I know I did a column like this a few months ago, but setting up a new PC forced me to really think about what I need to do my stuff. Hence, this list is down to the nitty-gritty.

In my last column I told you about Context Image View, and why it’s a must on my computers. There are a dozen other programs that are must-haves, in my book. I’m sure of that because I keep a file of installers, and I just went back and checked. These were the first ones I downloaded or transferred from removable media after I cranked up the new PC. All but a couple are freeware. We’ll take them four at a time over the next few days.

Everyone who researches or writes on the Web needs a clipboard manager. If you’ve never tried one, you owe it to yourself. There are a bunch of free ones available (the best of which is probably YankeeClipper), but none that I’ve tried measure up to AYLabs’ Memorizer, IMNSHO. I’ve tried others, and I keep going back. Memorizer will remember anything you copy to the clipboard, and paste it just about anywhere you want it. It’s that simple. The only flaw is that it ishinky about pasting some images into some pages and programs. If they’d fix it so it works as reliably as M8 Free Multi Clipboard in that respect, it would be perfect. As it is, I’m so used to it that I’m content to work around its few flaws. You can edit files as text, and there are a variety of options controlling colors, display, hot key selection, number of items displayed, etc.

My speling and vocabbulury are pritty gud, but I keep WordWeb around for those occasions when I need to check myself. It will check highlighted words directly in most applications, and for the few it won’t it’s simple to type a guess into the window and get suggestions. What I especially love as a writer are the intricate waysWordWeb connects parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms, etc. (hence the name). There are substitutes available, but none work as well for me.

I’ve preached the gospel about “memory optimizers” not being necessary, and with XP they really aren’t. One of the things it does well is handle memory allocation. I find, however, that on one computer I use (that has only 256 MB of RAM) they really do seem to help some. This machine, left to its own devices, will freeze up without the extra help. I have FreeRAM XP Pro installed, and it does the job. I put it on the new machine, but so far I’ve been unable to tie up more than about half the memory so I don’t know if I’ll need it or not.

Anyone who surfs in dangerous places or tries out new software needs Sandboxie. It allows you to run a browser (or any other application) totally segregated from the rest of Windows. If something goes wrong, you close the program and everything disappears. It’s also a good way to keep the registry from gettingcludged up with junk from uninstalled programs you’ve tried out and discarded. There are other free offerings in the sandbox category, but I likeSandboxie best for its controllability. (If you download something you want to keep, btw, it’s easy to move it out of the sandbox into the Real World.)

As always with freeware, don’t be cheap. If you like the work and find it useful, lay a couple of bucks on the author. That way they don’t give up in disgust and stop producing toys for us to try. T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L.

Have a happy, healthy holiday. (For more on winter holidays, go here.)

[tags]bill webb, bill’s web, memorizer, sandboxie, freeram xp pro, yankee clipper, wordweb, m8 free multi clipboard[/tags]