The Download Blog

Creating a custom Windows log-on screen has never been faster or simpler. Two free utilities let you do more than replace the boring Windows default start background with a picture of your pet hamsters, though you can do that, too.

Add system info to Windows' start-up sequence
In a post earlier this month, I described the beta version of the free TweakNow PowerPack 2009 utility that makes it easy to view system information, maintain Windows, and customize the OS' interface. As that post stated, I encountered a couple of rough edges in the beta version I looked at, but that's to be expected in a beta.

One TweakNow feature I took advantage of right away was the program's ability to add a "legal disclaimer" screen to Windows start-up. One practical application of this feature is to add information about the system to the screen's text box, which can make life a lot easier for you or for whoever has to maintain the machine.

Suppose you need to find out what type of memory your PC uses, what type of processor it runs, its current version of Windows, or even the toll-free support number of its vendor. It's not always easy to find all this information, which resides in various locations on your system. Utilities such as TweakNow can help you collect this type of data, but you'll still find yourself clicking around their various nooks and crannies to unearth what you need.

You could create an image containing this information and make it your Windows Desktop, but adding system information to a screen that appears early in the Windows start-up sequence not only saves you time rummaging around Windows settings, it also lets you get the info off a machine without having to fully load Windows. This is a capability a lot of IT staffers will likely appreciate, but anyone who maintains multiple PCs could find it a time-saver.

The system information I needed was available in various other TweakNow screens, but it was much easier for me to copy the main System Information screen, paste the data into the text box in the TweakNow Legal Notice dialog (click Windows Secret > User Accounts > Miscellaneous), and edit it there. I added the toll-free support number of the PC's vendor, just in case.

Add system information to the Windows log-on screen via the free TweakNow PowerPack 2009 utility.

(Credit: TweakNow)

Place text in a custom welcome-screen image
If you're one of the many people who simply want Windows to load quickly, you won't be happy having to click through yet another screen before you can start your workday. Stardocks offers two free programs that let you create your own welcome screen, complete with any text you want ready access to.

LogonStudio Vista and LogonStudio XP can replace the default welcome/log-on screen with a more visually exciting image from a free online library, or you can create your own welcome image.

Stardock's LogonStudio Vista makes replacing the default Windows welcome screen as easy as 1-2-3.

(Credit: Stardock)

To test the program, I opened an image in Paint, added a text box containing information about the system, and then loaded the image using LogonStudio's Create and Upload options.

Place a text box holding system information into your custom welcome screen via Stardocks' free LogonStudio utility.

(Credit: Dennis O'Reilly)

Frankly, I was more pleased with the presentation of the information in TweakNow's "Legal Disclaimer" screen than in LogonStudio's custom welcome screen. But if you want to avoid an extra start-up click and don't mind taking the time to create a custom welcome screen, it doesn't get much easier than using LogonStudio.

Every time Microsoft delivers a new OS it's possible to get many of the features of a Windows upgrade in the previous version of Windows. Windows 7 is no exception. Here's a roundup of a few things you can do to make Windows Vista as Windows 7-like as possible, without shelling out for the new OS.

We'll start out with a couple tweaks, then tell you about four free apps you can download. And a tip of the hat to the amazing Gina Trapani at Lifehacker, from whom I picked up several of these tricks.

First the taskbar. Windows 7 lets you "pin" apps to the taskbar and we can approximate that in Vista. Here's how.

Right-click on your taskbar.

Select toolbars.

And choose Quick Launch.

Now drag the icons you wish to "pin" into the left side of the taskbar.

Right click on the taskbar again and uncheck "lock taskbar."

Now click on the three rows of dots, hold down the mouse, and drag the bar over until you see all your icons.

Now, they look a little small like that, so let's make them bigger. Make sure the taskbar is unlocked.

Now right click on the taskbar again.

Select the view menu and choose large icons.

That's OK. But if you want a real Mac-like dock, forget all that and install RocketDock. It gives you a whole new Macish dock that you can put down at the bottom of the window instead of the taskbar.

But your Windows still looks all Vista-y. One more interface tweak before we move on. Download VistaGlazz 1.3. It's a utility that changes some system files to allow you to implement third-party themes on Vista. Launch VistaGlazz and, if you're sure, agree to allow it to modify your system files. I did it, and had no issues. But I make no guarantee.

