Free Folder & File Software

Unable to remove a file from your computer? Recieved that annoying message; "Cannot delete file: It is being used by another person or program". Then Unlocker is the solution! It finds which programs or processes are using the file or folder, and enables you to 'unlock' it so that you can finaaly see it off to the recycle bin!

I have used this program that many times I need another program to keep a count! This is great for renaming music files, digital photos or any type of file or folder for that matter!

Main features include:
Rename files, folders or both, remove or change a filename, perform string substitution, change the case of filenames, remove characters or words, remove digits or symbols, append or prepend text, append dates in many formats, append the parent folder's name, auto-number files with flexible rules, automatically preview the new names, sort the file details by any column, Windows context menu entry, Directory recursion - process subdirectories too!, rename files from an input text-file list, create an "Undo" batch file, log activity to a text log file, change file and folder date/time-stamps (created, modified, accessed), change file/folder attributes (hidden, read only, archived), uses minimal resources, Sand settings retained between sessions

If you have to name or rename a lot of files then this application really is a must have! Of the many I have tried in the past, BRU is pretty straight forward to use and definitely the best rename utility out there.

FreeCommander is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard windows file manager. The main difference with this and the Windows one is that is has a whole host of additional functions and built in utilities to help you with your daily work in Windows.

• Dual-panel technology (horizontal and vertical)
• Tabbed interface
• Optional tree view for each panel
• Built in file viewer (for hex, binary, text or image format)
• Built in archive handling: ZIP (read, write), CAB (read, write), RAR (read)
• File viewer for inside archives too (see archive types above)
• Nested archive handling
• Easy access to system folders, control panel, desktop and start menu
• Copy, move, delete, rename files and folders
• Wipe files (for privacy - better than just 'delete')
• Create and verify MD5 checksums
• File splitting
• File properties and context menu
• Calculation of folder size
• Folder comparison / synchronization
• Modification of file date and attributes
• Folder / program favorites
• File searching (inside archive too)
• File filters for display
• User defined columns for detailed view
• DOS command line

The interface is proabaly a bit dated, but it does have most functions you could ever need. An alternative - which I also use occasionally - is explorerXP. This uses a different 'tabbed' style interface, which certain users may find preferable, to the Windows Explorer style of freeCommander.

Alternative to: Windows Explorer (File Browser)

I think this is by far the best free PDF reader software currently available. This has all of the features of most PDF Readers, plus some! I know that Adobe produce their own free PDF, but unfortunately it's now a very large program. This has had the knock on effect - it takes ages for the program to start, and you also have to buy the commercial version to get many of the features PDF-XChange Viewer provides for free!.

With PDF-Xchange Viewer you can view, print, search, zoom, copy/export text & images. You can type notes and annotations on your PDF's in any font or colour, and fill-in and save forms. You can embed sticky notes, or rubber stamp documents aswell as bookmark articles or pages, all within a nice tabbed interface.

I use this instead of the highly popular FoxIt Reader which is a very small and fast PDF reader (which also comes in a portable version should you require this), but for features alone the free PDF-XChange Viewer from Tracker Software cannot be beaten!

Alternative to: Adobe Acrobat Reader, FoxIt Reader, PDF Reader

I like this program because it's small, and very fast. This is much more flexible, and faster than the Windows built in search. It also doesn't build a database of your files first, so it takes up less disc space and not having to index all of the files on your PC first means it saves time. Agent Ransack supports the use of wildcards and can also search the contents of text based files, so you can search for a file containing the text "put your text here!" for example.

Alternative to: Windows File/Folder Search

The JR Directory Printer Utility allows you to print a listing of every file contained within a directory and/or subdirectory(ies), the result is then displayed in NotePad or your default text editor. It has sufficient options to enable you to customise the information that you want in the text file, which can be saved or printed. I have used this a lot to get track listings from my music collection, just by reading the albums/artists directory!

This is my number one choice for automated back-ups (for a simpler solution see Lazy Mirror below). It can back-up files over a network, between drives and even over FTP in both directions. It can be run as an application or in the background as a service. It has an open plug-in architecture for program enhancements. It can automatically remove old back-ups, supports multiple rules and schedules for different tasks. It can compress and encrypt files on the fly (while transferring copies), and much more.

Lazy Mirror copies changes made to one or more sources (folders and/or files) and archives the previous versions of the copied files. Depending on the amount of space you've allocated for the copies, it can keep multiple archives for you. It is best if you copy your important files to a completely different drive or accross your network, so that you always have a backup even if you should have a hardware failure. If all storage allocated to a destination has been consumed, the oldest archives will be deleted automatically to make room for the new copy of the files.

Lazy Mirror is very fast, able to backup thousands of files in seconds. I've used this successfully at work for quite a while now to backup my jobs to another drive accross the network - this means I always have an emergency copy should anything go wrong with the actual computer I'm using.

If you've ever used or downloaded a 'zip' file then you'll know what this utility is all about. If not, then a 'zip' file is one that has been 'compressed' so that it now requires less space to store it. It also means that files a smaller and therefore faster to download too. Compressed files always need to be de-compressed before being used or viewed. IZArc is a utility that does all this but also supports so much more than just the zip method of compression (see below). It integrates nicely in Windows menus, supports different levels of compression, and can also protect files with encryption unlocked via password.

Supported File Types (for de-compression): 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA, GZ, GZA, HA, IMG, ISO, JAR, LHA, LIB, LZH, MDF, MBF, MIM, NRG, PAK, PDI, PK3, RAR, RPM, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TGZ, TZ, UUE, WAR, XXE, YZ1, Z, ZIP, ZOO.

Alternative to: Winzip, Winrar etc.

Ever had two copies of the same long document, but couldn't recall what changes you made in the last update? Two pages of html or other code perhaps, one works, the other doesn't! This program will compare them and display any differences. You can also merge the documents together, or just move certain lines between them if needed.

So, why would you want to change the colours of your systems folders? Well firstly it can help you navigate through directories, and sub-directories faster by colouring all image folders blue for example, or sub level folders green etc. You could mark all folders with sensitive or valuable data red, so that it doesn't get deleted accidently, or colur all of your folders one colour to go with your systems colour scheme! It can also protect a folder by setting it with a colour then a popup notification should you try and delete it. The uses for this application are only really limited by your own imagination!

If you have deleted a file that you suddenly realise you need, then PC Inspector can help you recover it. It scans your hard drive and gives you a list of all deleted files that it can recover, enabling you to pick a folder, another drive or place on your network to save them to again. Simple, but marvelous stuff if you ever get yourself in a pickle!

Do you ever copy a number of files accross your network? Ever had to transfer a lot of files from one hard drive to another? Then you'll know what a pain in the **** the native Windows facility is for this. Windows reports how long it will take ... the job actually takes an hour and 20 minutes longer!

SuperCopier has much more accurate time reporting, not only that but if you need to use your computer/network/external drive for anything else at the same time, then you can actually restrict the rate files are copied, or even pause, or resume your copying later.

When you visit the website, ensure you download the one with the correct language!

(Doesn't seem to currently support Windows Vista)