Windows only: HoeKey is a tiny portable application that helps you create user-defined hot key combinations that control a wide variety of Windows functions.
HoeKey uses an astoundingly low amount of system resources—on my system it used a mere 252k of memory. By comparison, the next most intensive non-system process was Notepad, consuming 1,298k of memory. Users can script a variety of macros going well beyond basic application launching. HoeKey has commands for emulating keystrokes, running applications, moving and manipulating windows, adjusting speaker volume and media playback, and a host of other things you might not want to do manually.
The application is completely portable and, because it doesn’t modify the system at all, you could safely use it for custom keyboard shortcuts on a work computer. Use HoeKey with some of the free ways we’ve suggested for syncing your files, and you’ll have the convenience of the same keyboard shortcuts at both your home and office terminals. HoeKey is a free download for Windows systems only.
Windows only: Portable system-fixing bundle Computer Repair Utility Kit puts 57 recovery tools into a single package. That gives you easy access to important system utilities without the fuss of building your own toolkit.
Windows only: If you’re looking for a better way to manage your wish lists than Notepad, but aren’t interested in the more frilly web-based solutions, WishList is a lightweight and portable solution.
Windows only: JPEG & PNG Stripper an extremely small portable application that strips the metadata out of JPEG and PNG image files.
JPEG & PNG Stripper removes every bit of metadata, leaving just the unaltered image behind. Whatever your motivation for sanitizing your image, you'll know that only the image itself remains. The screenshot at right shows a read of some of the metadata for an image I scrubbed in testing and, as promised, the application ripped all the metadata out without altering the appearance of the image itself. JPEG & PNG Stripper is freeware, Windows only.
Windows only: Is your Open With context menu overflowing with apps you never use? OpenWithView is a simple, portable utility for culling unneeded entries from the list of suggested programs in Windows’ Open With dialog box.