Most Windows applications including Google Talk, MS Outlook, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Windows Live Messenger etc, which have login input form, allow users to save the username and password, so they don’t have to enter their login details every time to login in to the application. Since Windows doesn’t have an option to list all the saved login details to verify the username and password integrity, you may need an application that lets you check all the saved passwords from one hood. Password Security Scanner is a standalone application from Nirsoft, which finds all the saved login details, letting you check the password strength and other like attributes to verify the integrity without having to manually extract login details from applications.

The application doesn’t show the saved passwords; once launched, it lists down the applications with respective user names, while showing password-related security information including number of lowercase/uppercase, repeating, and numeric, non-numeric characters in password. This information may help you check the strength of stored password for all desktop and web applications. To begin, unzip the download package, and run the PasswordScan.exe executable file. It will take some time, which depends upon the number of applications in which login details are saved.

If you want to filter the list by number of characters in password, click Advanced Options from Options menu. It lets you display items with password length lower than specified characters and those items whose password strength is lower than specified value.

You can view complete password strength information by double-clicking the item in the list. It will open a separate dialog with all the password strength attributes, so you can check the username, PC user, and verify password strength.

Password Security Scanner is a multi-lingual application that works on all version of Windows. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported.

Download Password Security Scanner

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We have previously covered a number of applications developed by Nirsoft, all of which have come from a developer named Nir Sofer. Nirsoft has always provided top quality software that have helped many advanced and novice users to perform laborious tasks easily, recover passwords, manage network connections, fix system issues and much more. Now, Nirsoft has released an application suite which contains all the useful Nirsoft applications, known as NirLauncher. It is a portable application that can be used to launch any Nirsoft application, and to get detailed information about each program present within the launcher.

NirLauncher interface is divided into 13 convenient tabs, each of which contains a number of portable applications that can be launched by simply double clicking on them. The Password Recovery Utilities tab contains applications for recovering browser, remote desktop, dialup and other network connection related passwords. Each application is accompanied by a description, version name, version release date and a webpage URL that can be used to navigate to the developer’s webpage for that particular application. Network Monitoring Tools section (as the name suggests) contains application such as CurrPorts, SmartSniff, Wireless Network Watcher etc, which can help you monitor network latency, check open ports, identify network vulnerabilities, ping active hosts and much more. The applications present in the Web Browser Tools section are mainly meant to retrieve browser history, cache data and downloaded content, whereas the Video/Audio related Utilities include apps for  installing codecs, retrieving video cache, capturing flash video file streams and adjusting volume control settings.

The Internet Related Utilities appear more like network applications, since many of them are meant to perform DNS and IP-related lookups. Command-Line Utilities, on the contrary, provide GUI based applications for performing simple commands such as obtaining wireless network information or performing a WhoIs lookup. Novice users may find the Desktop utilities to be more useful, since this section includes programs such as an uninstaller, special folder viewer, shortcut and clipboard manager. MS Outlook users may find the four outlook related applications in the Outlook/Office Utilities section. These applications can help MS Outlook users extract multiple attachments, get Outlook stats and information about installed Outlook add-ins.

Other application bundles include Programmers Tools (DLL Export Viewer, GDI View, Device IO View and HeapMeView), Disk Utilities for searching and managing hard disk content, and System Utilities meant to help you with battery, USB, registry, and other system issues. Other Utilities contain some miscellaneous applications, while you can view all available apps in a single view using the All Utilities tab. It must be noted that some application are listed in multiple categories.

Note: Don’t be surprised if your anti-virus detects an application as a threat when you launch NirLauncher, as programs like PasswordFox are meant to help you retrieve passwords, and for this reason, they can be mistaken for malware. NirLauncher works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Download NirLauncher

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When a Windows application crashes and displays the crash module, you are able to view some of the details for the causes of the crash on the crash dialog box. However, this information is often inadequate and quite confusing. WinCrashReport is a portable application by Nirsoft which unlike the Microsoft crash reporting module, provides you with a more convenient reporting format. The crash report can also be saved in text or HTML format for later review. This functionality is quite similar to another previously reviewed Nirsoft application known as WhatIsHang. While WhatISHang was designed to inform users about hanged applications, WinCrashReport provides information about crashed programs.

