I just read that Virtual PC is now a free download.  If you've never used it, Virtual PC allows you to setup and run other operating systems (Windows XP, 2000, 98, DOS, Server 2003, etc.) in a virtual environment on your existing PC.  This is all done with a big file called a virtual disk.  Virtual PC simulates all the hardware, and the guest operating system never knows the difference.  It can even share the host computer's CD-ROM and network connection so that you can install software and get connected to the Internet or local network.  Guest OS's will even show up as additional computers on your local network!  You can start, shutdown, suspend and resume your virtual environments at will.

One of the best features is being able to "undo" changes to your virtual environments.  When this feature is turned on, every change made to the guest OS is saved to a separate change file.  When you "undo" a Virtual PC, all the changes are completely blown away and it is as if those changes never happened at all.  This is ideal for testing application or Web installations, giving demos, or trying beta software, because you can always roll back to the exact same state to repeat your tests or if something goes wrong.  We all know that uninstalling an application doesn't always (and more likely never does) put your file system and registry back the way it was before you installed.

 

I absolutely love Red Gate's SQL tools, and can't say enough good things about them.  I just found out from Steven Smith that Red Gate have purchased Prompt SQL (intellisense for SQL), and there's a beta to be downloaded that supports SQL 2005 Management Studio!  According to the beta support forums, the plan is to sell SQL Prompt for $50/user with multi-user discounts at 5- and 10-user levels.

By the way, Red Gate's Profiler and Load tools are incredible, too.

About a week ago, a friend of mine pointed me to this review of WindowBlinds.  In short, WindowBlinds allows you to apply themes to your Windows, changing the look and colors of your desktop, Start Menu, window borders, buttons, and so forth.  I was intrigued and headed off to the WindowBlinds web site to download the 60-day trial.  Little did I know I was going to become consumed with downloading and trying out themes available at WinCustomize.  There are literally thousands of themes available encompassing just about anything you can imagine, including other operating systems.

My favorite so far is the Arrow theme by MikeB314.  This theme makes Windows XP look similar to the upcoming Windows Vista, including semi-transparent window borders, semi-transparent task bar, and a custom Start Menu.

I think there must be something inherently in geeks to want to tweak their machines.  Of course, I guess that holds true for just about anyone serious about their hobby or profession.  Harley-Davidson owners are well-known for customizing their bikes, guitarists can't quit collecting guitars, and Jeep owners have their slogan: "It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand." 

The full version will set you back $19.95, and enables features that make some themes look even better.  It's a silly way to spend money, but for the price of a few StarBuck's you can "trick out" (what the kids are calling "customize" these days) your Windows to your heart's content.

One of the guys here at work was asking for a utility that would quickly show the size of each folder on his disk.  Josh did a search and came up with Folder Size for Windows.  This utility integrates with Windows Explorer and gives you more options (columns) when viewing the file system in Details view.  New columns that you can add to your display include:

• Folder Size
• Folder Size Sort (same as Folder Size but formatted to sort properly)
• File Count
• Folder Count
• Sibling Count

Sizes are cached and updated automatically as things change on your system.  Plenty of other features to enhance performance.

Seth Godin (the bald marketing guru that writes about purple cows) has posted his take on Google Analytics, which is supposed to be a free web site tracking/analysis tool hosted by Google.  The site is currently undergoing some kind of "maintenance" so I haven't been able to check it out for myself yet.  More info here.  Very interesting... 

Microsoft has released a developer toolbar for Internet Explorer.

Due to other priorities and apparent curiosity in the viability of open source projects, Eric Wise has made the decision to open source his Easy Assets .NET product.  Easy Assets .NET is a web-based application created to allow organizations to track assets (computers, monitors, printers, projectors, or just about any equipment I suppose) including purchase history, warranties, service agreements, and help-desk issues.  Any organization (business, church or ministry) with more than a few computers could realize some big benefits from asset tracking.

If you find his product beneficial, I hope that you will reward Eric's efforts in the form or donations or contract work.  I look forward to hearing the results of his experiment. 

Downloads are available here.