Convert Windows XP into a Windows 7 Virtual Machine with Disk2vhd (hyper v)

Convert Windows XP into a Windows 7 Virtual Machine with Disk2vhd

how to use Disk2vhd to move your Windows XP installation into Windows 7 and then run it with Windows Virtual PC.

Would you like to be able to still run Microsoft Windows XP while you get familiar with Windows 7? Well, moving your existing Windows XP system to a virtual machine that you can run in Windows 7 is a relatively easy procedure with the Disk2vhd tool from Microsoft’s Windows Sysinternals team:
In this edition of the Windows Desktop Report, I’ll show you how to use Disk2vhd, which is a free tool, to move your Windows XP installation into Windows 7 and then run it with Windows Virtual PC.

What is Disk2vhd?

As its name implies, Disk2vhd is designed to create VHD versions of physical disks. This tool can be used to convert systems running Windows XP SP2 and up as well as Windows Server 2003 and up.
To perform this task, the Disk2vhd utility makes use of the Windows Volume Snapshot feature built in to the operating system. When you run Disk2vhd, it first creates a volume snapshot image of the hard disk. It then exports that image into a VHD that you can then add to Windows Virtual PC as well as to Hyper-V Manager.
If you’ll be using Windows Virtual PC, keep in mind that it supports a maximum virtual disk size of 127GB. If you create a VHD from a larger disk it will not be accessible from a Windows Virtual PC virtual machine. Another thing to keep in mind is that Windows Virtual PC doesn’t support the Multiprocessor Specification, and it will not be able to boot VHDs captured from multiprocessor systems.

Preparation

In order to ensure a successful virtual machine transition, there are several tasks that you’ll want to perform on your Windows XP system in preparation for the operation. Let’s take a closer look.

• Backup: You’ll want to back up your system using Windows XP’s Backup Utility or a third-party disk imaging tool, such as EASEUS Todo Backup, which is a free package that I used for my test configuration. That way if anything goes awry, you can restore your Windows XP system and get right back to work. Just to be on the safe side, you may also want to back up all your data on CD/DVD or on an external hard disk. While it may sound like overkill, having an extra backup of your data will give you peace of mind.
• Optimization: You’ll want to make sure that your Windows XP system and hard disk are in tip-top shape by running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter. Doing so will help make the operation run quickly and smoothly. By running Disk Cleanup, all unnecessary files will be removed, such as trash in the Recycle Bin and Temporary Internet files. By running Disk Defragmenter, your hard disk will be ready for optimal performance.
• Windows Update: You’ll want to run Windows Update on your Windows XP system and make absolutely sure that all current updates are downloaded and installed.

My example configuration

In my example, I’ll be using two different computers: one computer running Windows XP SP3 and one computer running Windows 7. I’ll run Disk2vhd on the XP system and create the VHD on an external hard disk. The drive on this XP system is using about 40GB on an 80GB hard disk. I’ll then move the virtual machine over to Windows 7 and run it there using Windows Virtual PC.

Getting Disk2vhd

You can get and use Disk2vhd in one of two ways. You can download Disk2vhd from the Windows Sysinternals page on the Microsoft TechNet site. Or you can run immediately Disk2vhd from the Live.Sysinternals.com site. Either way, the utility does not require installation, which means that using it is as easy as launching the executable.

Converting the system

I decided to run Disk2vhd from the Live.Sysinternals.com site for this article. Once I clicked on the link, I immediately saw the Internet Explorer File Download - Security Warning dialog box, shown in Figure A.

Figure A

As soon as the download commences, Internet Explorer displays the File Download - Security Warning dialog box.

When you click the Run button, the download begins, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

The actual download is really quick.

Once the download is complete, the executable begins to launch, which triggers the Internet Explorer - Security Warning, shown in Figure C.

Figure C

As soon as the executable begins to launch, Internet Explorer displays a Security Warning dialog box.

You’ll then need to accept the Sysinternals Software License Terms, as shown in Figure D.

Figure D

You are encouraged to read through the Software License Terms.

When you get to the main user interface, you’ll see that Disk2vhd automatically selects all the available volumes/drives, sets a default location, and chooses a name for the VHD file. You can choose a different location and name if you want. In fact, the procedure will go faster if you select a different hard disk besides the one on which you are creating a VHD. Then, select the Prepare for Use in Virtual PC check box. As you can see in Figure E, I chose only the main drive and selected an external hard disk. When you are ready, click the Create button.

