What’s This About?

There is a huge range of free software (Freeware and Portable Freeware) available for earlier Windows operating systems, including many very useful utilities as well as more sophisticated programs, some of which have already been reviewed on this site. So what do you need to do to run these programs? Well, Windows 7 provides a “Compatibility” mode and “Run as Administrator” that will allow many older programs to run, but first:

Why Would You Want to Use “Old” Software?

The fact that software is “old” does not make it less useful, often the biggest problem with some of these utilities is that the original programmer or software developer has “moved on” and the program is no longer supported or updated to work with the newer operating systems. With some programs this doesn’t matter and they can just be run on the new OS, but to have no problems at all is rare. For other older software Windows 7 has a “Compatibility” mode which provides a method of running these programs under the new Windows 7 OS but as if they were being run under the selected older Windows OS.  Modes are provided  from Windows 95 through to Windows Vista Service Pack 2, including Windows Server, Windows NT and Windows 2000, so a pretty comprehensive range.

However with other programs the change to the new operating system is terminal because of the way the software has been written to interact with the OS and/or hardware and even the Windows 7 Compatibility functionality won’t overcome the problems.

 Another factor when running older software and the way they interact with the operating system and hardware is that malicious code (viruses, Trojans, etc.) behave in particular ways to takeover your PC, reveal sensitive information or just make the PC unusable To do this they have to be able to do things such as change critical programs or components, write files, change the registry and disable other processes. Generally these type of actions require the system to be running under “Administrator” status. In fact it is generally advised that you should run your PC under a lower level of privileges which can be done by setting up a suitable user account which you use generally and log on as Administrator only when you need. However, this can be anything from fiddly to a major time waster if logging out and then in again takes a long time which is often the case where systems have lots of background processes running or where the OS has been in use for quite a long time since first installation.

Personally, I am already using many of my favourite portable programmes on Windows 7 and adding to them every day.

So What is Compatibility Mode?

Although there are many features in Windows 7 to protect against unauthorised programs causing problems running portable and other freeware applications is really quite easy. This is because Windows 7 provides a lot more to help in running older portable applications and other “old” software programs (not necessarily just freeware) whether you are using a USB stick, portable hard drive or the main disk storage on your PC. As with all new operating systems Windows 7 has few programs specifically written to work with it when first released, so the ability to use your existing favourite programs with Windows 7 is a real bonus. With this new operating system Microsoft has provided two things that help to run programs written for older versions of Windows. These are Compatibility and Run as Administrator. Windows 7 also has User Account Control or UAC which is designed to help stop malicious software causing damage or taking over your PC. You need to also be familiar with UAC as it will appear frequently when you first set up and run many of these type of applications.

Run as Administrator

However, just setting compatibility is not sufficient as the program has been written to make changes that Windows & doesn’t allow unless Administrator Privileges are set. Run as Administrator allows the user to assign administrator privileges to a specific programme whether or not you are logged in as an administrator to make running programmes that require this level of access much easier. Windows 7 also appears to “monitor” a new programme and will suggest that it may not have installed correctly, offering options to reinstall or start the compatibility wizard.

For more details and a guide on how to use Compatibility Mode, Run as Administrator and UAC (User Account Control) see the next post

Windows 7 – Compatibility Mode for Running Freeware, Portable & Older Applications

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Windows 7 – Compatibility Mode for Running Freeware, Portable & Older Applications

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Shutter – Portable Freeware – Shutdown Tool on Speed
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Check Your Internet and LAN Bandwidth Use with NetLimiter Monitor
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Popularity: 5% [?]

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What’s This About?

The post

Windows 7 – How to Run Older Software – Freeware & Portable Applications

provides a an outline of why you would want to run programs written for earlier Microsoft Windows operating systems under Windows 7 and how Windows 7 provides Compatibility Mode and Run as Administrator which, either on their own or combined, are useful ways to help get this older software to run under the new operation system. You can also use User Account Control to help but need to be aware of the potential dangers!

This post describes more on what using Compatibility Mode and Run as Administrator are about and how to use them.

Please note: While Compatibility mode and Run as Administrator will allow some software to run under Windows 7 NOT ALL older programs will be supported. You may also find that software will run but that some of the functions will not work. This means that it is probably worth testing for a while to make sure the program will still do all that you need or you can manage without some functions working.

Why Would You Want It?

