Windows System Control Center (WSCC)

WSCC is a free, portable program that allows you to install, update, execute and organize the utilities from various system utility suites. WSCC is only an interface, you need to download and install the utilities separately. Alternatively, WSCC can use the http protocol to download and run the programs.

The included Update Manager can check for newer versions of the utilities already installed and can download and install the missing items.

Download: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7 32/64-bit

Price: Free

Windows Access Panel (WAP) - Best Control Panel for Windows Vista and 7

The Control Panel for Windows Vista and 7 is so complex that it's difficult to find the controls or settings you are looking for. Often it requires multiple clicks to arrive at any tools. If you find the control panel a bit overwhelming, here is one program for you.

Download it for Window Vista / 7

Windows Access Panel is a simple Control Panel for Windows Vista and 7 meant to minimise the trouble in accessing programs. Windows Access Panel displays shortcuts to commonly used tools of the control panel distributed into two sections - Basic and Advanced, though the demarcation between the two is pretty vague, almost random. As an example, “Group Policy Editor”, “Registry Editor” and “Computer Management” is under Basic, whereas petty tools like “Sound Recorder”, “Onscreen keyboard” and “Character map” is under Advanced.

Despite the odd grouping of the tools, WAP is very handy and will save you a couple of clicks. At present 48 programs are included in WAP.

NB.: Some functions may work with Windows XP and not all.

I hope you find this useful :)

Google Chrome for Windows 10.0.648.205

Google is smarting: with the imminent release of Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft has stolen a march on its rivals in the browser market for the first time. The slimmed down user interface and faster loading times are a direct threat to Chrome’s major selling points, which is why version 10 of Chrome has quickly found itself pushed into development.

Version 10 finally implements the long-promised performance improvements over version 6, with hardware acceleration implemented in most components, so that t he vast majority of web pages are now displayed much more quickly than in previous builds.

Version 10 now supports Google Instant, which anticipates what URLs and search terms you're going to enter by loading web pages as you start typing. You can also now see the sign-in page for Google Cloud Print service, which will eventually allow you to print over the internet to compatible printers from wherever you are. Chrome 10 also adds built-in sandboxing of the Adobe Flash Player plug-in for security reasons to help block potential malicious Flash code from gaining a foothold on your system.

Note that Google Chrome 10 is the stable release. You can download an alternative development version, currently v11.x, if you want to try the latest version, along with debug code and other minor issues

Download for Windows
Price: Free

How To Delete A File On Windows Without Using The Recycle Bin

A lot of Windows users will often drag a file to the recycle bin to delete it and then never think about it again, presuming it’s gone forever with no chance of being seen.

However, the Recycle Bin was actually created as an area where files to be deleted could actually be recovered if the user tried to delete it accidentally. When you drag a file to the Recycle Bin or press the delete key while highlighting a file, you then have to empty the bin for the file to be deleted.

If you just want to permanently delete a file however, knowing that it won’t be needed ever again, without even touching the Recycle Bin in Windows, there is a really simple way to do it.

To permanently delete a file you can simply highlight the file which you wish to delete in Windows Explorer, like you would if you were to delete any other file normally. On this occasion though, hold down the Shift key when you press the Delete key. You will be presented with a confirmation message, warning you that the file will be permanently deleted. Click ‘Yes’, and boom! The file will be permanently deleted without even touching the Recycle Bin.

If you want, you can extend this behaviour to become to the default when you drag a file to the Recycle Bin as well. All you need to do is right click the bin’s logo on your desktop and select ‘Properties’. The resulting preference window will offer the option “Don’t Move Files to the Recycle Bin. Remove Files Immediately When Deleted”. If you check this option then anything deleted on your computer will be immediately erased, bypassing the Recycle Bin.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 for Windows Vista / 7 (32-bit)

Internet Explorer 9 is designed to bring sites front and centre through Windows 7, enabling a more immersive, more beautiful Web experience. Features such as Pinned Sites and Jump List enable people to put their websites directly on the Windows 7 Taskbar, as though they were native applications, and then to quickly and easily perform tasks related to those websites, such as check their inboxes, change the music station, accept friend invitations or see breaking news.

The new version of Internet Explorer takes advantage of the power of modern Windows PC hardware to improve all-around Web browsing performance. It is the only browser with hardware-accelerated HTML5 spanning all graphics, text, audio and video. Internet Explorer 9 harnesses the power of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), unlocking 90 percent of the PC’s power that went previously untapped by Web browsers. Without hardware acceleration, browsers only use about 10% of the processing power your PC has to offer. Internet Explorer 9 unlocks that other 90%. With Internet Explorer 9, we're tapping into your graphics processor through Windows to harness the full potential of your PC. High-definition videos are smooth, graphics are clearer and more responsive, colours are truer, and websites are more interactive. Combined with our new JavaScript engine, the web now performs like an application installed directly on your computer.

Internet Explorer 9 features a simplified yet enhanced interface to put the focus on websites. The address bar and search bar have been combined into the One Box. Tabs stack along the very top. And the entire frame is significantly slimmer. Combined, this gives you much more room for the stuff you're looking at online.
Internet Explorer 9 has HTML5 support right at the centre, allowing developers to write the same markup. With extensive support for HTML5, SVG, Geolocation, CSS3, and DOM, developers have a new set of capabilities with Internet Explorer 9 that will help usher in the next wave of innovation across the web.

Download Internet Explorer 9 (32-bit): Windows Vista | Windows 7
Price: Free

Firefox 4 hits 100 million downloads

Mozilla's Firefox 4 browser surpassed 100 million downloads over the weekend, and more than 105 million copies of the browser had been distributed by Monday evening US time.

More than 40 million downloads have been served to systems in Europe, followed by 30 million in North America and 20 million in Asia.

The milestone comes a little more than a month after the final versions of the browser were released. Firefox 4 was an early hit with consumers, and had passed the 50 million download mark by early April.

Mozilla's director of community development, Asa Dotzler, suggested that Firefox 4 could see a further surge in downloads as distribution is expanded.

"If all goes according to plan, we'll be letting Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 users know about Firefox 4 with that 'advertised' or 'prompted' update in about 10 days," Dotzler wrote in a blog post.

"I'll bet we see a nice uptick in the Firefox 4 trend when we actually start to communicate its availability to users of older Firefox versions."

The rise of Firefox 4 comes as the browser's top target, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9, has lagged in its early adoption.

Many analysts have suggested that strategic decisions, such as the exclusion of Windows XP support in IE9, could reflect a broader long-term strategy for Microsoft.

Download Firefox 4.0 for Windows: English (British) | English (US)
Price: Free