Figure E

You can choose specific drives as well as a different location and name.

You’ll then have to sit back and wait. Depending on how large your hard disk is and the location of your destination folder, the process can take a while to complete. As the process chugs away, you’ll see the progress, as shown in Figure F.

Figure F

The progress gauge keeps you apprised of the conversion procedure.

For instance, my XP system with about 40GB on an 80GB drive took just a little over two hours to complete the conversion and transfer to an external USB hard disk. When the operation is complete, you’ll see the screen shown in Figure G.

Figure G

My example system took a little over two hours to convert to a virtual machine.

Running XP in Windows Virtual PC

Once you copy the virtual Windows XP system’s .vhd file over to the Windows 7 system, you’ll then open Windows Virtual PC and launch the Create a Virtual Machine wizard, as shown in Figure H.

Figure H

You’ll launch the Create Virtual Machine wizard.

In order to reduce the amount of initial tweaking, I configured my virtual machine to have the same amount of RAM as its physical counterpart, as shown in Figure I.

Figure I

You’ll specify the amount of RAM that you want your Windows XP virtual machine to have.

When prompted to add a virtual hard disk, select the Use an Existing Virtual Hard Disk option and then use the Browse button to locate your .vhd file, as shown in Figure J. When you’ve done so, just click the Create button.

Figure J

Select the Use an Existing Virtual Hard Disk option and then locate your vhd.

Once the Create a Virtual Machine wizard is complete, then just reopen Windows Virtual PC, locate the new virtual machine, and launch it. Of course, I had to do a bit of tweaking in order to get my XP system running, and because XP was now running on a new system, I had to reactivate Windows XP. However all that was relatively painless, and I was able to run my existing Windows XP installation in Window 7, as shown in Figure K.

Figure K

Windows XP is running inside of Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7.

What’s your take?

Will you use this Disk2vhd to virtualize your Windows XP system? Have you used Disk2vhd before? If so, what has been your experience? As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the elitebuyer and let us hear from you.

How to fix the “Cannot attach the virtual hard disk …”

… to the virtual machine.  Check the values provided and try again.” error

It sucks as an error message.  Would it take too much programming effort to make it more meaningful Virtual PC team?
What does it mean?
It means you have a Virtual Hard Disk file larger than 127.5GB.  Which Virtual PC does not support.
You might have created this with the Microsoft Disk2VHD tool.
To confirm the “disk is too big” problem, open the Settings on an existing Virtual PC, and try to attach the drive:

In other words, we’ve captured a 160GB hard disk, and Virtual PC won’t let us use it.
But we can fix it, it’s a two step process
First we use DiskPart, and then we use VHD Resizer.

1.DiskPart
DISKPART> select vdisk file=c:\users\dale\desktop\worktest.vhd
DiskPart successfully selected the virtual disk file.
DISKPART> attach vdisk
100 percent completed
DiskPart successfully attached the virtual disk file.
DISKPART> list volume
Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
Volume 0     E                       DVD-ROM         0 B  No Media
Volume 1                      NTFS   Partition    100 MB  Healthy    System
Volume 2     D                NTFS   Partition    199 GB  Healthy
Volume 3     C                NTFS   Partition    265 GB  Healthy    Boot
Volume 4     F                NTFS   Partition    149 GB  Healthy
DISKPART> select volume 4
Volume 4 is the selected volume.
DISKPART> list volume
Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
Volume 0     E                       DVD-ROM         0 B  No Media
...
* Volume 4     F                NTFS   Partition    149 GB  Healthy
DISKPART> shrink querymax
The maximum number of reclaimable bytes is:  106 GB (108636 MB)
DISKPART> shrink desired=40960 (Note: desired is the amount we want to prune of the image)
DiskPart successfully shrunk the volume by:   40 GB
DISKPART> list volume
Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
Volume 0     E                       DVD-ROM         0 B  No Media
...
* Volume 4     F                NTFS   Partition    109 GB  Healthy
DISKPART> detach vdisk
DiskPart successfully detached the virtual disk file.
DISKPART> exit
What we now have is a VHD file still sized at 149GB, but with a 109GB partition in it.  What we need to do next is resize the VHD to 109GB.
2. VHDResizer.
Use VHDResizer to resize your newly shrunk VHD file, in this example WorkTest.VHD

(yes, I picked a New Size larger than 109GB, I went for 120GB instead).
And finally…
Success!  It boots!

