I prefer this little search utility over the one built into Windows to look for specific files or folders. Super fast with many options…
SearchMyFiles is an alternative to the standard “Search For Files And Folders” module of Windows.
Source: Alternative to Windows Search For Files + Duplicates Search
SMPlayer Portable 18.4.0 has been released by PortableApps.com.
SMPlayer Portable is the popular SMPlayer packaged with a PortableApps.com Launcher as a portable app, so you can take your video player with you. It has all the same great features as SMPlayer including remembering the settings of all the files you play, configurable subtitles, audio track switching, etc…
I highly recommend that you use a password manager to manage and store all of the passwords that you use. Typically, most folks use the same password for many sites and accounts and are careless in maintaining their passwords; often storing them in and around the computer. KeePass will assist you in generating strong passwords and will assist you in securely storing your passwords. Also, check further on their website for ported versions of KeePass to other operating system platforms, such as Android. KeePass is available as a full install or portable app.
KeePass is an open source password manager. Passwords can be stored in highly-encrypted databases, which can be unlocked with one master password or key file.
Source: KeePass Password Safe
Highly recommend this software (MiniTool Portable Partition Magic); especially, the portable version to manage disks and partitions on your Windows PC. Typically, this type of software is something that most people do not need on a regular basis; thus, the reason I recommend the portable version. Simply download, unzip and run; when you need it.
As an example, I recently used this software to delete a partition and to extend the system partition to capture the space that was being used to store a Windows factory restore on an older HP laptop (that really no longer needed the restore files) that is now running Windows 10. In the end I gained 10GB of space and the computer runs more efficiently.
Free download portable partition software – MiniTool portable partition magic to manage disks and partitions on Windows PC.
Source: MiniTool Portable Partition Magic Brings Easier Disk/Partition Management
FastStone Image Viewer Portable 6.5: View, edit and convert your image collection quickly and easily with this powerful tool… This image viewer is also available as a full install, as well.
This is the software utility that I use to backup the files on my computer to an external drive. Once you set up the source and destination, you are good to go. Many options available (in plain sight) that makes this a great backup utility in preserving your files. DSynchronize is FREE and requires no installation.
DSynchronize – Periodically synchronize two or more folders locally or remotely.
Source: D-Software by Dimio
The document scanning software that is typically found associated with the scanners that you connect to your computer is not very user-friendly (difficult to navigate). WinScan2PDF may be the solution you are looking for where you simply select your scanner (the source), click on “Scan To PDF” and save the file to your computer.
WinScan2PDF is a very small and portable program that allows you to scan documents and save them on your computer as a PDF by using scanner!
Source: SoftwareOk.com – WinScan2PDF
Here is a good Windows software option, called MailStore Home, that you can use to download and backup your Gmail. I can also see using this to archive a Gmail account that is getting full.
MailStore Home is a free email archiving and email backup software for personal use.
With MailStore Home you can backup all emails in a central archive, even if they are distributed across different computers, programs or mailboxes. You can do this either on your PC or on a USB drive as a “portable” option.
Source: MailStore Home – Free Email Archiving and Backup for Home Users
AdwCleaner is one of those programs that I keep on my computer, that is engineered to target (and remove) adware, spyware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and browser hijackers. If you download this program, you will have to manually run it in order for it to work its’ magic. There is no install involved (simply download and run). I typically download it and run it at least every couple of weeks. I have had great success with this program over the years and highly recommend it to help keep your computer in a healthy state.
Source: Malwarebytes – AdwCleaner
Quick Access Popup may be of interest to you if you are into increasing your productivity and like program launchers or an easier way to toggle between folders. This program, available as a full install or portable app, allows you to customize a popup menu to fit your own specific needs or you can stick with the folders already baked into the program. Below is a screenshot to give you and idea what the program is about and the ways it can be launched. I especially am in favor of the portable version that I can take with me from PC to PC. You can explore Quick Access Popup more by clicking on the source link below.
SOURCE: Quick Access Popup
One way to test the reachability of a host on the internet is to “ping” the IP address of the host or the hostname (i.e. http://www.google.com). When you perform a ping, it measures the round-trip time for the message to be echoed back to your computer.
