• White Papers |
• Bloggers |
• Video |
• Webcasts |
• Events |
• CIO Executive Council |
• Solution Centers |
• Newsletters |
• Magazine |
• RSS

Microsoft Windows: 20 Tips to Optimize Your Operating System

How to find and use Linux and Mac features on your PC to improve the operating system.

By Robert Strohmeyer and Kailas Shastry

September 24, 2008 — PC World — In pure technical speak, an Operating System (OS) is software that allows programs and users to access the hardware. But that's at its most basic level. We have grown accustomed to operating systems that are pure eye-candy, have features that enhance usability, or manage to accomplish both. If you are one of those who have wondered how to get features of other operating systems into your Windows, such that you get the best of all, this article is for you. We tell you what features are missing or incomplete in Windows and what you can do about fixing the problem. Most of the tools we recommend are included on the DVD.

Expose Available on: Mac

It's an elegantly simple idea, and has been available on the Mac since 2003. When you want a clear view of all the application windows that are open at any one time, you just press F3, and a little feature called Expose arranges them all as thumbnails spread neatly across your screen. Click one, and it pops to the front while the rest snap back into position behind it. With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft deployed a feature called Flip3D that attempts to simplify window management in a slightly different way. Flip3D lets users flip through three-dimensional renderings of whatever windows are open on the desktop, but it doesn't offer nearly the same instant visibility that Expose does.

Fortunately, a few downloads can add Expose-like thumbnails to your Windows machine. One little tool called iEx does the trick for free; but the installation is little awkward. This software is based on Visual Basic, and you will need the Visual Basic runtime files (these can be downloaded from the Microsoft website using the links. Follow the instructions on the website carefully for installation. A more refined program exists for this task called TopDesk. This is not free (costs about Rs.840), but installs automatically in XP and Vista. A 14-day free trial is available.

Virtual Desktop / Workspace Available on: Linux, Mac

This has been a well-known feature on most Linux flavors for long. Users have the freedom to keep large numbers of applications running simultaneously&emdash;without being overwhelmed by screen clutter&emdash;thanks to the power of virtual workspaces. In a typical Linux installation, at boot time, four workspaces spring into existence automatically, signified by a little map on the control panel in the corner of the screen. As the user opens more programs, thumbnail icons of them appear in the workspace switcher, indicating which program windows are running in each workspace.

To change workspaces, the user simply clicks the appropriate area on the workspace switcher or uses a keystroke Combination such as Shift- Arrow to move between them. With multiple workspaces comes the ability to organize the Linux desktop environment by task, application type, priority, or any other way you care to slice it. It's particularly handy for keeping a handful of applications out of sight and out of mind, without having to shut them down. For instance, you can keep IM and browsers in a separate workspace from the document-creation programs as a way of staying focused while working. Apple added this concept to OS X with the launch of Leopard in October 2007.

To get workspaces on Windows, however, you'll have to do some downloading. XP users have an easy solution with the Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager, a free download from Microsoft's Power- Toys collection For Vista, you must turn to one of several third-party utilities. A freebie called Dexpot, is one such tool that offers a wide variety of configuration options to manage your newly created virtual desktops, right from the number of virtual desktops to how the applications in different desktops must be handled when you close the software.

PDF Viewing and Creation Available on: Linux, Mac

Microsoft and Adobe have clashed more often than they have cooperated over the years. Thus, users do not get the Portable Document Format (PDF), the most common format for sharing documents, with Windows. Adobe's own Acrobat Reader lets you view PDF files, but you cannot make a PDF out of existing documents such as .doc or .xls (Microsoft Office files). Mac and several flavors of Linux give this functionality right out of the box, however.

On Windows, spend a couple of minutes setting up a software called PrimoPDF and you'll be able to create PDFs yourself with ease, without spending anything. In fact, Microsoft has its own format called XPS to compete with PDF, but it is nowhere as common and accepted as PDF is. Until Microsoft does something about PDF creation, free tools like PrimoPDF are the solution. Similar to Adobe's Acrobat Professional, The software is small (the installer is only about 11 MB); and it gives you the option to optimize the PDF for print, ebook, screen or prepress Primo PDF adds itself as a virtual printer The software is small (the installer is only about 11 MB); and it gives you the option to optimize the PDF for print, ebook, screen or prepress.

Time Machine (Automated backups) Available on: Mac

Apple's time machine backup utility is one of the coolest new features in Leopard. With its help, backing up all of your files to an external drive is idiot-simple. Better yet, it lets you quickly recover an older version of any backed-up file, so you can undo all of your mistakes.

Windows XP, and most versions of Windows Vista have no such feature. Sure, they have a backup utility built in, but it's nowhere near as easy to work with as Time Machine is, and it will do nothing to help you track down lost versions of your important files. But three versions of Vista (Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise) do come with a utility called Shadow Copy, which lets you retrieve older versions of your files by right-clicking the file and choosing 'Restore previous versions' from the context menu. What few people know is that cheaper versions of Vista (including Home Basic and Home Premium) do record the necessary data for Shadow Copy to work&emdash;they just don't give you access to that data. A free utility called Shadow Explorer can set that data free, letting you roll back to an earlier version of just about any file on your hard drive, without forcing you to buy an expensive OS upgrade you don't need. Easy Uninstallation Available on: Mac How often have you come across software that you simply cannot uninstall completely? Most software leave behind dll files, registry entries and what not even after uninstallation. No wonder then that after a bout of installs and uninstalls, your Windows slows down or starts acting up. On the Mac, however, few programs consist of more than one file (that one file is usually an archive containing other files however). And removing a Mac application usually consists of nothing more than dragging that program to the trash.

While you cannot have a drag-n-drop approach to remove programs in Windows, you can use registry cleaning utilities to remove dead entries from the Windows registry to help clean up the system a little. Norton Cleansweep (part of Norton Utilities included in Norton System Works) can be used to uninstall programs cleanly. To remove traces from uninstalled software, try RegClean, a registry cleaning software which has been a favorite since the days of Windows 98. Also, try to stick to installers that are based on MSI (Microsoft Installer) which will uninstall cleanly.

Desktop Cube Available on: linux, pc-BSD

Not all OS features need to be about functionality or practicality. Some features are just eye-poppingly cool. take Linux's Compiz Desktop effects, for example. We wouldn't say that turning your desktop workspaces into a rotating cube, painting fire across your screen, and making raindrops fall onto your desktop have a lot of mission-critical business value. but that doesn't mean we (and you) shouldn't love these features. With the release of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon in October 2007, Desktop effects became a standard feature in Ubuntu. Now any Ubuntu user with a supported graphics card can spin their cubes or wobble their windows.

Otaku Software's DeskSpace lets you turn your desktop into a four workspace cube like the one offered in Linux. You can adjust the transparency levels, rotation speed, and mirroring effects, and you can even drag application windows from one side of the cube to another. but that's about the extent of DeskSpace's power. And unlike Compiz, which comes as a part of Linux distributions, DeskSpace will set you back US$20 after the initial 14-day trial be it expose or Virtual Desktops or this Desktop Cube, managing various applications efficiently can be combined with elegance and style.

 

Email

Print

Comments

Share [+]

Digg This

SlashDot

LinkedIn