| FILE AND DESKTOP UTILITIES Programs to manage files and change the desktop look and feel Clipmate | Cliptrakker | Desktop_themes | DiskFactory | Dltypes
| ERS_Pro | F-Secure | GR_Duw | Hotkey_Detective | Kinemorphic
Screen Saver | Mcafee_anti-virus
| Mopy Fish | Panorama
32 | PKZIP | Pop-Mouse | PopOpen | Powerbar| Powerdesk | Powertoys | Psychedelic_Screen_Saver | Quarterdeck_Cleansweep_Deluxe
| Quick_View_Plus | Search And Replace | Smartboard | Take_Command | Thunderbyte_Anti-virus | WinARJ95 | Windows_Commander |
WinRAR | Winzip
| ZipMagic |
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| HOMEPAGE LINK | FILE DOWNLOAD LINK AND DESCRIPTION |
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Clipmate: The Windows
Clipboard is great for cutting and pasting a single item at a time, but if you want to
move a series of items, or save items for later use, then you need a program like ClipMate. ClipMate enhances
the Windows Clipboard functionality by storing all items (both text and graphic) that are
copied to the clipboard in collections. These items can then be used later in other
applications. Powerful tools enable users to retrieve, append, print, reformat, and edit
data. An exclusive PowerPaste=99 feature puts ClipMate in rapid fire mode, allowing a
series of items to be quickly pasted into an application. With ClipMate as a Windows
companion, users will never accidentally lose a piece of Clipboard data again. Personally
I prefer the interfaces of the other clipboard extenders discussed on this page (see
looking elsewhere), but Clipmate is quite solid. Author: Thornsoft Development |
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Cliptrakker: ClipTrakker is an excellent enhancement for
the Windows Clipboard. Unlike the Windows Clipboard, ClipTrakker saves and tracks anything
that you copy or cut to the Clipboard. You can view any item in ClipTrakker's handy
thumbnail snapshot display, whether what you've copied or cut is an image, some text, a
Web URL, a vector drawing, or live data from Excel. Any of the thumbnail displays can be
previewed in a larger size, printed, saved to disk, renamed, deleted, and, of course,
copied back to the Clipboard for re-use. Until you need it, ClipTrakkers stays out of your
way, showing only a Clipboard icon on your tray. It silently records your Clipboard
activity, popping up only when you click on the tray icon or press its hotkey combination.
The only thing I miss in this program is a 'plop' sound during cut or copy. Also memory
consumption seems to be quite high compared to the other clipboard extenders. Author: Silicon Prairie Software |
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Desktop Themes: Desktop themes is simple small program to replace the Microsoft
Plus! Desktop Themes installer. It can change existing themes, but it is also able to
install new themes extracted in one directory, create new or alter existing themes and
change startup and shutdown pictures, all features that plus! lack. Desktop themes also
enables the MS-Plus! desktop enhancement features like font smoothing, wall paper
stretching and window dragging. So, why need the large expensive MS-Plus! pack when Desktop themes
is available ? Author: Left Side Software |
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DiskFactory: DiskFactory is a high-speed disk copying,
formatting and comparing utility. The program has a variety of options for operation, and
it supports image files. DiskFactory has some specialized features like X-format, which
can copy a 720 KB floppy to a 1.44 floppy without formatting the 1.44 MB floppy to 720 KB.
