infoTECH Feature

March 08, 2010

A Few of My Favorite Utilities

By Lance Whitney
As an IT guy, technology writer and Web developer, I rely on a variety of different utilities to help make my jobs a bit easier. I thought you readers might appreciate a look at my favorite software tools to see if they could help you in your daily grind.
 
Windows has advanced throughout multiple versions over the years. But one feature has unfortunately stayed the same--the clipboard. You can still cut or copy and paste only one item at a time. Though Microsoft (News - Alert) Office lets you store multiple items in its own clipboard that capability doesn’t extend to Windows or other applications. If you need to copy and paste many items from one document or program to another, you have to keep switching back and forth between the two. Instead, you can use any one of a number of free clipboard replacements and supplements that will store multiple items. I’ve tried several, but one of my favorites is ClipX. This convenient tool can store hundreds of items in its clipboard, both graphics and text. You first launch ClipX, which resides as an icon in your Windows system tray. From your source file you copy all the items you wish to paste. Then in your target file you press a keyboard shortcut defined in ClipX to paste each item one after the other. I use ClipX every day and find it a real time saver.
 
Another built-in Windows program that hasn’t progressed much is Notepad. It still can hold just one file at a time and only in plain text. Many Notepad replacement tools are floating about, but the one I use is EditPad Lite. With this tool, I can juggle multiple files of text and easily switch among each one. EditPad Lite improves on Notepad by offering a more advanced Search feature, the ability to convert selected text to upper or lower case, and an option to combine multiple files. As a Web developer, I also use EditPad Lite as a basic HTML editor. In this role, the program can display URLs as clickable links and show me the number of each line for troubleshooting purposes.
 
The uninstaller built into your average Windows application rarely gets rid of the entire program. So you’re typically stuck with leftover files and Registry entries that clutter up your system. I’ve tried a few different third-party uninstallers, but the one I use now is Revo Uninstaller. Through Revo, you can remove an app using its own built-in uninstaller routine. Then Revo itself takes over by scanning your hard drive and Registry for leftover items and giving you the option to remove them, either all of them or each one selectively. Revo will typically find shortcuts and other files as well as Registry keys that the app’s uninstaller left behind. Throw in the ability to scan and remove temp files and other junk and remove unwanted items from your startup routine, and you’ve got a powerful tool. The basic version of Revo is free; the $39 Pro version adds more features and is compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows.
 
Tech folks have debated the merits and safety of using Registry cleaners, programs that remove leftover and unneeded items from your Registry. Some people are hesitant to use them for fear of removing the wrong keys. But if you know your way around the Registry and take the proper precautions, I think you can use these tools safely and reliably. You’ll find a lot of Registry cleaners around, but CCleaner is one of the best I’ve tried. The program scans your Registry for items that are no longer needed—typically keys for programs that you’ve since removed. It then displays a list of any discovered items. You can selectively choose which items to remove and which to keep. You can also back up the Registry keys before they’re deleted in case you ever need to restore them. I understand the concern over using Registry cleaners, but the right ones can keep Windows from getting mired in garbage. Last year I bought two Acer (News - Alert) computers—an ultra portable and a desktop. Like many PCs today, both came with a lot of crapware that made the computers slow and unstable. Using a combination of Revo Uninstaller and CCleaner, I was able to cleanly exterminate all traces of crapware, making my brand new PCs fast and reliable.
 
These are just a few of my favorite utilities. Do you have some of your own? Please feel free to share them in the Comments section below.

Lance Whitney is a journalist, IT consultant, and Web Developer with almost 20 years of experience in the IT world. To read more of Lance's articles, please visit his columnist page

Edited by Kelly McGuire
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