This article might be useful as well:
Mount base and differencing VHD disks using Windows Virtual PC on Windows 7 x64.
To recap, the tools used were:
DiskPart (included in Windows)
Disk2VHD
VHDResizer

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Five portable antivirus and antimalware tools to carry with you at all times

Five Apps

1. ClamWin Portable

ClamWin Portable is very much like its big brother: It’s free, open source, and does a great job of disinfecting machines. ClamWin has a very high detection rate, has frequently updated definitions, and has an easy to use graphical interface. The only caveat to using ClamWin is that it does not offer a real-time scanner - which is not an issue for a portable version. This is my go-to portable virus scanning software.

2. Sophos Anti Rootkit Portable

Sophos Anti Rootkit Portable is one of those tools you hope you never have to use; but you know, at some point, you will. Sophos is remarkably adept at locating root kits - especially for a portable app. Sophos: scans, detects and removes rootkits, is 100% free, supports Windows XP, Vista and 7, and works alongside your existing antivirus. I have found Sophos reliable enough to use even while the PC being scanned is in use.

3. Emsisoft Free Emergency Toolkit

Emsisoft Free Emergency Toolkit is a powerful malware removal tool that can scan for, and remove, over six million dangers to your PC. Emsisoft Free Emergency Toolkit has both a GUI and a command line version, so you can scan your machine even if there are problems with the GUI. With this toolkit, you not only get the malware scanner, you also get HiJackFree and BlitzBlank as well. Emsisoft offers the free download, or you can purchase a pre-compiled USB stick.

4. Vipre Rescue

Vipre Rescue is that tool you use when your machine is severely infected. Vipre is run in safe mode and does not depend upon a GUI tool for use. You double-click the executable and a command window opens with the scanner running (and running at blazing speeds). If you already use the full version of Vipre, you can still run this tool should your machine become so infected, Vipre will not run.

5. Spybot Search and Destroy Portable

Spybot Search and Destroy Portable is the portable version of the massively popular full Spybot Search and Destroy. This antimalware tool does a great job of finding and removing malicious software - all from your flash drive. Spybot has a unique feature that will help you backup your registry before you begin the scan. Should Spybot fubar your PCs registry, you have a backup to restore to - safe and sound.

Bottom line

You know that point is coming when you’ll require the assistance of portable antivirus and/or antimalware. It’s a shame that this is such a big part of our jobs, but it is inevitable. Make sure you are always armed with the tools to combat this plague by keeping a few of these portable apps along with you.
elitebuyer.com 135 e. 9th st, long beach, ca 90813
562-366-4177
Long Beach Computer Support, Service, Sales.

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Windows Enhancements Tip and Tricks

The Best Free Windows Enhancements That You Should Know About (part 2)

29. Miso: temporarily disable your screensaver and power-saving options
There are times when you do not want your screensaver or power saving options to kick in (i.e. PC going to sleep, display switching off, etc). For example, you might be giving a presentation, watching a video, engaged in screen sharing with other PC(s), etc.
This tiny app lives in the system tray and allows you to toggle these features on and off with a single click.
Go here to download Miso (WinAll; 32bit and 64bit).

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30. Sevendex Plugin for Dexpot: displays Dexpot’s virtual desktops on the Windows 7 taskbar (see screenshot)

Dexpot is, in my opinion, the best freeware virtual desktop program for Windows. Sevendex is a plugin for Dexpot that displays the different desktops as thumbnails on the Windows 7 taskbar for quick and easy switching between them.
If you use Dexpot on Windows 7, I highly recommend you use this plugin with it. (Note: Sevendex is already bundled in your Dexpot download; go to the Dexpot settings then the “plugins and extras” section (in the bottom left sidebar). You should find the checkbox for SevenDex there; check it and click OK.)
Go here to download Dexpot (Sevendex works on Windows 7 only, 32 bit and 64 bit).

