Userfriendly's favorites (104)

Process Explorer is an advanced task manager. It is an indispensable tool for both beginners and power users. I use it all the time to kill tasks that refuse to be killed, or find what which processes are still holding on to a particular file or DLL so it refuses to be deleted.

Alternatively, Process Explorer Portable is also available, which is stealth.

7-Zip is an archive manager that can view and create a wide variety of formats. The program includes folder favorites, optional two-pane view, checksum calculator, file split/combine capability and more. Individual archives can be created with high speed or high compression settings, update options (including update, add/replace, synchronize), split volumes and more. Archives can be secured with standard zip or more secure AES encryption.

Although the official archiver for the open, high-compression "7z" format, the program also supports the creation of multiple formats including ZIP, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR and WIM. It will extract a long list of other formats, among them RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, RPM, VHD, VMDK etc. Even more formats are supported through third-party plugins. Supports many world languages.

Additionally, to use alternative toolbar and file icons, 7-Zip Theme Manager is available.

7-Zip Portable is a wrapper from PortableApps.com, auto-detecting 32 or 64-bit automatically. Alternatively, X-7zip is also available.

There is also a 7-Zip standalone console version.

Mp3tag views, edits and filters metadata for common audio formats. Information can be manually added, removed, imported and exported to a variety of formats. The program supports online freedb database lookups for selected files, allowing you to automatically gather proper tag information for select files or CDs. It can also rename files based on the tag information, replace characters or words from tags and filenames, import/export tag information, create playlists and more.

The program can even generate playlists from provided audio files. Supports ID3, Vorbis Comments, APE, MP4 and TAK Lossless.

NOTE: Recent press about CCleaner indicates it may represent a privacy concern.

CCleaner is a feature-rich system optimization and privacy tool. The program cleans unused, temporary and log files from your system, as well as traces of online activities such as Internet history and flash cookies. The program contains startup controls for Windows, major internet browsers and context menu entries. Includes a separate registry cleaner, duplicate search, system restore tool and can wipe both deleted files and drive free space for security.

A 64-bit version is available (within the folder). Monitoring functions are only available in the pro version.

Additional cleaner rules can be using an unofficial set of community-developed set. It should be noted that many of these rules are alpha and the developers will not provide support for these rules, a thread in the users forum is dedicated to supporting the add-on rules.

Alternatively, ccPortable is also available.

Rufus, or Reliable USB Formatting Utility (with Source), is a small and fast utility that helps create bootable external drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks etc. The program is ideal for use with installation media from ISOs (Windows, Linux etc.) for working on a system without an OS, flashing device BIOS or other firmware, or you want to run a low-level system utility.

Functional on 64-bit systems.

Rufus Portable also available.

Imagine is a lightweight, fast and easy to use image viewer with basic graphics and animation edit features. Also includes screen capture, thumbnail browser, slideshow and metadata disclosure. Conversion tools include batch format change to dozens of formats and lossless JPEG changes (rotate and flip).

Additional formats support available through plugins.

Windows System Control Center (WSCC) allows you to install, update, execute and organize the utilities from various system utility suites. The program either works as an interface or as downloader. The program can work with both utilities suites downloaded or can dynamically grab and run the programs via a web connection. The included Update Manager can check for newer versions of the utilities already installed and can download and install the missing items.

Works with Windows Sysinternals and NirSoft Utilities suites, but also highlights Windows' own utilities.

Note: The setup packages are downloaded from the author's website.

SMPlayer is a feature-rich, skinnable player that views most media without any dependency on installed codecs, as well as streaming media, Youtube and DVD video. Audio, video and subtitle settings for individual files are all remembered between sessions so you can start again exactly where and how you left off. Supports subtitle downloading, youtube support, audio and subtitles delay adjustment, equalizer, filters, playlist support and much more.

The program is a frontend for MPlayer and mpv that also works on Linux. Alternatively, SMPlayer Portable (stealth and adjusts paths) and the outdated X-SMPlayer and are also available.

AutoHideMouseCursor automatically hides the mouse cursor with an adjustable timer. The program is useful for reducing distractions for users while reading, during presentations, or for personal preference.