When I upgraded to Windows 8 64-bit a few months back, a strange thing happened. The thumbnails for all of my PDF files disappeared. Normally, when I view an Explorer folder, I have the PDF files on “view large icons” (as it then gives me a preview of what the first page of the file looks like). But Windows 8 wiped all of that. I couldn’t even get the standard Adobe PDF logo. So I did my usual and went Googling for answers and ended up with a free program called 64-bit Adobe Preview Handler.
The app itself is just a simple box which can be closed, once you click the “apply fix” button.
This small app (which weighs in at a measly 1MB) makes a small Windows registry fix that brings your PDF thumbnails back. The issue of disappearing thumbnails doesn’t seem to be confined to just Windows 8 though. Anyone with either Vista or Windows 7 64-bit may also experience this problem, and 64-bit Adobe Preview Handler is here to save the day.
Simply do the usual download and install and when you start it up, you will see a small window. There is pretty much nothing to configure–no options or anything. Click “apply fix” and then restart Windows Explorer. If it still doesn’t work, you may also have to clear your thumbnail cache, but don’t worry, this is very easy to do. Simply run Disk Cleanup, select the C drive, put a tick in the Thumbnails checkbox, and then click OK. The system will do the rest.
Check back again on Windows Explorer, and you should see your PDF thumbnails appear again.
When you switch your computer on first thing in the morning, what do you do? I bet you open the same browser, open the same Web pages (email, Facebook, news), and start up the same software apps. We are all creatures of habit after all. However, opening up all of these things takes time and effort. Wouldn’t you prefer your computer to do all this for you, by the time you come back to your desk with a cup of coffee? If so, the free AutoStarter X3 will be of interest to you.
AutoStarter X3 is a neat little app that allows you to make what is called a batch file (bat). Batch files are text files with a list of commands for your computer to do certain things. You can double-click them for the commands to be instantly carried out, or you can place them inside the Windows start menu for the batch files to be executed during the Windows boot-up process.
This means, for example, that you can tell your operating system that, during Windows start-up, you want your browser to be opened with a certain list of Web pages pre-opened. Or you want a directory in Windows Explorer pre-opened for you. Or a certain file to be opened. You can even make batch files that start music playlists. Imagine booting your computer up, then sitting back as your browser opens, your Web pages open, and your favorite music instantly starts to play. All without you doing a thing. These are just some of the potential benefits of batch files and AutoStarter X3 helps you set it all up.
To begin, choose what action you would like the batch file to perform. This will determine what information the app will ask you to enter next.
What is great about Autostarter X3 is that it is a small portable app requiring no installation. Just pop it on a USB stick, or in Dropbox, or simply on your computer desktop. Double-click it and when the simple user interface opens up, click “add” to begin a new batch file. If you have something that you have already worked on in the app, you can open it up to edit it.
Windows Explorer’s Navigation pane provides easy movement between the folders on your hard drive. Bevaau asked the Windows forum about configuring this handy tool.
Microsoft greatly improved Windows Explorer in Windows 7, making it more configurable and easier to navigate. They improved it even more in Windows 8, where they gave it an Office-like tab system and a more descriptive name: File Explorer. (This is one of the few changes in Windows 8 that I like.)
I’m going to concentrate here on one part of Windows/File Explorer: the Navigation pane. It’s the left-most part of the Explorer window, listing Favorites and Libraries. These instructions work for Windows 7 and 8. Some of it also applies to Vista.
We’ve seen many versions of Windows, but one of the things that has barely changed is the Windows Explorer. We still have the same single folder view, and we still have minimal functionality. Multi Commander tries to replace this and add to it by offering features that Microsoft seems either unwilling or unable to give us by default.
There are two versions offered, a regular installable version and a portable version that requires no installation (although it is worth noting that the installable version can make a portable version for you, if you decide you want that later). Whichever one you choose, open it up and you will immediately see the difference between Multi Commander and your standard vanilla Explorer.
iTunes is a great tool for managing the content of your iPhone or iPad—if you can live with all of its limitations and restrictions. Like the fact that it stores your files where it wants to, and only where it wants to. And the fact that it’s a resource hog. Enter CopyTrans, a useful $20 utility that puts you more in control of managing your iOS content on your Windows PC.