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31. MadAppLauncher: simple, competent tabbed launcher

The attraction of tabbed launchers lies beyond their usefulness as launchers, in the prospect of using them to organize shortcuts that would normally clutter the desktop. (At least that’s my view).
MadAppLauncher is a very good tabbed launcher for programs, file, and folder. It is invoked via hotkey and it will map entries to the keyboard and optionally let you launch any program, file, or folder by pressing a key. Simple, drag and drop, and generally has a nice feeling to it.
Go here to download MadAppLauncher (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7; 32 bit and 64bit). Also see my full-length review of MadAppLauncher.

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32. RunIt: a nifty launcher that appears when right clicking the edge of your screen
A launcher for shortcuts, files, or folders, activated by default via right clicking the upper edge of the screen. It’s a very simple launcher that just works really well.
The setup screen allows you to drag and drop shortcuts, files, and folders to it in order to add them to the launcher (which is quite handy).
If you’re looking for a simple launcher that can help organize your items then check this one out for sure.
Go here to download RunIt (WinAll; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or you can see my full-length review of RunIt.

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33. SuperCopier: accelerate, pause, and resume file copying and moving operations
I mentioned TeraCopy in the first “43 of the Best Windows Enhancements” article; this is a similar program that, since I wrote that article, has become my favorite and the one I use. It works really well, has a very small (tiny) footprint, and is open source to boot. I did a little test comparing it to TeraCopy and SuperCopier proved the faster of the two (which I wrote about here).
Go here to download SuperCopier (WinAll; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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34. Mo0 WindowMenu Plus: adds useful window manipulation options to the window menu
A program that adds a number of controls into the the windows on your desktop (the so called”system window menu” that appears when you right click on a n window’s title bar), including “keep on top”, transparency, minimize to tray, but also more advanced functions such as “kill process”, “process priority” and the ability to find the process behind the window on the hard drive.
For me, the most frequently used of these functions would be “maximize to”, which maximizes your window Aero-snap style to the sides or quadrants of the screen (and also horizontally or vertically), and the “move to” function, which can center your window or push it, without resizing, to any of the 4 edges of the screen.
The program will let you pick and choose the functions that you would like in your context menu, and consumes very little memory.
Go here to download Mo0 WindowMenu Plus (WinAll; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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35. IconViewer: copy, save, icons from file properties
Lets you right click properties on a file to find an additional “icons” tab, from which you can copy and save icons that reside in that file.
This utility makes any icon from any file immediately accessible, but is especially useful for files that contains multiple icons (e.g. DLL, Exe, or ICO files).
Go here to download Icon Viewer (WinAll; 32 bit and 64 bit). Also see my full review of IconViewer.

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36. Piles: display any folder as a stack on the Windows 7 task bar

For Windows 7, lets you pin any folder such that it displays its contents as a jumplist in the Windows 7 taskbar (see screenshot above). Somewhat similar to previously mentioned Standalone Stack but visually more compact. It also installs a Windows context menu entry that will let you create a Pile from any folder by simply right clicking “create pile from folder”, then pinning the resulting shortcut to your taskbar
Note: the pile icon can be customized, as in the left screenshot, by right clicking on any piles folder shortcut and customizing the icon before pinning to the taskbar (or re-pinning it if it had already been pinned). The only drawback I found with this program is that, once clicked, each pile appears as an entry in Alt+Tab application switching list (unless you manually close it via right clicking the pinned shortcut); which is somewhat annoying. Otherwise a great little utility.
Go here to download Piles (Windows 7 only; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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37. SendToClipboard: grabs the contents of text files into the clipboard

If you take save notes as text files or have a whole bunch of code snippets in text files you might like this one: Send To Clipboard will import the contents of a text file directly into the clipboard, saving you the need to open a text file, selecting its contents, copying, etc.
I only wish it had the ability to import images into the clipboard as well (I did find a software that purport’s to do this with the very same name (here), but for some reason the download link is missing and I cannot find it anywhere).
Go here to download SendToClipboard on Softpedia (WinAll; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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38. ViGlance: brings Windows 7 style superbar to XP
For Windows XP and Vista, ViGlance iconizes Windows XP taskbar buttons in the Windows 7 “superbar”style and provides many of the functions that the Windows 7 taskbar provides (including live previews the windows as well as pinning/unpinning.

