Tag Archives: System Tray

Create Customizable System Tray Shortcuts For Any Windows App With Tray Tools

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Your possessions often end up defining you just as much as you define them, be it your couch, your car, your cat, or even your computer. Especially your computer, since it is essentially a digital extension of you. Most of us prefer to keep our possessions clean and tidy, yet miss out on applying the principal to the contents of our computer. Simply keeping your digital content neat and clean can go a long way in enhancing your productivity. Tray Tools 2000 aims to help you with that by letting you add shortcuts for your programs as small icons in the Taskbar's system tray area, thus reducing desktop clutter. Read More

Get Indicators For Disk Activity, Caps & Num Lock Keys In System Tray

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Almost every standard keyboard comes with indicator lights for Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock keys. These indicators show the current status of the aforementioned toggles. Some old desktop and notebook keyboards however, lack such functionality (time for an upgrade!), which can create a lot of confusion. Since Windows 8 has opted for a rather different (read touchscreen-based) approach to how we interact with the OS, you’re probably going to need some on-screen indicators. Fret not! There’s an app for that. Back in 2010, we covered Keyboard Leds, a useful tool that displays status information for these keys on the system tray. If you were looking for something similar, with support for some additional keys, then locking your sights on TrayStatus. In addition to Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and Num Lock keys, the application hooks you up with Alt, Ctrl, Shift and Win key activity icons. What’s more, there’s a hard drive notification icon, indicating read/write operations from the drive. This can prove to be quite handy if your PC’s chassis lacks an HDD activity LED. Read More

Hide System Tray Icons, App Windows Or Any Part Of The Taskbar

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The taskbar works like a control center for Windows that allows you manage all the running applications, launch new ones through pinned shortcuts, access the Start Menu and view the system tray items such as running services, time clock etc. The default taskbar options in Windows 7 allow you to change the Taskbar appearance, including the grouping and size of icons, the Notification area, and use of Aero Peek. Moreover, there are options to customize the Start Menu and choose the toolbars that you want to be available on the taskbar. Today, we have a tool for you called Taskbar Hide, which provides users with a lot of taskbar related options, such as hiding or closing program windows, hiding system tray icons, modifying the order of running applications on taskbar, setting application windows to stay on top, hiding a part of the taskbar, etc. The program lets you deal with the application and system tray icons individually to control the taskbar’s appearance. All the options can be accessed through the main interface, as well as using hotkeys. Read More

FlashTray Pro: Launch Applications, Folders, URLs & More via System Tray Or Hotkeys

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Shortcut managers, application launchers and context menu editors all have one thing in common: they all simplify and enhance your Windows experience. These applications provide a detour for easily accessing your favorite or frequently used programs, without cluttering up your desktop with shortcuts. We love minimalistic desktops, and believe you people too. In earlier posts, we have covered a lot of applications that allow you to easily access different programs and menus through hotkeys, right click context menus, or the system tray. These are probably the most accessible places to launch your applications. Today, we have another application launcher and hotkey macro utility called FlashTray Pro, which allows you to instantly launch applications, files, folders, URLs and system options from the system tray menu. Moreover, the application has a collection of small utilities, including a Color Picker, Character Map, Screen Magnifier, Calendar Studio and Windows Sizer. The shortcuts can be accessed from both the system tray as well as through user-defined hotkeys. More on FlashTray Pro after the jump. Read More

NPowerTray: System Tray Shortcut For Windows 8 Power Options

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Since the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 got released, there have been a lot of complaints from users related to different menus and options missing, or moved to new locations. For instance, the Shutdown options, which were accessible directly from the Start Orb in Windows 7, now requires you to first open the Settings menu of Windows 8 from the Charms Bar in order to Shutdown, Restart, Sleep or put your computer in hibernate mode. We still don’t know if this is the final shape that the interface of Windows 8 is going to take, as Microsoft might make some small changes till the final version is released, based on user feedback. Till then, what the users of Windows 8 Consumer Preview can do, is use third party apps to get the features not available by default. If you are also one of those people who are annoyed by the "hard to access" nature of power options, try NPowerTray. It is an open source application for Windows 8 that adds a shutdown menu to the system tray of Desktop, and allows you to perform all the shutdown functions, including Shutdown, Reboot, Hibernate, Sleep, Lock and Log Off without having to open the Settings menu. Read More