A nice little utility, with a GUI, is PingInfoView by NirSoft. PingInfoView is a small utility that allows you to easily ping multiple host names and IP addresses, and watch the result in one table. It automatically pings to all hosts every number of seconds that you specify, and displays the number of successful and failed pings, as well as the average ping time. You can also save the ping result into text/html/xml file, or copy it to the clipboard.
Source: PingInfoView – Ping to multiple host names/IP addresses
Cleaning utilities, such as BleachBit, are great in freeing disk space, removing junk files, erasing your cache, deleting cookies and clearing your internet history. This all goes toward protecting your privacy.
BleachBit wipes clean 90 applications including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Adobe Flash, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, and more. Beyond simply deleting files, BleachBit includes advanced features such as shredding files to prevent recovery, wiping free disk space to hide traces of files deleted by other applications, and vacuuming Firefox to make it faster. Better than free, BleachBit is open source.
It’s packaged in PortableApps.com Format so it can easily integrate with the PortableApps.com Platform. And it’s open source and completely free.
Recently updated…
Windows Repair Toolbox (freeware) is a software created to help you repair a Windows system, by making the process faster, easier and uniform.
AnyBurn is a FREE CD/DVD/Blu-ray burning and imaging software is very easy to use; especially, for those who never burned CDs or DVDs. It is pretty much self-explanatory, very small in install size and is available as a portable app (for the tech toolbox). There is also an online tutorial to get you started (click here). A new version of AnyBurn was just released…
| Main Features: |
Burn all CD / DVD / Blu-ray disc image files.
Backup or add files and folders to CD, DVD, or Bluray disc
Burn Audio CD which can be played in regular CD player from mp3, m4a, ape, flac, wma files…
Rip Audio CD to MP3, FLAC, APE, WMA, WAV files.
Copy disc using sector by sector method.
Create image files from hard disk files or CD / DVD / BD discs.
Convert disc image files between various formats.
Create bootable USB drive for Windows 7, 8, 10, or Linux
Support both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
SOURCE: AnyBurn
This blog post is for the people out there that carry a tech toolbox. If you are one of those people, then I am sure you are familiar with the Windows trace route command (tracert). The traceroute command is a computer network diagnostic tool for displaying the route (path) and measuring transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network.
To further enhance the use of this command I came across a FREE utility called TraceRouteOK that provides an easy to use GUI. To make TraceRouteOK portable, you will need to create in the TraceRouteOK working directory a file named TraceRouteOK.ini … Notepad can be used to create this file.
Features:
– Very small program
– Variable host name query time
– Selectable timeout for pings
– Very fast data route query
– Portable
– Multilingual
SOURCE: SoftwareOK.com -TraceRouteOK
NirLauncher is a collection of more than 200 portable utilities from NirSoft. If you are into working on and troubleshooting computers, this will be right down your alley.
Click on the screenshot to get a full-size view. See features below.
Source: NirLauncher – Collection of more than 200 portable utilities from NirSoft
If you are someone that has the tendency to load your desktop up with icons, then DesktopOK may be of interest to you. First off, I can tell you this little program has been around for awhile and progressively keeps improving in helping you manage the icons on your desktop. In a nutshell, it is a powerful tool that can store up to 32 different desktop layouts.
Features:
► Save your favorite icon locations for each screen resolution.
► Easily minimize all of the windows on your screen
► Launch at Windows startup.
► Each user can then have his own arrangement.
► Portable Windows app.
► Autosave the Desktop Icon Layout
► Change Language
► Maximize the number of windows desktop icon
► Change Windows Desktop Icon Size
► Minimises to tray area for easy access.
► Multilingual
► Automatically hide and display desktop icons
SOURCE: SoftwareOK – DesktopOK
If you are a computer tech, this utility (called Computech Windows Tweaker) may be of interest to you. Based on what I am seeing at the Major Geeks software download site, Computech Windows Tweaker is described as a “niche utility for anyone looking to hide or show drives, disable the Firewall, USB storage, UAC, Remote RPC, Security Center, Offline Files, and Action Center temporarily. It might also be able to re-enable these, especially after a virus or malware infection”. It appears (based on the version number) it is a relatively new app; which means, this will only get better as the development progresses. Also, I downloaded and found that this is a portable app.
