GIMP is an open source image editor that rivals Photoshop in features even if not in the interface.
Here are some Web sites that help you to learn how to use GIMP and make GIMP even better:
The GIMP
MozBackup 1.4.9 Released
MozBackup 1.4.9 was released on February 28, 2009. Back up and restore your Mozilla applications including Firefox and Thunderbird.
Lotus Symphony
Lotus Symphony is a set of applications for creating, editing, and sharing word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
“The Test Center found Symphony a snap to use, and switching to Symphony after years of using Microsoft Office was painless.”
Giveaway of the Day
Every day they offer licensed software for free that you would otherwise have to buy.
Revo Uninstaller
Revo Uninstaller not only helps with uninstalling programs that are difficult to uninstall, but it cleans out registry entries, temp files and directories that the usual Windows uninstaller won’t remove. It also has a host of other features that you can learn about by visiting their web site.
When confirming registry entries to remove, be sure to uncollapse any directories that are shown by clicking the plus sign and keep going until you get to the specific entries that need to be deleted. You don’t want to accidentally delete and entire directory.
Windows XP Shutdown Shortcut
If you’d like a single shortcut to shutdown windows instead of having to go to the Start button follow the instructions here:
Windows XP Shutdown Shortcut
You can also use the “switches”:
-f – Forces running applications to close without warning.
-t xx – to set the timeout for shutdown to xx seconds.
-c “message” – will display a message in the System Shutdown window
Mine shows this for example:
…/shutdown.exe -r -t 03 -c “Reboot” -f
Reboot, timeout of 3 seconds before it starts, Reboot shows in the window and force programs to close
Then you can right-click on the shortcut icon and click Change Icon to use a more visually descriptive icon. If it says, “shutdown.exe contains no icons” navigate to %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll and find the icon shown here or whatever other icon you would like to use.
You can then drag this to your quick launch toolbar on the taskbar and have a quick and easy way to shutdown Windows.
xplorer² File Manager
xplorer² lite is my favorite Windows file manager. It provides double paned viewing with an array of icons for various functions at the top. Whether you use it for simple file management functions or want to delve into the more complex features, this program is a big improvement over what comes with Windows XP.
New Wallpaper Images
Two new wallpaper images have been added to the Wallpaper page—Impatiens Orange and White, and Impatiens Pink and White.
PC Tools Desktop Maestro 2
Just a heads up that this commercial software which is one version old is available for free. This program quickly scans your Windows registry and removes unnecessary entries. It also protects your system from unwanted additions to the registry. Read more about it at the sites below.
System Mechanic 6
System Mechanic is normally not freeware but version 6, which is two versions old at the time of this writing, was offered for free but is no longer available.
The description for version 8: “System Mechanic combines over 40 powerful PC tuneup tools to clean hard drive clutter, repair your registry, defragment drives and memory, manage programs, boost your Internet connection, and remove spyware.”
DS Clock – Full Featured Clock with Chimes
DS Clock is a Windows clock that’s different from LClock mentioned previously. This clock can reside anywhere on your desktop. The look is highly customizable in every way and it can even be transparent except for the clock information.
I like the fact that it has hourly, half hour and quarter hour chimes if you wish to have any or all and you can choose any sound file you wish for each. I like to make little recorded snippets from CDs for my hourly chime.
It can automatically synchronize with internet time to keep your clock accurate.
See the web site for additional features.
Make Your Windows XP System Look Like Vista
Would you like to make your XP system look like Vista? Vista Inspirat 2 will do that for you. Be sure to read the system requirements and instructions carefully. Installing it on the wrong system could cause it to slow down your system. Otherwise, it shouldn’t cause any slowdown because for the most part it only replaces items already on your computer. Also be sure you want to commit to doing this. It works very well and gives your system a fresh look.
Taskbar Shuffle
If you like having the programs in your taskbar in a certain order and want to easily move them, Taskbar Shuffle is for you. Put the program in your startup group and it will be running whenever you need it. You can easily drag them to whatever position you would like. The program has a very small footprint and runs in the background.
AMP Font Viewer
AMP Font Viewer allows you to easily view all the fonts on your system. What I like best about it is it will print out all your fonts in a nicely formatted way so that you can view all your fonts at once making it easy pick out what font you would like to use for a document.
Change Default Wallpaper Directory in XP
Here is a very helpful article:
How to Change Default Wallpaper Directory in Desktop Properties in Windows XP?
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