SP2 Fixes

Well ever since Windows XP SP2 came out, reports have been popping up in ALOT of places that the Service Pack is “breaking” many popular programs. Well I guess Microsoft saw this and they’ve released a suprisingly informative article.

Well moving on, I’m bringing you today a few applications that will better your daily Windows life:

Advanced System Optimizer

Keep your PC running smooth and error free.

ASOv2 includes 30+ tools to supercharge your PC’s performance, and more than 200 tweaks to customize Windows to your liking, and improve its performance. New features in ver2: includes a spyware detective, icon manager, comprehensive backuptool for outlook & files-folders.

• Optimization tools : Optimization tools help you to get the best output from your PC. These include tools like Memory Optimizer, Windows Optimizer, Advanced Direct Email, Registry Defragger & Optimizer
• PC Fix-Up & Information Tools : These tools help to improve system settings & optimize your system performance. These include tools like Repair & Fix Zip files, Split & Join Files, System analyser, Safe uninstaller, Logon Settings and Files & Folder information.
• System Cleanup Tools : These remove unnecessary & junk data and files from your PC. These help in keeping your machine error free. These tools include System & disk cleaner, registry cleaner & fixer, Find Duplicate files and Start-up cleaner & Auto run manager.
• Security Tools : Protect your privacy and secure your sensitive information from prying eyes. These include tools like Ad & pop-up blocker, Secure Sticky pad, Privacy Protector, Spyware detective, Block Programs and Encrypt/Decrypt files & folders.
• Maintenance Tools : Maintenance tools include smart utilities like Backup files & folders, Email Notifier, Appointment planner, System files back up and restore and Media files organizer that not only enhance your system’s performance but make work much simpler for you.
• Tools to Beautify Windows : These include tools like Task Bar manager, Wallpaper changer and Icon manager for getting the best look for your PC.

Be it a businessman who wants that Windows is optimized for the applications used daily, a home user who wants to improve computer performance and postpone the purchase of a new machine, a network administrator/computer consultant who investigates and corrects performance problems in users’ computers, ASOv2 has all the tools.

Size: 7 MB Price: $39.95 Platforms: XP/2000/NT/ME/98

Download ASO V2 Here.

AutoPilot for XP

Is Your WinXP System Getting Slow? Are you running many applications at the same time? Is your video getting jerky? Are you bothered by annoying skips of your fave tunes? Is your video or audio editing bogging XP down? You need AutoPilot for XP! This is a real-time tuner with a super computer pedigree that squeezes the very last drop of performance out of your XP machine. Test it on your own box, and only buy it when you see the difference.

Features of AutoPilot for XP

• Increased performance and scalability.
• Can solve jerky video and annoying skipping of music.
• More throughput at a fraction of the cost of any other performance upgrade.
• Effortless - Install and forget.
• No modification of hardware configuration is required.
• Not a phony “memory optimizer.”
• Adapts to workload changes on the fly.
• Plug and Play.
• No modifications required.
• “SuperComputer pedigree.”
• A Real-time Tuner, keeping your system at peak performance

Download Here.

AlphaXP

AlphaXP is a powerful system enhancement that adds advanced transparency effects to any Windows 2000/XP computer. It has won many five-star awards for excellence and is regarded by thousands of users worldwide as the system enhancement of choice.

AlphaXP is the most advanced Windows transparency software available today. Many features have been incorporated into AlphaXP, including: three direct ways to set transparency, two automatic ways to set transparency, smooth fade effects, menu transparency, tooltip transparency, taskbar transparency, and much more! AlphaXP is also the only program to use Advanced Transparency, which is a set of special techniques that greatly improve Windows transparency.

Some of what AlphaXP can do:

The Appended Window Menus feature adds extra functionality to Window Menus. Almost every window has a Window Menu, which are the menus that can be accessed by clicking a window’s icon in the upper left corner of the window and other ways. Window Menus usually contain just the default items, which include “Restore”, “Close”, and others. Appended Window Menus adds “Opacity” and “Always On Top” to Window Menus, which can be used to change a window’s transparency and toggle “Always On Top” on or off.

The Keyboard Shortcut feature allows you to change a window’s effects simply by using an easy keyboard shortcut. This keyboard shortcut is a three-key combination and can be customized to suit your preferences. The keyboard shortcut can change a window’s transparency to preset levels, fine tune transparency, remove transparency, and toggle “Always On Top” on or off.

The Transparency Button feature adds an extra button to every window’s title bar. The Transparency Button is usually located next to the minimize button and it lets you change a window’s transparency level to any degree possible. It’s very easy to use and very powerful, so powerful a safety has been added which restricts the Transparency Button’s ability to set transparency too high. The safety is customizable and can be turned off.

The Remember Settings feature keeps track of what windows you set transparent and the level of transparency you set them to. This way the windows you always want transparent will always be transparent. Remember Settings also has the ability to forget, either specific windows or every window in it’s memory.

Fade Effects

Two Fade Effects: Fade-Out (left), Active Opacity (right)

The Fade Effects feature is really two features, both of which utilize transparency animation effects or fading. The two Fade Effects are called Fade-Out and Active Opacity. Fade-Out performs a cool looking fade-out effect on a window whenever that window is minimizing, closing, or otherwise disappearing. Active Opactiy changes the transparency of the active window and when that window becomes an inactive window Active Opacity smoothly fades it back to it’s previous transparency setting. Fade-Out and Active Opacity can be toggled on or off and the speed at which they perform their fades can be customized to one of five speed settings to suit your preferences.

The Menu Transparency feature lets you change the transparency level of menus to any degree possible. The vast majority of menus are supported because almost all menus are of one of the following supported types: Standard, Office, Classic Start Menu, or XP Start Menu. Menu shadows are also supported and will change transparency together with their menus.

The Tooltip Transparency feature lets you change the transparency level of tooltips to any degree possible. The vast majority of tooltips are supported because almost all tooltips are of one of the following supported types: Standard, Office, Visual Basic, Visual Studio, AOL, AIM, or mIRC. Tooltip shadows are also supported and will change transparency together with their tooltips.

The Taskbar Transparency feature allows you to change the taskbar’s transparency to any degree possible. Taskbar Transparency also has a Fade-In feature, which smoothly fades-in the taskbar whenever you mouse over it. Fade-In can be toggled on or off, and has five speed settings to suit your preferences.

Advanced Transparency

Compare: Basic Transparency vs. Advanced Transparency

Advanced Transparency greatly improves AlphaXP’s core functionality, Windows transparency. Basic Windows transparency has many unwanted side effects such as flicker, blurriness, screen artifacts, misaligned text, inconsistencies between Windows 2000 & Windows XP transparency, and other glitches. Advanced Transparency eliminates almost all of these unwanted side effects, a feat that no other transparency program even attempts. Best of all, Advanced Transparency works automatically and is competely seamless to the user, all you have to know is that when you use AlphaXP, you use the best.

AlphaXP is designed as a system enhancement, not an application to be actively used, such as a word processor. System enhancements bring new functionality to your system while working quietly in the background, some examples of system enhancements you probably already have are the Volume Control and Internet Connection Status icons in the system tray. When you minimize AlphaXP, it minimizes to the system tray so that it too can work quietly in the background. Just like you probably don’t think about the Volume Control except when you want to change the volume, you shouldn’t think about AlphaXP except when you want to change it’s options.

Download Here.

That’s going to about do it for today’s Windows Tip so go try ‘em out and I may bring you more next week, peace out-

-b