Here is a portable program for the tech toolbox (or can be installed), called “Complete Internet Repair” that may be able to help you if you are experiencing any of the problems reflected below that is related to network and/or internet connectivity issues:
Currently, Windows 10 does not offer up an option to turn Windows Updates “on” and “off”. This is where the “Windows 10 Update Switch” can help. It is a third party software option that allows you to toggle the Windows 10 Updates “on” and “off”. This software is especially helpful when you are on a limited broadband connection, such as satellite broadband; where you are allotted a certain amount of data per month. The “Windows 10 Update Switch” not only allows you to turn the updates “on or off”; it also allows you to set the computer to a metered connection where the updates are delayed and prevents Windows from gobbling up bandwidth. The metered connection, from a security standpoint, is probably your best bet…
Windows 10 Updates Switch is a FREE utility and is available as a portable app (for your tech toolbox)…
Use the FREE “Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool” to download ISO disk images for Microsoft Windows and Office (Windows 7, Windows 8.1 Windows 10, Office 2007, Office 2010, Office 2013, Office 2016, and Office for Mac). The disk images (ISO) are directly downloaded from Microsoft’s servers (at TechBench). The tool, which is a portable app, accesses the TechBench site, and unlocks a large number of hidden download files on it…
SOURCE: HeiDoc.net – Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool
I have featured Glary Utilities on the blog in the past and thought I would do a re-visit to see where the program is at this time. Glary Utilities has been around for a long time and I have installed/uninstalled it many times over the years. Today, after looking at an interface that is new to me, I decided to re-install Glary Utilities and use it as my main system optimization and maintenance tool. One important thing I like about this utility is that you can download it as a portable app and keep it on your flash drive (tech toolbox). There is a FREE version of this software, as well as a professional (paid) version.
The interface of Glary Utilities is super easy to navigate (with one click functionality) with options to perform maintenance options automatically. The program includes over twenty system utilities (such as a Registry Cleaner, Spyware Remover, Startup Manager and Shortcuts Fixer) and features a “Windows Boot Time Monitor” that will tell you how fast your computer starts up. This time is then compared with other Windows users. This is useful in determining if there is something causing your computer to lag at boot up.
Glary Utilities, according to their site, is compatible with all versions of Windows.
CLICK TO ENLARGE SCREENSHOTS
SOURCE: GlarySoft – Glary Utilities 5
Noticed a new version of PicPick on their site and thought I would give another shout-out for this program. This program is very good, is free and serves as an all-in-one program that provides full-featured screen capture, image editor, color picker, color palette, pixel ruler, protractor, crosshair and even whiteboard… PicPick is available as a Windows install or portable app.
(click on screenshot to enlarge)
SOURCE: PicPick by NGWIN
Noticed this morning a version upgrade to Any Burn Portable at FreewareFiles. Followed up by checking the official site. Any Burn is my favorite burning software due to its’ simplicity and the fact that there is a portable version that I can carry on my flash drive.
AnyBurn is a light weight but professional CD / DVD / Blu-ray burning software that everyone must have. It provides a free and complete solution for burning and disc imaging.
Features:
SOURCE: Any Burn
I do not care much for the image viewer that is packaged with the Windows operating system; therefore, I look for the better options. In this case, the better option is IrfanView. This program, it seems, has been around since of the beginning of time. Actually, I believe it was somewhere around 1996 when Irfanview began making its’ appearance. This program is designed to be simple; yet, can be made to be more complex by using a variety of downloadable plugins. I encourage you to give it a try.
IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 , 2008, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10. Also available as a full install download or portable app.
IrfanView features:
SOURCE: IrfanView
I love screen capture programs and I can tell you that Snipaste is a keeper. Simply download either the 32bit or 64bit version, unzip the file, start the application and press F1 to start snipping. You can also press F3 to paste whatever it is you snipped into its’ own floating Windows. Due that this program is a little different than what I was accustomed to when it comes to screen capture utilities, there was a short learning curve involved. Once I conquered that, I was very impressed with Snipaste (especially, its’ on-the-fly editor) and see where it will increase my productivity; especially, when using images in my blog posts.
