System Tweaking

Glary Utilities Free includes a variety of system tools that can help you clean your PC from junk files, remove Internet traces, find invalid registry entries, manage startup programs, optimize system memory and more. The program also includes a disk space inspector to locate large folders and files, as well as a Context Menu Manager, that enables you to disabled unused right-click options for files and folders. Other features include and Internet Explorer Assistant, a Privacy Shredder for secure file deletion and an encryption tool.

Fresh UI is a tool for configuring and optimizing Windows. It comes loaded with hundreds of useful hidden settings in Windows such as: customizing the User Interface (UI), optimizing system settings, optimizing hardware settings, customizing Windows application settings, control user environment with policies. Fresh UI is organized by section for easy navigation and completed with detail description for easy reference. (Requires free registration after 11 days)

TweakNow WinSecret 2009 is a system tweaking tool that allows you to change a variety of Windows settings that hidden in the registry or hard to get to. It provides a categorized overview of the available tweaks as well as a keyword search, making it easy to find a specific one. The tweaks include various options to restrict access to folders and control panel features, optimize Windows system and Internet settings, customize the desktop environment and many other things. The program keeps an automatic backup of your original settings, allowing you to undo any changes as needed. TweakNow WinSecret 2009 also provides access to detailed system information, a startup manager and a simple uninstall tool.

TweakVI Basic enables you to tweak and optimize Windows Vista. It provides access to many hidden or difficult to find features and settings that allow you to optimize your machine and tweak it to your needs. The set of features include desktop customization, Internet Explorer tweaks, CPU cache tweaks, CD/DVD drive performance tweaks and much more. The program also includes EasyBCD, a Vista Boot Configuration Manager that enables you to configure the Vista Bootloader. Other features include Firefox optimization (FireTune), wallpaper randomizer, system information, Outlook/Windows Mail tweaks and more. A commercial version is also available that offers additional features.

Game Booster can help you to get better performance from your PC while playing resource intensive games. The program accomplishes this by shutting down a series of Windows background services that are normally not needed during game play, cleaning RAM, and intensifying processor performance. Once you are finished playing your game, simply click a button to restart all the services and regain full functionality for regular PC usage.

Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a TweakUI-style application that allows you to tweak and customize a wide variety of Vista settings. The standalone software does not require installation and offers a simple interface that categorizes the available tweaks and offers mouseover hints with further details. Ultimate Windows Tweaker allows you to customize you to personalize your desktop, adjust security settings, tweak system performance, customize Internet Explorer settings and more. Among the features is also a unique option to add check boxes to Windows Explorer, allowing you to select multiple files without using the CTRL button.

XP TCP/IP Repair can help you restore Internet and/or network connectivity id your TCP/IP settings or Winsock layers have been corrupted. The program restores the TCP/IP stack to the same level an re-install if TCP/IP would do. This tool should only be used as a last resort!

RegToy provides access to a variety of Windows XP tweaks and settings that allow you to customize your system, set restrictions and improve performance. The program organizes all tweaks by category, and also includes a wizard and a search tool that lets you find specific tweaks across all categories by keyword. RegToy comes with several additional utilities to find and remove invalid registry entries, cycle your desktop wallpaper, clean your hard drive, clear system memory, schedule shutdowns and more.

Vista Services Optimizer enables you to safely optimize Windows services based on how you use your computer. A standard Vista installation has many services turned on and running that you may not have any use for, consuming CPU and memory that can potentially slow down your system. Vista Services Optimizer analyzes your system and suggest services that can be safely turned off. You can choose to perform an automatic tune-up based on what is suitable for your system, or use a manual tune-up that lets you select from a more detailed list of features that you want to disable. The program does not require any technical knowledge and provides easy to understand checkbox options to tune your system for your personal needs. It also includes a system restore feature that allows you to restore Windows service settings to their defaults at any time.

Process Manager for Windows is a simple add-on for the Windows Task Manager that enables you to adjust the process priority by right-clicking on the title bar of the application or the minimized task bar button - without the need to open Task Manager. A handy add-on for those who frequently adjust process priority of CPU intensive applications. It also adds an option to kill the process instead.

XdN Tweaker is a system tweaking program that allows you to customize various settings. Among other things, you can turn off the Vista UAC prompts, add right-click options to take ownership of files and folders, make Windows Explorer remember folder views, tweak Internet Explorer settings, remove the splash screen from Windows Mail, disable Windows Media Player, remove right-click commands and more.

WinBubble enables you to customize and tweak several Vista features, in particular the Bubbles screensaver, which cannot be customized from the screen saver settings dialog. With WinBubble, you can choose the type of bubbles and their size and optionally add a drop shadow effect. The program also allows you to customize the Ribbon and Mystify screensavers, as well as shortcut icons, OEM information and the OEM logo. In addition to the visual tweaking features, WinBubble enables you to set a variety of security restrictions, such as disabling Taskmanager and Control Panel, hiding drives and disabling of Internet Explorer features among other things. You can also activate a hidden Aurora boot screen in Vista.