Just launch WinCrashReport anytime an application crashes, to be able to view the detailed report regarding the cause for the crash. It must be noted that WinCrashReport does not replace Microsoft’s crash module and requires being instantly launched when the crash dialog box appears. The report displays information, such as, the date and time of the report, path of the crashed application, process and thread ID, exception code, exception description, crash cause, exception parameters, etc.

Despite being a useful crash reporting application, WinCrashReport has a downside, i.e. it has to be manually launched when an application crashes and does not provide information if you launch it after the crash dialog has been closed. This application behavior is similar to WhatIsHang and causes a lot of inconvenience for the end user.  The developer has expressed his optimism that he might be able to replace Microsoft’s crash reporting module to get rid of this annoyance for future versions of WinCrashReport. WinCrashReport works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Download WinCrashReport

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Wake-on-LAN (WOL) is a functionality which enables a device to be turned on by sending commands from remote location. Wake On LAN is executed using an application or command line which interacts with the remote device on the network. WameMeOnLAN is a portable application by Nirsoft,  developed to remotely wake up computers on a network which are turned off or in standby mode. WameMeOnLAN works by collecting the MAC addresses of each computer (when they are turned on) and later sends a WOL (Wake On LAN) packet to wake up the remote computer.

To begin, click the Start button to initiate scanning computers on the network. WakeMeOnLAN will automatically detect network computers and save the list for future use. All active computers will appear in green color, whereas all turned off systems will appear with a red color icon. In case a system status is unknown the icon next to it will appear in yellow color.

By any chance if your network computers are not scanned automatically, you can go to Options –> Advanced options and enter IP range to scan and/or specify a different network adapter to use for the scanning process.

Once all systems are scanned, you can wake up any system by right-clicking on the computer’s name from WakeOnLAN main window and selecting Wake Up Selected Computer option. This will remotely turn on the selected computer. Other options in the right-click context menu include saving or copying the computers information as a text file, viewing system properties and reports for all scanned system as an HTML file.

It must be noted that WakeMeOnLan only works for wired networks. Although it scans computers on wireless networks, it does not have the ability to turn on computers on wireless networks. Before you use this application, make sure that the remote computer that is to receive the WOL packets has the Wake On LAN functionality turned on. This can be done by going to the Power Management options from the BIOS settings or by following these steps; head over to Device Manager or Network and Sharing Settings from Control Panel, go to your network adapter Properties (via right-click context menu), click Configure button followed by the Power Management tab and enable Wake On LAN functionality.

WakeMeOnLAN works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Download WakeMeOnLan

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A thread of execution is the smallest unit of processing that can be scheduled by an operating system. It generally results in two  or more concurrently running tasks. ProcessThreadsView is a new portable application from Nirsoft which provides extensive information about all threads of a selected process. The threads information includes the ThreadID, Context Switches Count, Priority, Created Time, User/Kernel Time, Number of Windows, Window Title, Start Address, and so on. The lower pane on the main interface displays the strings found in the stack, stack modules addresses, call stack, and processor registers of a selected process. ProcessThreadsView also enables instantly suspending and resuming one or more threads process threads.

When ProcessThreadsView is launched, you are presented with the list of system processes. Select a process and click OK to get in depth information about the process and it’s threads.

The list of all threads is displayed on the main window and refreshed whenever there is a thread change. When you select a thread on the upper pane, the lower pane displays information about the selected thread.

You can save information about a process or thread as a text file, copy the information to clipboard, resume or suspend threads, auto size columns and view thread properties from right-click context menu or drop down menu option from the top.

The thread properties includes the thread ID, context switches, status, base priority, thread creation time, kernel time, user time, visible and hidden window number, start address, stack base, stack size and TEB address.

ProcessThreadsView works on Windows XP, Windows vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008.

