11 awesome applications you've never heard of (part1)

The average PC user has a dozen or so applications which they completely swear by – and rightfully so. What gets the job done is what matters the most. There is, however, a treasure-trove of pint-sized utilities and fully blown applications just waiting to be discovered. We’ve scoured the Web to provide a list of 11 useful programs which you’ve probably never heard of.

All of the programs in this article are either absolutely free of charge or have a free alternative, so don’t hesitate to give them a shot and see what you’ve been missing out on. We hope that by the end of this list, you’ll have discovered at least one application that fills a void you didn't even know existed.


Before delving deep into the realm of app discovery, you may also want to check our previous coverage on the top applications to install after a fresh OS installation.

MaxTo

Set boundaries for your windows

Now that it’s becoming a standard to own 20”+ widescreen monitors and dual displays are increasing in popularity, screen real estate is more plentiful than ever. However, for those of us who itch to keep the property lines of application windows in check, things are a bit more complex.

Using your PC can ultimately feel like a never ending cycle of resizing and dragging windows to fit them appropriately on-screen. That, unfortunately, describes me at any given moment with more than three applications open and I only have a 21.5” LCD sitting on my desk.

MaxTo is a lightweight application that allows to divide your display into sections. Upon maximizing a program within an individual section, the window snaps into your predefined panes. It comes packaged with some generic layouts, all of which you can alter to your liking. Getting started on your own template is ridiculously easy and should only take a few moments to complete.

For Mac OS X users, have a gander at TwoUp, which offers similar features.

Unlocker

Bypass common Windows errors

If you’ve used Windows for any extended period of time, you’ve been slapped in the face with various errors. Some of the most common include those claiming that folders or files cannot be accessed or deleted because they’re being used by another user or program.

I’m sure you’re tired of combing through your drive with a magnifying glass trying to isolate the conflict. Unlocker is a small utility which provides a solution to that common headache. You can simply right-click the troublesome file or folder and call upon the aid of Unlocker. When the program opens, it will provide a somewhat detailed list of “lockers.” It offers the ability to end an individual process as well as unlock both a specific target and all found targets.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing Unlocker (v1.8.7) is not yet compatible with 64-bit operating systems, but the developer is working on it. If that’s a bit of a letdown, pick your head up and check out LockHunter instead.

DVD Flick

Transform your video files into playable DVDs

This program succeeds in its attempt to provide simple, yet powerful, DVD creation. DVD Flick converts and burns virtually any video file to a DVD that will work in your home entertainment center’s DVD player. Impressively, it supports over 45 popular file formats, 60-plus video codecs and more than 40 audio codecs. You can easily combine multiple files, add your own menu, subtitles and audio tracks.

The user interface is very straightforward and intuitive, especially for a tool in this category. To get rolling, you can literally just specify a source file, and click “Create DVD.” Among the supported file types are AVI, MPG, MOV, WMV, ASF, FLV, MKV, MP4. Codec support includes MPEG-1/2/4, Windows Media Audio/Video, MP3, OGG Vorbis, H264 and On2 VP5/6. Given its wide-spectrum functionality, I can nearly promise you that you’ll be able to transform nearly any video file into a fully working DVD.

to be continued to part 2..

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