The average PC user has a dozen or so applications which they completely swear by – and rightfully so. What gets the job done is what matters the most. There is, however, a treasure-trove of pint-sized utilities and fully blown applications just waiting to be discovered. We’ve scoured the Web to provide a list of 11 useful programs which you’ve probably never heard of.

#1 MaxTo
Now that it’s becoming a standard to own 20”+ widescreen monitors and dual displays are increasing in popularity, screen real estate is more plentiful than ever. However, for those of us who itch to keep the property lines of application windows in check, things are a bit more complex.

Using your PC can ultimately feel like a never ending cycle of resizing and dragging windows to fit them appropriately on-screen. That, unfortunately, describes me at any given moment with more than three applications open and I only have a 21.5” LCD sitting on my desk.


MaxTo is a lightweight application that allows to divide your display into sections. Upon maximizing a program within an individual section, the window snaps into your predefined panes. It comes packaged with some generic layouts, all of which you can alter to your liking. Getting started on your own template is ridiculously easy and should only take a few moments to complete.

#2 Unlocker
If you’ve used Windows for any extended period of time, you’ve been slapped in the face with various errors. Some of the most common include those claiming that folders or files cannot be accessed or deleted because they’re being used by another user or program. I’m sure you’re tired of combing through your drive with a magnifying glass trying to isolate the conflict. Unlocker is a small utility which provides a solution to that common headache. You can simply right-click the troublesome file or folder and call upon the aid of Unlocker. When the program opens, it will provide a somewhat detailed list of “lockers.” It offers the ability to end an individual process as well as unlock both a specific target and all found targets.

 Unfortunately, at the time of writing Unlocker (v1.8.7) is not yet compatible with 64-bit operating systems, but the developer is working on it. If that’s a bit of a letdown, pick your head up and check out LockHunter instead.

#3 DVD Flick
This program succeeds in its attempt to provide simple, yet powerful, DVD creation. DVD Flick converts and burns virtually any video file to a DVD that will work in your home entertainment center’s DVD player. Impressively, it supports over 45 popular file formats, 60-plus video codecs and more than 40 audio codecs. You can easily combine multiple files, add your own menu, subtitles and audio tracks.
The user interface is very straightforward and intuitive, especially for a tool in this category. To get rolling, you can literally just specify a source file, and click “Create DVD.” Among the supported file types are AVI, MPG, MOV, WMV, ASF, FLV, MKV, MP4. Codec support includes MPEG-1/2/4, Windows Media Audio/Video, MP3, OGG Vorbis, H264 and On2 VP5/6. Given its wide-spectrum functionality, I can nearly promise you that you’ll be able to transform nearly any video file into a fully working DVD. 


#4 Launchy
When I first heard about Launchy I thought it was just a third party tool that offered what was basically already provided in the Windows Start menu search. Let me tell you, I was wrong – very wrong. Launchy is everything the Start menu search should be, and more. From the get-go, Launchy runs behind the scenes and is displayed by tapping alt+space (hotkey is customizable). By default the app catalogs your Start menu and quick launch programs, and allows you to include additional directories. It doesn’t stop there.
The vanilla installation includes several plug-ins which add another layer of functionality, among them is Weby, which indexes your Firefox and Internet Explorer bookmarks. It also allows you to bind a Web address to a keyword. So for instance, I am able to bring up my Gmail inbox in Firefox by typing “gmail” into Launchy. In truth, I only have to enter “g” and Launchy automatically knows what I’m looking for. There is quite a selection of user submitted plug-ins as well, so you’ll undoubtedly find more substance to this program than can be captured in a few paragraphs. 

#5 Dropbox
The importance of having a PC on the run is made evident by the sheer scale of today’s portable computing market. From smartphones and PDAs to netbooks and notebooks. With multiple sessions logged across various devices, coordinating data between them can be bothersome to say the least. If that sounds like you to any degree, Dropbox might just be what you need.
Dropbox is an easy-to-use cross-platform utility which runs silently in the background of your system. The program creates a dedicated folder on your system, which you can interact with in the usual manner. By placing a file within your Dropbox folder, it is automatically synced over the Internet to other designated computers running the software. Data is displayed with a checkmark and arrows to indicate synchronization status.
The entire process requires no intervention and is a real breeze. Data within your Dropbox folder is securely stored online and file changes are saved incrementally so you’re able to access previous versions of your data. While Dropbox is free, it’s limited to 2GB of storage, which should be enough for conventional office or personal use. Premium options include 50GB of storage for $9.99 per month ($99 per year) and 100GB for $19.99 per month ($199 per year).