Tools and Utilities

The 50 Best How-To Geek Windows Articles of 2010. Even though we cover plenty of other topics, Windows has always been a primary focus around here, and we’ve got one of the largest collections of Windows-related how-to articles anywhere.

Here’s the fifty best Windows articles that we wrote in 2010. Want even more? The 33 Essential Free Utilities for Every New PC. The Windows ecosystem is filled with more programs than we will ever need.

But while you know to install essential programs like Firefox and Steam onto every new PC, there are plenty of core utilities you should install before downloading any application software. We pick out the 33 most useful utilities that enhance the Windows operating system. These aren't apps used for productivity (like word processing or web browsing) or entertainment (like video playback or gaming). Instead, they strengthen the backbone of Windows by optimizing hardware and system software. From single-purpose diagnostic tools to user-interface replacements, these programs provide general support to overhaul the gestalt of the Windows experience. Think you have every utility to bend Windows to your wishes? Cobian Backup After recommending SyncBack SE in our last app roundup, our readers turned us onto Cobian, an independently-developed backup utility that is as elegant as it is powerful.

Justbeamit.com. 5 FREE Programs to make your computer (slightly) easier to use and look cool(ish) This is a neat little gizmo that sits on any side of the screen.

In its original format, I found it slightly obtrusive (it covered up the tool bars). I used these solutions. Make it too small to obstruct the toolbars (I did this) Put it at the left of the screen (the right has the scroll bar) Set it to 'Pop up on Mousover' in the dock settings. ✉ GuerrillaMail.com. My Favorite Smallware. Downloadable Computer Repair CDs. One of our Technibble forum members, PcTek9, and a handful of other Technibble members have compiled a large list of CDs for various computer repair tasks.

In this list, the following types of CD are available for download: Antivirus Boot CDs, Recovery Disks, Hardware Diagnostic Boot CDs, Network Testing/Monitoring, Data Recovery Boot CDs and Special Purpose CDs. Some of these are free to download, some are not. Be sure to read the EULA for the CD’s you download and the applications you use to make sure you are allowed to use them in the manner you plan to use them in. Many of the CDs contain a variety of different programs and some of the applications are free to use as you please, but some of them disallow commercial use. So be sure to read and abide by the EULA for whatever you use. Also, some of these CD’s may set off an antivirus false positive due to their virus removal, password cracking, system file changing nature. 150 Best Windows Applications Of Year 2010 [Editor's Pick] AddictiveTips is popular for covering the latest and greatest desktop applications, having one of the largest collection of Windows freeware reviews on the web.

Now that 2010 has come to an end, we take a look back at the best 150 applications. We plan to cover more topics in 2011, including Cloud OS, Mobile (Android, WP7, iOS), Mac, and much more, apart from extensive Windows coverage. The AddictiveTips team wishes you a very Happy New Year! Without further ado, here are the best 150 desktop applications (in order from January to December) that we covered in 2010. It is going to be a long ride, so grab a cup of coffee (which will finish by the time you reach 50 apps) and enjoy! 1. 2. Roundup: 15 Must-Have Free Software Programs for Your PC. Over the last three years, the writers here at MakeUseOf have profiled thousands of software apps on the website.

With all these thousands being presented to you, it’s hard to decide which apps to use and which ones to discard. To make it easier for you, we have managed to compile a list of the top 15 absolute must-have tools for everyday tasks. These are the essential programs that we recommend you install and keep on your arsenal. 1. Firefox / Chrome (Web Browser) 2. 1. Both Firefox and Google Chrome are excellent browsers.

You can see all add-ons for Firefox at There are extensions for Google Chrome as well, but the choice is rather limited. 10 Cool Extensions for Google Chrome 10 Cool Extensions for Google Chrome Read More 2. AVG Free Anti-Virus is the most popular free anti-virus software in the world. Most of the MakeUseOf authors use AVG and we highly recommend it to others. Perform Everyday Tasks for Free. 15 Online Tools that You Will Come to Love as a Tech. I have compiled a list of 15 free online tools that will help you greatly as a tech.

I’m sure that there are other good ones that I have left out so please feel free to post the ones that you like as well. IPTools offers a wide variety of online networking tools. With this site you can look up IP address information, check spam databases, run pings, run traceroutes, lookup WHOIS information and much more. Mobile Computing with iPhone and Android. Stealth. Bootdisk.Com.