Alt-tab replacement

Power users won't be able to live without this helpful tool. If you're working on several files at once, alt-tab is the best way to switch between them. With Power Toys XP, the feature gets gussied up with thumbnail views of the files in the alt-tab queue. It looks impressive, but after you've used it a while, you'll notice a slight slowdown as the program loads the thumbnail, largely slowing the task down instead of speeding it up.

Virtual Desktop Manager

This toy allows you to have four "desktops" loaded up so that you can work on a spreadsheet, a presentation, and Word document, at the same time. To access the feature, right-click on the task bar, go to Toolbar, and then choose Desktop Manager. XP places what it calls "MSVDM" (MS Virtual Desktop Manager) into the task bar along with a tiny four-paned grid alongside four small buttons. Each button represents one of the desktops you've selected. (Initial tests didn't prove successful, because the system locked up after we loaded our desktops; a series of ctrl + alt + delete fixed the problem, and we were able to launch the files.)

You can also set up shortcut keys for each of the views. We tried VDM along with MPXP playing a song, two or three open webpages, as well as two I.M. clients, one of which was running a webcam that was broadcasting images. While testing the feature, several co-workers came by and generated a few "oohs" and "aahs" when it was running. VDM provides a nice diversion from the ordinary Task Bar Grouping feature, even if you're limited to four "desktops."

Open Command Window Here

Not new, this toy is a menu-based item to folders in my computer. To access the toy, right-click on any folder or disk drive, then choose Open Command Window Here. You'll get a separate window from which you can perform a variety of tasks related to the file. It's good for command-line geeks who don't like to point and click. For instance, if you type in "TREE," you'll be able to see the graphical tree in a particular folder. To get a list of commands you can perform, just type in "Help." This tool is recommended only for power users who are familiar with cmd.exe.

Power Toys for Windows XP adds some slight but additional fun to Windows XP's already engaging interface. Of all the toys, those related to digital imaging are the most useful and the ones most people will likely find useful. Others such as the Virtual Desktop Manager and Open Command Windows will likely appeal to more experienced users.

Pros: Image resizer, HTML slide show creator, virtual desktop manager, tweaks to UI.

Cons: Useless taskbar magnifier; alt-tab replacement only marginally improves existing alt-tab functionality.

Company : Microsoft
Price: Free
Available: Now
Category: Utility
Platform: PC
Requirements: Windows XP (Home or Professional Edition).