I tested this program on Windows XP and it is quite impressive; however, I read reports of some adverse effects while running this with some programs (e.g. MS Office apps), so make sure to check for this sort of thing. For a less fancy alternative to this try Taskbaric in conjunction with Activatebynum and Taskbar Shuffle. Another alternative: try Sbar Taskbar Replacement.
Go here to download ViGlance (Windows XP, Vista only; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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39. DriveGleam: activity indicators in the system tray menu

Installs activity indicators in the system tray that include CPU usage, RAM usage, virtual RAM usage, as well as hard drive activity for each existing partition.
It is similar to SysTrayMeter (#14 above), but more extensive. It displays tooltips on mouse-over that provide more detailed information. Users can pick and choose which of the different indicators to display.
Go here to download DriveGleam (Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, Windows 7; 32 bit and 64 bit). Also see my full DriveGleam review.

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40. TrayBar: add activity indicators for common keyboard keys in the system tray menu
This app installs a slew of activity indicators in the system tray that are unlike most apps in the genre. Instead of the typical hard drive, CPU and RAM usage, TrayBar displays indicators that show whether common keyboard keys are toggled on or off; namely Num Lock status, Caps Lock status, Scroll Lock status, Alt key status, Ctrl key status, Shift key status, Windows key status, as well as (of course) Hard Drive activity.
TrayBar also lets you pick and choose which indicator to display, and provides more details tooltips on mouse-over.
Go here to download TrayBar (Windows XP, 2000 SP4, 2003, 2008, Vista, and Windows 7; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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41. Path Copy Copy: copy filenames or paths from the context menu

Although I reviewed a number of these shell extensions that grab file and folder names or paths, this is my go-to option that I recommend at the moment. This is because it (a) has a good variation of options, (b) works well with Windows 7 64 bit, and (c) is still in development and featured on it’s developer’s site.
Path Copy Copy will let you select files and folders then copy their names as a list to the clipboard or copy their full paths, ; it can grab the long path (C:\Program Files), the so called short path, used in the command line (C:\PROGRA~1) or even the “internet path” (file://C:\Program Files).
Go here to download Path Copy Copy (Windows XP, Vista, 2008, Windows 7; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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42. Diswy: show or hide desktop icons in a single click

It’s unavoidable: icons will invariably pile up and clutter your desktop. No doubt that you, like me, look forward to the nice feeling you get once you get rid of the clutter …eventually. In the meanwhile, there are so many things you might be doing that will require you to instantly declutter your desktop, such as taking screenshots, giving presentations, screen sharing, etc. Wouldn’t it be great if you could hide and display icons in a singe click.
Diswy does just that. It is a portable app that can be placed anywhere (e.g. pinned to your taskbar as in the screenshot above) and, once clicked, will hide your desktop icons. Another click will restore normal icon view.
This app is similar to the effect you would get if right-clicking the desktop / view / then unchecking (and re-checking) hide desktop icons.
Note: I previously wrote about a similar program called HideDesktopIcons, but am experimenting with Diswy since the former can sometimes be somewhat unreliable.
Go here to download Diswy (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7; 32bit and 64bit)

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43. FileToFolder: create folders from files via right click

This is one of my favorite utilities, and therefore I had to include it here. What it does is create folders from files; so, for example, you can select three files named ‘Project A.xls’, ‘Project B.xls’ and ‘Project C.xls’ then right click FileToFolder and send each one of the free files to a folder that is created in-place under the same name. Note, however, that any other files with the same name but different extensions will be sent to the same folder (e.g. ‘Project A.jpg’ and ‘Project A.xls’ will be sent to the same folder).
I find this app very useful when managing media downloads.
Go here to download FileToFolder (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7; 32bit and 64bit). Also see my full review of FileToFolder.

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Best Free Windows Enhancements

The Best Free Windows Enhancements That You Should Know About 

1. Listary: advanced file filtering in explorer at the press of a button
This program changes something that everyone does without even thinking about it; pressing a key in, say, a folder that has many items in it, in order to jump to the first letter of the file or folder being sought (e.g. pressing “d” to jump to “dashboard.xls”.)

With Listary, you could go ahead typing a second or third letter, and it will display a little popup list that quickly filters all instances of the word, including entries that may have the string of text in the middle of the file name (see screenshot above). You could then use the arrow keys to hone in on the file you want. Its not really desktop search and is not recursive to subfolders for example; however, it is extremely useful and after having used it for a few months now I am totally hooked.
Listary works not just in folders but also in all sorts of lists in Windows (such as the task manager to name an example).
Go here to download Listary (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or check out my full-length Listary review.

