System Utilities

Where is that Folder?

HanaDaddy Leave a comment

At work , I deal with lot of files stored in my local hard drives. And it’s very important for me to organize these files properly. So I would not do the same task – creating the same reports – over and over again.

But with so many folders and sub directories, it is virtually tiresome for me to search the right folder every time I open an Explorer Window.

However , with the help of these three freeware utilities, Now it’s quick and easy to find the right folder. Efficiency has increased 200%.

In the below image , the right column icons are all actual folders.
Windows XP folders list

1. iColorFolder
This utility lets you change the folder icon and its color. By default you are required to select the folder icon styles ( Aqua, Mac OS X, Vista , Windows XP) and you can change the color of the folder icon. Therefore, it helps me to distinguish each folder with different importances and classifications.

You can change the icon by right mouse click on the folder.

DOWNLOAD : http://icolorfolder.sourceforge.net/download_icolorfolder_page.htm

2. Shedko Badges
This program allows to show small emblem icon over the Windows Icon. There are 10 different types of icons you can mark. This program is not confined to Folders. It can apply the emblem icon to any Windows file and folders.

DOWNLOAD : http://eng.softq.org/badges.htm

3. Folder Guide 1.1
This program allows you to setup the favorite folders to appear in the right mouse context menu of Windows Explorer.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.freeware365.com/desktop/folderguide.htm

All three utilities are also perfectly working in the Open/Save File Dialogs.

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Microsoft Power Toys

HanaDaddy 1 Comment

Well, these goodies do not come with the default Windows XP. They are created by the developers and they are free. That’s why there is no support from Microsoft for these products. By the way, according to the link, these will only work with Windows XP, not Vista.

There are several great useful utilities that can be downloaded and setup separately. I think some of them are very useful.

Here are the ones that I like

1. Tweak UI. As the name of the program explains, you can tweak many default properties of your Windows system. (Default user UI, Explorer Settings, Logon – Auto logon, Desktop Icons, Mouse Settings.) It is very useful.

Tweak UI

2. Alt-Tab Replacement.
It is a wonderful replacement of traditional ALT-TAB Taskswitcher, indeed. Small preview image appears in the left side when you move onto the next application.The background color is depend on the Desktop Color defined in the Display option of the Control panel.
TaskSwitch in Action
Download TaskswitchPowertoySetup.exe

Some more of the interests are

  • ClearType Tuner : When installed, it will help to display the fonts in more distinct and clear way. It is a great help for the people who use labtop with small screens.
  • Virtual Desktop Manager: When you have at least 10 or more applications running at the same time, you do feel that your screen is very small and tight and hoping for a larger monitor. But you can solve the limited desktop space by using the Virtual Desktop Manager. You can have several desktops and you can switch each desktop easily. Later in the upcoming blog entry, I will discuss more about the other Virtual Desktop applications that I have used. PowerToy’s Virtual Desktop Manager is nice, but not the best.
  • Image Resizer: This is a very useful and simple utility to resize images that you can access it through the shortcut resize menu in the right mouse click popup menu.

So please go ahead and try for yourself!

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