Desktop Slider: Create Multiple Workspaces & Slide Windows Across The Screen

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Although Windows 7 has Aero Snap feature to quickly adjust two opened application windows on the screen, it doesn’t automatically move them when you drag an application window. This compels users to use third-party application windows adjustment utilities such as Asus Multiframe Utility, Windy,  WinSplit Revolution etc., to quickly arrange opened windows on screen. Desktop Slider is built to slide opened windows across the screen, allowing you to not only focus on currently active window but also snap them to screen borders. What makes it unique from other application window managers is its ability to create infinite workspaces; you select the window and drag it across the screen to start working on other applications. You can view all open windows or select only active one using a hotkey combination. Moreover, it also let you hide the application windows; using the slider feature, you can keep selected application windows at required side of the screen and focus on only important ones. Read More

Instant Eyedropper Is A System Tray Based Tool To View Color Codes

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Yesterday, we covered Plastiliq PixelPicker, an application that allows you to view color codes in 10 different formats, such as RGB, ARM, HTML, CMYK, HEX etc. It can detect the color of items on your desktop and lets you view its view in a lot of formats, which can be quiet useful during web designing projects. Plastiliq PixelPicker has its own interface and a memory footprint of around 31 MB, but if you are looking for something lighter, you can check out Instant Eyedropper. It is a system tray based application with a memory foot print of only around 1.2 MB, which allows you to view color values and automatically copy the values to clipboard in multiple formats, without having to access any interface. More on Instant Eyedropper after the break. Read More

UltraHide: Instantly Hide Active Windows To System Tray Using Hotkey

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Do you have an annoying boss that keeps spying on you, or is always looking for a chance to catch you off guard. The last thing you need is to appear lazy or irresponsible at work, even when you are taking a break to relaxing your mind by perhaps playing a game, browsing through Facebook or watching a video on YouTube. Let’s face it, all of us need some kind of a break every now and then, before we are able to concentrate on our work. Unfortunately, this is not often understood by incompetent and unprofessional bosses (or, should I say, greedy entrepreneurs that see their work force as nothing more than expendable assets that has no human needs). If your answer is yes, then you need UltraHide. It is a Windows application that hides the active window with the help of a hotkey combination. You can instantly hide the active window using CTRL+Space, which instantly closes and minimizes your active window to the system tray menu. What’s even better, is that this window will only be reopened when you enter your pre defined application password. This means that, even if someone else tries to open these system tray items, they cannot open it without the application’s password. Read More

Plastiliq PixelPicker: View Color Codes Of Desktop Items In 10 Formats

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Picking the right color for the right job can do wonders for your presentation. Using the right or wrong colors - say, for your website - can make or break the mood of the visitor to keep browsing through your page or switch to another one. Some days ago, we covered ColorToy, an application that allows you to view color values in multiple formats. The downside of that application was that it only allows you to select a color and view its RGB, HEX, Decimal etc, values, but it did not let you view the color values of an image or desktop. For images, you can use Pictures to Color and Color Finder, but if you want to view the color codes of items on your desktop, give Plastiliq PixelPicker a try. Keep reading to find out more. Read More

Ursa Spell Checker Monitors & Corrects Spelling Mistakes In Skype

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Skype is one of the most widely used applications for text, audio and video commination worldwide. Launched almost a decade ago, it has now become the number one source of VoIP communication world wide. Such popularity even led the Redmond giant Microsoft to acquire it. Other than the communication services, it offers a bunch of features, including voicemail, group video calling and screen sharing. In addition, the folks behind it development also recently added Facebook integration for seamless experience. However, Skype still doesn’t have any native spell checker to help you locate and correct misspellings and typos. To cope with this problem, today we have a third party application that does the job, called Ursa Spell Checker. It is a lightweight utility that checks written text, and enables you to correct any wrong spellings or typos, while sending messages on Skype. When wrong spellings are detected, the application provides you with a list of correct words to choose from. It has support for multiple languages, and can be enabled/disabled through hot keys. More on Ursa Spell Checker after the break. Read More

