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Searching through several menus to find commonly used applications and utilities can be quite annoying.  Today we will look at a program that adds extra functionality for faster computing and increased productivity.

Extensoft helps you avoid the annoyances by offering an unofficial Windows upgrade.  Extensions for Windows includes Enhanced Windows Explorer, Desktop Recorder, Keyboard Shortcut Manager, and Disk Analyzer utilities just to name a few.   This is a handy package of very useful, easy to access upgrades that can increase your productivity.  Lets look at some of the extensions and some of their stand-alone utilities which are available for free.

After installing the Extension For Windows package you decide which components you want to include and update them.

Much like the way Shell Menu Tools works, Extensions also integrates into Explorer so we can easily access their functions from context menus.

In this example we are easily able to access the Disk Analyzer utility to find what is taking up hard drive space.  This extension is also available as a free stand alone utility.

Another very cool feature to point out is the Explorer Extension which really enhances the Windows Explorer experience and allows for configuration for easier navigation.

We can easily go in and change various options for each extension from the Extension pack interface.  You can also tweak options while individual utilities are running.

Conclusion

Extensions For Windows is definitely a nice addition for the Windows power user who would like most of the features available easily rather than spending time downloading separate applications for each feature.  Extensoft offers a free 90 day trial for their package which contains 12 extensions and is only $19.95 after that.  They also offer these free stand alone utilities.

• Free Screen Capturer
• Free Disk Usage Analyzer
• Free Extended Task Manager
• Free Video Converter

Download Extensions For Windows Work On Vista & XP (32 & 64 bit)

Source: How-To Geek

QTTabBar is an add-in that gives a Tab Browsing Feature to Windows Explorer. The page is pretty sparse so there’s not a lot of information directly available. However, the forums on the site show there is a bit of activity going on this project. Essentially, QTTabBar gives you tab features like in your browser. Cool idea, wonder why this isn’t baked right into the OS as it is? I know I hate having a bunch of Windows Explorer windows open!

QTTabBar requires Windows Vista or Windows XP + .Net Framework 2.0 or later ( Tested on 32bit ). You can download QTTabBar, plugins, and themes all from the main site: http://qttabbar.wikidot.com

By default, Windows Explorer in Windows Vista will try to automatically detect the contents of a folder and display the correct detail settings, however in some situations you may wish to disable this behavior and customize the view settings manually as desired.

NOTE: This involves editing the registry. It is always recommended to create a back-up of the registry before making any modifications. Before performing any of the actions below, please save your work and close any Windows Explorer windows, as you will need to log off for these changes to properly take effect.

Automatic method

• Download the command script that they have created and extract the files to your Desktop. Once you have extracted the files, simply double click on “disable_automatic_foldertype_discovery.cmd” and read the precautions in the command prompt window that appears.This file has been scanned for viruses and does not perform any malicious tasks, it simply automates the task required to reset the Windows Explorer view settings and then proceed to disable the automatic folder content discovery.

Manual method

• Click on Start, and in the Start Search field type “REGEDIT”, and then press Enter.
• If User Account Control prompts you, provide consent by clicking on Continue or entering a password.
• In the left hand pane, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
• Right click on the “Bags” sub-key and click on Delete. When asked to confirm the operation click on Yes.
• Right click on the “Shell” sub-key and from the menu that appears click on New, and then click on Key.
• Give the new key a name of “Bags” (without the quotes).
• Right click on the “Bags” sub-key and from the menu that appears click on New, and then click on Key.
• Give the new key a name of “AllFolders” (without the quotes).
• Right click on the “AllFolders” sub-key and from the menu that appears click on New, and then click on Key.
• Give the new key a name of “Shell” (without the quotes).
• Select the “Shell” key that you just creaited.
• In the right hand pane of the Registry Editor, right click on an empty area and from the menu click on New, and then click on String Value.
• Give the new REG_SZ (String Value) a name of “FolderType” (without the quotes).
• Double click on the FolderType String Value and give it a value of “NotSpecified” (without the quotes).
• Close the Registry Editor.
• Click on Start, press the arrow next to the power buttons, and select Log Off from the menu that appears.
• Log back in and customize your Windows Explorer folder view settings as desired.

If you would like to reset Windows Explorer back to the way it should act by default:

• Click on the Start button, and in the Start Search field paste the following bold text command: REG DELETE “HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders” /f
• Press the Enter key to execute the command.

Folder content auto discovery will be enabled on any folders that have not been previously opened. However, if you would like to reset the view settings on all folders so that auto-sensing is automatically enabled, simply download the “Reset Windows Explorer View Settings” command script, extract the .cmd file from the Compressed Folder (ZIP file) and execute the command script, paying attention to the on-screen information.

Power users need power utilities, and Windows’ default system programs barely get the job done. Over time third-party developers have stepped and build superior replacements to programs like Notepad, Paint, Windows Explorer and the Command Prompt. Get the simple jobs done smarter, faster and more efficiently with these free utitlites

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