The browser wars are heating up again. Microsoft's touting the improved performance and security of Internet Explorer 8, dozens of new Firefox extensions are released every day, and, according to Apple, Safari 4 will be even faster than its speedy predecessor. Meanwhile, Opera just keeps chugging along at version 9.64, with version 10 beta 3 now available.

Just a few weeks ago, Google announced its plans to create an operating system based on Chrome. Considering that the browser itself is barely a year old, such plans may be premature. Then again, maybe not. But for right now, I'll keep looking for ways to make the Chrome browser more useful.

Last June, I described ways to change Chrome's default settings. Here's a look at ways to revamp the browser's interface and access some of its useful hidden features.

... Read more

Chrome has quickly earned a reputation for being lightweight and fast. It can't offer anything like Firefox's useful extensions—yet. Still, there are plenty of ways to tweak Chrome's default settings to make it work more like you do.

Open to your home page
I never could get used to Chrome's New Tab page, which is the browser's default start page. It shows big thumbnails of several of the sites you've recently visited. Some people will like starting with this minihistory, but I've grown accustomed to seeing my home page when the browser opens.

To change this setting, click the Tools menu (the wrench icon in the top-right corner) and choose Options. Under the Basics tab, select Open this page and enter the URL of your preferred start page.

Set Chrome to open to your preferred start page rather than the New Tab page by changing this setting.

(Credit: Google)

You can also set Chrome to start where it left off by choosing Restore the pages that were open last in the "On startup" section of this dialog box.

Put a Home shortcut on the toolbar
I return to my start page frequently during the day, so I like having a shortcut to that page on the toolbar. Chrome lacks this option by default, but you can return the familiar Home icon to the right of the address bar by selecting Show Home button on the toolbar under the Basics tab of the Toolbar Options dialog box.

Add bookmarks, history, passwords, and search settings from Firefox and IE
Some people have folders and subfolders full of bookmarks, many of which are gathering dust; I've got about a half dozen I return to all the time. Moving them from Firefox and Internet Explorer to Chrome took all of about a second and a half. You can also import your search-engine settings, saved passwords, and browsing history.

Move your bookmarks/favorites, search settings, passwords, and history from Firefox and IE to Chrome.

(Credit: Google)

Open certain downloaded file types automatically
It's probably safer not to let most types of the files you download to run automatically, especially when it comes to EXE files, PDFs, and nearly all media files. But I frequently download Word documents and Excel files from Google Docs and Spreadsheets, among other Web applications, and I prefer that they open without having to be double-clicked.

To set Chrome to open specific types of files automatically after they download, simply click the arrow to the right of the file in the download bar at the bottom of the screen and choose Always open files of this type.

Set specific file types to open automatically after you download them by selecting this option on Chrome's download bar.

(Credit: Google)

Bonus tip: Keep Chrome up-to-date
Chrome updates are pushed to your browser automatically, but there may be an update available that you can apply manually. Click the Tools icon and select About Google Chrome. If you see an Update button, click it to download the latest version. Restart the browser to apply the update.

Four hours. That's how long it took me to prepare my new notebook computer for the workaday world. And that includes restoring all my data files and e-mail.

I've got the process down to 12 steps:

Step 1: Establish a network connection.
My computer is pretty useless without an Internet link. (Well, less useless than it was before Google Gears arrived; more on that in Step 12 below.) I discovered this fact last fall when I was networkless in the wilds of southeastern Maine. Getting on my home's wireless network was a breeze using Vista's Network and Sharing Center. Click "Connect to a network" in the left pane, choose your network, click Connect, enter your network's password, and click Connect again.

I described my search for a solution to a recurring wireless-network problem in a post from last July. Microsoft's Help and Support site offers help with XP wireless-connection glitches and Vista wireless woes.

Step 2: Update Windows.
No matter how recently the machine's version of Windows was installed, there's probably an important security patch--perhaps several--waiting for it on the Microsoft Update site. To download and install it, click Start > All Programs > Windows Update. The Microsoft service will determine whether your system is missing any critical updates.

Step 3: Download Firefox.
It's ironic that the one and only time I'm likely to open Internet Explorer is to download Mozilla's Firefox browser. (Actually, I need to use IE to restore my online data backups; see Step 11 below.) Then I used Firefox to download the Opera and Google Chrome browsers as well. You never know when you're going to need another browser, and they don't cost anything.

