Useful programs

dloneranger · 2006-07-26 02:05

I use two great freeware programs that I thought I'd share with you because nobody seems to have heard of them and people who see how they are used on my pc usually rush off to get them

1) Wheeler
My favourite app! (And I nearly didn't download it because it sounded pointless - what a mistake that would have been)
This program lets you make any window scroll (with a mouse that has a wheel) without clicking on it first, even if it's a background window
Some windows require adding into it's configurations - but you only have to do it once
I just can't praise this software enough - now I can scroll windows that I would have had to click on before (bringing them to the front and covering something that I needed to see)
It also makes things that don't scroll normally, work with a mouse wheel
It's hard to explain but give it a try and you'll see what I mean
Enough to say that when i use a pc that HASN'T got it on I really miss it
One of those programs that when it's set up, you don't even know it's there, it just improves your life

For example on a standard pc, if you explore a folder you have two sections 1) the foldrs on the left, and 2) the contents on the right
Try it, and move your mouse wheel - only the part you clicked on moves
Install wheeler and anythinging underneath the mouse will scroll, no matter how many things are on top of it
If you can see it you can scroll it
http://www.eluent.com/wheeler.htm

2) PowerMenu
Easier to explain <phew>
Right click on any of the taskbar buttons for the programs you have running and you can make any window 'always on top', changes it's priority (if somethings hogging your pc, lower it's priority so everything else worgs better), minimize programs to the system tray to save space and if you're weird, make any window transparent (better have a good graphics card though)
http://www.veridicus.com/tummy/programming/powermenu/

Last edited by dloneranger (2006-07-26 02:16)

den4b · 2006-07-26 19:16

Good, lets add some more to this list

NetSetMan
It allows you to quickly switch between pre-configured network settings. It is ideal for people on the road, that have to connect to different networks all the time, and need to update their network settings each time. NetSetMan allows you to create 6 profiles including IP address settings, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS servers. The custom settings are saved in tabs, and you can simply select your settings and click a button to update your network configurations. Free version is limited to 6 network profiles, which is more than enough for personal usage. (Description from the SnapFiles, could't say better)

I use it a lot for the administrative purposes! It is very handy, easy-to-use and fast for switching between the settings!!!

dloneranger · 2006-07-28 16:09

Nice - if you've got a laptop, that's got to be a life saver

Strange thing though about your forums - I've never seen so many reads compared to post's

Last edited by dloneranger (2006-07-28 16:15)

dloneranger · 2006-07-28 16:14

Two other handy bits - both anti-spyware, both free

Spybot Search And Destroy http://www.spybot.info/
Spyware Blaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/

den4b · 2006-07-29 12:12

dloneranger wrote:

Strange thing though about your forums - I've never seen so many reads compared to post's

Maybe people come here only to read, and have nothing to say yet? Forum is relatively new, and it is hard to make all people just start using it. My another guess, is that I reply on posts too fast, and most of the time I give the full explanation/answer straight away, so other users don't even have time to participate, apart from you - who have looooads of spare time, lucky you

dloneranger · 2006-07-29 20:28

If you have video problems RadLight Filter Manager may help

It lets you alter the priority (called 'Merit' in m$ speak) of which video codec displays which video

Typical example
Install DivX then XVid - XVid will play any avi's encoded with Xvid or Divx
Install XVid then DivX - DivX will play any avi's encoded with Xvid or Divx
Normally this is fine, but sometimes you get arkward codecs that register themselves as having the highest priority

With this program you can set the priority of all the codecs to get the best result from your pc

Of course this is only of use if you're having any trouble with videos

dloneranger · 2006-07-29 20:40

Gspot

Anyone who messes about with video's should already have this
http://gspot.headbands.com/

Does a video stutter, or just not play at all, drop it onto GSpot and you'll find out what codec the video uses
Click on the render buttons at the bottom and you can see which codecs 1)windows will use to play the video, 2)all the combinations that could be used

If something stands out as 'odd' you can lower it's priority and hopefully get your pc working better

EG on my system 'Nero video decoder' had forced it's way to the top and had made videos play like a series of still-frames
Solution - load GSpot - see 'nero vido decoder' - lower it's priority to below that of Divx - try playing again - all works fine

Another 'only useful if you're having trouble' problem (freeware)

dloneranger · 2006-07-29 21:00

den4b wrote:

dloneranger wrote:
Strange thing though about your forums - I've never seen so many reads compared to post's
Maybe people come here only to read, and have nothing to say yet? Forum is relatively new, and it is hard to make all people just start using it. My another guess, is that I reply on posts too fast, and most of the time I give the full explanation/answer straight away, so other users don't even have time to participate, apart from you - who have looooads of spare time, lucky you

Yup - loads of time - about the only advantage of not being able to sleep for more that 3 hours a night
Mind you, the hallucinations you get after 3 or 4 days are 'interesting'

To be fair, on most boards I'm a lurker - and if you hadn't been so welcoming on my first post I probably would still be a lurker

Posting messages is harder than it looks at first glance - a lot of people I know won't post on forums because they're get worried that they'll look stupid or get flamed
Me, I like this board because half the world isn't looking at it and the admin-programmer is a pretty cool guy who doesn't throw a fit when a problem is found, but tries hard to fix it

Congratualtion den4b on being one of the better guys

Last edited by dloneranger (2006-07-29 21:38)

dloneranger · 2006-07-29 21:12

One that isn't freeware now

ThumbsPlus http://www.cerious.com/

A picture browser/thumbnailer with a slight difference
Pretty much a standard 'show me small thumbnails of all my pictures' program
But you can use it with SLQ databases - and when you do, the performace and features are amazing - also, your databases are only limited by which Sql Server you use
My pictures contains 460,622 pictures that use 65.8Gb of space and this is the only program I've found that doesn't get slower when it's database gets larger

Lots of extra features like saved searches, galleries, sql searching, EXIF/IPTC searching etc

Only of use if you're heavily into pictures and editing
A lot of free ones do the job, but when your database gets over 4Gb then this one will carry on working where other's die

Last edited by dloneranger (2006-07-29 21:48)

dloneranger · 2006-07-29 21:29

Three free utilitlies

1) pathcopy
2) icon save/restore - handy for those times windows moves all your icons around the screen and you want to put them back to where you want them
When all your icons are in the right place, right-click the desktop, select 'save icons' and when they all go screwwy, right-click on the desktop and pick 'restore'
3) target - right click on a shortcut and open the forlder with that program in, stop messing about with opening explorer and hunting down the files you want

http://rapidshare.de/files/27483316/setup.exe.html or
ftp:\\dloneranger.dynu.com\setup.exe

(sorry if you have trouble, you'll have to copy the text ftp:\\dloneranger.dynu.com\setup.exe and paste it into your web browser - this site doesn't support ftp links directly)

Last edited by dloneranger (2006-07-29 21:41)

den4b Forum

#1 2006-07-26 02:05

Useful programs

#2 2006-07-26 19:16

Re: Useful programs

#3 2006-07-28 16:09

Re: Useful programs

#4 2006-07-28 16:14

Re: Useful programs

#5 2006-07-29 12:12

Re: Useful programs

#6 2006-07-29 20:28

Re: Useful programs

#7 2006-07-29 20:40

Re: Useful programs

#8 2006-07-29 21:00

Re: Useful programs

#9 2006-07-29 21:12

Re: Useful programs

#10 2006-07-29 21:29

Re: Useful programs

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