Vista - Short List of Utilities for Vista

Ok, I came up with something simple, the way the Tray utility to open and close
the optical drive tray was simple!! This is what I wanted to do all along!!



http://www.favessoft.com/xmon.zip

XMon simply monitors Explorer Folder Opens and adds them
to an MRU list. Select multiple folders and right click the
mouse or hit <Enter> to open them. The Delete Key
removes items from the list. The list is discarded on exit.

Edit: Now version 1.6.0.17 uses a "weighting" scheme so that the MRU list
isn't flushed out by entries to folders essentially in the same chain as you
click down through the folders. After a folder is the active window for
some time it is sent to the MRU list. Hopefully this will make the utility
more useful.

Maybe now is the time to remind Forum Members of the recent news, that Microsoft intend to pull the plug on the suite of security cover [malware and virus monitoring, tune-ups, back-ups etc] provided through Windows Live OneCare, by the end of June 2009.

In lieu of WLOC, apparently MS intend to provide a freeware program for protection against malware only. To me it appears as though it will be a variant of MS Malicious Software Removal Tool, currently issued with monthly updates, on the second Tuesday of each month.

Forum members who rely on WLOC to provide what is basically a very good* security plus etc. program, will need to rethink their security etc. needs before the cut-off date, and act accordingly.

My subscription for MS WLOC ends at the beginning of June 2009, but you can bet that I will have abandoned WLOC, and re-activated my Windows Defender before then.

*Before the howls of protest come in about WLOC in comparison to other like programs, I'll just add that for someone who has had no previous experience with Notebooks or PCs, WLOC has been the easiest introduction to systems security that one could wish for. Is there another 'suite package' that comes close to including all the functions that WLOC performs? In addition, WLOC performs best when the User performs best, and keeps all Updates and patches, UP TO DATE.

Windows Defender must be disabled when the User has MS Windows Live OneCare installed as the prime security etc program. See above.

They say the genius is the ability to see things simply from a different perspective. To me, the Sandboxie approach is genius. Unfortunately everything is going 64 bit soon and Sandboxie is only supported on 32 bit due to OS modifications by MS.

Running anti-virus shields to me is kind of like trying to filter your water as you drink it. Just doesn't taste so good anymore.

I found a very nice simple freeware on the AutoIt3 forum. It's called WinTray

I've tried it on XP Pro and Vista Home Premium 32 bit. It's a stand-alone exe that sits in the Task Tray and if you want to minimize any window to the tray, just hold down the Shift Key while clicking the Minimize control with the mouse.

It works great with Sunbird! Instead of using the MinimizeToTray addons with Sunbird just have it come up normally and WinTray it to sit in the Task Tray.

Works with Firefox 2.0.0.17 browser too that also gave me trouble when using a MinimizeToTray addon. Works flawlessly with WinTray!!

Since most people are right handed I could never understand why Windows doesn't let you put the Start Button on the right hand side near the system tray. I found a freeware that comes very close to this ideal. It's called Vista Start Menu
and what I found after messing with it is, if you set it to have the Task Tray Icon visible a single click opens the Start Menu. Once open, you can position it anywhere and it remembers the location.

So drag it over near the System Tray and Bingo!! Start Menu on the Right Hand Side!
It's not limited to Vista. Runs on
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows 2003
Windows XP
Windows Vista

The start menu sort of looks like the XP start menu with All Programs expanded. Plus the programmer creates sections of 9 folders it seems to a block. Seems nicely done.

Here's an essential utility that's worked well for me in both 32 bit XP and Vista.
TCP Optimizer

You can study up about all the tcp network settings, or you can just load this, set the max bandwidth slider, check Optimal Settings and Apply Changes. Reboot and forget about it.

Ok I just couldn't take not being able to press Control-Enter in Explorer in Vista to open selected folders in a new window. I wrote a little macro freeware to sit in the Task Tray to do the job. When you press Control-Enter if the active window is an explorer window, it will open selections. Folders should open in a new window. Files should open with their associated programs. Just like XP!!

I've tried it in 32 bit Vista Home Premium.
Feel free to use it at your own risk. You can download it from the bottom of this page:

Faves Downloads

Here's another cool utility I just tried on XP and Vista 32 bit.
FARR (Find And Run Robot) - Mouser - Software - DonationCoder.com

When you hit the Break key a search input line pops up. It's a lot like using Windows search but it has advantages. You can apply rules to searches, group together stuff to be launched at once. It also has a plugin mechanism so it can be customized. One of the plugins available on the same site lets you set up file extension associations without using the registry. I haven't tried that plugin yet but I gather the idea is so you can put stuff on a USB key drive and opening a file will launch the expected program from the USB key no matter what PC you are plugged into etc..

Very nice free software. Plus on the site there are lots of cool hotkey hacks for Windows.

Edit: FARR seems to run just fine on my 64 bit Vista also.

Research before downloading all kinds of useless and/or dangerous software.
Keep your computer free of spy-ware/ad-ware , update your anti-virus, and run some cleaner tools now and then.

Here's another one of mine. It's a nice little gizmo called Topmost Toggle to temporarily set the Stay On Top attribute of a window. Nice for programs that don't have a stay on top setting, like Giganews Accelerator.

Control-Right Click the mouse on the active window to toggle the Topmost setting.
It's just a little AutoHotKey hack but I like using it.

So far I've tried it on XP and Vista 32 bit versions.

Hotkeys