Launcher: Manage Shortcuts For Applications, Files, Folders & URLs

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Shortcut managers allow you to access your frequently used applications, files, folders, URLs etc, directly from the desktop, without cluttering it up. Having too many icons make the desktop look dirty, and the wallpaper gets permanently hidden behind them. Shortcut managers let you keep the desktop clean, while having access to your favorite shortcuts. Some days ago, we covered a portable shortcut manager called Quick Pop Menu that let you manage and access shortcuts for frequently used applications. Even though it is a great application, it only supports application shortcuts. If you want a portable shortcut manager that can handle application shortcuts, as well as website links and shortcuts to local files and folders, give Launcher a try. It is a tool for Windows that allows you to easily create shortcuts for your favorite web pages, frequently used files & folders and applications. You can run applications, with command line parameters, directly from the Launcher menu. If you are fond of having a lot of shortcuts, you can group them together into separate folders. The application allows you to create unlimited folders for organizing shortcuts into separate categories. More on Launcher after the break. Read More

Volume 2 Updated, Adds OSD Notification Support For Volume Features

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Volume 2 is an open source volume controller that aims to replace Windows default Volume Control utility. Since our review, the application has seen quite a lot of improvements and features such as better display OSD features, added battery status display and default device highlight feature. Apart from these major improvements, the latest version has OSD (On Screen Display) for changing screen brightness with hotkeys, function set for original brightness hotkeys, OSD for changing volume, additional keyboard shortcuts to Pause, Scroll Lock, Home, Insert, Page Up, Page Down, Del, End, option to set device as default and a lot  more. Read More

Ethervane Echo Automatically Sorts Your Clipboard Entries Into Tabs

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Previously, we have covered a lot of clipboard managers, such as ClipX, Ace Clipboard and Free Clipboard Manager, all with their unique functionalities like managing clipboard entries through hotkeys and saving clipboard items & screenshots. Ethervane Echo is a portable clipboard manager that keeps track of your clipboard history without interfering with the default Windows clipboard. Unlike other clipboard managers, it automatically sorts the clipboard entries into different tabs, such as Default, Sticky, Used, Last hour, URLs etc., allowing you to quickly access the required clipboard entries. It allows you to select and mark the important clipboard entries as Sticky, edit entries both inside the manager and in an external text editor, and search for a particular entry using the built-in search function. Read More

Take Screenshots & Share Them Across The Network Using Kidsnapper

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There are many famous screenshot taking tools like GreenShot and Shotty, which enable grabbing and editing screenshots. However, sometimes one requires capturing screenshots from not just the current system, but also from remote computers (e.g., servers) to check whether required processes are running or not. Moreover, it can also be necessary to share your screen with other users across a network which may have various operating system like Windows, Mac or Linux. Kidsnapper is a portable screenshot taking and sharing tool that not only allows grabbing screenshots from your current desktop, but also makes it possible to share screenshots with remote computers via local web server.  This can help people using various operating system platforms to get screenshots from Windows-based computers. For example, a system administrator using a Linux operating system can get screenshots from Windows-based clients' PCs on the network by simply entering their IP address and port (2000 by default) in a browser. Read More

Manage Global & Application Wise Mouse Gestures With StrokesPlus

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Whenever you are working, time is one of the most precious commodity, and anything that allows you to save time is the need of every person dealing with deadlines. Here at AddictiveTipsm we are constantly trying to bring you newer tools that help you in performing the designated tasks. Working on a computer requires you to constantly switch between application, open and close windows and other repetitive tasks. Performing the same lengthy set of actions again and again just to do a simple action wastes a lot of the users' time. Previously, we covered StrokeIt, a feature rich mouse gesture application that lets you perform different functions, such as open, close, minimize, and maximize applications only using recorded mouse gestures. It makes your work easier by allowing you to save time wasted in performing redundant operations, like opening and closing applications. Today, we have an alternative to StrokeIt, which lets you create mouse gestures. StrokesPlus is another powerful and more flexible mouse gesture application for Windows, that lets you specify actions based on mouse gestures to automate common tasks. The lightweight application allows you to set and modify global actions. Read More

