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Simplify Common Jobs

We all launch programs, burn data CDs and DVDs, and take extra steps to remove the formatting from text that we want in plain form. The programs in this category manage those tasks with fewer hassles, enabling you to save time and avoid prematurely gray hair.

Launchy

Windows already has a command line, but Josh Karlin's Launchy has a better one. Just press ‹Alt›-‹Space›, and up pops Launchy's simple, menuless command window. Type a word, and the utility presents you with a list of matching launchable files--both programs and documents. For instance, when I typed word, Launchy responded by bringing up Microsoft Word, WordPad, WordPress (from my Firefox favorites), and a document named Word Play. Pressing ‹Enter› loads your selection and closes Launchy.

You can configure Launchy by right-clicking it. It comes with plenty of skins and with plug-ins that have names like Calcy, Explory, and Foxy (no Dopey, Sneezy, or Grumpy, however; come to think of it, Doc would have been a natural). Other plug-ins are available at the Launchy Web site.

Price: Free

Download Launchy.

ActualDoc Standard

Windows' Recent Documents menu is a great idea, badly executed. Microsoft still hasn't figured out that this list should be filtered by file type, and that users might appreciate some privacy.

Luckily, Flexigensoft did figure it out and offers a better alternative to Recent Documents called ActualDoc. The free program gives you two ways to find a recently used file. You can right-click the Systray icon for lists by category--Documents, Internet Documents, Drawings and Images, and so on. Or you can double-click the same icon for the full-fledged program, which you can use to narrow the selection further by date and file type (such as Word documents and text files).

Security options clear Windows' Recent Documents list and password-protect ActualDoc.

The ful-featured ActualDoc Pro (€20) adds file viewers, custom categories, and document search.

Price: Free (Pro version costs €20)

Download ActualDoc.

PureText

I try to keep the number of autoloading programs on my PC to a bare minimum, but I refuse to remove PureText from my system tray.

When you paste text into practically any Windows program, you get both text and formatting. But more often than not, all you really want is text.

Steve Miller's PureText gives you the option of choosing a text-only paste. Once you have this little freebie running in the background, you can strip all formatting out of the clipboard's text and insert it into your current application simply by pressing a user-defined hotkey. I recommend sticking with the default, ‹Windows›-V, because it's close to the ‹Control›-V standard for regular pasting.

Price: Free

Download PureText.

Command Burner

Burning files to a CD or DVD shouldn't be difficult. And it isn't with Cortex IT's free program. This one-dialog-box utility lets you select the file or folder that you want to put on the disc, and then just click Burn.

Command Burner does have some limitations. You can't drag a file or folder to the program. And the only way to burn more than one file is instead to burn the contents of a folder. And this is not a tool for burning music or movies. But if the job is data-oriented and simple, Command Burner is far easier to use than Nero, Easy Media Creator, or Windows' own burning tools.

Price: Free

Download Command Burner.