Microsoft offers many
assistive tools
that target anyone who needs more
control over their device
and are not included by default in
the Windows system. Most of these tools are developed by Microsoft, but there are also tools from the
team Sysinternals
that was previously part of Winternals Software and acquired by Microsoft in
2006 and its programs are still active and can be used on any
Windows version. Anyway, aside from the Windows system
and Microsoft Office
desktop programs, let’s shed light on other programs from Microsoft that are definitely a must-have on
your device because they are very useful.
assistive tools
that target anyone who needs more
control over their device
and are not included by default in
the Windows system. Most of these tools are developed by Microsoft, but there are also tools from the
team Sysinternals
that was previously part of Winternals Software and acquired by Microsoft in
2006 and its programs are still active and can be used on any
Windows version. Anyway, aside from the Windows system
and Microsoft Office
desktop programs, let’s shed light on other programs from Microsoft that are definitely a must-have on
your device because they are very useful.
Useful tools from Microsoft
PowerToys
Personally, I consider it one of the most powerful and best Microsoft tools for improving the way we use
Windows every day. « PowerToys » is a program that provides a set of assistive features to increase
productivity or add more customization in the Windows interface. Through the tools of this
program, many tasks can be performed, such as
quickly launching programs
or
editing the Hosts file, or
determining what prevents deletion or modification of the file
in addition to
extracting any text from images. We recommend reviewing our previous topic where we reviewed
10 amazing tools from PowerToys that will change your experience with Windows
to get an idea of the tasks the program can help you with.
Windows every day. « PowerToys » is a program that provides a set of assistive features to increase
productivity or add more customization in the Windows interface. Through the tools of this
program, many tasks can be performed, such as
quickly launching programs
or
editing the Hosts file, or
determining what prevents deletion or modification of the file
in addition to
extracting any text from images. We recommend reviewing our previous topic where we reviewed
10 amazing tools from PowerToys that will change your experience with Windows
to get an idea of the tasks the program can help you with.
All of these tools are completely free and integrate seamlessly with Windows and can be easily activated
through the program’s simple interface, which also provides a quick explanation of how to use each
tool when activated. Also, note that the program is not limited to the mentioned tools only, but
receives continuous updates to add more new features. It can be downloaded to your device either
through the Microsoft Store
or
by downloading the EXE file
from the Microsoft website for manual installation.
through the program’s simple interface, which also provides a quick explanation of how to use each
tool when activated. Also, note that the program is not limited to the mentioned tools only, but
receives continuous updates to add more new features. It can be downloaded to your device either
through the Microsoft Store
or
by downloading the EXE file
from the Microsoft website for manual installation.
Process Explorer
This tool is an advanced version of Task Manager, as it includes interesting additions
for managing tasks on the computer professionally. For example, Process Explorer allows us to
know the files, folders, and even the registry path associated with each process or program.
It also helps you discover « malicious processes » and monitor resource consumption more accurately than
the default Task Manager in Windows. The graphical interface of the tool may look complicated, but once you understand
the function of each element, you will get used to using it. All processes and program tasks are displayed in a tree-like list so that you can easily
discover the tasks that a specific program depends on and then you can terminate the task completely or
« freeze » it or reboot it and know the file/DLL file path responsible for running it, etc.
for managing tasks on the computer professionally. For example, Process Explorer allows us to
know the files, folders, and even the registry path associated with each process or program.
It also helps you discover « malicious processes » and monitor resource consumption more accurately than
the default Task Manager in Windows. The graphical interface of the tool may look complicated, but once you understand
the function of each element, you will get used to using it. All processes and program tasks are displayed in a tree-like list so that you can easily
discover the tasks that a specific program depends on and then you can terminate the task completely or
« freeze » it or reboot it and know the file/DLL file path responsible for running it, etc.
And if you find a suspicious process/task or are unfamiliar with its source, right-click and choose
« Check VirusTotal » to take advantage of the most powerful features of this tool, where by clicking this
option, the process is scanned using more than 70 different antivirus engines and then you are informed of the result that shows the truth of the matter. In general, Process Explorer is an excellent tool for monitoring processes and controlling them, and it seems very ideal for computer users who want to know what happens « behind the scenes » when running programs.
« Check VirusTotal » to take advantage of the most powerful features of this tool, where by clicking this
option, the process is scanned using more than 70 different antivirus engines and then you are informed of the result that shows the truth of the matter. In general, Process Explorer is an excellent tool for monitoring processes and controlling them, and it seems very ideal for computer users who want to know what happens « behind the scenes » when running programs.
Microsoft PC Manager
A free tool from Microsoft that helps Windows users improve the performance of their devices with a click of a button, as with well-known cleaning programs, where it deletes temporary files to free up storage space, ends unnecessary processes running in the background, disables programs that start with the computer startup, in addition to scanning system vulnerabilities and addressing them, including checking for viruses and malware…etc.
Microsoft PC Manager seems to be just an interface to unify the functions already provided by Windows, such as when scanning the device for viruses relying on the Windows Defender program, and when cleaning the hard drive the built-in Disk Cleanup tool in Windows is used. However, unlike similar cleaning programs like CCleaner, this tool will not suggest fixing Registry problems or performing any suspicious functions to keep the system safe.
Microsoft PC Manager seems to be just an interface to unify the functions already provided by Windows, such as when scanning the device for viruses relying on the Windows Defender program, and when cleaning the hard drive the built-in Disk Cleanup tool in Windows is used. However, unlike similar cleaning programs like CCleaner, this tool will not suggest fixing Registry problems or performing any suspicious functions to keep the system safe.
