The Real Plus Pack: PowerToys for Windows XP Microsoft Continues a Welcome Tweaking Tradition Eric Grevstad
Sat 11/10/01 -- What's Microsoft's best product? Different people have different preferences -- Excel, Windows 2000, Flight Simulator; at various times we've singled out offerings ranging from Works 3.0 for DOS to the Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer. But ask us to pick Redmond's greatest hit today, and we'll answer PowerToys for Windows XP.
Treats for downloaders in the know, PowerToys have been buried treasure on Microsoft's Web site since Windows 95; they're occasionally confused with another set of operating system add-ons that also premiered with Win 95 and has been reborn for Windows XP, Microsoft's Plus Pack. But the difference is clear: The Plus Pack is entertainment and screen-saver stuff you don't need that costs $40; PowerToys are nifty, addictive improvements to Windows itself available free from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/downloads/powertoys.asp (the setup file is a 940K download).
Officially, PowerToys are tweaks and tinkerings created after hours by Windows developers and not recognized by Microsoft tech support. Unofficially, they're wonder-how-you-lived-without-'em utilities that separate Windows cognoscenti from mere civilian consumers, and the appearance a couple of weeks ago of an XP-only version -- complete with the new XP interface and integration with the OS' and Windows Explorer's new multimedia abilities -- is the icing on Windows XP's cake.
The most popular PowerToy has always been Tweak UI -- formerly a Control Panel module, now a dedicated utility that lives up to its name by letting you customize Windows' user interface in ways out-of-the-box users can't. Want to show or hide recent documents on the Start menu? Want to hide the Recycle Bin, or display My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer on the desktop as Windows 98/Me did? Want to apply your favorite bitmap background to Explorer or Internet Explorer's toolbar? You got it.
Tweak UI doesn't offer the formidable, expert-level fine-tuning options of Xteq Systems' free-for-personal-use X-Setup 6.1, but packs plenty of conveniences, like specifying how slowly or quickly information boxes pop up when you hover over icons with your mouse, or clearing Windows' recently-used-documents list on exit. And the new version, in addition to letting you stop a pop-up program from stealing focus (active application status) from another or get rid of unwanted entries in the "New..." menu that appears when you right-click on the desktop, has a few handy functions for hiding users or new e-mail notices on Windows XP's Welcome screen. You can even disable Taskbar Balloon Tips if you're tired of Passport reminders and other pop-up notices.
Other PowerToys added to the XP Start menu include a Power Calculator that math majors can use to graph and evaluate functions (once they learn they must still type 2*x instead of just 2x on the formula line). The calculator supports trig and log functions with the option to display the former in degrees, radians, or grads; hexadecimal and binary as well as decimal output; and reverse Polish notation. The rest of us can use its array of built-in metric-system conversions.
Equally specialized -- for Webcam owners, not mathematicians -- is a Webcam Timershot that controls a camera connected to your PC, snapping pictures at any desired interval (of seconds, minutes, hours, or days). You can save each shot or only the most recent, resizing images to 640 by 480 or 800 by 600 or 1,024 by 768 resolution if you like, or send them to a network, FTP, or HTTP location. If you're trying to catch the break-room donut thief or get rich with a 24-Hour Live GerbilCam site, look no further.
The abovementioned three PC screen resolutions, plus Pocket PC handhelds' 240 by 320 pixels, are also on the menu of Image Resizer, a speedy way to create differently sized versions of digital photos or other image files. Right-click on an icon or thumbnail in Explorer, and you'll see (along with the original Open, Print, Edit, Rotate, and other options) a menu item for resizing the image.
You can specify a custom resolution if you don't want any of the four preset choices, and choose whether to overwrite the original image or (the default) create a new one, which the PowerToy gives the same name plus a size tag, such as "Beach Party (Medium)." Best of all, Image Resizer works on either single or multiple files at once, so you can select all the digital-camera shots in a folder and create Windows wallpaper-sized versions in one step.
