April 7th, 2008
Hardware 2.0 - Best software applications/tools/utilities
A few weeks ago my blogging colleague Ed Bott posted his top 10 list of favorite Windows applications. This was an excellent list and it contained several applications that are firm favorites of mine, specifically SnagIt, Keyfinder and Process Explorer. These applications make my daily work a lot easier. Ed then followed this list up with a second list, this time drawn up based on applications suggested by his readers.
Since Ed published his lists I’ve been getting emails from readers asking me for a list of the software tools and utilities I use regularly.
Well, you asked for it, so here it is! Here’s a list of my favorite applications, tools and utilities.
Check out the full image gallery here.
Virtual CD
You might be thinking that Virtual CD is just another example of a tool that allows you to mount .ISO CD images on your system. Well, you’d be right. It also lets you create .ISO files and burn them to disc. OK, nothing special so far. Where Virtual CD differs from similar utilities such as Daemon Tools or Virtual CloneDrive is that Virtual CD allows you to create virtual CD and DVD burners on your system. This allows CD burning applications to see the drive as a valid disc burner and write data to a virtual disc that you can then store as an image.
Why might you want this feature? Well, one use for it that I’d found is a quick way to burn a backup on an iTunes library without going through the physical disc stage. That’s just one use for this tool. Once you have a virtual CD/DVD burner on your system, you’ll wonder how you managed without.
Virtual CD has some other cool features. One feature that I use regularly is its ability to make an .ISO image of a folder or collection of files from the right-click in an explorer Window.
One negative that I have of Virtual CD is that it can seem overwhelmingly complicated initially, offering a myriad of options and settings. However, if you work through the help file you’ll soon figure out what does what.
Virtual CD - Single license $39.95
Fraps
If you’re a gamer who obsesses over frame rates then you should be familiar with Fraps already. Fraps has a number of uses, but the one that most people seem to be away of is its ability to display (and record) the number of frames per second you are getting in a game.
But Fraps does a lot more than display frames per second. Another handy Fraps feature is the ability to capture stills and video from games. Yeah, OK, not many people want to do this, but if you do, then Fraps is the tool for you.
Fraps - Freeware version available/Single license $37
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Adrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations
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| 04/07/08