It also supports a variety of non-DOS formats. Another good, more advanced, floppy util is
Gr Duw. Author: Accurate Technologies |
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DlTypes: DLTypes retrieves all registered file types from the Windows 9x
registry and presents them along with the number of files, file sizes for each extension
and file type. This information is presented in an easily accessed window for selection
either by file extension or file type. After the selection has been made, modifying the
default icon and associated actions as well as adding or removing file extensions can be
easily done. Also included is a very fast search function to find files based on their
extension or file type. After the files are found, many functions are available to make
testing the associated actions easy. Print functions are available for all file types and
their associations as well as automatic backup/restore of the registry entries when
deleting extensions or changing values. Invalid file type actions and icon entries are
reported. Over 150 Icons are also available for your selection. Author: DL Software |
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ERS Pro: ERS Pro (Emergency Recovery System) is a
system backup utility that saves important windows 95 files like system.dat,
user.dat, msdos.sys, autoexec.bat and config.sys along with over 100 other vital
files. There is an autobackup function which can make regular rotating backups for
you at configurable time points The program includes a set of batch files which can be run
from Windows or from the DOS prompt. Backups of files cost some HD space of course, but it
can save you from a reinstallation of W95 when something terrible goes wrong (which isn't
a rare phenomenon ;-) ) Author: Theodore Fattaleh |
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F-Secure: F-Secure (formerly F-PROT) is
a powerful virus scanning and disinfection utility. F-Secure can scan your system for the
presence of computer viruses and safely remove most of them. It can check inside
executable files, documents, ZIP and LZH archives as well as in the boot sector areas of
your hard drive. Viruses, trojan horses and document macro viruses can all be detected.
F-Secure has a large database of known viruses and it uses a heuristic method to detect
new and unknown viral strains. F-Secure can be scheduled to scan specific areas of your
hard drive or network, and it can even operate automatically while your computer is idle.
It can detect files that have been changed, it can be run from the command line or from a
graphical interface, and it includes a Windows resident scanner. Also a DOS version exists,
which is currently still called F-prot. Author:
Datafellows |
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GR Duw:
GRDuw is a disk utility that repairs, formats and duplicates diskettes, hard disks, and
removable drives, including ZIP and JAZ drives. It supports 720k, 1.44M, 1.68M (Microsoft
Distribution Format MS-DMF), 1.72M format floppies as well as ZIP, JAZ, Syquest EZFlyer
and many other types of removable drives. It can verify and re-create boot sector data,
which is useful for removing boot-sector viruses. It also has command-line options for
automating any disk operations. Also nice is the multiple diskette feature to format or
write disks without any program interaction. When I want to format a lot of disks I only
have to change disks when GR Duw beeps and everything goes automatically. Another nice,
but a bit less advanced, floppy utility program is Diskfactory. Author: GRSoftware Category: Drive tools Version: 3.13 File size: 378 KB License: Shareware Looking elsewhere: DiskFactory | GR_Duw |
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Hotkey
Detective: Hotkey detective is a small utility that shows you a list of
shortcut keys that are assigned to programs. This is very useful when you use a lot of
shortcuts for programs to see which one is still available (and if there are duplicates).
This program was published by Ziff-Davis (PC-Magazine, somewhere in 1996) some time ago
and will probably not be updated anymore, but it is still a very nice util to have. Author: Ziff-Davis |
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Kinemorphic
Screen Saver: Kinemorphic Screen
Saver animates an endless variety of awesome 3D patterns and images. As the 3D patterns
animate on your screen, the objects, images, lighting, and colors move through, around,
and on top of each other. Kinemorphics gives you an incredible amount of control over the
effects used. The screen saver includes the program SS Runner, which is a tray-icon
screensaver utility to launch your screen saver and edit settings and OpenGL drivers.
Also, a version without OpenGL
drivers is available (and is smaller) and an expansion pack exists for
more 3D effects. The Kinemorphic Screen Saver has been designed to work in conjunction
with CD/Spectrum Pro to provide stunning 3D visual
effects that synchronize with the sounds from an audio device (like the CD player in your
computer). From the same author: Psychedelic Screen Saver. Author: Synthesoft |
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Mcafee Anti-Virus: Famous antivirus program
from Mcafee. This W95 version adds a menu item to the right mouse button menu so that you
can scan directories instantly from within the explorer. McAfee's Scan program detects,
identifies, and disinfects known DOS and Windows computer viruses. Scan checks memory as
well as both the system and data areas of disks for virus infections. If scan finds a
known virus, in most cases it will eliminate the virus and fully repair infected programs
or system areas to their original condition. Also a DOS
version is available. Author:
McAfee Associated Inc. |
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Mopy Fish: HP MOPy Fish is a screen
saver that turns your desktop into an aquarium where a beautiful pet fish lives, feeds,
plays, and sulks. The full scientific name of the MOPy fish is Piscenus Mopei Floataneus.
