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Essential Anti-Annoyance Add-Ons

Gimme Back My Boot Disk

Before Windows 2000 and XP, if things went haywire on your PC, you could always reboot it with a floppy to run virus scans, retrieve lost files, and so on. XP lets you make an Emergency Recovery Disk, but most of us wouldn't know what to do with an ERD's few command-line tools. Instead, download Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE); it's a free tool that creates a bootable Windows rescue CD or DVD from your XP installation disc and can optionally back up utilities, such as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE anti-spyware tool.

Recover Network Connections From Spyware

One way some spyware programs hijack your computer is by inserting themselves deep into Windows' networking software. Spyware removers, such as Sunbelt Software's CounterSpy, should remove the offending software. But such utilities can't always get your network running again. The free WinSock XP Fix gets the information flowing once more.

Organize Photos With Picasa

Windows XP's Camera and Scanner Wizard and the My Pictures folder are better than nothing. But they provide only minimal tools for downloading and organizing your snapshots. Google's free Picasa can perform at least a dozen invaluable photo tricks, including finding duplicates (to save disk space), performing basic image editing (to replace Paint's unchanged-in-decades toolbox), and handling Blogger uploads.

Improve Your IPod Interface

Irritated with ITunes? Mad at your Nomad? Most audio players come bundled with interface software that you may have no choice about using and that may not play well with Windows Explorer. But Red Chair Software sells feature-rich replacement programs customized for lots of players from Apple, Creative, Dell, IRiver, Rio, and Xclef. Red Chair's apps do a better job of integrating your audio player into Windows Explorer. Each costs from $15 to $35, depending on the version.