Files, Folders, Disk Utilities

Last updated 10-May-2008

Directory Compare 2.1    1.3Mb   (3-February-2007)
Another gem from Glenn Alcott who brought you the indispensable Directory Printer.  All Systems Consultants, Software Developers, and IT specialists should have this tool alongside Directory Printer.  In a nutshell this program allows you to compare two folders and pick out the differences (files missing from one folder, or files with the same name but with a different date, size, or time).  You can then synchronize the two directories, in either direction, rename files, copy files from one directory to the other, check file version information, print listings of directories or export to a CSV file, and you can even compare text files visually.  Top stuff.  This is a 15-day evaluation.  Price :  $29. All versions of Windows.

Directory Printer 3.7    1.1Mb   (3-February-2007)
One of the most useful little programs for Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP/2003. This program fills the biggest void in Windows 9x/NT4/ME/2000/XP/2003 by giving you the ability to print lists of folders or files on your hard disk or network. Thoroughly comprehensive and brilliant.  This is a 15-day evaluation.  Price :  $29.  All versions of Windows.

Filex 1.6    286K
The world's most complete reference on File Extensions and their associated applications.  No longer will you be wondering what the .ppd, .png, or .cdm file you just received by e-mail is about.  Fire up Filex and it will instantly tell you what the file is and in which application it was created.  You need Internet Explorer 5 or higher installed on your PC for it to work.  Free.

i.Disk v1.93    370K   (10-May-2008)
For Windows 9x/ME/NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista.  An excellent and simple little utility which enables you to find out which folders and subfolders use the most space.  The display is automatically sorted by size and you can drill down to find out the "culprit" subfolders that are gobbling up your hard disk space.  An excellent housekeeping tool for both home users and IT professionals as it also works on network drives.  Free.

Info-ZIP 5.41 + 2.3    485K
One purely for the techies. This free zip compression utility is an essential tool to have around for that fateful day when you or one of your users/customers is faced with a corrupted zip file, or has lost one or more disks from a [span] set of zipped files.

PropertiesPlus 1.65    230K
For developers and systems people.  Ever wanted to change the date and time created or modified on a file or group of files, so that they all have the same uniform date and time ?  Or have you ever copied folders from a CD-ROM to your hard disk and then had to go through every single subfolder and files to take off the Read-Only attribute, and wished there was a program that enabled you to do it in one fell swoop ?  —  then this is what you want.  It's free and works like a dream.  For Windows 95/98/NT.

Recover4All Professional 2.26    417K   (21-November-2004)
The essential files recovery tool for Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP.  Someone you know will one day not only erase files they actually need, but they will also empty their Recycle Bin afterwards, only to realise later that..........   — it is inevitable, it always happens one day!  This utility, the best of its kind, enables you to recover files even after they have been deleted from the Recycle Bin.  In its demo version it allows you to recover files that are no larger than 10K.  Once you register, $69, you can recover any size file.

THE Rename 2.1.6    2.8Mb   (17-May-2004)
Suggested by an AnswersThatWork user, this program is every bit as amazing as we were told it was.  For Advanced Users only.  THE Rename's prime use is to enable you to rename files en-masse;  however, you can also change the extensions of a group of files, change the case of filenames from upper to lowercase for publication to a website, you can sequence files, you can have the program add the date and time to the names of files (Ahh, those holiday pictures finally properly sorted!), you can get the program to automatically create sequenced folders for you, e.g. for testing purposes,.... and there is more.  If you decide to use THE Rename, make sure you first read the "Suggested uses for THE Rename" in the Help.  Then, whenever you use it, always preview the results – it will save you a lot of grief.  An extremely powerful and amazing tool.  FREE.  Works on Windows 9x/NT4/ME/2000/XP.

TreeCopy 1.11    321K   (20-November-2004)
A handy free little utility to copy directory trees.  Developers and System Administrators will relish the ability to copy a whole folder structure, including all subfolders, to a different location, without copying the files inside those folders.  Works a treat – we use it a lot.  It used to be able to copy the layout of your chosen directory tree to a text file, but that feature has been removed, so use Directory Printer for that.  For Win9x/NT4/ME/2000/XP.  Free.

TreeSize 1.77    703K   (11-December-2005)
For Windows 9x/ME/NT4/2000/XP/2003.  A brilliant little utility which enables you to find out which folders and subfolders use the most space.  You can sort your folders by size, you can drill down to find out the "culprit" subfolders that are gobbling up your hard disk space, and you can also check which folders waste hard disk clusters.  An excellent housekeeping tool.  Free for personal use (note the free version will not work on network drives – for this you need the Professional version, or, alternatively, use i.Disk above).

WinZip 9.0 SR-1    2.4Mb   (20-November-2004)
The de-facto standard in zip compression for all versions of Windows. If you often e-mail file attachments, or receive file attachments, or download from websites like this one, you will need WinZip. This is the unregistered version which you will need to purchase after 21 days of use.