Simply to be able to run as many as possible of software applications be they commercial freeware, portable, etc. that were written for earlier versions of windows from Windows 95 onwards up to Vista.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Allows some older software to be run under Windows 7

Pros: What’s Good?

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A Follow up Post to:

Run Multiple Instances of Firefox Portable

to Several Good Reasons for Using Portable Firefox

What is This all About?

The post Run Multiple Instances of Firefox Portable provided some excellent reasons for using different versions of Firefox portable to meet your varying needs. For example you could have versions with lots of add-ons or versions with add-ons that meet particular requirements, or you could set up versions for dealing with mail or RSS feeds or managing sessions for favourite sites.

The main problem was that Firefox Portable can only run a single instance (that is only one version of the portable program) at a time. So you could not have a Firefox Window and multiple tabs for say your email running at the same time as another version dedicated to RSS feed or favourite sites. (Note you can run multiple windows each with its own tabs but these will have the same add-ons, bookmarks and layout)

However a very simple change using a text editor, such as notebook, and moving a file from one folder to another can allow you to run multiple different versions  (instances) of Firefox Portable at the same time! i.e. different main Firefox executable files and the associated portable package of profile, bookmarks, add-ons, etc.

Update – N.B Since starting this tip I have found that there is information out on other blogs so this is not original

What Do You Need to Do?

Firstly you need a version of Firefox Portable- if you don’t have it you can download it here:

portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

In my main PC I have already downloaded both Firefox 2 and Firefox 3 portable versions.

(I still use Firefox 2 for one particular add-on  that has not been upgraded for use with Firefox 3)

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Starter is a portable program that will list all your startup programs, running processes and windows services in a simple and well laid out tabbed window. It allows startup programs to be disabled/enabled as well as editing and adding new programs to startup on system boot. All Windows Services are also shown and these can also be edited or details shown. Finally, you can also manage all running processes in a similar way to the Windows Taskmanager. The program is simple and the user interface is well thought out for simplicity combined with good features. As a bonus you also get real-time information on CPU (by core and total) and memory usage in the statusbar area.

Why Would You Want It?

Many Windows systems end up with a lot of programs added into the registry or Startup folder so that they are automatically run when the system ids first started (at system boot).  While this can be immensely useful and save time it can also slow down the boot process and the overall performance of the computer if too many programs and services are running. Often these programs are automatically added to be started by the installer (another good reason to use a portable program suite!). Quite often the program or service is really unnecessary for the day to day use of the compute and is just draining resources and slowing down everything else. Windows provides the msconfig utility to view and mange startup programs and you can also view or manage services through the Computer Management console. However, Startup provides a single, well thought out and easy to use utility to manage both of these as well as running processes.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Identifies Startup programs in registry, startup folder and system ini files (win.ini, etc)
• Allows startup programs to be:

• disabled
• enabled
• edited

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Freeware

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Popularity: 88% [?]

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CyberShredder is another very small portable application which is designed to remove all traces of old file data from your hard disks. It does not touch any existing files or the files in the recycle bin. This is very useful to ensure that files that have not been securely deleted cannot be recovered.

Why Would You Want It?

As noted under the previous post Privacy – Use CyberShredder to Securely Delete Files & Folders :-

When Windows deletes files from your hard disk using the standard delete or cut/paste methods it does not erase all the file details, just the index entry. So the file is still there you just can’t see it. There are plenty of free, portable programs available to recover such files ( see Recuva – Easy and Quick Way to Recover Deleted Photos and Files). Over time the “deleted” file may be overwritten by new files but this could be slow and is a random process. If you need to make sure personal details or other sensitive information is erased, for instance if you want to sell a hard drive or your old computer, then you need a program like CyberShredder.

Disk Redactor provides the complimentary piece of software to CyberShredder by “wiping” the areas of the disk that may contain information from files not deleted by a secure method.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Overwrites unused disk space
• Securely erase single or multiple folders
• Uses different methods depending on level of security

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Freeware

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Popularity: 91% [?]

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What’s This About?

CyberShredder is a very small portable application whose only purpose is to delete files and folders on your hard disk and remove all traces of the file. It does this by overwriting the file with other characters and changing the file entries in the system file  index.

Why Would You Want It?

