Quick Config for Windows

Windows lets you configure many of its features to suit individual needs, such as gaming or CAD or video. But maybe you use the same PC for work and play, and some settings might not suit both. Or maybe you share a PC with family members or co-workers, and agreeing on settings is a challenge rivaling legendary thermostat wars. You can change things to suit your needs every time you use the computer, and then maybe change them back when you're done. Or you can use Intelloware's Quick Config.

This free tool lets you create different profiles, each with different configuration settings in Windows, and quickly switch between them. Dad can have his default settings, while Junior can optimize the family PC for games. You can create extra-secure profiles for logging into your work PC from home, or different security levels for home entertainment and Internet access.

We started by creating and naming a new profile based on our current system settings. It was possible to make many changes at this stage, but we wanted to create a default profile with our existing settings before we started monkeying around. Quick Config has two Settings features: one offers General, Startup, and similar options, and another, called Current Settings, displays currently selected options under the headings of Applications, Network, System, Browsers, and Desktop.

We selected our profile in the program's simple, efficient user interface and clicked Edit to return to the Settings tool. Most of the settings are fairly basic, such as default e-mail client and Web browser. But we could also change our network connections, routing, shared folders, and other more detailed options, as well as add programs to the Start Menu. Only those items selected in Quick Config's tree view are affected; otherwise, the program leaves settings alone.

To test Quick Config, we simply created a second profile with a different default Web browser. From Quick Config's tray icon, we selected our first profile, clicked Apply, and clicked a hyperlink, opening the page in our first browser. We switched profiles and clicked the same link, which opened the page in the second browser: concept validated.