Not quite happy with the way Windows 7 works, or looking to get more out of the operating system? You've come to the right place. We're big fans of Microsoft's latest OS, but we're also big fans of making Windows better. In this article, we've rounded up the best Windows 7 downloads. They'll let you customize it in any way possible, give it features that Microsoft removed or neglected to include, and more. So get ready to download--you're about to take Windows 7 to a new level.
(If you're eager to grab more than one of these great programs, see our Windows 7 Downloads collection.)
Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7
When Microsoft released Windows 7, the company inexplicably did away with a small, nifty utility called the Network Activity Indicator. Now you can have it back. The Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7 does what the Vista utility does, and then some. Like the Vista version, this tool puts a small icon (depicting two monitors) in the system tray to indicate when you're connected to a network or the Internet, and the icon blinks to show you when your machine is sending or receiving data; it also provides useful information, such as the network to which you're connected.
On top of that, however, this utility offers a lot more detail. For example, if you hover your mouse over its icon, you'll see transmission data about the number of packets you've sent and received. Right-click the icon, and you'll find yourself in network techie heaven, with gobs of statistics such as your active open connections, the number of errors you've received, your minimum timeout settings, and the like.
Even if you don't need all of that information, though, this is a very practical addition to your Windows 7 PC. It's a convenient tool for seeing your network status at a glance.
Download Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7 | Price: Free
7Smoker Pro
Want more customization power than you can get from free Windows 7 utilities? Try the for-pay 7Smoker Pro. It gives you enormous control over countless aspects of Windows 7's appearance and functionality in four categories: Tweaks, Maintenance, Security, and Passwords. Each of those categories has subcategories, and each subcategory offers multiple tweaks--which means that you can customize hundreds of individual Windows 7 settings.
If you don't have the patience to make that many tweaks, the program also has a one-click automatic tuner that peers into your system and adjusts it to make it run more effectively. You'll also find other nice tools, such as one that looks for the folders consuming the most space on your hard disk so that you can trim them down.
Although some of the tweaks are straightforward and easy to understand, many others are more technical in nature. Do you know what it means to 'Disable paging of kernel' or to 'Disable TIF Settings', for example? This application lets you do such things, but it doesn't tell you what they mean, or what effect the settings have on your PC. As a result, 7Smoker Pro is best suited for more-experienced Windows fans--but they'll find it very useful.
Download 7Smoker Pro | Price: $30 (free trial)
Windows 7 Manager
A great way to bend Windows 7 to your will is to use Windows 7 Manager. With this utility, you have the power to customize and improve just about every aspect of Windows 7. Want to optimize and clean your system? Need to control what programs run on Windows startup, or to adjust the Task Scheduler to turn off unnecessary system tasks? No problem.
This application also does far more, including improving security and cleaning your hard disk. The amount of control that Windows 7 Manager gives you is extraordinary. For example, you can change the mouse hover time before a pop-up displays, repair hardware and software problems, or optimize your broadband connection.
The neatly laid-out interface puts everything within reach. Click what you want to improve, and you'll see a screen full of options, often accompanied by simple-to-follow wizards. In other instances, you'll need to have a bit of technical background. But no matter what, in this program you'll find easy ways to make Windows 7 work just as you want it to.
Download Windows 7 Manager (32-bit) | Download Windows 7 Manager (64-bit) | Price: $40 (free trial)
Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnail Customizer
One of Windows 7's nicest improvements is the addition to the taskbar of multiple thumbnail previews, which appear whenever you hover your mouse over a taskbar icon. What makes them superior to the Vista version of the feature is that you can see all currently running windows as thumbnails, not just a single window.
But the revamped thumbnails still have one problem: They're typically too small to give you much of a preview, especially if you use a large monitor. Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnail Customizer offers a good fix, allowing you to change their size in any way you desire.
The program is exceptionally easy to use. Just install it, and then move the sliders to determine the size of the thumbnails themselves, as well as the spacing between them, their margins, and the time they take to display.
What if you wish to go back to the way the thumbnails were before you started changing them? Simply click Restore Defaults.
Download Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnail Customizer | Price: Free
Win7Zilla
Here's another excellent Windows 7 tweaker--and it may well be the best of the bunch. Not only does it let you change just about any part of the operating system, but in many instances it also shows you exactly what each adjustment will do, which is rare in a system tweaker.
