Your computer's file system can be a tangled, jungly place. There are obscure file trees so tall and branched your eyes glaze over, and there are dark, hidden caverns you may not be inclined to explore. In a nod to the Thanksgiving holiday, we're spotlighting three of the many applications we're thankful for--particularly the software that sheds a little light on some of the more obscure computing processes, or those programs that just make bushwhacking a whole lot easier.
Process Explorer
We'll start with the hearty Xplorer2, a free-to-try alternative to Windows Explorer for power file-seekers. Browsing multiple folders in one window, moving files without breaking shortcut links, and splitting or merging files are just some of the features that make this app an Explorer knockout.
If you've ever wished that the Windows Task Manager had a little more oomph, you should check out Process Explorer. The freeware utility turns out a ton of information that helps you identify running processes, including spyware.
Finding programs, documents, and misplaced photos can be a feat, even if you're using Microsoft's built-in Windows search. The Windows 7 Libraries concept to group files by type rather than by location helps, but if you're using XP or Vista, a desktop search app like Copernic Desktop Search or Google Desktop can find a range of files faster. We also like programs like Launchy, which opens applications by default, but which you can also configure to launch Web sites, music files, and documents.
Which apps are you ever-thankful for? Sing your praises in the comments.
If you're a video junkie, or if you're headed that way, Vuze is one application you shouldn't miss. Once known as Azureus, Vuze is a free BitTorrent app that can download and play back video content, including HD. Version 4.3, the latest update, adds speed enhancements and compatibility to play back HD video on your Windows or Mac computer, iPhone or iPod, Apple TV, Tivo, and Xbox 360, PS3, or PSP.
There's also a portable version of Vuze that you can install on a USB drive, iPod, iPhone, or portable hard drive and take with you. If you tend to switch computers often, portable apps like this one help you get favorite apps up and running quickly, and can help save your work between sessions.
In fact, we've got a slew of portable apps available to download for free from CNET Download.com, including Firefox Portable (it'll save your settings and bookmarks) and GIMP Portable, a to-go version of the powerful photo editor. There's even a free Portable Apps suite for those who want one of everything.
System utilities may not seem like the most provocative category in the annals of software development, but the apps within are essential for maintaining a tip-top computer. On top of that, their universality makes them a good choice for almost any computer.
With that in mind, we gathered together seven of our favorite freeware applications--most will support Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems. This list isn't the end-all and be-all--not when so many quality programs abound--but it is a good beginning.
We start with Glary Utilities, which is actually a suite of apps to optimize and tweak Windows computers. CCleaner and Smart Defrag also make the top of our list for sweeping away Internet tracks and drefragmenting the hard disk, respectively. When it's traces of files you're worried about after removing a program, Revo Uninstaller is our go-to app, thanks to its capability to scour nooks and crannies for leftovers.
When it comes to maintaining files, we're fans of 7-Zip, which can compress large files in a range of formats, including ZIP and RAR. To preserve those files in the event of a system crash, we recommend a backup program like SyncBack, which is accessible enough for most home users. Finally, a recovery app like Pandora Recovery belongs in your collection, for hunting down files you may have mistakenly deleted.
Do you have other favorite utility essentials? In the newsletter, click the "Read More" link below to share them in the comments. Check out our original roundup.
One of our chief occupations at CNET Download.com is to keep our eyes peeled for excellent freeware. We've got our own picks for ultimate free applications (and also for the most essential), but we like to consider your opinions, too. CNET Executive Editor Tom Merritt recently conducted an informal poll among his Facebook and Twitter contacts, asking for their favorite no-cost software. Here are the five apps that readers--maybe you--tapped as the best of the best.
Every yin has its yang. To balance out the five best downloads, all of them available on Download.com, are the five biggest stinkers of the season. Should your want to gawk at the combined mediocrity of these duds, these applications are also available on Download.com. You've been warned.
In Windows 7 news, many of you have written in with questions about upgrading from Windows XP and Windows Vista. CNET News' Ina Fried tries to clear up some confusion about what you can and can't do with a Windows 7 upgrade disk. There. We hope that helps.
We've spent the last few months gearing up for Microsoft's grand unveiling of its new Windows 7 operating system (full review). And it hit right on schedule on October 22. Does that mean it's time to boot out XP and Vista? For XP users, Windows 7 offers tighter security and a load of neat new features that aren't just flashy, but also convenient. With Windows XP being an eight-year old operating system, you might consider the upgrade. Windows 7 may appear to have more in common with Vista, its predecessor, but there are marked organizational improvements, including new media management and sharing tools, and a reining-in of those pesky User Account Controls.
However, there have been some reports of incidents in upgrading to Windows 7, including ours. While we recommend Windows 7 overall, potential upgraders should check out our full coverage of Windows 7 to help get all your questions answered, including how some Vista users can get a free upgrade and which of the four Windows 7 editions is right for you.
Are you planning to switch to Windows 7? See how other CNET readers voted. If you have upgraded, rate your experience, or see how others weighed in. Those making the leap to Windows 7 should also check out Ninite, a Web site that helps you customize a single install file for a heap of useful Windows 7 programs, including your pick of browser, instant-messaging apps, media apps, and utilities.
Let's play a fun game. Take note of your Windows desktop. Now count how many shortcut icons are on it. If there are more than 20 icons, you need a new system.
Allow me to direct your attention to Fences for XP, Vista, and Windows 7. This freeware app helps you create flexible boxes, or "fences" on your desktop that help you cleanly organize your shortcuts. You can rename these fences easily, and drag and drop shortcuts in and out of them.
