A.M. and, for example, your antivirus will be run everyday, so your system will be safe and you will not waste a minute. It is very easy to use, you will not have any troubles when managing tasks: add, modify or delete tasks, and enjoy yourself, because VisualCron will run your programs for you. In addition, it is free and its interface is very intuitive.

TweakNow WinSecret

TwakNow

Although Windows and its Control Panel allows you to change settings and system options, some of them remain hidden to the common user. TweakNow WinSecret is a free application that gives us access to some advanced and hidden configuration settings throughout an intuitive interface where they are sorted by categories. We can find many categories: Applications, Control Panel, Desktop, Miscellaneous, Network and Internet options, OEM Info, special folders, Start menu, user accounts, Windows and Windows explorer. We'll find a lot of settings to change from the interface, access each category and modify whatever you want. It's easy, you can find a description of what you will be modifying and how it can affect the system performance.

MultiSet

Almeza Research

Reinstalling all drivers and applications when you format the computer or reinstall the Operating System is really annoying and that's the reason why we offer you this cute application that does it automatically. If you usually have to format and reinstall many programs and drivers, Multiset will be really helpful and will save you a valuable time. You'll only have to select the files you want to install, enter passwords and choose the drievers you'll want to keep and the next time you'll have to format and reinstall drivers and programs, your only task will be to load MultiSet and let it reinstall everything. You'll only have to press F5 and enjoy. Then, you'll realise how useful it is.

Aerofoil

Don Reid

If you've ever worked on a laptop or are a regular laptop user, you know what a pain it is to run out of battery and not have a charger nearby. To keep your laptop alive, you might scramble to turn off certain features, trying to save energy by making it last as long as possible. With Aerofoil, you no longer have to worry about this. Aerofoil automatically deactivates the tools that you're no longer using and the tools that are needlessly wasting energy like Bluetooth, WiFi (if you're not connected to the Internet), the Aero interface, or sound. Thanks to Aerofoil, you can create some extra minutes of battery life by automizing the task of turning off the applications you're no longer using, all before you run out of precious battery life.

nHancer

N/A

nHancer is an alternate control panel for nVidia graphic cards that will allow both novice and advanced users to modify settings and performance of these devices. nHancer allows you to create different profiles to get the most out of each application. It supports Windows Vista and DirectX 10, and also with SLI technology. If you don't know exactly what to do or modify, don't worry, nHancer includes a detailed description of each parameter that can be modified. It can be run when aTuner or RivaTuner is being run ad it will detect the changes made by the other programs.

ZenKEY

ZenCODE

ZenKEY allows you to control all applications in your PC just using your keyboard and the mouse. The only thing you have to do is to assign them a key shortcut for the applications you want to access just pressing a key combination. ZenKEY includes a wizard which will help you create them, so you will have no problem. You will not only be able to create shortcuts to applications but you will be able to process some actions you usually do such as minimize or open a new window just pressing a key combination. Once you setup those combinations, run the program and you'll be ready to save precious time while using your PC.

OpenWithView

Nir Sofer

When clicking on a file, have you ever used the 'Open as...' option in the drop-down menu? OpenWithView is a free application that lets you edit and create new entries for this menu. This way, you can create your own list of applications for opening each different file format. Choose specific applications for each list, and even add an alias to identify them more easily from the menu if you wish. You can also choose which actions to perform with your file (open, edit, print, and so on). OpenWithView really expands the possibilities of what you can do with just the 'Open as...' menu.

System Spec

Alex Nolan

If your PC is not very new or simply you only use it and you don’t worry aout how good it is, mybe you can’t answer if anybody asks you about the processor or the RAM it has. Now, and thanks to System Spec, you will know everything abbout yuor computer. System Spec offers you the easiest way to know the configuration of your PC, just run it, and more than 30 specific data about your computer will be shown on screen. Processor speed, HD capacity, RAM, windows version, graphic card information, and much more. And you can copy all of them to a HTML document, to the clipboard and work with it.

Filebox Extender

hyperionics

Filebox Extender is an application that adds new buttons and functions to the title bar of any window. The first upgrade introduced by this tool is a pin-shaped button that lets you keep a specific window always on top. This is perfect if you’re working with a number of documents so large that the windows tend to get lost on your desktop. The second is a simple tool that works in levels and lets you move the windows up or down the different levels. If a window is on top and you press this button, it will automatically send it backward. It works similarly to the layer system in graphic editors. Two more interesting features are a button that lets you access Windows folders you’ve visited recently and a different one for Favorites that can be configured by the user to perform a specific task when pressed.

Vista Drive Icon

artArmin

Add one of Vista’s best features to XP: smart drive icons showing the current capacity of each hard drive. That is what you can do now thank to Vista Drive Icon. It is very useful, because you will see a bar below the icon of each drive showing the current capacity of the drive without having to pass the mouse over it. Vista Drive Icon, changes the drive icons shown in Windows My Computer, to a nearly Vista drive icon, showing the drive´s free space with a smooth colored horizontal bar. Color changes depending on the free space of the drive. Finally, you do not have to change the icons, just run the application and it will do everything.

JavaRa

Fred de Vries y Paul McLain

Many PC apps have been developed in Java, and so your computer needs to have Java Runtime Environment installed in order to run those programs. JavaRa is a small app that checks to see if you have the latest version of Java installed. If you don't, then JavaRa will download the newest version and install it on your system. Another interesting feature included in the program allows you to automatically uninstall earlier versions of Java that are taking up space on your computer.