Download ProcessThreadsView

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If you don’t like following tedious steps to add customized buttons to Windows 7 Explorer toolbar which first include tweaking with Windows registry and then rebooting the system, CutomExplorerToolbar can significantly save you the time and effort involved in adding and removing buttons from Windows Explorer toolbar. This Nirsoft’s utility is designed to easily customize Windows Explorer toolbar; you just have to select ready-made utility buttons to add them to Windows 7 Explorer toolbar without having to reboot your system or to tinker around with Windows Explorer related registry keys.

The application enables you to add and remove toolbar button in real time, which means, after adding or disabling toolbar buttons, just refresh the Windows Explorer window in order to use them. To begin, launch the application with administrative privileges, select the action followed by Toolbar mode. The Actions drop-down menu holds options to either add or remove the toolbar buttons. The Toolbar mode deals with two behaviors – show toolbar button when one or more items are selected or when items are not selected in Windows 7 Explorer.

Now, from the Buttons List, pick those buttons which you want to add and then select the Folder Types. Once done, click Do It! to add selected buttons to Windows 7 Explorer toolbar.

Similarly, you can change the actions from Add to Remove toolbar buttons. Just select show behavior (Toolbar Mode) and then enable those pre-defined buttons which are to be removed from Windows 7 Explorer toolbar. CutomExplorerToolbar works on Windows 7 and supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Download CustomExplorerToolbar

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Wireless Network Connections are often at risk of being accessed by unauthorized personnel at office or home, when not properly secured. This is not just the case with unsecure networks but also a problem relating to the negligent sharing of network security keys. It can be hard to identify intruders on networks which may have a lot of devices or users. However, identification can be possible if you have the precise details regarding the connected devices.

Wireless Network Watcher is a portable tool which scans a wireless network to displays the list of all devices and computers currently connected to it. For every computer and connected device, a list of useful information is provided to help identify intruders which may have accessed your Wireless connection. The available information includes, IP, MAC address, computer name and network card manufacturer’s name. You can also export the devices list in HTML,  XML, CSV, and text file format or copy it to the clipboard.

To get  a list of connected devices to your wireless network, launch Wireless Network Watcher application.

In rare cases it is possible that Wireless Network Watcher might not detect the correct wireless network adapter, in such an instance you can go to Options –> Advanced options and select a Wi-Fi adapter manually.

Wireless Network Watcher is designed for Wireless networks, however, according to the developer it can also be used to scan small LAN (Local Area Network). It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Download Wireless Network Scanner

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ServiWin is a portable utility from Nirsoft, which displays the list of installed drivers and services with indepth information which can help you identify and troubleshoot driver issues. The available information includes,  file description, version, product name, manufacturer’s name, driver status, boot configurations and error control information. Additionally, you can stop, start, restart, pause, and continue Windows services and installed drivers, change the startup configurations for them and save the list of services/drivers to a file.

Once ServiWin is launched, it displays in depth information about the installed drivers and services. What makes ServiWin quite useful as compared to viewing this information from “Services” or “Device Manager” option in Windows is the fact that many of the available details are not displayed in either Windows Services option or Device Manager. Moreover, the integrated view of driver and Windows Services data is quite convenient for comparing faulty services and drivers, particularly when they may be associated.

You can start, stop, pause, restart, continue a driver or service, as well as obtain reports in HTML format, view selected item’s properties, open Goggle search to view information about an executable or service and open the the registry configurations for an item from right-click context menu.

ServiWin also provides remote connectivity (by entering the host name) for viewing information regarding installed drivers and services for a remote machine from File –> Select Computer.

ServiWin works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Download ServiWin

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It can be often be hard to get detailed information about laptop battery to determine it’s true potential and to diagnose battery issues. BatteryInfoView is a portable tool developed by Nirsoft for laptops, which provides in-depth information about your system’s battery. The displayed battery information includes the battery manufacturer’s name, serial number, manufacture date, current capacity, power state (charging/discharging), full charged capacity, voltage and critical bias. You can also select a timeframe for periodically monitoring your system battery using BatteryInfoView.

To get detailed battery information, just launch BatteryInfoView and the respective details will be displayed within an easy to understand interface with numerical indicators displaying battery performance stats.

