7+free+prg’s


 * 7 free prg’s **

Virtual-desktop software provides an inexpensive and effective productivity boost, giving you the rough equivalent of a second (and third, and fourth) monitor without any extra hardware. Dexpot is one such program, and a recent Windows 7-oriented update makes it even better.
 * __ Dexpot __**

Specifically, a new plug-in called SevenDex displays thumbnail previews of your desktops when you mouse over its taskbar icon, thereby overcoming a common problem with virtual desktops: remembering what's where. For instance, did you leave Word running on Desktop 2 or Desktop 3? Instead of having to cycle through all your desktops to find what you're after, now you can just steal a glance at SevenDex's preview thumbnails and then click the one you want.

If your budget (or your desk) won't accommodate a second monitor, you'll love Dexpot. It's open-source software, and it's free for personal use.

Digging deeper into Windows 7: Utilities for security and peripherals

Beyond the PC: What Windows 7 can do with devices, other PCs and the web

In designing Windows 7, Microsoft famously cleaned house, eliminating assorted programs that were once built into the OS. Among them was Windows Mail (which, prior to Vista, existed as Outlook Express). As a result, Windows 7 lacks an e-mail client out of the box.
 * __ Windows Live Mail 2011 __**

Thankfully, Windows Mail lives on - you merely have to download it. Through the newly minted Windows Live Mail 2011, you can manage not only your mail accounts (as many of them as you want, including those from third-party services such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail), but also your contacts and calendar. You do so though a stylish, intuitive Ribbon interface that's similar to the one in Outlook 2010; it's a vast improvement over the bland, awkward toolbar found in the last iteration of Windows Live Mail.

In other words, Windows Live Mail 2011 is kind of like Outlook Lite - or, dare I say, Outlook Express.

If you use more than one computer, as most people do nowadays, wouldn't it be great to have access to the same documents, MP3s, photos, and other files on all of them? That's the idea behind Windows Live Mesh 2011 (the direct descendant of Windows Live Sync), which automatically keeps all your stuff synchronised between two or more PCs.
 * __ Windows Live Mesh 2011 __**

Windows Live Mesh is a set-it-and-forget-it program - after you install the software on your PCs, sign in to your Windows Live account, and choose the folder(s) you want to sync, you're done. It works in the background, copying files back and forth when your machines are online. You also have the option of syncing selected folders to your Windows Live SkyDrive, which allots 5GB of free storage and lets you access your data online instead of just on your chosen PCs.

In addition to files and folders, Mesh can sync Internet Explorer favourites and Microsoft Office styles, templates, email signatures and other settings. It even permits you to connect remotely to other computers that are part of your Mesh network.

ZumoCast turns your PC into a kind of media server, giving it the ability to stream music, video, and files to any other PC - or even to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. (Android support is coming soon.) It neatly overcomes a major problem for mobile devices: limited storage space. Plus, it's really cool.
 * __ ZumoCast __**

After installing developer Zecter's ZumoCast client on your PC (it's available for Macs, as well) and creating an account, choose the items you want to make available. By default the software pulls from Windows' Documents, Pictures, Music, and Video folders, but you can just as easily add any other folders. As long as you leave the PC running, you'll be able to access that media elsewhere. You can listen to music on your work PC, play videos on your iPhone, grab documents on your iPad, and so on. The free ZumoCast app even lets you download selected files to your device.

ZumoCast is perfect for storage-strapped devices, or for any PC that doesn't have all the media housed on your other computer.


 * __ Windows Biometric Framework __**

With fingerprint readers becoming more and more common on laptops, establishing a standard for the handling of biometric data has become important. Enter Windows Biometric Framework, a standardised method for storing fingerprint data and accessing it through a common API. Although most of the features of this subsystem are of interest only to developers, there are two important things that businesses should know.

First, while fingerprint scanners could formerly be used to log onto a computer but not to log onto a corporate domain (a corporate network or network subsection), the Windows Biometric Framework allows domain log-in.

Second, users can store up to 10 unique fingerprints, one for each finger. While most of us probably don't expect to lose a finger anytime soon, having all 10 fingers enrolled in the system is a good precaution in case of lesser injuries. A cooking accident or a hand caught in a door can easily modify a finger enough that it won't register correctly with a fingerprint reader, and you don't want a user to be barred access to his computer while he heals.

Fingerprints are added using the Biometric Device applet, which appears in the Control Panel of any Windows 7 computer with a fingerprint scanner attached and from which you can enable computer and domain log-in. You must be logged in as an administrator to add or manage fingerprints on Windows 7.