Mz Ultimate Tweaker is a system tweaking tool that provides a user friendly interface for a variety of Windows system tweaks as well as several useful utilities. The program includes features to optimize disk and memory performance, speed up the boot process, improve your Internet connection speed, tweak visual performance and more. All tweaks are organized by category and can be applied individually. An integrated Registry backup feature enables you to undo any changes later if needed. Mz Ultimate Tweaker comes with several additional utilities, including a startup manager, junk file cleaner, memory optimizer and shutdown scheduler.

MapKeyboard enables you to remap your keyboard and alter any key to function as a different one or optionally disable it as well. The program can be quite useful for laptop users and people with keyboards that differ from the standard 101 keyboard layout. Once you have saved changes, the modified keys are clearly marked and the changes are applied after reboot. You can also reset all your key mappings to the default layout. Standalone, no install needed.

EasyBCD provides an advanced GUI that makes it relatively easy to modify the Windows Vista bootloader, allowing you to add and remove entries to it for dual booting with other versions of Windows, as well as Linux/BSD, Mac OS X and other operating systems. Depending on your system configuration, creating a multi-boot system can be as simple as clicking a few buttons (but it may also require copying and editing of system files). The program can backup and restore your current boot settings, allowing you to undo any changes if you run into problems.

Redmond Path is a utility for advanced users that makes it easier and more convenient to manage Windows system path entries. You can easily review the current entries, remove/add new ones, re-arrange the order and also test entered commands with a Find feature. Note: You should not mess with the system path variables unless you know what you are doing.

Vista Visual Master allows you to customize Windows Vista by changing several desktop settings, patching the Vista theme, editing the OEM information and more. You can also replace system and file icons with your own icons (with an option to restore the originals) and add a custom boot screen and logon picture.

Autoplay Repair enables you to add, modify or remove items from the autoplay list - the dialog that opens when you insert a CD or DVD. It can be used to remove obsolete entries, or to simply remove entries that are not used and make the options easier to access. The program comes with a registry backup feature that allows you to create a backup of your current configuration, and restore it later if the needed.

Vista Battery Saver can help you save up to 70% of your battery life by disabling the Aero effects and the Windows Sidebar whenever your laptop runs on batteries, or is reaching a certain battery capacity. The features are automatically re-enabled when you plug your notebook into a power source.

Stardock LogonStudio Vista allows you to customize the Vista logon screen, by choosing from a variety of theme designs. The program includes a few sample designs and many others can be freely downloaded. Includes an option to restore your default screen.

WindowManager provides an easy way to manage all the currently opened Windows on your desktop. It allows you to hide selected windows, make them transparent or always on top. You can also configure the taskbar and all child windows opened by applications. WindowManager runs in the system tray and also offers password protection for several of the functions.

IE7 Menu-on-Top Tweak is a simple registry tweak that puts the menu bar back on top, where it is normally found in Windows applications (see screenshot). The zip file includes the .reg file to install the tweak, as well as .reg file to uninstall. Works well.

PlacesBar Constructor enables you to customize the shortcuts that are displayed in the Places Bar, in standard Windows Open/Save dialogs. You can replace all or just selected shortcuts and also restore the original settings at any time.

Process Master is a tool for advanced users, that enables you to automatically adjust the process priority based on the process name. Simply run the program, select the process to be adjusted from the list, and select a priority level. Whenever the process is run, it will automatically use the designated priority level. Useful to manage CPU intensive applications.

TweakLite Assorted is a collection of useful tweaks, that allow you to customize some of Windows behavior. It includes features to control file and folder attributes, remove shortcut arrow from icons, restrict Desktop and Control Panel access and more. It also enables you to put shortcuts to system commands on your desktop, manage the SendTo menu, change Internet Explorer title bar text and more. Each tweak includes an option to undo the changes if needed. The program does not contain a huge number of tweaks, but the ones that are offered are usually safe and of interest to most users.

PlacesBar Tweaker allows you to customize the shortcuts displayed in the PlacesBar of the standard Windows Open/Save dialogs. You can specify a custom folder location or select from a list of available system folders, change the order of the items, or remove shortcuts that you do not use. A simple, but very handy tool!

ClearTweak allows you to change the contrast setting of the ClearType setting for Windows XP. The program is designed to enhance LCD displays. It may appear slightly blurry on standard desktop monitors. To use ClearType, you must have a video adapter and monitor that support a color setting of at least 256 colors. Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or Highest color (32-bit) support. If you have a Notebook computer, give this a try, it will significantly improve readability on your screen.

TweakUI XP is a Microsoft PowerToy that gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, automatic logon, and more.

TweakAll is a small program that allows you to take control over your Windows operating system. It offers access to the SendTo menu, the StartUp programs, Add/Remove entries and more. You can also free memory, make selected programs run faster, disable Internet Explorer menu items, optimize your Internet settings and some other things. TweakAll can be extended with plug-ins.

WinCust lets you change the OEM logo in your system properties dialog, as well your registered owner and organization. In addition, you can change the toolbar wallpaper in IE 5.0+, the Windows Explorer toolbar wallpaper and various system specific information. You can also easily restore these settings to default.

With the Tweak UI 1.33 update, you can adjust your Windows User Interface, including menu speed, window animation, automatic logon, several privacy settings (Paranoia) and Microsoft Internet Explorer. TweakUI is available from the system Control Panel, just right click on the .INF file and select "install