Autoruns
Windows already provides the capability to manage installed programs that start automatically upon computer startup, as this is among the things handled through Task Manager. However, by using the Autoruns tool, you get more control over these programs to make system boot time faster. In addition, it helps you discover malicious programs when starting Windows.
When running
Autoruns
for the first time, you may be surprised by the number of tasks that start working when Windows boots up,
and the graphical interface of the tool will not be familiar if you are a beginner user as all
the information appears intertwined and not well organized. That’s because the tool is primarily
intended for experts or advanced computer users, as they can explore many control tools for virtually
everything related to Windows. Autoruns not only displays the programs that start with Windows,
but also shows the services, scheduled tasks, and installed toolbars…etc.
Autoruns
for the first time, you may be surprised by the number of tasks that start working when Windows boots up,
and the graphical interface of the tool will not be familiar if you are a beginner user as all
the information appears intertwined and not well organized. That’s because the tool is primarily
intended for experts or advanced computer users, as they can explore many control tools for virtually
everything related to Windows. Autoruns not only displays the programs that start with Windows,
but also shows the services, scheduled tasks, and installed toolbars…etc.
To disable any item from starting automatically after Windows boot, simply uncheck the box next to
its name, and then it will disappear completely, and if you want to remove it permanently from the list, right-click it and then choose « Delete. » You will notice that Autoruns presents detailed information about each item such as the company that developed the software and the program/file path, and even you can know the last time this program started automatically. You can also submit any suspicious program to VirusTotal through the right-click menu, where it is scanned to ensure whether it follows malicious software or viruses. In short, there are many programs to manage items that start automatically with computer startup, but if you are a technical person or have advanced skills in using Windows, this is the best program for you to understand everything that starts with the system and control it.
its name, and then it will disappear completely, and if you want to remove it permanently from the list, right-click it and then choose « Delete. » You will notice that Autoruns presents detailed information about each item such as the company that developed the software and the program/file path, and even you can know the last time this program started automatically. You can also submit any suspicious program to VirusTotal through the right-click menu, where it is scanned to ensure whether it follows malicious software or viruses. In short, there are many programs to manage items that start automatically with computer startup, but if you are a technical person or have advanced skills in using Windows, this is the best program for you to understand everything that starts with the system and control it.
Disk2vhd
It is a tool that allows you to create an exact copy of the Windows system currently installed on
your device along with your installed programs… and everything generally present on the hard drive, and then save this backup in VHD or VHDX format so you can run it in VirtualBox or Hyper-V
as a virtual system. In simpler terms, the tool creates another copy of your device to run it as a virtual system, instead of using the mentioned programs to install Windows from scratch (as a virtual system), the tool takes a copy of the contents of the hard drive and runs it directly on this system.
your device along with your installed programs… and everything generally present on the hard drive, and then save this backup in VHD or VHDX format so you can run it in VirtualBox or Hyper-V
as a virtual system. In simpler terms, the tool creates another copy of your device to run it as a virtual system, instead of using the mentioned programs to install Windows from scratch (as a virtual system), the tool takes a copy of the contents of the hard drive and runs it directly on this system.
To start using
Disk2vhd, select the partitions you want to clone by checking the box next to
the partition name, and here you should select the partition that contains the Windows files, usually
partition C, to clone the installed Windows version on your device. Then select the location
to save the copy, you can also choose to use the latest VHDX format used in all versions of
Windows and accepted by virtual system creation programs or VHD, which is the older format. Finally,
press Create to start the cloning.
Disk2vhd, select the partitions you want to clone by checking the box next to
the partition name, and here you should select the partition that contains the Windows files, usually
partition C, to clone the installed Windows version on your device. Then select the location
to save the copy, you can also choose to use the latest VHDX format used in all versions of
Windows and accepted by virtual system creation programs or VHD, which is the older format. Finally,
press Create to start the cloning.
Once done, you can use the created VHDX file to run the cloned operating system in a virtual machine using Hyper-V or VirtualBox, so instead of specifying the ISO file to install Windows from scratch, specify the VHDX or VHD file and the same Windows will run with the same programs and settings on the virtual system directly. It is useful for anyone who, for example, wants to install an untrusted program and test its reaction on the virtual system before installing it on the main device to avoid risks.
Windows File Recovery
Windows comes with tools to help you create backups of important data. But only a few people actually use these tools. Therefore, Microsoft has introduced its new application
Windows File Recovery
to assist users in case of losing any files or accidentally deleting them, providing a simple – yet not easy – way to attempt to recover files that are no longer on the hard drive for any reason.
Windows File Recovery
to assist users in case of losing any files or accidentally deleting them, providing a simple – yet not easy – way to attempt to recover files that are no longer on the hard drive for any reason.
Certainly, the application is free, but it only works on Windows version 2004 and later. In addition, it is operated through commands like CMD, as it does not come with a regular user interface, so you may find it challenging to rely on it to recover your important files again, but to understand how to use the tool correctly, we recommend reviewing the topic [Free Tool for Recovering Deleted Files from Microsoft].
Otherwise, the application provides advanced features that give you more control over the data recovery process, such as searching for only deleted images, or searching for files that were in a specific folder. Moreover, it allows you to exclude specific file types during the search. It should be noted that the application supports recovering files from internal storage units such as the hard drive or external ones like an SD Card or any external hard drive connected