When Windows deletes files from your hard disk using the standard delete or cut/paste methods it does not erase all the file details, just the index entry. So the file is still there you just can’t see it. There are plenty of free, portable programs available to recover such files ( see Recuva – Easy and Quick Way to Recover Deleted Photos and Files). Over time the “deleted” file may be overwritten by new files but this could be slow and is a random process. If you need to make sure personal details or other sensitive information is erased, for instance if you want to sell a hardrive or your old computer, then you need a program like CyberShredder.  However see the “Cons” and “What Could Make it Better” sections below.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Securely erases single or multiple files
• Securely erase single or multiple folders
• Uses different methods depending on level of security

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Freeware

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Popularity: 80% [?]

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ClipGuru is a semi Portable Application which monitors the clipboard and stores the information it finds there as text or images. This type of application is generally referred to as a “clipboard extender”. It stores this information in a database which provides a history of stored clips that can be reused. It has a variety of useful options for both storing and recalling the stored information

Why Would You Want It?

ClipGuru is a small, portable and light on resources. It allows you to store text clips or images (copied on there own without any text).So if you need to store text on it’s own, or images on their own, with the option to save different sets and paste multiple selections this could be very useful.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Monitors the Clipboard for text or Images
• Stores information in a simple database
• Multiple storage sets
• Clip text searching
• Combine clips
• Combined pasting
• Manage clips

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Freeware

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Popularity: 91% [?]

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DisplayFusion (Portable Freeware version*) provides the ability to move and resize windows between monitors in a multi-monitor setup. It also allows you to set wallpaper and backgrounds from photos on your computer or from Flickr. It is a great alternative to the shareware “Ultramon” program.

* There is a shareware upgrade to a Pro version however the Free version does everything that I need.

Why Would You Want It?

If you use a multi-monitor setup (and for a serious computer user the only reasons I think you shouldn’t is lack of money or space) then moving windows, particularly maximized windows between the monitors is something you wan to easily do. The ability of DisplayFusion to move a maximized window from one monitor to another by dragging and dropping makes it worth installing for just this one feature. The addition of hotkey window operations and wallpaper/background management are just an incredible bonus

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Drag Maximized Windows between monitors/screens
• Move, Size and Maximize Windows with Hotkeys
• Set Separate Images as Screen Background/Wallpaper
• Auto Snap Windows to Monitor edges

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Freeware

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Popularity: 95% [?]

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What Is It?

Statusable provides a second statusbar in Firefox that displays the “progress bar” and some standard text

Why Would You Want It?

Numerous add-ons in Firefox use the statusbar to display information. Statusable provides a second statusbar displaying progress and some standard text. This frees up the standard statusbar to display other information. This is very useful, particularly when combined with other add-ons which help with displaying the information that you need or using add-ons options to limit what is displayed in the statusbar. So if you need a bit more room in your statusbars this certainly helps.

ProReviewer has previously reviewed Statusbars by Marius Gunderson which did a great job in helping to organize what is displayed in multiple statusbars for Firefox 2. Unfortunately this has not been updated for Firefox 3.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Provides a second statusbar
• Shows Progress and some standard text

Pros: What’s Good?

• Freeware

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Popularity: 81% [?]

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Flexible Renamer is a portable program that will rename files and folders, change file attributes including dates, change tags for different file groups (music, photos, docs, etc.) It has very powerful rules and methods combined with a wide range of options, defined presets and methods as well as both simple and advanced ways of working.

Why Would You Want It?

The need to rename batches of files in collections of photos, music tracks, documents, archives, websites, etc. can be met by many programs. However, Flexible Renamer offers this and more in a small portable program which includes comprehensive renaming rules, changing dates, changing attributes, changing tag information for most common tagged files and the ability to create batches of prenamed files. Sometimes you just want to add something to a file name, for instance you may want to add a place and date to the name of all the photos you took on holiday. You might want to add  something to a batch of documents that all relate to the same project. As you can use the file date for sorting in many file explorer programs you may want to change dates as a method of indicating that older dated files are part of a “most recent” set on a particular subject. This, combined with the ability to also change the folder names and tag information makes Flexible Renamer very powerful

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Renames Files and Folders
• Provides comprehensive rules and rename methods
• Changes Attributes including dates
• Changes File Tag information for common tagged file types
  such as photos, music, documents, etc.
• Adds Shell Extensions for Context Menus (Optional)

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Freeware

(more…)

Popularity: 100% [?]

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