Last year we ran through a couple performance-friendly desktop search applications for those of you that don't want a program constantly indexing your machine, and today we have another nice alternative. It's a free Windows app called Everything that, unlike the others mentioned in the article I referenced, index your drive automatically over time.

RocketDock is definitely one of my favorite application launchers because of how well it is designed to mimic the functionality of the Mac Dock. It can also be extended with skins to change the appearance, or with docklets to add more features.

When you're working around your computer sometimes it can be useful to pin a window to the top. Basically that will ensure that it will stay on top no matter what other window you currently have focused.

Last week Download Squad dug up a real gem when they found a website called AlternativeTo. This website lists out a lot of really popular applications like Photoshop, Nero, Dreamweaver, and the various Microsoft Office products. Then for each of them it provides alternatives (both free and commercial) that users can choose from.

Searching for a specific image on the Internet can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Some sites, such as Google Image search, try to make the process easier, but shuffling through one page after another of results can quickly get tedious.

Mouse gestures are something that I've gotten into the habit of using for years now, and giving them up would almost be like giving up the ability to use keyboard shortcuts. Some gestures have become second nature to me, and when I'm on a computer that doesn't have that capability I get rather frustrated.

I'm a big fan of file renaming utilities because they can save a ton of time when you have hundreds of files or photos who's filename needs to be cleaned up. There are a few different tools that I used in the past to do this, but lately I've found myself gravitating to a freeware application called Ken Rename.

Media players are becoming an increasingly important part of our daily lives. Many of us listen to music while we work, study, or just browse the Internet. The chances are pretty good that you're using a media player such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Winamp, but there's one more that's worth checking out.

Most of the time I use my computer's desktop as a temporary holding place for things that I need to organize later on. It's normally filled with attachments that have been downloaded from emails, apps I've downloaded to try out, and more. My goal is to always have a clear desktop because that means I've filed everything away, but that rarely happens.

It's normally safe to say that diehard geeks like to know what's going on inside their machine. If you fall into that category then you've probably already tried tools that manage and monitor your PC, but there is also another free task manager that does a great job of adding functionality onto the semi-decent tool that's included with Windows.