richl.com

Here are a few useful tools and utilities i have come across in the past, all of which are highly recommended and completely free to use.

Memtest86

Memtest is a fantastic DOS based tool used for testing your RAM’s integrity to their capacity. Simply download, unzip, insert a formatted floppy disk and run the batch file from a DOS prompt, then follow the simple instructions and reboot with the disk still in the drive. Ensure that you boot from the floppy before the HDD in your BIOS and your ready to go. The tests can take a long time depending on how much RAM there is to test, but it is very thorough and will run hundreds of random patterns to test your RAM for bad blocks and the like.

Download is 60KB. DOWNLOAD!

TweakUI

(MS Powertoy) - An incredibly useful little tool released from Microsoft to enable users to customise many more aspects of their Windows installation without having to hack up the registry manually. Definately worth a look.

Download is 145KB. DOWNLOAD!

Image Resizer Powertoy

- This official tool from Microsoft will integrate a “Resize” option in the context menu for images, allowing you to easily resize images on the fly.

Download is 500KB. DOWNLOAD!

CopyWipe

- CopyWipes a utility for copying or securely overwriting (wiping/erasing) entire hard drives. CopyWipe can ease and expedite the transition to a new hard drive by copying the entire contents of one drive to another. CopyWipe can also help prevent confidential or private data from being recovered, by securely wiping the contents of a drive. A number of options are provided for wiping, most of which exceed governmental standards (such as DoD 5220.22-M, NAVSO P-5239-26, etc.); this allows the user to choose an optimal balance between security and duration of the wiping operation.

DOS Download is 555KB. DOWNLOAD!
Windows Download is 350KB. DOWNLOAD!

TFT Testing Utility

- This excellent tool from flatpanels.dk provides loads of tests and checks you can run on your TFT display. Here is a quick list of some things it can do:

- Homogenuity test to determine e.g. pixel faults and backlight bleeding
- Gradient test to determine e.g. banding
- Grey shades reproduction
- Simple trailing tests
- Moire patterns for 1:1 pixelmapping
- Input lag tests

Download is 1.55MB. DOWNLOAD!

Teamspeak

- A fantastic communications tool used by thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. It will endeavour to provide you with a quality conversation whatever your bandwidth. Hugely used by ourselves, we prefer it to other similar applications like Xfire as it offers so much more and uses so little resources. If you want a simple communications tool that does what it says on the tin - this is for you.

Download size varies. DOWNLOAD!