Tool Time

Everyone (except for poor corporate drones who live on locked-down machines) customizes their PC. Everyone has a set of tools, an environment of enhancements to the OS, that they have arranged about them, setting up a comfortable living environment that makes switching to a new PC a trauma. Everyone has programs, tools, utilities, add-ons they just can’t live without.

Here, in no particular order, are mine.

• Nutshell: IE toolbar add-on, allowing a single search field to send queries to Google, Amazon, IMDB, Dictionary.com, and Daypop. Wildly useful. (Free)
• PopUp Cop: Suppresses pop-ups, pop-unders, Flash animations, and eleventy-zillion other things. Easily overridden, very effective, highly customizable. One of the better tools of this sort out there. ($20)

• Bugnosis: IE add-on, it flags “bugs” or tiny (sometimes invisible) graphic images that companies put on web pages to note when you’re visiting and set cookies. Only essential if you’re a privacy nut, but sometimes it’s amazing to see how many of these things are out there. (Free)

• ieSpell: IE add-on, it allows spell-checking within forms, such as, say, in a blog comment field. Uses its own dictionary, but that still seems to do the job. (Free; donations welcome)

• SpamAssassin Pro: A Windows/Outlook version of the open source classic. Incredibly powerful but incredibly frustrating, it operates in much more of a black box mode than the original, and the company is clear that’s the way they intend to keep it. The product documentation and customization is only slowly expanding beyond “install it and forget it.” Still, a good spam filter. ($30)

• SpamDeputy: Manually add senders to your Outlook blacklist, and forward spam mail to SpamCop, the FTC, or whomever you prefer. Very slick Outlook integration, but it can also work with other mailers. ($20)

• AdAware: Searches your machine for files and registry keys left by Internet ad companies to track your movements and purchases. Feh. I’ve been having problems of late, though, with the reference file update function. (Free)

• ExpressAssist: Backup, restore, and syncronize Outlook Express folders. Frickin’ invaluable. ($30)

• SyncIT: Stores a copy of your IE bookmarks to the Net, where they can be browsed (if you’re on a strange PC), or syncronized with those on another machine. This is how Margie’s PC has the same bookmarks as mine does, and how I’ve restored my bookmarks after I’ve lost my hard drive. Keen! ($50)

• ZoneAlarm: I use the free version on my notebook as a portable personal firewall. We used the Pro version on Margie’s PC, but found it had real problems handling our home wireless network (we’ve changed over to Symantec/Norton for that machine). It’s not foolproof, and some programs react poorly when the firewall blocks them even for a few moments, but it beats leaving it all hanging out in the breeze … (Free)

• XReminder Pro: Basic reminder program that works exactly the way I want it to. I’ve been using version of this for years. ($20)

• WeSync: Keep the datebook and contact lists from two PCs and Palms in sync. Margie and I use this. Unfortunately, Palm is pulling the plug, at least to the extent of not accepting any new subscribers. (Free)

• MSNBC News Alert: Customizable news alerts from MSNBC, CNet, etc. The alerts are downloaded to your PC, and a little tool tray icon flashes when there are updates. A single click, and you can catch the breaking brouhaha. Useful. (Free)

• Dema Post It: PostIt notes for your desktop. (Free)

• SETI@Home: Rather than burning CPU cycles running a silly screen saver, why not devote them to trying to find ET? SETI@Home lets your PC analyze radiotelescope data to see if there are any signals that look artificial. Plus, it looks way cool on screen. (Free)

  (Note: It looks like the SETI@Home project may be in financial trouble.)

• EditPad Lite: My text editor of choice. I’ve been using version of this for years. A few little idiosyncracies, but better than Notepad. (Free)

• SplashID: Okay, this is more of an application than a utility, and its primary focus is on the Palm not the desktop, but, damn, it’s great having a single (encrypted, password-protected) place to store credit card numbers, PINs, serial numbers, etc. ($15)

• Siggy: Manage and search text-based sig files. I’ve been using version of this for years. The author, alas, does not still distribute it. (Unavailable)

• PSA Cards: My address book PIM of choice. Much more flexible than Outlook, and it has a conduit to sync with my Palm. I’ve been using version of this for years. ($28)

So, what utilities, add-on, and environment-enrichers can’t you live without?