CopyTrans installs as part of WindSolutions’s CopyTrans Suite, which includes several different applications for managing various parts of your iOS experience, such as CopyTrans Contacts and CopyTrans Photo. While it’s called a suite, you purchase the applications you want individually. All of the applications include a free demo version; you can try any of them and buy the ones you like. (Note that the free version of CopyTrans limits your transfers to 100 tracks.)
CopyTrans lets you browse the contents of your iOS device, sorting it by type, genre, artist, or album.
WindSolutions bills CopyTrans as an “Easy iPhone Backup” solution, and, indeed, this application does allow you to backup some of your iPhone (and iPod and iPad) content to your computer. But its focus is solely on music, videos, apps, and playlists. It does not backup contacts or photos; you’ll have to purchase a separate part of the CopyTrans Suite to accomplish that.
CopyTrans sports a basic but functional interface. It automatically detects a connected iOS device and catalogs its audio and video content. CopyTrans has two main features: Smart Backup and Manual Backup. A Smart Backup is completely automated, as it offers a one-click way to make sure all of the content on your iOS device is synced with your iTunes library. It does this quickly (transferring 233 tracks took just a few minutes) and without creating duplicate files. This can be a handy way to make sure the content you have added to your iPod or iPhone is saved in iTunes, too, whether that’s because your iTunes library was lost or you’re using another computer.
The Manual Backup option gives you more control over the results. You can use this feature to sync only selected contents to iTunes, or you backup the contents of your iOS device to another location on your computer. Doing this creates a location from which you can play back your tunes and videos with your favorite media player, which doesn’t have to be iTunes. While CopyTrans lists your content and lets you sort it by genres, artists, albums, or playlists, it’s not a media player, and doesn’t allow you to play back content itself.
CopyTrans lacks some of the features found in Mobiledit, a $25 application that could be considered its rival. But where Mobiledit allows you to peruse all of the contents of your mobile phone (including iPhones) using a Windows Explorer-like folder structure, CopyTrans focuses strictly on audio, video, and apps. And you wouldn’t really consider CopyTrans an iTunes rival, as it’s not a comprehensive tool for transferring content between your PC and iOS device. But CopyTrans is a worthy sidekick to iTunes, as it offers more control over your iOS content than Apple’s software delivers.
Note: The Download button on the Product Information page will download the software to your system.
Think your PC and your cell phone don’t mix? Think again. Mobiledit, a $25 Windows application (free demo), bridges the gap between the two devices, allowing you to manage your phone and its contents from the big screen of your desktop.
Mobiledit lets manage almost any kind of cell phone, from basic handsets to iOS and Android smartphones. You connect your phone to your computer via USB, Bluetooth, IrDA,) and the software recognizes it automatically. I tested Mobiledit with an Android and an iPhone, and it recognized both of them automatically. Mobiledit can connect to some Android phones over Wi-Fi, but to do so, you need to install the Mobiledit Connector app on your handset.
Mobiledit allows you to view the contents of your phone, as well as plenty of information about the device.
Once your phone is connected, Mobiledit allows you to browse its contents using a Windows Explorer-like folder structure. While iPhone owners may balk at its $25 price tag when iTunes is free, Mobiledit frees you from the restrictions of iTunes, allowing you to view your iPhone’s contents on a more granular level. The $25 fee includes a license for two phones and one PC. A $35 Family Edition ups that to 5 phones, while a $59 Professional Edition covers 10 phones. A free version, called Mobiledit Lite, allows you to view your phone’s contents, but not write to it.
In addition to viewing the contents of your phone, Mobiledit lets you transfer photos and videos to and from your phone, send text messages from your keyboard, and install applications to your phone. It’s similar in many ways to Wondershare’s MobileGo, but that product only works with Android devices. Mobiledit works with a much wider variety of devices.