Step 4: Download NoScript.
Giorgio Maone's NoScript script-blocking plug-in (donationware) is the one-and-only Firefox add-on I consider mandatory. The program lets you block scripts on a site-by-site and source-by-source basis.

Step 5: Install security software.
Personally, I prefer the convenience and relative simplicity of an all-in-one security suite. However, lots of PC users want to avoid the heavy-handedness of security suites from such big-name vendors as Symantec and McAfee. Choosing best-of-breed antivirus, antispyware, and software-firewall programs gives you more control over your security settings. However, using multiple security utilities increases the chances of a conflicts with Windows.

People tend to have strong opinions about their security software. The fact is, a security configuration that works great on one person's PC will crash and burn someone else's system. You have to experiment to find the right security-software strategy for your machine and tastes.

Step 6: Download and install your bookmarks from Delicious.
Last October, I described how to upload your bookmarks to the Delicious bookmark site. To export your bookmarks from Delicious, click Settings in the top-right corner of the Delicious site, choose Export/Backup Bookmarks in the Bookmarks section, and click Export.

Export your Delicious bookmarks to your new PC via the site's Export options.

(Credit: Delicious)

To add the bookmarks to Firefox, click Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Import HTML. In the Import HTML wizard, choose From an HTML File, click Next, browse to and select the file you just exported from Delicious, and click Open. Your bookmarks should be back where they belong.

Step 7: Clear out the trialware.
There are plenty of utilities that will help you remove the trialware versions of programs that your PC vendor likely loaded onto your hard drive. I use Piriform's free CCleaner for this and other system-maintenance chores. CCleaner makes it easy to uninstall the adware and other programs your system can do without.

Click Tools in the left pane, choose Uninstall, select the programs you want to remove one at a time, and click Run Uninstaller on the right side of the program window. You can also use CCleaner to pare down the list of apps that start automatically with Windows, among other useful tools in the program.

Step 8: Customize your desktop.
I like an iconless desktop, but that doesn't keep me from having easy access to the items I place on my desktop. I'd rather choose them from a Desktop menu that pops out of the taskbar. To clear the icons from the desktop, right-click anywhere on it, choose View, and deselect Show Desktop Icons.

Now right-click the taskbar, uncheck Lock the Taskbar, and choose Toolbars > Desktop. Drag the Desktop toolbar to the right--toward the notification area (aka the system tray)--until only the word "Desktop" and the double chevron are showing. To reach one of your desktop items, click the double chevron and select it from the menu that pops up.

My next stop is the Web Museum, where I choose my desktop wallpaper. Once you find a painting you like (and that generally matches your desktop dimensions), right-click it and choose Set as Desktop Background (in Firefox). Click Stretch to ensure that the picture will fill your screen. Just be sure you don't violate any copyrights for the artwork you select.

Step 9: Install and update Office (optional).
This is the step I would like to skip, but for now, my work requires that I have Office on my system. Installing Office 2007 from disc is one of the most time-consuming of the 12 steps, in part because you have to install Service Pack 1 via Microsoft Update after the disc installation completes. One of these days....

Step 10: Download your Outlook mail.
I have my ISP e-mail account set to save all messages on the server, so once I create the new account in Outlook, all my mail downloads automatically. Likewise, I use the Flexadex online contact manager, which I described in a post last month. Flexadex lets you export your contacts as a .csv file that you can import to Outlook.

Once you have the .csv file saved locally, open Outlook, click File > Import and Export > Import from another program or file > Next > Comma Separated Values (Windows) > Next. Browse to and select the .csv file, click Next, choose Contacts in the folder tree, click Next again, choose the appropriate fields for the data (if necessary), and click Finish. Your contacts may require a little cleanup, but the process beats relying on Outlook for your contacts backup (in my humble opinion).

Step 11: Download your online data backup.
I use the IDrive online-backup service, which does a good job of backing up my data in the background. To restore a backup, log into your account on the IDrive site (using Internet Explorer--the service doesn't support Firefox, unfortunately), choose Folder Restore, and follow the prompts.

Step 12: Download Google Gears.
I waited a long time for Google's offline component to support Gmail, which finally arrived early last month. The service also lets you work with your Google Docs & Spreadsheets and other Web services without an Internet connection. I'm happy to report that I haven't yet needed offline access to my Gmail account or other online services, but I know it's only a matter of time. With Gears in place, I'll be ready for my next network failure. Well, sort of.