It is a strikingly beautiful species that thrives on interaction. It is characterized by
its cheerful nature and its calming effect on stressed humans. The pet fish gains its
unique personality from the way you treat it. If you feed it regularly and play with it,
you will be the lucky owner of a fish with a happy disposition, a fish that is healthy and
pleased to see you every morning. If, however, you aggravate your fish, it may show
aggression, sulk, and develop SFA (Serious Fish Attitude). As with natural fish, if it is
neglected too long, it will fall ill and die , simply floating to the top of its aquarium.
This actually happened to my Mopy fish :-(. Author: Hewlett-Packard |
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Panorama
32: Panorama 32 is a utility to randomly change the windows wall paper
at set time intervals. It supports JPG and BMP picuture formats, auto scaling and tiling
and hotkeys. There are many more programs to manage your wallpapers, but this one is
especially nice because it is for free! Author:
Shaun Ivory |
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PKZIP for
Windows: Pkzip from PKWARE is probably the most famous compression program
ever on the PC. It originally appeared as a command line DOS program, which has
currently been replaced by version 2.50 with
full W95 support (LFN). Later Niko Mak wrote Winzip, which is
one of the most popular shareware programs. Pkzip for windows by PKWARE was released much
later and can't really compete with the quite user friendly Winzip. Pkzip is very fast in
handling zip files, especially in adding files, much better than Winzip. The user
interface is somewhat strange at first, but works quite efficient when tried a few times.
Pkzip is also available for win
3.x. Author: PKWARE |
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Pop-Mouse: Pop-Mouse (formerly known as Pointix) is
software designed to improve the operation of all your applications that use a mouse or
similar pointing device. It uses an exclusive technology that lets you trigger the most
frequently used commands by making slight mouse movements called "glicks."
Pop-Mouse has several build in programs that can be envoked by a glick, e.g. a
file-manager, a calculator and a calendar. Besides this features, Pop-Mouse also greatly
improves scrolling by avoiding the use of scroll bars. Pop-Mouse exist also in a lite version, which has the
same basic functionality. Author: Pointix Corporation |
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PopOpen:
PopOpen makes your windows spring open with animation effects. If you've always enjoyed
the way MacOS and OS/2 are able to make their windows spring open with animation effects,
then PopOpen is for you. PopOpen is easy to install, uses very little memory and can be
uninstalled from the Control Panel. PopOpen adds an extra tab to the display properties to
enable its features.
Author: Dinxware |
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Powerbar:
PowerBar is a toolbar program with many features including instant drive access,
drag-and-drop support, quick resolution change, an analog clock, areal-time memory
monitor, an indicator of free disk space, background color effects/bitmaps, tool tips,
autohide and autozoom functions, and columns. The user can configure all objects with the
Startup folder. Other features include internal WAV, MIDI, and RMI player; random mode and
repeat mode; and multimedia drop target. The new version adds user ability to put all
special items in the tray and special folders such as Dial-Up Networking. I think it is a
very useful program, especially when compared to the buggy Internet explorer 4 toolbar desktop enhancement, but
that one is for free. Author: PLEM |
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Powerdesk
98: PowerDesk Utilities is an award winning Windows 95 enhancer. It is
composed of several modules: 1. Explorer Plus, which is an enhanced explorer like
file manager with archive support and build-in viewer with support for Quick View Plus. It
features dual pane file management and many archives types (even RAR). To my opinion the
best application of the six. 2. Toolbar, which is a fully customizable toolbar with
even a virtual desktop. Some part of the toolbar can be integrated with the standard win95
toolbar; 3 Size Manager, which shows how your drive space is used and 4. File
Finder, which is an enhanced version of the W95 file find. 5. PowerDesk Folder
Synchronizer: quickly and easily determine the differences between files in two folders
and synchronize their contents and 6. PowerDesk Dialog Helper: enhances most file
open/save dialogs to provide quick access to recently-used folders and documents. Allows
standard open/save dialogs to be resized. An update of Powerdesk to version 3.02 is currently
available. Author: Mijenix Corp |
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PowerToys: This is a Microsoft Add-On for Windows 95. This must-have
software contains many different W95 utilities like Quickres, TapiTNA, TweakUI, Fast
Folder Contents, Flexi-CD, CabFile viewer, Deskmenu, Round Clock, Dos Prompt here,
Explorer from here, Short Cut target menu, Send to X, Find X and Xmouse. Powertoys is what
should have been included in the original windows, but it was left out for no real reason