Winsupermaximize

BoD

Winsupermaximize is a lite application that can result very interesting for Netbook or mini-laptop users using Windows as Operating System. This lite program eliminates the title bar of the Windows Explorer and that will make you enjoy those pixels that are like gold for those small screens. Winsupermaximize does what you can do when you press F11 while using your common web browser. Once you are running Winsupermaximize, just use the key combination Win+F11 and the title bar of the File Explorer will disappear, in case you need it again, press again Win+F11 and you'll have it back.

GNU ls for Microsoft Windows

Algin Technology LLC

The GNU/Linux 'ls' command displays a list with all the files and directories in a specific directory. This function was not available on Microsoft Windows up until now. GNU ls for Microsoft Windows is, of course, a free and open source application, that allows you to use the 'ls' command on a Windows device. Installation is very simple, but it isn’t clearly explained on the application. What you have to do is decompress the files in the System32 directory within the Windows folder on your hard drive. From there, you can use the 'ls' commandoon Windows with all of its options, just like you would on GNU/Linux. All of this makes GNU ls for Microsoft Windows a great tool in getting the most out of your Windows window.

Extensions

Extensoft

WinFlog

Lawrence Albert P. llao

Dr Hardware

Peter A. Gebhard

Dr. Hardware concentrates its efforts on detecting and inquiring the core hardware and the connected devices of your computer. Also relevant information about resources and operating system will be given. Dr. Hardware can help both novices and experts, although it seems to be better for experts than for novices because it includes a lot of information that won’t be understood by novices. If you want to know more and more about your computer, install Dr. Hardware and you will be noticed about every device in it.

Taskbar Shuffle

Jay Elaraj

Taskbar Shuffle provides a very interesting functionality for the Windows Desktop. You have surely asked yourself on more than one occasion why it's not possible to manually move the existing windows in the task bar. These are added to the task bar as soon as you open them. If you keep a lot of different applications open, it can become a chaos. This program allows you to comfortably arrange the elements that appear in the task bar, only by dragging and dropping. If you want, you can configure the way how Taskbar Shuffle will work: - The number of necessary elements to group the windows belonging to one and the same application. - Group the windows by applications, but without blocking them in one unique button. - Use the button in the middle of the mouse to close the groups of windows.

Comfort Clipboard

Comfort Software Group

Comfort Clipboard is a very practical application for anybody who works in front of a computer, as it improves Windows' clipboard in terms of capacity and features. Once you install Comfort Clipboard, you'll stop worrying about replacing one copied item with another, since it can save as many clips as you need (by default it's limited to 100 clips, but you can adjust this number). To recover any of them, just select it from the list in the program interface and paste it where you need it. Comfort Clipboard shows detailed information about all clips, and lets you sort lists according to the type of snippet (text or image), weight, size, number of characters, and so on. It's very convenient if, for instance, you want to copy several items from the same website or document, as you can copy all clips directly without having to go back and forth between the document you're working with and the one where you want to paste the clipboard content.

Mini Explorer

N/A

For those of you not using a very powerful PC, you may want to look into using a file explorer that is not the Windows default. One example is Mini Explorer, which substitutes the default Windows file explorer while consuming way less memory. You can still perform all of the normal file explorer actions, like copy, paste, rename, delete, and see properties. You can also arrange them using different filters. One thing offered by Mini Explorer that you won't find in the default Windows explorer is the ability to change your icon theme with just a couple clicks. Choose between icons from various versions of Windows (XP, 95, or Vista) and Linux.

True Launch Bar

Tordex

True Launch Bar is an application that allows you to customize your desktop taskbar on Windows. Basically, it works just like your typical start menu, but in contrast to the one that comes by default on Windows, True Launch Bar is as as flexible as you could hope for. Most importantly, True Launch Bar allows you to place your shortcuts wherever you find it convenient on your desktop. You can set up application launchers, folder shortcuts, virtual folders with tags, and links to different websites, among other things. This software support the style of Windows XP and of Windows Vista Aero Glass, which you can tweak to your liking. You can export your current layout and save it in case you want to recover it at any time, in which case you just have to import it back. Apart from that, you can find a lot of different plugins on the creator's website, which add new and specific features, like the ability to add applications right from the taskbar, expand the clipboard's capacity, add a view of current processes and battery status, a launcher for the Windows console, and a lot more.

Clean Handlers

N/A

GeoShell

N/A

As you know, operating systems are much more than a graphic environment for managing a computer. Many operating systems already separate the shell from the operating system. What’s more, the shell is something that can be done without, or even substituted. GeoShell does precisely that – it substitutes the Windows graphic shell for a simpler, quicker, and lighter one. The changes are very notable in the substituted parts: task bar, start menu, system tray, etc. One of the greatest advantages of GeoShell over the original Windows shell, beyond the decreased consumption of resources, is the ability to add modules, very similar to the Gnome panel on Linux, although it still needs some polishing. If you like to try alternatives to the Windows shell or simply want to free up resources on your system, GeoShell can be very beneficial.

Taskix

Adrian Schlesinger

GentleMouse

Gentle Computing

WinMessControl

Nir Sofer

QT Adress Bar

AS-IS