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Using the Free Utility Programs
The All Programs menu teems with free programs that are part of the standard Windows installation. Some of these programs (such as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express) are heavy hitters that rate their own chapters. But Microsoft also includes useful utility programs, described here.Tips
These programs are available in the Start > All Programs > Accessories menu (or its submenus) (Figure 6.18 ) or Start > All Programs > Games, if appropriate.To get program-specific help for a utility program, use its Help menu (or press F1).Figure 6.18. Launch utility programs from the Start > All Programs > Accessories menu or one of its submenus.
Address Book
Address Book offers a centralized directory where you can store names, postal and email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information (Figure 6.19 ). You can retrieve this information from programs such as Outlook Express, Outlook, and Start > Search > Computers or People.
Figure 6.19. Choose File > Import > Other Address Book to import names from other popular address-book programs and formats.
Calculator
In Standard mode, Calculator offers add, subtract, square root, invert, and other basic functions. Scientific mode (Figure 6.20 ) adds trigonometric, statistical, logarithmic, and base functions. To operate Calculator, click its buttons with your mouse or press the corresponding keyboard keys. Help > Help Topics gives keyboard shortcuts for Scientific mode.
Figure 6.20. Choose View > Scientific to reveal Calculator's geeky secret identity.
Character Map
Character Map (Figure 6.21 ) displays all characters and symbols for a particular font. Use it to copy and paste diacritical marks, currency symbols, copyright signs, and all the other characters that don't appear on your keyboard.
Figure 6.21. Here are the characters for the Arial font. Double-click characters to put them in the Characters to Copy text box; then click Copy. Now you can Edit > Paste them into any document. The pop-up tip is for typography experts and programmers: it shows the character's hexadecimal code.
If you're using Word, the Insert > Symbol command is faster than Character Map.Command Prompt
Command Prompt (formerly called DOS Prompt) lets you type commands rather than point and click (Figure 6.22 ). Rapid typists, Unix junkies, and people impatient with Windows safeguards love the command line, but new users find it cryptic and intimidating (experience teaches them to appreciate its efficiency). Command Prompt is handy for many routine tasks, but it shines when it's impractical to use a graphical interface. (Network administrators don't add 1,000 user accounts by pointing and clicking, for example.) You also can use Command Prompt to (try to) run your old 16-bit DOS programs and games. Hundreds of commands are available; search for command shell overview and command-line reference in Help and Support Center. The basic commands are cd (or chdir), cls, copy, del, dir, exit, md (or mkdir), more, move, path, rename, rmdir, set, tree, type, and xcopy.
Figure 6.22. To quit Command Prompt, type exit and then press Enter.
Games
The Games menu offers world-class productivity killers Solitaire, FreeCell, Pinball, and Minesweeper. You also can play a few games with strangers over the internet; the games match you with other players on www.zone.com.
HyperTerminal
HyperTerminal (in the Communications submenu) lets you connect to remote computers via modem. In days of yore, people used HyperTerminal to dial into bulletin-board services; now they use it to access remote systems that offer text-only Telnet service. Two nearby computers with identical HyperTerminal settings can swap files over an Ethernet connection or null-modem cable. HyperTerminal is robust, but it's not easy to use.
Notepad
Notepad, a bare-bones text editor, is one of the most useful tools in Windows (Figure 6.23 ). Use it to open, create, or edit text files, which contain only printable charactersno fonts, formatting, invisible codes, colors, graphics, or any of the clutter usually associated with a word processor. Notepad is the default program for .txt and .log files, but you can use it to view or edit l files (saved web pages), .ini files (program initialization settings), or any other text-based file types.
Figure 6.23. If you find Notepad too limiting, you can find many excellent shareware editors.
Notepad does offer a few handy features: Press F5 to insert a timestamp (useful for keeping logs); choose Format > Font to set the display font; or choose File > Page Setup to set headers and footers for printouts.Notepad alternatives abound. A few of the better ones are TextPad ($31 U.S.; www.textpad.com), EditPlus ($30; www.editplus.com), and NoteTab ($10; www.notetab.com).If you use Notepad to take notes and jot down reminders, look at ATnotes (free; http://atnotes.fr.st), a sticky-notes and alarm-clock program that lives in your notification area (system tray). If you need an outliner to organize your thoughts, try KeyNote (free; www.tranglos.com/free/221).Paint
Paint is a no-frills image editor with a few drawing, color, and manipulation tools (Figure 6.24 ). Use it to create your own works of art or to view or touch up graphic files that were created in other programs (such as Adobe Photoshop) or that you scanned or downloaded. Paint supports bitmap (.bmp), JPEG, GIF, TIFF, and PNG file formats.
Figure 6.24. The Image menu lets you flip, rotate, and stretch images.
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Paint alternatives include Paint Shop Pro ($119 U.S.; www.jasc.com); Adobe Photoshop Elements ($100; www.adobe.com), Oriens Enhancer ($15; www.oriens-solution.com), and The Gimp (free; www.gimp.org).WordPad
WordPad (Figure 6.25 ) is a simple, stripped-down word processor associated with .doc files (unless you've installed Microsoft Word), .rtf files (Rich Text Format), and .wri files (Microsoft Write). You also can use it to edit plain-text files, but Notepad is more appropriate for that task.
Figure 6.25. Like any word processor, WordPad lets you apply formatting (italic, justification, colors, fonts, and so on) to text. The Insert > Object command lets you embed images, sounds, movies, charts, spreadsheets, and other objects in your document.
WordPad's native file format is an old Microsoft Word version called 6.0/95. Word can open all WordPad files, but not vice versa.PowerToys
PowerToys is a popular suite of utility programs that Microsoft felt experienced users would appreciate. They're free and available for download at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx. (They're not on the Windows XP CD.) PowerToys includes tools for changing the user interface, supercharging existing features, viewing images, and more (Figure 6.26 ). I've mentioned a few PowerToys at relevant places in this book; see the web site for a complete list.
Figure 6.26. The most useful PowerToy is Tweak UI, which lets you change many aspects of the standard user interface without the risk of messing with the Windows registry directly.
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GNUWin
GNUWin is a free software compilation for Windows. It's a huge suite that includes alternatives to expensive commercial products. The suite offers OpenOffice for Microsoft Office, The Gimp for Photoshop, gzip for WinZip, Abi Word for Word, and dozens more. It's possible that GNUWin will let you set up your PC completely while spending no money on programs or utilities.You can order GNUWin on CD or download it from