You can select a time frame for periodically refreshing battery information from Options –> Advanced Options. The information which will be updated, includes, the battery details displayed on the main interface and battery log events. This can be quite useful for keeping an eye on battery performance to determine it’s optimum capacity (e.g. for gamers) and to identify battery issues (e.g. frequent battery drainage).

BatteryInfoView works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Download BatteryInfoView

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WhatIsHang is a portable application from Nirsoft, which detects the reason for the currently hanged software. The main information which it provides is regarding stack data, processor, registers, and memory issues. It has been designed for programmers to determine the causes which may hang a software. A list of dll files and strings related to the hang problem are also displayed, which can be useful for lay users to determine the reasons for the hanging of an application.

For getting a report regarding the hanged app, you will require keeping WhatIsHang open. Once an app is hanged, select it’s name from the list and hit F9. This will display a report explaining the reason for the hanging of the application. This information can be quite useful for programmers who may be testing a software, which keeps getting hanged.

Unfortunately, WhatIsHang has little utility for common users and is not very user friendly. If one misses pressing the F9 key when the app displays in the list of hanged apps, then the report is not generated. It can be a bit difficult to select a name from the list and hit F9, when applications are hanging left, right and center. Moreover, WhatIsHang, does not work if the entire system is hanged. I hope the developer makes it more user friendly and allows generating and retaining the report for hanged software, after the system or application returns to normal state. For people with little or no knowledge of programming, I would recommend them to use MyEventViewer instead.

It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Download WhatIsHang

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Want to check out all the drive letters which are free and not currently assigned with any local drive, network drive, CD/DVD drive or with any external storage device? DriveLetterView is an application developed by Nirsoft which lets you view both plugged and unplugged drive letters in one window. The application is designed to analyze all the drive letters which can be assigned to any new device or location. It not only shows all the available drive letters that can be assigned but allow users to edit drive letter of USB devices and network locations/shares with an option to remove the drive letter of USB device with a single click. Once all drive letters are listed down, you can export the list in simple text file or in CSV, XML, and HTML format.

To check all the available and currently used drive letters, unpack the downloaded ZIP file and run the executable. It will immediately display assigned and unassigned drive letters with information like Drive Type, Drive Name, Drive Description, Connection status, Instance ID, and Device Path in multiple columns.

From right-click menu, you can change drive drive letter, export report in HTML format, and view selected drive letter properties in separate window.

Before assigning a new drive letter, make sure that you are assigning a drive letter which hasn’t been assigned to any other device, local or remote location. As mentioned beforehand, you can delete drive letter of only unplugged USB drive. To delete the drive letter, select USB device from the list, click Options menu followed by Delete Selected Drive Letter.

DriveLetterView offers a quick solution to change assigned and unassigned drive letters for any type of storage device and network locations. It works on all version of Windows.

Download DriveLetterView

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RegFileExport is a command line application developed by Nirsoft for exporting data from offline registry file located on another disk drives. It is also capable of exporting registry keys and values from corrupted registry files, which comes useful in instances when you are unable to export registry file or even access it from Windows build-in registry editor. It requires two or three parameters to be passed for performing the operations correctly.

First you need to get acquainted with the syntax.

RegFileExport [Registry File] [Destination .Reg File] {Registry Key}

The first parameter is Registry File which refers to the path of the folder where it is residing, next Destination .Reg File points to the output path, you can leave it null when a standard output is needed. The last parameter Registry Key is optional, if you need to export a specific key, enter its value. It is must be noted that the mentioned key along with all its sub-keys will be exported into the .reg file, otherwise the file will be exported.

To begin, open cmd (command processor) with administrative privileges. Now navigate to the folder where the application-RegFileExport is residing. Now run the executable (RegFileExport) with the aforementioned parameters.

As shown below in the screenshot below, we have exported registry file from ntuser.dat (HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive for the registry) to D drive in a text document.

The application is also helpful when you need to export secret data which is stored in SECURITY registry hives. It runs on all Windows version from Windows 2000 to Windows 7. Testing was done on Windows 7 x86 system.