The free Fences 1.0 is a unique desktop enhancement app because more than adding style and sheen to your work space, which it does, it's also straight-up practical. At a little larger than 8.6MB, it's also smaller than many other enhancement apps, including Fences' publisher's own CursorFX. Watch our Fences video for a walk-through of all the features.
In other Windows news this week, AVG Technologies releases an update to its popular AVG Free antivirus app, and we show you how to remove files attached to messages in Outlook, Thunderbird, and Yahoo Mail.
One by one, the major Windows security vendors have been updating their antivirus apps and suites to protect against malware. Lavasoft is the latest, but you'll likely know this company better by its flagship product, Ad-Aware.
Like many of the other security apps that have updated for 2010, Ad-Aware 8.1 (download) boasts faster speeds and an engine that detects malware not just by definitions, but by suspicious behavior, too. As with its competitors, Ad-Aware has a three-tiered setup that includes a free version and two premium levels.
Speaking of security, the Google Chrome browser received a new extension aimed at keeping Chrome surfers from wandering to dodgy sites. The free Web of Trust add-on, which is already in use on Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers, isn't quite ready for prime time yet, but the adventurous can try it out on the developer preview version of Chrome.
Cautionary tales about identity theft are everywhere: blared from the TV, inked in news stories, and relayed with horrified detail in conversations among friends. Heck, I've had to deal with a lifted wallet myself. Anyone who's been there can attest that despite quick calls to the credit card companies and banks, dealing with the aftermath is still a hassle. But physical larceny is one thing; digital defrauding can quickly become a much deeper, broader, and unmitigated violation that can stretch to the bottom of your savings accounts and social circles.
The publishers behind the popular AVG security program franchise have introduced a new tool in AVG Anti-Virus 9 and AVG Free Edition to help combat computer thievery. In partnership with security service Identity Guard, the Identity Theft Recovery Unit sits with the browser toolbar, and can help U.S. customers access credit report tools and monitoring support services if you are hit.
The new AVG Anti-Virus 9 and AVG Internet Security 9 offer more features besides, and claim faster speeds. To find out if AVG 9's products live up to the claims, read our hands-on review.
This last week has seen updates to two of our favorite fee Windows applications.
The first is photo organizer favorite Google Picasa, which adds facial recognition in its update to version 3.5. The new feature uses technology that was first implemented in Picasa Web Albums, the product's online sibling for storing and sharing photos online. To make a long story short, Picasa for the desktop now scans your photos for recognizable faces. After you link a name to a facial structure, the app gathers those photos together in each person's album. So, after labeling your sister, you'll be able to search for a picture of her on vacation by looking in her personal folder, not just the vacation album.
Read up more on Picasa's new photo facial recognition features here.
In the meantime, RSS reader FeedDemon has also bumped off its beta and updated to version 3.0. FeedDemon now syncs with Google Reader, instead of with its once-proprietary syncing engine. FeedDemon's interface includes a redesigned home screen for viewing subscriptions, and a much expanded view of your Twitter stream. See our hands-on review of FeedDemon 3 for more details.
Multiprotocol-messaging client Digsby has announced new features at DemoFall focusing on a completely revamped Twitter interface.
At the time of writing, users must download Digsby build 65, which will then auto-update to build 67, which includes the new features.
The new Twitter timeline window in Digsby features new posts at the bottom, plus a Favorites option.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Once logged in, users, set to follow Digsby on Twitter by default, are given two ways to manage their tweets. The tweet timeline is a single-window column that starts with the oldest ones at the top. It is accessible only by double-clicking on the Twitter bar in the Digsby Buddy List pane.
Running the oldest tweets on top runs counter to the Twitter Web site, as well as just about every other Twitter client around, and already, there's a heated debate over the tweet order in the Digsby blog post announcing the new feature.
Most recently received tweets and the status update box reside at the bottom of the timeline window, but every time you open the timeline window, it will go to your most recently read new tweet. Mouse over a tweet, and Twitter functions such as Reply, ReTweet, and Direct Message will appear.
There's also a new option that should be familiar to Internet Explorer users: Favorite. Mark a tweet as Favorite, and when you switch the view to Favorites--accessible behind the drop-down arrow at the top of the window--you'll see a list of all your Favorite-marked tweets. Other options include a History view that shows off only your tweets, as well as group creation and editing.
Digsby's mouse-over Twitter stream.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Mouse over the "quick look" Twitter pop-up window that's part of the Digsby Buddy List, and the tweet timeline runs in the traditional direction. Although Reply, ReTweet, Direct Message, and Favorite are also available from this view, forcing users to switch tweet stream directions depending on which pane they're using doesn't strike me as particularly logical. There's no option for altering the defaults in the timeline or the quick-look pane.
Twitter account options in Digsby.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)In Digsby build 67, users get two methods for updating their tweets. They can use the text field at the bottom of the Twitter timeline pane, or use the global status updater available from the drop-down menu at the top of the Buddy List. It comes with a character counter, useful, even though the global updater can be toggled to work for other social-networking statuses. The Twitter timeline text field and the global-status updaters will both automatically shorten URLs and automatically upload photos. Auto-shortening can be toggled in the drop-down menu by clicking on character count.
Some users have been complaining about stability problems that are probably related to the untested nature of programs that debut at DemoFall. If you don't mind the unusual flow of the timeline window, or if you're a Digsby user to begin with, this Twitter implementation isn't perfect, but it's a strong step forward for a program that already supports MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
