Do you ever feel that Microsoft deliberately tries to make things difficult with Windows? You know, like some of the specially named folders, that are difficult to access unless you possess some specialized knowledge, or are privy to a personal divining tool?
Some of this is made easier by tools made by the gentlemen who started SysInternals, and the tools are still available, though now, because of the buyout, each of the free tools carries a Microsoft free license in the setup file.
Some of these tools are so important that every non-Vista machine I work on, I install a couple of them. Page Defrag is one,
One of the limitations of the Windows NT defragmentation interface is that it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system.
PageDefrag uses advanced techniques to provide you what commercial defragmenters cannot: the ability for you to see how fragmented your paging files and Registry hives are, and to defragment them.
This tool is invaluable, and makes every machine it is installed on run better. Another one of the SysInternals tools that use many times is Process Explorer. I use it to replace the Task Manager at least while working on a machine, and , if I get the nod from the machine’s owner, I leave it, taking the place of Task Manager permanently.
There are a number of tools from SysInternals, and they are now updated as a set, roughly twice a year. Some of them are tools you might never need, others are so handy you wonder why Microsoft has not incorporated them into the default Windows installation.
Another author, Nir Sofer, has built quite a reputation as a developer of tools for Windows. Many of his tools are also free, and one of them, Special Folders View, is something that takes care of the problems I mentioned at the start of the article. This is going to be more important soon, as Windows 7 has more of these special folders – and this utility will make them easier to deal with.
(If you don’t ever use the Windows Explorer, or another file manager replacement, instead going through the ‘My Files’ or ‘Computer’ icons on the desktop or menu, this won’t help you much – but if you want to know more, and have better control of your machine – here is a start on that path.)
NirSoft has tools for browsers, allowing you to see easily the things stored in the browser cache, no matter which of the popular browsers you use. There is one for Internet Explorer, Firefox (and should also work on SeaMonkey), Opera (yeah!), and Chrome.
I’m not certain how many utilities are there at NirSoft, but looking around will certainly score something that you can use, making your time on the computer easier and more profitable.
Many people are thinking that Windows 7 is going to be so simple that they might never have a problem – they could be right. However, they could also fall prey to a problem that is beyond the capability of the system to resolve by itself, and tools like these may help the user get back to normal, without cash outlay to Microsoft, or a third party.
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I am desperately trying to figure out why Kamikaze pilots wore helmets.Dave Edison |
and safer!
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