Embedded Files
The entries in this section are not single programs; instead, they are a collection of applications that should provide users with considerable insight into their own computer systems.
An expansive collection of computer utilities written by a programmer named Nir Sofer. All programs are stand-alone utilities with no installation process and will therefore work smoothly on USB flash drives. Each zip file download typically comes with an executable file, a .chm help file, and a readme text file. Each program by itself is simple to implement, but the sheer scope of programs available is awesome. My personal favorite is RegScanner because it allows users to search a computer's registry using the extremely powerful technique called regular expressions.
Just eyeball the impressive list of NirSoft offerings; you are bound to discover something that piques your interest. (One note of caution: some of the author's password recovery programs might run afoul of your anti-virus programs.)
Sysinternals Troubleshooting Utilities Suite
This site offers a collection of free tools to administer and monitor computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems. Perhaps the most useful of these tools is ProcessExplorer, a far superior successor to the lame Task Manager that comes with Windows. I also like AutoRuns, which shows what programs are configured to start up automatically when you start your machine, indicates where those entries reside, and allows you to edit or even disable those startup programs you find annoying.
A comprehensive list of all utilities complete with version number, date, and a short synopsis of each program can be found at Sysinternals' Utilities Index page. (Historical note: the company called Winternals that produced this collection of tools was bought out by Microsoft in 2006.)
This site offers a collection of twelve portable programs that are stand-alone executables capable of running on external USB devices. Several, like System Spec, Device Info, Drive Manager, and Optical Info provide extensive details about the hardware and software of the host computer. Most of this information is available if you want to wrestle with the Windows control panel's system applets, but Mr. Nolan's programs are far more convenient and visually pleasing.
Perhaps the most valuable item in this collection is MDB Viewer Plus, which allows users to open, view, query, and even edit Microsoft Access .mdb files without even having Access installed at all! You do have to have Microsoft Data Access Components, but most Windows computers come with MDAC already installed. However, if your computer lacks MDAC, Mr. Nolan even offers a link from which to download and install that package.
Similarly, a companion program called DBF Viewer Plus allows users to open, view, query, and edit .dbf data files you might have lying around from the good old days of dBase and FoxPro. Very cool indeed.
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