... Also check out the kernel
toys which can also be found on the same site and the new Internet Explorer 4.0
powertoys which adds some cool functions to the Internet
Explorer 4.0. Author: Microsoft Corporation Category: Interface tools Version: release 17/11/96 File size: 205 KB License: FREEWARE Looking elsewhere: Powertoys | More_Properties | Shell_Wizard_Pro | Techfacts 95 | Winhacker | X-Setup |
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Psychedelic Screen Saver: Psychedelic Screen Saver (32-bit) is a collection of cool screen
savers that generate an endless variety of mesmerizing patterns. As the patterns
materialize on your screen, the colors shift and undulate, creating a hypnotic effect.
Whether you're into abstract art, mathematics, or just have a history of mental illness,
you'll love these screen savers. Psychedelic Screen Saver has been designed to work in
conjunction with CD/Spectrum Pro to provide stunning
3D visual effects that synchronize with the sounds from an audio device (like the CD
player in your computer). From the same author: Kinemorphic Screen Saver. Author: Synthesoft |
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Quarterdeck
Cleansweep Deluxe: Quarterdeck
CleanSweep is a very good uninstaller for W95. It removes unused or unwanted Windows
programs, system components, and unused and duplicate files. Easy-to-use wizards guide you
through the process of uninstalling, archiving, and moving programs. The installation and
file usage monitors guarantee safer and more comprehensive file management. Powerful file
finders help you locate duplicate files, redundant DLLs, and orphaned system components.
Intuitive tools let you scrub away obsolete, unused, or unneeded files. The latest version 4.0
is availble as a patch. This patch works with version 3.08, the upper link links to
version 3.07 (I think), so you will also need a patch for 3.07
> 3.08. This is complex! Author: Quarterdeck |
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Quick View Plus:
Quick View Plus gives you the power to see and print virtually any native file type from
within Netscape Navigator's browser window or the right mouse button menu (Windows
Explorer). You can access, view, and print files and documents from over 200 applications,
including word processing, database, spreadsheet, graphics, and presentation formats.
Works together with Powerdesk Explorer plus.
Author: Inso Corporation |
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Search and Replace: Search and Replace for 95, NT is a search (grep) utility
you can use to find a string in multiple files, including files inside of ZIP archives. It
supports case sensitive and non-case sensitive searches and it can search across
directories to locate specific files. The registered version also enables the replace
function for all processed files, the shareware version can only make replacements in the
first file of the session. I find search & replace to be very fast and convenient to
use. Author: Funduc Software Inc Category: File seach utilities Version: 2.90 File size: 642 KB License: Shareware |
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Smartboard:
This clipboard extender will save you time and energy, allowing you to copy
multiple items to the Windows Clipboard and use them over and over again. SmartBoard 32
seamlessly integrates with your Windows 95/NT operating system. It sits quietly in the
background, capturing items as they are copied to the Windows Clipboard, and even
categorizing them based on rules you define. A single keystroke or mouse-click calls up
SmartBoard wherever you are in Windows. Navigate to the item you want (using the searching
capability, if required) and apply a single click or keystroke to paste it into your
current application. Especially handy features include SmartBoard hot keys, which allow
you to assign a keystroke to frequently used clip items, and configurable backward or
forward sequential pasting. I like this program best of all three clipboard extenders
discussed on this page, but it seems to be unstable under certain conditions. Author: Oakley Data Services |
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Take Command 32: Take Command is a 32 bit command
line processor for windows 95. Take Command is the direct descendant of 4DOS, the
famous command.com replacement which I have used since I discovered it. Take command
provides you with a command line interface within windows with enhanced standard DOS
commands, 50 new commands, an enhanced batch language, creation of aliases and many other
unique command line tools. Author: JP-Software |
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Thunderbyte Antivirus for Windows 95: ThunderByte Anti-Virus 95 is a
"smart" antivirus program that combats the growing threat of intelligent and
sophisticated viruses. It's an excellent virus detection and removal program which can
detect not only known viruses, but also programs that may contain new viruses. Thunderbyte
also exists in a DOS version, which is my favorite because of
it's high speed. The windows version is a bit slower, but still very
fast. Author: Thunderbyte B.V. |
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Winarj95: Winarj95 is a Windows 95 shell for the ARJ archiving utility.
