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Essential Windows Utilities

I wanted to share with you a list of some Windows utilities I install as soon as I finish installing Windows.

• Unlocker: Windows has an annoying tendency to block file handles, which lead to situations like not being able to delete a file or remove a USB drive because “It is in use by another person or program.” The most annoying part of it is that it doesn’t tell what file is in use, and worst of all WHO is still using it. Well, Unlocker can help you in those situations, by allowing you to either release the handle or kill the process that is stopping you.
• Cygwin: For all us UNIX types, Cygwin is a MUST. it gives you a full UNIX environment for you to write and run your scripts, complete with a bash shell and all the utilities you expect in UNIX (yes, even vi).
• Windows Powertoys: These small Windows apps allow you bypass common Windows annoyances. The two I always install are “Open Command Window Here” and “Tweak UI”.
• Robocopy: Well, actually you need to install the full Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools to get this gem. If you copy large files across a network, Robocopy is a must. It can resume a copy after brief network outages, retries a copy indefinitely every 30 seconds, and, at least in my experience, is faster than copying using Windows Explorer (and doesn’t hang your computer if the network goes down). Robocopy is now a standard feature of both Vista and Windows Server 2008, BTW, so you don’t need to do an additional installation if you are using those systems (hey, they had to get SOMETHING right with Vista ;))
• Paint.NET: A very powerful image editing tool. Free, open source, and developed entirely in .NET. Cualifies as an entry-level Photoshop replacement, with many advanced functions. And very lightweight as well.
• MWSnap: Freeware utility to do screen captures. There are more sophisticated tools out there, but none of them are free. There is a limitation on this tool that annoys me every once in a while, which is that it only captures images on the first monitor if you have a multi-monitor setup. Other than that, it works as expected.
• Foxit Reader and CutePDF Writer: these two utilities work as a replacement to Adobe Acrobat. Foxit is a lightning-fast PDF reader, that opens instantly on your PC. CutePDF Writer allows you to generate PDF files, and presents itself another printer. These two utilities are very lightweight, do what they are supposed to do, and don’t annoy you with constant update notices.

Amazon does it again: "Frustration-Free Packaging"

Every once in a while when you load Amazon’s front page, you find a letter from Jeff Bezos. Most of the time they deal with marketing deals from Amazon, so you pretty much skip them quickly. Today, however, when I loaded the page, I found this gem:

Hooray Amazon! It was about time somebody stood up for us, the consumers.

Here’s why I take this personal: When I travel to the US I normally do my shopping online, mostly at Amazon, and have them deliver the goods to the hotel (I’m not really a mall person). Opening them is incredibly frustrating, as shown on the videos at Amazon’s The Gallery of Wrap Rage page. It usually involves going down to the front desk, borrowing scissors, then remembering to bring them back after the fact. And, as I normally don’t start opening stuff until late, there’s a preliminary step that involves putting something presentable on, since I am already in my “sleeping gear”. Once I tried to get creative and open it by using the iron to melt the plastic - let’s say that I’ve had very few worse ideas in my life.

So, let’s support Amazon in this pro-consumer initiative and buy products from the companies involved!