Download RegFileExport

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FileTypesMan is an application from Nirsoft, which can be used as an alternative to File Types option of Windows. The application is intended to bring ease in managing all the registered file types and extensions under one window.

All the file types and extensions are spread under various informatory columns such as; Extension name, Description, MIME type, Perceived type, In New Menu, Excluded, etc. From toolbar, you can easily search for extensions and file types, refresh the list and save it in CSV and TXT format. Right-clicking the file type will bring up set of actions you can perform like; OpenFileType in RegEdit, Save and copy selected items, Replace FileType For Selected Extension, and Edit Selected File Type.

Double-clicking the item brings file type editor, where you can change Default Icon, MIME type, Perceived type, and change other advance options.

It also lets you view file type’s registry keys in Windows registry editor, in right-click menu, click Open File Type In Reg Edit to quickly open respective registry settings.

The application also generates HTML report of the list. It provides user with multiple features and options to manage all the file types and extensions without having to do it manually. It is a portable application and runs on all Windows based OS, testing was done on Windows 7 x86 system.

Download FileTypeMan

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Windows has a build-in utility for checking and modifying the default network route called route.exe, which can only be used in CLI based environment. Considering the need of having simple interface to view routes, NirSoft’s NetRouteView is a free portable application, which is a GUI alternative of Windows route utility. As user-friendly environment is always preferred, it displays all the routes on your network in multiple columns. The informatory columns provides information like; Gateway, Mask, Interface IP address, Protocol type, and lot more.

You will see all the network routes on the main window, all the related information is spread in aforementioned columns. Right-clicking the item in the list will let you specify new route, modify selected route, or delete the entry. The operation can be performed in bulk by selecting multiple items in the list.

To instantly modify an entry, double-clicking the item will bring up a dialog where you can modify the route. For adding a new route, you’d need to specify several parameters which includes; Destination, Mask, Gateway, Metric, etc. From right-click menu, click Properties to view all the related information of selected route.

It makes managing network routes easy as it offers simple interface to let you easily add, modify or delete the routes in bulk. Now for checking or modifying network routes, you wont need to work in CLI-based environment.

It runs on all Windows based OS, testing was carried out on Windows 7 x86 system

Download NetRouteView

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BulkFileChanger is another useful application from NirSoft which lets you change multiple attributes and meta information of all sorts of files which mainly includes; Last access, Modified , Created date, etc. It comes useful especially to keep track on files having different dispersed attributes by allowing user to edit files’ properties. For instance; if you’d need to change the file(s) attributes copied/moved on specific date, changing each property is a tedious job, you can change the meta information (properties) stored in them by making use of this application.

After you have launched the application, start adding files from desired folders, you can add as many files as you need from multiple locations. It supports simple drag & drop behavior, thus populating files list is easy. It will list down all the associated fie attributes in multitude of columns, which are expanded in the main window.

To view the attributes of a specific item, double-click the entry to bring up Properties dialog. It will list down all the associated attributes of a file in a separate window.

Changing the attributes of files in bulk is easy, all that is required is to select items from the list and click Change time/attributes button on the upper part of the window to bring up file attributes window separately, where you can change date/time of different meta information such as; Created, Modified, and Accessed of all the selected items in one-go. For adding date/time into existing attributes, enable Add checkbox and from drop-down list select a required option. Under File Attributes, you can change other associated attributes which includes; Archive, Read-Only, Hidden, etc.

All the basic features and options can be seen alongside  Change time/attributes button. It also let you remove the inserted item, clear file list, execute the program/file with parameters, copy items and search for a specific item in the list. Furthermore, it provides you with an option of generating items list report in HTML format.

All Windows based OS are supported, we tested it on Windows 7 x86 system.

Download BulkFileChanger

For more, you can also check out Attribute Changer.

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Most (almost all) wireless routers allow users to backup the router configuration to a file, so that it can be imported later in case of any problem. But what if you have forgotten the password or the wireless network key and need to recover it? This is where RouterPassView comes handy, and yes, it is developed by Nirsoft.

This nifty little portable tool can open the router configuration file and list all router passwords that are found. It includes all options that are generally found in other tools by the same developer. There is option to export the results, print them, option to search the content, and so on.