Due this program was a little different than what I was accustomed to when it comes to screen capture utilities, there was a short learning curve involved. Once I conquered that, I was very impressed with Snipaste (especially, its’ on-the-fly editor) and see where it will increase my productivity; especially, when using images in my blog posts.
Snipaste is an easy screen capture and image edition program, with the ability to detect windows and menus and supporting pixel-level control. Both captured images and various clipboard content can be pasted as a floating window to the desktop. Windows can be moved, organized into groups, saved to file, as well as basic editions like rotation, zoom, translucence etc.
The program can grab colors, supports themes and includes multi-screen support. The default keys (which can be customized) are F1 for Snip and F3 for Paste.
SOURCE: Snipaste
If you like the NirSoft And Sysinternals utilities, then you will definitely like WSCC (Windows System Control Center). WSCC serves as a portable update manager (and launcher) that will help you install and keep the NirSoft and Sysinternals software utilites, up to date…
There are many good (FREE) software utilities out there to help fix specific problems with your Windows computer; however, you need to know where to find them.
The Windows Repair Toolbox solves that problem by giving you a dashboard menu of choices to perform malware removal, system cleaning and repair, and disk defragmentation. These tools can be run successively in an unattended mode; and, when done, will send you an email (with log results) to let you know that the automatic repair is complete. You can even add your own software utilities to the Windows Repair Toolbox; however, from what I see that is included, they are some of the best out there.
I do have to advise you, that when you use tools to diagnose Windows problems, you are doing so at your own risk; however, when your back is against the wall and you have run out of solutions, Windows Repair Toolbox may be that shot in the dark you were looking for. Windows Repair Toolbox is available as a portable app, which makes it nice for those who run around helping others with their computer problems.
Features:
SOURCE: Windows Repair Toolbox
Is your computer running slower due to low disk space? If so, run the portable version of WizTree to determine where the space hogs are located. Just be careful in what you end up deleting.
I am quite impressed with WizTree in the fact that it includes a visual treemap that allows you to spot large files and large collections of smaller files at a glance.
SOURCE: Antibody Software – WizTree
TurnedOnTimesView is another tool from NirSoft that will provide you with the Startup Time, Shutdown Time, Duration, Shutdown Reason, Shutdown Type, Shutdown Process, and Shutdown Code of your computer. TurnedOnTimesView extracts this information from the event log on your computer. This information is useful in troubleshooting computer problems and can also be used to determine when and how long the kids have been on the computer after you have started it up.
This utility, a portable app, works on any version of Windows, starting from Windows 2000 and up to Windows 10 (32-bit and 64-bit systems).
SOURCE: NirSoft – TurnedOnTimesView
Nice utility to determine the current time in time zones around the world (in realtime)…
For every time zone, the following information is displayed: name, description, current date/time in this time zone and date/time that daylight saving time begins and ends.
SOURCE: NirSoft – TimeZonesView
Found Clavier to be quite interesting and possibly very useful in creating shortcuts to launch specific programs or to automatically write text. For example you could create a keyboard shortcut to launch that special program you use frequently OR to insert your email address instead of having to type it out. Clavier is available as a full install or portable app and will work with the latest versions of Windows.
Features:
SOURCE: Clavier
Crystal Security, a cloud-based system that detects and removes malicious programs (malware), is new to me. I am currently testing the portable version and so far the interface part looks great (user friendly). The detection engine, from I am can tell, is based on data gathered from millions of participating users systems around the world to help defend against the very latest viruses and malware attacks.
Due to not being familiar with Crystal Security, at this point, I will continue to test and use it solely as a troubleshooting application to inform when the possibility of malware exists. If you are familiar with Crystal Security, I would like to hear your experience with this. I do like the idea that there is a portable (no install) option.
I do recommend that you know what you are doing when using applications, such as this; so as not to cause accidental havoc to your PC.
SOURCE: Crystal Security
SysGauge, a system and performance monitoring utility, available as a portable app, is a nice utility that you may want to consider for the tech toolbox. Appears to support all versions of Windows, XP to Present… Windows Server versions also supported.
