So I stumbled across a central location for some of Microsoft’s PowerToys for Windows XP. I had already tried out of couple of them, like SyncToy and the Slide Show Wizard, but there were a couple of others that caught my eye. Right away I started downloading… ClearType Tuner, Alt-Tab replacement, Tweak UI, Image Resizer, Virtual Desktop Manager, and Taskbar Magnifier.

ClearType - isn’t a big change and you will probably forget you enabled it a day later but in the long run I feel it will help ease eyestrain. (my opinion: install)

HTML Slide Show Wizard - wizard helps you create an HTML slide show of your digital pictures, ready to place on your Web site. (my opinion: use jalbum or picasa)

Alt-Tab replacement - adds a preview of the page your switching to in the Alt-Tab box. Now its not Vista-like but you will enjoy the page preview specially if you open multiple windows of the same app. (my opinion: use TaskSwitchXP)

Tweak UI - gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more. I went through all the options and it offers quit a bit, but I didn’t really change anything. I guess its good I know where to go now to easily change some settings. (my opinion: install)

Image Resizer - enables you to resize one or many image files with a right-click. About a month ago I went searching for a quick batch image resizer, I came up with Image Converter One. After finding this I will only use the Image Converter One from my portable apps when on the go. (my opinion: install)

Virtual Desktop Manager - allows you to manage up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar. Have you ever wanted more space on your desktop? Well instead of buying a bigger monitor you should try out a virtual desktop. All virtual desktop managers are pretty much the same, it just depends on how simple or flashy you want it. (simple: Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager; medium: yod’m 3D; flashy; shock 4way)

Taskbar Magnifier - magnifies part of the screen from the taskbar. (my opinion: I would never need it)

Filed under: Microsoft