According to the developer, due to the large number of routers available in the market, it is near impossible to support them all. For now, it only supports limited routers that are famous. The list includes:

• Linksys WRT54GL, and possibly similar models.
• Edimax BR6204WG, and possibly similar models.
• Siemens ADSL SL2-141, and possibly similar models.
• Dynalink RTA1025W, and possibly similar models.
• NETGEAR WGT624, and possibly similar models.
• ASUS WL-520g, and possibly similar models.
• COMTREND 536+ (Only Internet Login)
• US Robotics 9108 ADSL (internet login and admin login)
• D-Link DSL-2540U/BRU/D ADSL2+

It works on all versions of Windows, starting from Windows 2000 and up to the latest Windows 7.

Download RouterPassView

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What happens when your application crashes or fails to work due to compatibility or any other problem? You receive a simple dialog message in some cases and that’s it. What if an application closes unexpectedly without any warning?

Windows 7 keeps a copy of all application crashes in the .wer files created by the Windows Error Reporting(WER) component. AppCrashView is a simple portable application from Nirsoft that extracts the error report from these files and display them in one simple list.

This app has two uses; to check the history of all crashed applications and their reasons behind the crash. Detail of each crash is displayed in the pane below the list. You can always export the result in text/csv/html/xml file for future reference.

Since Windows Error Reporting(WER) component is only present in Windows Vista and Windows 7, the app will not work in any other version of Windows.

Download AppCrashView

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What happens when you have multiple codec packages installed? It causes a nightmare making it difficult to pinpoint the exact codec that is causing the problem. Many codecs have compatibility problems with other codec packages.

Installed Codec is a portable tool from Nirsoft that makes finding information of installed audio codecs easier. It will display the name, type, status(enabled or disabled), file description, installation date, version, company and product name, file size, destination, driver key, and other important details.

Not only can it be used to find the problems but also be used to manage all audio codecs. There is a build-in option to enable/disable a selected codec and open them directly in Windows Registry(for advanced users only).

You can also generate a detailed report, use the search feature to find for selected culprit codec. For 64-bit OS users, there is an option called x64 mode, which when enabled will check and display all 64-bit filters/drivers.

Download InstalledCodec

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Whenever you open a folder in Windows, the settings are automatically saved in the Registry. ShellBagsView is a small portable tool developed by NirSoft that can display all folder setting saved by Windows.

You will see all folders in list view along with the following information, the date/time you opened it, the entry number, the display mode, the last position of Windows, and the last size of the Windows.

Right-click any folder to copy it, open the slot key in RegEdit, reset the selected item, open the folder, create HTML report, and much more.

It works on all versions of Windows starting from 2000, up to Windows 7.

Download ShellBagsView

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UserProfilesView is a small portable tool developed by NirSoft which can display detailed information of each and every user profile in Windows. Useful for system administrators who want to find information of all user profiles quickly.

Information such as, Domain/User Name, Profile Path, Last Load Time, Folder Created Time, Folder Modified Time, Registry Modified, Registry File Size, User SID, and State are all listed in the main window.

You can also create HTML Reports and print them out. For some reason it fails to show the Last Load Time in Windows 7 64-bit OS even though it works fine on 32-bit.

It is compatible with Windows starting from 2000, all the way up to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008.

Download UserProfilesView

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Tired of the same old Device Manager which is now even included in the latest Windows 7? Tired of the fact that Microsoft didn’t implement any new additions to the device manager? Need a more simple standalone device manager? Meet DevManView.

It is the latest tool to be launched by NirSoft that displays all devices and their properties in a simple list view. It is organized like a table where you can see each and every property. It is a portable tool, thus allowing users to run it while on the go.

It is much more than simple an alternative, since it can also help network administrators by allowing them to see the list of devices on other computers on the network. The properties of devices that are shown in the table are manufacturer, service, device type code, device type name, device instance id, location, capabilities, config flags, device registry time, driver description, driver version, .inf file, .inf section, driver date, and driver registry time.