One notable feature of SysGauge that I was impressed with is the system analysis feature. Just press the ‘Analyze’ button located on the main toolbar and SysGauge will perform a quick system status analysis of your PC that will check the CPU usage, memory usage, the operating system status, the disk space usage for all disks and produce the results in a nice dialog summary.
In summary:
SysGauge is a system and performance monitoring utility allowing one to monitor the CPU usage, memory usage, network transfer rate, operating system performance, the status and resource usage of running processes, file system performance, USB performance, disk space usage, disk read activity, disk write activity, disk read transfer rate, disk write transfer rate, disk read IOPS and disk write IOPS for individual logical disks or all physical disks installed in the computer.
SOURCE: SysGauge System Monitor
DesktopSnowOK is a program that is very small in size, requires no install, and is configurable in the sense that you can control the quantity of the snow falling and the speed. You can even make it snow baseballs, soccer balls, tennis balls and a multitude of other flake options. Really not the most useful program around; but, I do have to admit that when the snow flakes are falling it does have a calming effect. So, in conclusion; if you are having a stressful day, let it snow…
SOURCE: DownloadCrew – DesktopSnowOK
If you are experiencing issues with your PC, Kapersky System Checker may help you resolve the issue. It is not designed to fix anything; but, is designed to give you a lead on what the problem could be… I look at this as another tool in the tech toolbox that may help you troubleshoot a range of problems such as: malware, missing updates, poorly configured Windows or application settings, a shortage of hard drive space, and more. Simply download and run. No install is necessary.
SOURCE: DownloadCrew – Kapersky System Checker 1.2.0.290
Over the years, I have assisted people with their computers and have found that their Windows desktop becomes a haven for icons. Some folks are organized about it; but, most folks are not. Myself, I try to keep my desktop organized and the icons to a minimum. In addition, I use a portable app called “AutoHideDesktopIcons” to auto hide the icons after a set period of time. To simply reinstate the icons (make them appear again), I simply left mouse click the desktop.
AutoHideDesktopIcons also has an option to the hide the taskbar and an option to autostart with Windows (which I recommend in order to take full advantage of this app). AutoHideDesktop Icons is very small in size (<60K) and is fully compatible with all versions of Windows.
Noticed a version upgrade to “Any Burn” that prompted me to do a quick post. I currently use the portable version of Any Burn and it has never let me down. As a matter of fact it is my go to burning application on my computer. What I like about it is that it is very easy to use and understand.
SOURCE: The Official Any Burn Website
From day one I have enjoyed working with various program launchers in creating menus to launch my favorite and/or most used programs. With that being said, Quick Access Launcher is right down my alley. I first saw this on Major Geeks and thought I would give it a try and share this find with you. Where this little program will come in handy for me is that I can install this on my flash drive as a portable app and will enable me to quickly launch the apps and web links I have on the drive. If you like program launchers, I encourage you to take a look at this one (see video below for an overview).
SOURCE: Quick Access Popup
music2pc – This program is as easy at it gets. Enter whatever it is you are searching for and it will most likely be found. I noticed on their download page you have an option to download a version where a YouTube downloader is built in, which is the version I downloaded. music2pc – Is also available as a portable app.
Built on a very fast and safe non-bittorrent and non-peer-to-peer method of getting MP3s, the program gives you the ultimate access to our multimillion database of quality mp3 songs. Search and download over 100 million MP3s for free.
SOURCE: music2pc
Been noticing TweakPower on many of the freeware download sites. Appears to be in beta and looks like a promising all-in-one tool to clean, backup, and optimize your computer as well as fix common problems. Since it is in beta, may want to run in a test environment until the final is released. Noticed a portable version is available…
TweakPower is an all-in-one suite that has been designed to keep you and all your family’s computers running at optimal speed and efficiency. TweakPower is an intelligent software tool that allows users to fine-tune their operating systems and programs for optimum performance. TweakPower protects users from PC problems, while increasing the performance and security of their computer. TweakPower includes advanced performance optimizers, helping you achieve super-fast application load times, work faster and make your games run smoother. Now it’s easier than ever to get a clean PC. TweakPower can quickly remove Windows, program and browser clutter while refreshing your registry and deleting massive disk space hogs. Also, its easy-to-use wizards and diagnostic tools help you find vulnerabilities and errors on your computer.