Add Notes & Reminders To Application Windows With Stick A Note

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Sometimes, random thoughts cross our mind during the most absurd moments. For instance, while working on a project, you will suddenly remember that you had to make a phone call. Note-taking applications like Sticker (a portable and light-weight application for taking notes on desktop) and Stickies (a clone of Mac's popular tool for note taking) allow you place sticky notes anywhere on your desktop, but what if for some reason you cannot afford to minimize the application? Stick A Note is portable application that enables you to stick notes to windows of active applications using hot keys. You can add relevant information particular to each application, such as project completion time, outline of an article you are writing, an important email address, etc. The application allows you to add the sticky notes in four different colors, and change the hot key to enable the sticky note. Read More

HostsMan: Edit, Restore, Manage And Merge Multiple Windows Hosts File

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Just like other OS platforms, Windows includes a hosts file that lets user map domains with their IP address to increase access speed, redirect domains to preferred locations (by specifying IP address), and completely block the domain access. In a network environment, a system administrator may enforce using a single hosts file that redirects, let’s say, Facebook.com to Google.com every time a client PC tries to access Facebook, or map domains with active IP locations, so client PCs can quickly access them without having to wait for DNS resolve processes to respond. Earlier, we covered a number of hosts file managers including BlueLife Hosts Editor, Hosts Mechanic and Hosts Editor. This time around we bring you a feature-rich hosts file management solution called HostsMan. It has been developed to efficiently manage and edit multiple hosts file without having to manually modify Windows hosts file (present in System32/drivers/etc folder). Read More

mDesktop Lets You Create & Manage Up To 10 Virtual WorkSpaces

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If you are one of those people who are easily distracted if there are a lot of applications opened on their screen, virtual desktops are a great way to get your focus back. Virtual desktops allow you to create multiple workspaces, enabling you to keep your work organized. You can avoid all the clutter and distraction, increasing your productivity and decreasing the time wasted in opening and closing applications. Having a separate work space for each project increases your efficiency because you will not have to waste time in looking through a pile of open documents to find the one you are looking for. Today, we are bringing you a desktop manager that allows you to have more than one virtual desktops. mDesktop is an open source application that lets you create multiple desktops on your computer screen. It supports up to 10 virtual desktops, allows switching between desktops using hot keys, and lets you send active applications to any virtual desktop. Moreover, you can maintain a list of applications that you would like to keep enabled on all virtual desktops. Read More

ServiceCommander: Manage & Monitor Windows Services On Networked PCs

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The best thing about Windows users society is that you can find almost any kind of software containing features not available in out of the box Windows experience. For instance, some days ago we covered Windows Service Monitor, an open source utility that lets you monitor, start and stop user-specified services directly from the system tray without having to open the Windows Task Manager or Service Control Manager. This makes it a tad bit easier to control or halt the behavior of those services with out going through a few additional clicks. Today, we have another tool, ServiceCommander, that allows you to Start, Stop, Pause, Resume or Restart selected services on any computer on your network from the system tray. What sets ServiceCommander apart from the formerly-reviewed tool, is its ability to control and manipulate services on networked PCs, a highly useful feature for many system/network administrators. The program lets you easily add services to the monitoring list, and displays the control functions of each service in the system tray. It also enables you to start, stop or restart all added services at once, as well as direct access to the default Windows applications of Service, Event Viewer and Task Manager. Read More

Copy, Organize & Upload Research Content To The Cloud With Shelfster

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Research is an integral part of writing. No matter what the topic is, a writer has to spend a lot of time doing research before they can actually start to pen down anything. These days, most of the research work is done on the internet, where writers browse through hundreds of web pages, reading and looking up new information from multiple sources at a time. Shelfster is an application that simplifies the process of researching and writing by allowing you to quickly capture text and image clippings from documents, as well as webpages. The content can be organized, viewed and edited using titles, tags, annotations and project categories, and is stored directly in an online account, enabling you to access your data wherever there is an internet connection and a capable device. Read More