Winarj95 can also work with most other archive formats, including ZIP, ZOO, and LHA. ARJ
is of course also available for DOS and
the latest version supports Windows 95 long file names, so this one is definitely worth
downloading if you haven't got it yet! Winarj itself isn't the program I prefer,
especially because the shareware version can only be used for 10 times or so. I'd rather
use the command line ARJ. Winarj is also not written by the authors of Arj (ARJ Software). ARJ Software itself is currently
developping a new compression program called JAR. Jar is supplied as a 16-bit DOS, but
also as a 32 bit command line version (a DOS box under windows). Jar can reach far better
compression rates than ARJ, and is even better than RAR, especially
when it takes advantage of free memory. It has also some features other compression
programs lack, like use of more than 50.000 file names.
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Windows Commander: Windows Commander is a file
manager/Explorer replacement for Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and Windows NT. Windows Commander
is Shareware. Wincmd supports ZIP/ARJ/LHA/RAR/UC2/TAR/GZ, internal ZIP packer,
drag&drop from&to explorer/desktop. If you are used to the Norton Commander for
DOS this program is an absolute must because it works with the same split screen method.
You can even use all the NC keyboard shortcuts. The latest version includes a very good
FTP client. In my opinion, WinCMD is still the best W95 file manager available. Author:
Christian Ghisler |
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WinRAR: WinRAR
is a full-featured archive utility that can create compressed files that are frequently
smaller than ZIP or ARJ files. WinRAR works well with multimedia files and can handle ZIP,
ARJ and LZH files. WinRAR archives can be self-extracting EXE files, perform authenticity
verification, and contain embedded color ANSI comments. I personally find Winrar to be
rather slow, so I still prefer the DOS
version. The DOS version features a Norton Commander like user interface and has support
for other archive formats. Unfortunately LFN support is not available in the DOS version.
I was unable to find the home page of the author of RAR, but I found another homepage
instead. Author: Eugene Roshal |
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Winzip: WinZip is an interface for working with ZIP files. You can see
the contents of ZIP files and extract a single file or all files. You can also view text
files, scan for viruses, and more. The built-in WinZip Wizard makes handling ZIP files
especially easy for novice users. The latest version lets you open and extract UUencoded,
XXencoded, BinHex, and MIME files (base64, plain/text, and quoted-printable) and has
internet support. Author: Nico Mak Computing |
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ZipMagic:
ZipMagic integrates with the Windows 95 file system to make working with ZIP
files as easy as working with files and folders. ZIP files appear in your system as
specially marked folders. The contents of the folder are actually the contents of the ZIP
file. You can use your normal file management tools (such as Explorer) to work with the
contents of ZIP archives. Applications (such as your word processor or spreadsheet) can
load or save documents directly in ZIP archives. You can also place shortcuts to files
inside ZIP archives directly on your desktop or anywhere else. ZipMagic adds several
commands to the shell context menu (which is available when you right-click on a ZIP or
file). ZipMagic was formerly called ZipFolders. Author: Mijenix Corp |
