folders

This freeware utility is a boon for users looking to manager their file menus. FileMenu Tools's simple interface logically presents all functions and menus. Most users should have no problem quickly learning to operate this application. A detailed Help file is available for those novices new to the file menu.

Operating FileMenu Tools merely means manipulating select pull-downs and function icons. Users choose a menu and use the Actions function list to add commands, submenus, or separators. Deleting and moving menu items also takes only a click. Clicking a menu item displays basic function descriptions and properties when available.… Read more

The ultimate freeware encryption program, TrueCrypt is loaded with powerful features for anyone who is concerned with protecting their data from thievery.

It offers 11 algorithms for encrypting your private files in a password-protected volume, with full support for Snow Leopard. You can store your encrypted data in files (containers) or partitions (devices). TrueCrypt works hard to offer powerful data protection, recommending complex passwords, explaining the benefits of hidden volumes, and erasing telltale signs of the encryption process, including mouse movements and keystrokes. Though the interface may not be immediately intuitive, its powerful, on-the-fly, no-cost encryption still earns the freeware … Read more

Place your favorite folder shortcuts on the right-click menu with this handy freeware utility. Folder Guide's compact button and results window interface won't take more than a minute to understand. Even the single-page Help file is superfluous.

Operating this utility is a piece of cake. Simply click Add to create an alias and insert the folder path. A built-in browse function makes it easy to navigate to the folder. The alias is immediately available under the Folder Guide option on the right-click menu. With a click you can sort the aliases alphabetically, or reorder them using simple Up … Read more

Undoubtedly one of the best apps to come out of Redmond, Windows Live's freeware FolderShare is a fantastic tool for keeping folders synchronized across multiple computers and multiple platforms. Although we're just getting around to the product review now, for people who don't know what the program can do I figured this would be a good time to highlight some of the more useful and interesting features.

Also important: FolderShare is still in beta, but sported none of the bugginess that plagues most betas.

While both the PC and the Mac versions do the same thing, which … Read more

There are many things I like about Windows Vista. The OS's approach to folder views isn't one of them.

XP had it right: To change your default view in Windows Explorer and folder windows in Vista's predecessor, you just open a folder, change it to the view you prefer (for me, its View > Details), and click Tools > Folder Options > View > Apply to All Folders > Yes > OK.

If only things were that simple in Vista. XP's successor (I use the term lightly) has five different types of folders. Changing the view … Read more

Compared with Outlook and other commercial e-mail programs (are there any other commercial e-mail programs left?) Mozilla's free Thunderbird e-mail client has a lot going for it. Not the least of Thunderbird's time-saving features are its search capabilities.

If you don't see the search toolbar directly above the main Thunderbird window, click View > Toolbars > Search Bar. By default, you can view all your mail, all your unread mail, all mail with one of Thunderbird's five built-in labels attached (Important, Work, Personal, To Do, Later), mail from people in your address book, messages received recently, … Read more

The more files you store on your PC, the harder they are to find and manage. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Copernic Desktop Search, my favorite local-search freebie, and compared it to Google Desktop Search and Windows Desktop Search. All three retrieve the files you're looking for much faster and more simply than Windows' built-in search tool, but I prefer Copernic for its customizability and clean interface.

Still, most people spend the majority of their file-management time in Windows Explorer, which by default isn't particularly informative about the files and folders it displays. You can … Read more

Anyone who has shared a computer with a roommate, family member, or co-worker knows it's pretty hard to keep everything organized. But beyond having separate user accounts or personal folders, some data you have on your hard drive just isn't meant to be seen by other users. Whether it's your personal account numbers, journal entries, or other private files, a secure place to store items on your shared computer is necessary for your privacy.

A while ago I found a great Windows app for creating secure volumes called TrueCrypt. This open-source (free) program offers up multiple levels … Read more

I had occasion to open the C:Windows folder on my old XP machine, and was immediately struck by the number of folders whose names began "$NtUninstall". They were from several hundred kilobytes to 10 megabytes in size, and there were more than 150 of these bad boys just taking up space on my hard drive. There were also a few multi-megabyte files whose names began with "$MSI31Uninstall" or "$NtServicePackUninstall". Some of these folders dated back to when I bought the machine in 2003.

If Explorer won't show you the contents of the … Read more