You can disable or enable the driver by hitting their respective buttons and also open them in Windows Registry. You can also choose to view non plug-in-play drivers from Options.

Download DevManView

It works on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Enjoy!

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You will always find a sticker at the bottom of a newly purchased laptop where the Windows product key will be given. But what if the sticker comes off and you want to reinstall Windows 7? It is recommended that you note down the product key on a piece of paper or notepad but what if you forgot to do it? Don’t fret yet, in case your serial number gets lost, it is still possible to recover both the Product ID and Product Key.

Before reinstalling Windows, you can give ProduKey a shot. It is a free tool from Nirsoft, that recovers the complete product key information for installed Windows, MS Office, Exchange Server, and SQL Server software which have been legitimately purchased.

As you can see from the screenshot above, it revealed the product key of genuinely purchased and installed Windows 7 Ultimate operating system.

ProduKey is an excellent app for those who have lost their product keys and have no way of recovering them.

Download ProduKey

Update: Please note that this software is used to recover your genuine Windows 7 product key that you may have lost. It will not activate your Windows in any way if you purchased an illegal copy. It does not magically produce a new product key out of thin air. To get a product key, please buy genuine Windows 7 from Microsoft.com.

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• How To Recover Wireless Network Keys (WEP/WPA) From Windows 7

Did you ever forget your wireless network password? Or maybe you want to recover the keys of the wireless network in the office or at your friend’s apartment.

WirelessKeyView is a free portable tool for Windows that allows you to instantly recover your lost wireless network keys. It has been developed by Nirsoft, the same guys that bought you OpenFilesView, OutlookAttachView, and Asterisk Logger among many others.

Just extract the zip file and run the program, it will list all the networks and their keys in a simple list view.

For every network, it shows the following: Key Type(WEP or WPA), Key(Hex), Key(Ascii), Adapter Name, and Adapter Guid.

Another great feature is that you can extract the key from an external Windows installation too. Go to File > Advanced Option and select the external Windows installation from where you want to recover the wireless keys.

Enjoy!

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Many applications store your password behind an asterisk (*) for security purposes. But these passwords can be viewed by using many security tools. Asterisk Logger is one excellent utility that lets you view your hidden passwords of all applications installed in your computer. The best thing is that it’s free and easy to use unlike other tools.

Simply run the program and a blank window will appear. Open the window that contains the asterisk text-box you want to reveal and the passwords will be shown instantly.

You can select the desired password and save it into HTML file. You can also Log changes by going to Options.

According to the developers, this tool has the following drawbacks,

This utility works fine with most password text-boxes, but there are some applications that don’t store the password behind the asterisks, in order to increase their security. In such cases, Asterisk Logger will not be able to reveal the password.
The following applications and OS components don’t store the password behind the asterisks:

• Netscape 6.x (Passwords in the Web page)
• Dialup and network passwords in Windows 2000
• Windows NT/2000/XP user management tools.

Enjoy!

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Are you getting any one of these errors when you try to delete or move a file,

• Cannot delete or move [filename]: There has been a sharing violation. The source or destination file may be in use.
• Cannot delete or move [filename]: It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again.

These errors are caused when the process is locked down. Closing the file or killing the process is the best method here.

Going to Windows Task Manager is a great way to find the opened process, but there is another cool little app called OpenedFiles View that displays all opened files in your system. And for each opened files, additional information is also displayed, such as handle value, read/write/delete access, file position, the process that opened the files, etc.

Just extract the archive and run the file, no installation is required. It will load all opened files in your system in one simple window.

To close a file or kill a process, right-click any file and select the desired option from the context menu.

According to NirSoft,

When you get one of these error messages, OpenedFilesView will show you which process lock your file. Closing the right process will solve this problem. optionally, you can also release the file by closing the handle from OpenedFilesView utility. However, be aware that after closing a file in this way, the program that opened the file may become unstable, and even crash.

If you want to enable Explorer Context Menu, go to Options and enable it from there. This will add the feature to the right-click context menu.

When you right-click on a folder and select OpenedFilesView, it will show you all opened files inside that folder, same goes for the file. Enjoy!

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