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There are a lot of weird little applications and utilities out there. They aren't programs that will win a spot on anyone's top-ten list of yearly freeware or anything like that, but that doesn't mean that they are any less deserving than their peers for a spot on your desktop or laptop computer. They're just, well, small. Small and simple-minded. A number of them aspire to solve individual problems or issues with your system, and some even attempt to bolster your interactions with your computer in some newfound way. These aren't huge applications--no Firefoxes of the freeware world--but they're every bit as interesting and important to know about as the next greatest Web browser.
That said, I've taken a grand look through all instances of my Freeware Files weekly roundup over the past year, and I've pulled out some tidbits that might have flown under your radar for whatever reason. They cover a hodgepodge of scenarios, but that doesn't mean that I've just reached into the freeware sack and pulled out a random pile of apps. No, these little programs represent the best of the forgotten--apps that might not be as well-spoken in your freeware vocabulary as the more popular entities on the Internet, but ones that are nevertheless important for whatever services they provide.
Without further ado, I present: 2009's most underappreciated apps and utilities!
What it does: This powerful, freeware application adds mouse gesture functionality to any application you want. Install the program and hold down your right mouse button, then use the cursor to draw a predefined shape of your choosing. StrokeIt will recognize the picture or shape and carry out the assigned task. For example, you can use the program to create macros that output certain phrases or words, or even launch functions within an application. StrokeIt is a powerful tool that's only limited by your imagination and/or drawing capability--but don't worry, you don't have to be a Picasso to be productive.
Download it here!
Right-click on a batch of selected files in Windows, hit rename, and the OS will automatically append whatever name you create to the files you picked--automatically adding an ugly (1), (2), (3), et cetera, to the end of said files. Yuck. The freeware application ReNamer rips apart this sad scheme and grants you the ability to mass-rename files in a number of customizable ways.
Download it here!
You threw your files in the recycle bin and emptied it. You're in the clear, right? Wrong. One run of this program on the files you want to toss and you'll make it extremely difficult for off-the-shelf file restoration software to be able to piece together your unwanted information. I'm not suggesting that this open-source app could somehow survive the scrutiny of a government-level scan merely because I have not been able to test that claim out, er, first-hand.
Download it here!
Did you frak up and accidentally shift-delete a bunch of files you were working on? Try to recover them using this freeware collection of DIY "save thyself" tools. Not only can you possibly recover files you've deleted, but the program also comes with tools to rip the contents of a dying hard drive, as well as backup options akin to a Norton Ghost drive clone.
Download it here!
Although it's strictly designed for file deletion, this miniscule application runs in your system's background and automatically cleans unwanted files off any USB device. If you frequently switch between Apple and PC platforms, and can't stand the miscellaneous files that OSX dumps on your drive, this little utility is your key to a cleaner, er, key.
Download it here!
Comments are closed on this article
Alam
December 25, 2011 at 7:27pm
Great list of useful apps. I'm a long time user of Eraser and funnily enough i actually forgot about it till i saw this list...
Jims45wow
February 01, 2010 at 6:07pm
Link to ReNamer download is reported as dangerous (4 computer threats) by Norton IS 2009.
Thank you.
Jim
DBsantos77
January 11, 2010 at 10:26pm
Wow. Renamer is amazing. I had over 500 songs with the extension .mp3 IN the filename, so it was kind of annoying to see goodsong.MP3 when I played it on my phone.
With this app, all you gotta do is set up a rule. In my case I put: Remove .MP3 from filename, then clicked rename, and it did it's job in less than a second.
Thanks so much Murph, You saved me a ton of time.
Also, I donated to the coder of Renamer, I believe his efforts need to pay him back in some way. :)
-Santos
charcaroth
January 03, 2010 at 7:34am
Actually, I find Murph's weekly roundups of apps very useful. It saves me a lot of time finding them as I'm a freelance IT guy for very small and home-based businesses. While I may not use every application, I get requests all the time for strange ways to customize an interface in Windows or to set something up as a reminder, etc. Most of the time, these are not things that people want enough to pay for outright (small business folk are tight-fisted enough in a GOOD economy), but since they're paying for my time I can show them the app, set it up, and explain how useful it is and remind them that if they like using it, they should contribute to the author by the methods provided and show them how that's safely done. They may not contribute to every app I load, but occasionally fairminded folk will pay in a few dollars, and certainly more than if I had not loaded the app at all.
What I could really use is an organized archive of those weekly, or bi-weekly app roundups if you prefer, so that I can search for the app that was mentioned six months ago that tweaks some miniscule setting that I've forgotten about.
TheMurph
January 03, 2010 at 11:52am
...I like your idea, charcaroth! Let me bring it up with the overlords and see if we can't make something happen!
COMMANDER_COOK
January 03, 2010 at 7:22pm
Yeah maybe a monthly roundup, with a neatly organized list would be a winner in my book.
nsk chaos
January 02, 2010 at 10:53pm
does eraser and ccleaner overwrite stuff thats already been deleted (emptied) via the recycle bin?
DOOMHAMMA
January 03, 2010 at 11:06am
Unless you physically damage the disks of your hard drive, government employees can, eventually, piece together everything on your pc. It only takes time.
COMMANDER_COOK
January 03, 2010 at 7:17pm
If the data is overwritten several times, then it is impossible to retreive.
vinniec09
January 02, 2010 at 7:59pm
Thanks for letting me know about Renamer, what a great program for someone like me who takes pictures with my digital camera and was renaming the pictures one by one!
DBsantos77
January 02, 2010 at 2:38pm
Murph, it's time for a vacation. Quit posting these kick ass apps already! ^_^
Im gonna give USBdrivefresher a try, I hate when Im working on macs then switch to a PC and find that I have .trash .spotlight .CRUD stuff everywhere. -__-
-Santos
COMMANDER_COOK
January 02, 2010 at 2:41pm
Yeah murph, give it a break for a while.
Santos, the real solution to your problem is to quit working on macs.
Ibrad
January 02, 2010 at 2:12pm
My two most used applications of 2009 that I reccomend every PC have are: Winpatrol and CCleaner. Every PC I work on I install those two applications. I am surprised about how many PC's I see without these two tools.
nsk chaos
January 02, 2010 at 10:56pm
sadly i have never heard of winpatrol but i absolutely love ccleaner. i still have some questions about ccleaner, one is up above and another one here: does ccleaner overwrite the registry crud that it deletes while decrapifying your pc?
Danthrax66
January 02, 2010 at 3:30pm
You shouldn't be surprised most people don't know anything about computers or take the time to look at useful software. I mean IE still has majority market share.
