Computer Corner

PowerToys add fun and functionality to the Windows experience. What are they? PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after a product has been released. Unless otherwise note, these apps work only with Windows XP.

TweakUI allows users to access hidden system settings that include Autologon details, default desktop icon placement, Alt-Tab dialog display behavior, Taskbar button grouping, Start menu frequently used programs, and a whole lot more.

With new sources of files coming from every direction (such as digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops), SyncToy can help you copy, move, and synchronize different directories.

Synchronize. Under this method, files and folders are fully synchronized in both directions. If a file is deleted in the right folder, it's also deleted in the left. and vice versa.

Echo. File operations, such as file creation, rename, and deletion, that take place in the left folder are automatically repeated in the right folder.
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Contribute. This is the same as the Echo method, except file deletions are not synchronized.

SyncToy runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

Different size photos are used for different purposes. For example, you might want to have a 1280 X 1024 version of a picture for desktop backgrounds but need a scaled down version for use on the Web. In this case, you'd want to maintain both size photo sets for these different uses. The Image Resizer adds a shortcut menu shell extension to Windows XP that gives you on-the-fly image resizing capabilities. A list of image sizing options that range from 240x320 to 1024x768. If you need a different size, simply use the Custom option.

The calculator included in Windows XP is pretty limited in its capabilities. If you've run up against the limits of this native tool, download the Power Calculator, which allows you to evaluate functions and even graph the
results of your work. Just type simple expressions, and the Calculator will evaluate them and display the results on the screen.

UNIX and Linux users have long enjoyed the ability to use multiple desktop screens. With the Virtual Desktop Manager PowerToy, Microsoft brings this capability to Windows by providing three virtual desktops. If your
desktop is a mass of disjointed icons, you can use the Virtual Desktop Manager to organize them into as many as four task-based groups.

This PowerToy lets you take pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam connected to your computer and save them to a location that you designate.