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2. Nemo Documents: displays your desktop files on a calendar grid

Presents your files on a calendar-style grid, so as to enable the user to quickly scan the calendar to locate files or projects that were last in use last week or last month or the month before that, etc. It also is a full-fledged tagging engine for your files.
Nemo Documents is useful for those who work on multiple projects and multiple files and/or would like a way to keep track of the many files that pass through their desktop.
The thing about this one is that it is such a simple yet brilliant concept, and brings an entirely novel way finding and retrieving files that can really be very useful.
Go here to download Nemo Documents (Windows 7, Vista only; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or check out my full-length review of Nemo Documents.

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3. Browser Chooser: lets you choose the browser you want to use, case-by-case
This app is for those who use multiple browsers. It installs itself as your PC’s default browser so that, whenever you click a link (from within a program or anywhere in your Windows environment outside of a browser), it will display a popup window that gives a choice as to which browser to use for that particular link, file, or web page.

This program can work really well if you launch your web pages via a launcher program such that you can, for example, launch certain sites from IE (for me, work-related sites, Sharepoint, and Web based Outlook, all of which work best in IE), launch your web based email from the browser that works best for it, or launch several web-based email accounts in different browsers simultaneously, etc.
Go here to download Browser Chooser. (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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4. ClassicShell: brings back some cool XP features to Windows 7
Does a number of different things in Windows 7 and Vista to revert these operating system back to “classic” Windows XP style behavior.
For example, it can transform the “Start Menu” in Windows 7 and Vista into the typical Windows XP-style, as demonstrated in the screenshot to the left, below.

However, my favorite tweak that this program does (and the more important one, in my opinion), is its ability to restore the “go up one folder” button in Windows Vista and Windows 7 (a function which used to be part of Window XP before it was removed). See screenshot above, right for an illustration.
A step by step tutorial on how to install the “folder up” arrow can be found here.
Go here to download ClassicShell (Windows 7, Vista; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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5. QTTabBar: provides tabbed folder browsing in Windows 7 Explorer (see screenshot).

To add a tab, simply drag and drop a folder to the tabbed area. The software also provides the option to browse folders in-place via cascading menus (as displayed in the screenshot above, towards the bottom right).
I mentioned this one in the first “43 must have Windows Enhancements” posting. Back then it was only for Windows XP, but since then it has been re-launched as a project on Sourceforge for Windows 7 and Vista, hence the re-mention. (And yes, it works beautifully on 64 bit Windows 7).
Go here to download QTTabBar (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit).

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6. Hot Corners: triggers user-defined events when hovering over screen corners
Will let you simply hover over any of the four corners of the screen to perform any number of functions, such as opening favorite folders, launching favorite programs. or performing a number of common tasks such as searching Google, showing the desktop, or locking the computer.

It works really well, with one caveat: it is very likely that a user might hover over any one of the corners and trigger a function accidentally. To remedy this, Hot Corners allows you to set a delay in seconds before it kicks into action, making it less likely to launch a function unless you demonstrate that you mean to do so by lingering in the corner for the requisite number of seconds.
Go here to download Hot Corners (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or go here to see my full-length review of Hot Corners.

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7. Quick Cliq: launch favorite files, folders, and tools on-demand
Is an all-in-one, hotkey-activated launcher for apps, files, folders and even URLs. It has a smattering of cool extra functions (e.g. a clipboard manager of sorts, a window manager, etc).
Quick Cliq will even let you access favorite folders in Windows open/save dialogs (launch Quick Cliq then CTRL+right click on the folder in the list), and because it can use relative paths for files and folders it can function as a launcher for USB sticks. Any of its functions can be launched via user-defined keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures.
Adding items to the launcher is easy via the “Quick Cliq” context menu entry in Windows explorer. This program is really super cool, and consumes little memory to boot (around 8 megs).
Go here to download Quick Cliq (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or go here to see my full-length review of Quick Cliq.

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8. Switcher: terrific Mac Expose clone for Windows 7 and Vista
This app for Windows 7 and Vista is one of best Mac expose-style application switcher/Alt+Tab replacement of its kind.

It offers different visual styles (see the screenshots above), can be invoked via hotkey or mouse gesture, and is relatively low on resource consumption.
Go here to download Switcher (Windows 7, Vista; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or go here to see my full-length review of Switcher.