SOURCE: KurtZimmermann Software – TweakPower
Software to retrieve passwords (and usernames) that are stored in our web browser(s) may be looked upon as software that could be used for malicious and/or forensic purposes. There is some truth to that; however, I had an occasion recently where I used this type of software to do a good deed for a person.
If you have a need for software such as this, take a look at WebBrowserPassView and another one, called Sterjo Browser Password, that I wrote about back in April.
WebBrowserPassView is a password recovery tool that reveals the passwords stored by the following Web browsers: Internet Explorer (Version 4.0 – 11.0), Mozilla Firefox (All Versions), Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera. This tool can be used to recover your lost/forgotten password of any Website, including popular Web sites, like Facebook, Yahoo, Google, and GMail, as long as the password is stored by your Web Browser.
SOURCE: NirSoft – WebBrowserPassView
I currently use Dsynchronize at work and at home to back up (and sync) my files. To learn how to use Dsynchronize, I suggest you set up a small test environment to practice using the program. It is very easy to use, once you get the hang of it. The thing that fascinates me with the program is that it is very fast. I have been using Dsynchronize for several years and it has never let me down.
Dsynchronize is FREE and is a standalone program (portable app) that requires no installation…
SOURCE: Dsynchronize
A NEW NirSoft tech tool…
NetworkUsageView extracts and displays the network usage information stored in the SRUDB.dat database of Windows 8 and Windows 10. The network usage data is collected every hour by Windows operating systems and includes the following information: The name and description of the service or application, the name and SID of the user, the network adapter, and the total number of bytes sent and received by the specified service/application.
SOURCE: NirSoft – Network Usage View
First saw this on the DownloadCrew… A nice ping tool for the tech toolbox (portable app) where you can detect by sound (like a heartbeat) when things are slowing down.
BPing is a tiny console-based ping tool with an unusual extra: sound. Sounds odd, but double-click the program and you’ll understand immediately.
By default the program immediately pings Google.com and plays a sound (from Space Invaders!) every time a reply arrives.
SOURCE: GizmoWare – BPing
Get the new release of Spybot – Search & Destroy, portable version, at PortableApps.com. Great addition to your tech toolbox…
Spybot – Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies.
This is a good portable app to scan your home network (and work network) to determine what devices are on the network; and, can also be used to detect intrusions or devices that should not be on your network.
Advanced IP Scanner
Reliable and free network scanner to analyze LAN. The program shows all network devices, gives you access to shared folders, provides remote control of computers (via RDP and Radmin), and can even remotely switch computers off. It is easy to use and runs as a portable edition. It should be the first choice for every network admin.
Key Features:
SOURCE: Advanced IP Scanner
What a clipboard manager does is capture and archive your “copy / paste” operations. If you are looking for one with a ton of features, then check out ClipAngel (see source link below). If you don’t believe me, check out the feature list below. ClipAngel is an open source program that is a portable app.
SOURCE: Sourceforge – ClipAngel
Treesize FREE is software that is engineered to quickly scan the directories and files on your computer to tell you (in a nice GUI layout) where the spacehogs are.
TreeSize FREE, as of Version 4.0, now offers the hierarchical treemap chart known from TreeSize Professional. The treemap will help you visualize how the data is distributed on your system. The treemap feature is activated by using the “Show Treemap” button on the “View” Tab.
Treesize FREE is offered as a full install or as a portable app…
Other notable changes in V4.0 are:
Source: TreeSize FREE
NICE FIND by TCAT Shelbyville – Technical Blog… With the World Route tool you can easily find out what gateways your data goes through and how fast it travels. You will receive comprehensive route details, with each city and country conveniently marked on the map. Simply enter any IP-address or website and see the path network packets take to that destination. AVAILABLE as a full install or as a portable app…
Here’s a visual aid to tracert currently free at Softperfect. You can use this to see where internet delays are happening with a website. This tool comes in portable and with an installer.
https://www.softperfect.com/products/worldroute/
