Home Office: More Utilities and Some Caveats

Bass's Fab Four, plus how to avoid utility overload.

Steve Bass

Here's what I learned from the survey I asked you to take a few months ago: High on your list of favorite newsletter topics are utilities, with application and Internet tips running a fast second. I don't think it's a coincidence that we both like these things; my sense is that most of you, like me, spend too many hours in a home office and have to rely on your own wits to increase productivity. And tips and good utilities just make life easier. (BTW, you'll see the newsletter with survey results in a few weeks.)

In this and next week's newsletters, I'll give you links to a handful of stellar utilities I discovered as well as a stack of articles about utilities from other PCWorld.com writers; future newsletters will have tips to speed up your workday.

The Trouble With Utilities

I worry that some of you may have trouble using more than a few of the utilities I mention. That's because some of the tools are resident programs--once launched, they reside in memory, most often seen as an icon in the system tray, waiting to be used. This is a problem because each such tool takes up system resources; if you run low on resources, your Win 98 or ME system could start running slowly and ultimately crash (see details below).

But there's some good news: According to the stats I found on PCWorld.com, more than two-thirds of the people who visit the Web site are using Windows XP. Besides helping to boost Bill's bank account, using XP lets you load a dozen (or more) utilities in your system tray without Windows breaking into a sweat.

If you're stubbornly clinging onto Win ME, 98 (or worse, 95), I recommend you read two things I wrote. The first is "Uninvited Icons Cause More Than Clutter," a magazine column that goes into detail about the hassles of managing your system tray. The next is "Remove Unwanted Icons From Your System Tray." It's an in-depth article that's old but still tells you how to dump unnecessary system tray items and boost system resources. Following the article's suggestions will help you add some of my new utilities to the system tray, thereby gobbling system resources again, a vicious cycle easily resolved by reading the previous paragraph.

Dig This: I'm not a fan of ping pong--unless it's as exciting as in two videos I saw recently. The first is a spectacular match from China, one that'll make you stand up and cheer. The next is from an annual show on Japanese television called "Kinchan No Kasotaisho." (Nope, I haven't a clue what that means.) It will have you stunned--until the secret's revealed. (When you go to the page, be sure to click the top item--the one that looks like people playing ping pong.) [With thanks to Shashank Tripathi.]

Four of Bass's Top-Rated Utilities

Here are four tools I haven't mentioned before, here or in any PCWorld.com article.

Hotkeycontrol XP. This freebie lets you add macro functionality to your keyboard. For instance, you can assign shortcut keys to launch up to ten applications. You just click the Windows key while pressing another key; for example, I've assigned Win-spacebar to open Notepad and Win-1 for Explorer. If you don't have a Windows key, you can use Ctrl, Shift, or Alt; you can also assign dozens of other key combos to various functions.

PhotoResizer. There are more than a few ways to resize digital photos, but I really enjoy using PhotoResizer, a freebie that lets you change the dimensions of a photo and then e-mail it to a buddy.

PS Tray Factory. If you want more control over your system tray, PS Tray Factory is for you. Among other things, the tool manages everything in the system tray, lets you easily hide or disable each item, or change their order. For those of you still using Windows ME, 98, or 95 who want to emulate Win XP's system tray features, PS Tray Factory is for you. At $25, it's mighty expensive--but hey, it might just solve a problem you're facing.

DVD Shrink. One day soon you may want to copy a DVD--for archival purposes and not to bypass a copyright restriction, of course. DVD Shrink is a neat little utility that copies the files from your DVD. You then use a DVD burning program to burn the contents onto a backup disc.

Important Disclaimer: Our attorneys and my finicky editor wanted me to warn you that making illegal copies of DVDs you've rented is punishable by law and can get you in big trouble with the movie industry. So please don't do it. Seriously. They also want you to know that intentionally crossing your eyes isn't healthy--they'll stay that way--and using a hair dryer in the hot tub isn't a good idea either.

Dig This: Two jet pilots thank their lucky stars.

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