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9. Super F4: quickly terminate any program
A program that terminates other programs without asking nicely. This program, surprisingly, has become an essential download that I always install. Why?, because when working with Windows (and perhaps any modern OS) you will invariably encounter crashed programs that refuse to close promptly, and this program can take care of that for you quickly in a way that ending the process in task manager (CTRL+Alt+delete) will not.
Super F4 is launched via hotkey and employs a visual interface whereby you click on the offending program with Super F4’s skull icon to shut it down (see screenshot)
Go here to download Super F4 (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or go here to see my full-length review of Super F4.

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10. Windows 7 Taskbar Pinner: pin individual files and folders to the Windows 7 taskbar
This program lets you pin anything you want to the Windows 7 taskbar, including individual folders and files. “But wait!”, you might think, “I already can pin items just by dragging and dropping”. Actually, no; while it is true that you can drag program executables and shortcuts to pin them on the taskbar, individual folders and files will in fact be buried within a jumplist on the taskbar, not on the taskbar itself.

Unless, of course, you use Windows 7 Taskbar Pinner, in which case you can pin just about anything straight to the taskbar. You can do this from the program interface or optionally the program can install a Windows context menu entry to quickly right-click on any item (file or folder) to pin it.
Go here to download Windows 7 Taskbar Pinner (Windows 7; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or see my full-length review of Windows 7 Taskbar Pinner.

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11. Pismo File Mount: mounts disk images as well as ZIP archives as virtual drives
Can mount ZIP, ISO, CFS and so-called “private folders” as virtual drives or folders that can be accessed through the Windows file system. This means that you can access ISO files without burning them to CD or DVD first; but, more interestingly, it also means you can mount ZIP files to work with them, then simply unmount them. This occurs without having to deal with duplicate files (as occurs when you unzip a file and have both the zipped and unzipped archives to deal with, rather un-elegantly).
Note, however, that ZIP files are mounted as read only, and you cannot add or write to them.

One thing to note that mapping a mounted volume to a drive letter is optional. Pismo File Mount installs a Windows Explorer context menu entry for both 32bit and 64bit Windows that enables you to simply right click on a volume to mount it.
Go here to download Pismo File Mount / Audit package (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or see my full-length review of Pismo File Mount.

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12. WinArchiver Virtual Drive: mounts almost all disk images, as well as ZIP and RAR files as virtual drives
Like Pismo File Mount above, this utility can mount both the most popular CD/DVD image files (ISO, BIN, CUE, and many, many others), as well as ZIP and RAR archives.
Also like Pismo, ZIP/RAR archives are mounted as read only (although its support for RAR is an advantage over that program); but WinArchiver lacks the right-click context menu support, which is a drawback.
Go here to download WinArchiver Virtual Drive (WinAll; 32 bit and 64 bit)

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13. MouseExtender: very cool on-demand launcher
A launcher for favorite programs, files, folders, or URLs that is invoked via middle mouse button, a user-defined keyboard hotkey, or a combination of the two.
This program is super stylish and really very practical and user friendly. (And what more could anybody want?). Although it doesn’t look it at first glance, MouseExtender is actually a tabbed launcher, allowing you to create several different pages of shorcuts (see screenshot above).
You can browse to an item to add it, add any program that happens to be running, or (if you have the launcher pinned to desktop) you can drag and drop items directly onto the MouseExtender interface.
Go here to download MouseExtender (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or you can see my full length review of MouseExtender.

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14. SysTrayMeter: displays free RAM and CPU usage in a SINGLE system tray icon.
Achieves the remarkable feat of displaying both CPU and RAM usage in the system tray menu within a single icon. And should you wonder if this may be overreach, I assure you that it is not; it works beautifully. This program in fact is a favorite that I install on every machine.
CPU usage is displayed in the upper half of the icon, while unused RAM is displayed below, and you can hover over the SysTrayMeter to get more detailed info. Left clicking on the icon exits the program (which is kind of strange, and at first results in many an instance of closing the program without really meaning to do so).
The developer’s program page for this program has disappeared; however you can use the link below to download.
Go here to download SysTrayMeter (Windows 7, Vista, XP; 32 bit and 64 bit). Or see my full-length review of SysTrayMeter. (Note: developer’s program page seems to be down, but the program is available at the link above).

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