If you're a demanding aesthete who insists on stamping your imprimatur all over your computer's interface, TweakXPlorer might be just what you've been looking for. If you're looking for a serious Explorer performance-enhancing drug, you're probably going to want to look elsewhere.

(Credit: Seth Rosenblatt/CNET Networks)

TweakXPlorer is a simple utility that lets you slap an image in Explorer's background, change font colors, and adjust background settings for the Explorer toolbar. Simple buttons with clean icons will help you navigate through the three main interface tabs.

There's TweakFolder for folder changes, TweakToolbar for toolbar adjustments, and TweakThumbnail to change thumbnail resolution and size. Importing an image into the toolbar automatically resizes it for the toolbar's rectangular dimensions, and the app makes use of sliders to avoid becoming visually stale.

It's portable, although the reasoning behind that decision is not exactly clear. Portable Firefox is something I understand, but for TweakXPlorer it just added several tedious steps before I could test it out.

You'll have to locate your images through the program's file browser, since drag and drop doesn't work here. Other than that, the biggest limitation the program faces is that it's kind of pointless beyond the skinning. If the visual customizations could be coupled with actual improvements for XP's Explorer, I'd be more willing to recommend the program enthusiastically.

Enable streaming search results via the CustomizeGoogle's Web settings.

(Credit: CNET Networks/CustomizeGoogle)

When I fired up my Mozilla Firefox browser this morning, I received an unpleasant surprise. I tried my first Give Me Back My Google search of the day, only to be confronted with a 10 search results and a "Next" button for more results. What the deuce?

I haven't seen a "Next" button for Google results in a few years, ever since I installed the CustomizeGoogle extension for Firefox way back when. Along with key features such as ad blocking, secure connections for Google Docs and Gmail, and alternative search-engine results, my favorite feature of the extension is the capability to "stream" search results.

Streaming results means that you never have to click "Next" and "Back" to view Google search results again. When you search Google, you'll be presented with your usual 10 results (or 50, or 100, or whatever your saved preference is). However, if you have "Stream search results pages" selected under the "Web" settings of CustomizeGoogle, you only need to scroll down to see results 11+. The further you scroll, the more result appear, all the way to No. 302,526 or whatever the number of the final search result.

Luckily for all of us, the developers of CustomizeGoogle released a new version of the add-on today. Version 0.76 fixes Google Suggest, adds Query Suggestions, restores links to other search engines in Google Shopping, and (most importantly for me) fixes streaming search results. Huzzah!

Google has long been one of the most useful tools on the Net, but frequent search engine users may find that they can make it even more efficient. CustomizeGoogle is a Firefox extension that adds options to an ordinary Google search, providing additional links to sources such as Yahoo, Wikipedia, or MSN. Depending on the specifics of the search, results might also include links to movie, music, or book search engines.

It's hard not to like the link to the Wayback Machine, which enables users to see pages that have vanished from the Net. The software filters out advertisements, numbers your results, and can block specific domains and sites if needed. It can also block GoogleAds, make your Google searching anonymous, and force Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Calendar to load in secure (HTTPS) pages.

As privacy concerns grow more prominent in the public consciousness, and the desire to control all aspects of your browsing environment increases, the abilities that CustomizeGoogle confers on its users are quickly moving from "useful" to "must-have."

In case you're one of the millions of people who are sick of Facebook's new design, and want to change the way it looks, there's a simple solution called PageRage. It won't tweak things to look like they did before, but it will let you to do one of the things Facebook has never allowed--theme your profile.

Like competitor MySpace has allowed for years, PageRage lets you customize both the background and design elements on your profile. There are a handful of pre-sets to choose from, all of which you can browse right from the company's Facebook application. To install them you simply click a button and it will apply the skin.

The one caveat of the service is that others must have the extension installed in order to see your special profile. It's also browser specific, so if you have it installed in Firefox but not Internet Explorer you won't be able to see the layout you've picked. However, changes made in either browser will be reflected in both since the information is stored on PageRage's servers.

For now, you're limited to making edits on your profile. In the future, the company plans to let its users customize other people's profile themes, although not for everyone else to see. Parent company Yontoo also makes a handy browser add-on called Sanity Switch that can turn off a user's MySpace profile customizations with a single click, making noisy, or otherwise obnoxious, social-networking profiles a little more bearable.

PageRage's Facebook profile skins are quite classy, although you'll need a special browser plug-in installed to see them.

(Credit: Yontoo Technology)