Win7Zilla puts you in charge of almost every part of the operating system, with an incredible amount of fine-grained control. On the Start menu alone, for instance, you can perform more than two dozen tweaks. Now imagine having that level of control over virtually every aspect of Windows 7, from the desktop to the Control Panel to security settings, as well as to Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, and beyond. You also get other practical tools, such as a file cleaner and a Registry cleaner.
What really sets Win7Zilla apart is how clearly it explains the effects of your changes. It provides succinct descriptions in plain English--but better yet, it also shows you screenshots, so you can see what will happen. No other tweak utility does this.
If you're willing to pay for a Windows 7 tweaker, you won't do better than this one.
Download Win7Zilla | Price: $16 (free trial)
Next: Five Essential Windows 7 Downloads
Sometimes you Windows installation can become corrupted due to a poorly installed apps or Malware, which can modify your settings resulting in your system becoming unstable and unusable. With Tweaking.com Windows Repair you can restore the original Windows operating system’s settings and fix numerous instabilities and problems.
Tweaking.com Windows Repair is a selection of Windows repair tools that can help to fix all manner of known Windows problems, including; registry errors, file permissions, Internet Explorer issues, Windows Update problems, and Windows Firewall issues etc.
Fix Windows problems, including:
- Unhide Non System Files.
- Repair problems with .lnk.
- File association.
- WMI.
- Internet Explorer.
- Windows firewall.
- Host file.
- Policies set by infections.
- Icons.
- Winsock & DNS Ccache.
- Proxy settings.
- Windows updates.
- CD/DVD missing/not working.
- Reset registry and file permissions.
- Register system files.
- Remove temp files.
Overall, Tweaking.com Windows Repair is good utility to fix a large amount of issues that make your system unstable. The interface is basic and not very intuitive, but the displayed information is fairly comprehensive, and the available tools inside are powerful and are not to be dismissed. The app is relatively lightweight, and does not consume a massive amount of system resources.
We are pleased to release a first-of-its-kind application for Windows 7 & Vista: FixWin. FixWin is a 529 KB freeware portable application to repair & fix common Windows annoyances & issues. FixWin detects whether you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista installed and accordingly offers you the relevant fixes only. Windows 8 users may want to download FixWin v2 for Windows 8.
NOTE: Windows 10 users may want to download FixWin10 for Windows 10.
UPDATE: 19th March 2010. FixWin v 1.2 has been released which includes some minor bugfixes and UI changes. The download links mentioned below point to FixWin v 1.2 now.
While there were several tutorials and how-to’s already available on the Internet to deal with such annoyances, FixWin as a single utility was conceptualized, to fix some of the common annoyances which may be faced by a Windows user.
Does your Recycle Bin not refresh correctly? Or maybe you find that for some reason your right click context menu has been disabled in Internet Explorer! Or perhaps things are not fine with your Windows Media Center and you need to flush & rebuild Windows Media Center database! Maybe you opted to be not-warned while deleting Sticky Notes and you now want the warning dialog box back! Or then perhaps, post a malware attack you find that your task manage or cmd or your Registry Editor has been disabled! Fixes for these and many more such common Windows problems are being offered here.
The solutions to repair and fix 50 common Windows annoyances, issues & problems have been categorized under 5 tabs, viz : Windows Explorer, Internet & Connectivity, Windows Media, System Tools & Misc Additional Fixes.
50 problems … 1 solution … FixWin is the Windows Doctor all have been waiting for!
To see the screen-shots showing the list of Windows fixes available, click here.
How to use this application:
1. We first suggest that you run the System File Checker Utility. The button provided on the Welcome page, will ‘run sfc /scannow‘ and will check for and replace any corrupted Windows system files. It is expected to take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. If asked to, do reboot.
2. Next we insist that you create a System Restore Point. The provided button will create one, called Safe Point. We always recommend that you create one before making any changes to your system. Should you wish or need too, you can always go back to this Safe Point.
3. Having done that, apply at most one fix at a time and restart your computer. Please check if things are to your satisfaction; and if not, you have the option of restoring back immediately.
Read & watch what Fox8Live News has to say about The Windows Club & FixWin HERE.
Windows 7 Software
FixWin Utility v 1.2 has been developed my MVP colleague Ramesh Kumar, for The Windows Club.
It has been tested on Windows 7 & Vista, 32-bit and 64-bit versions. However, FixWin may fail to run if you have modified Windows 7 or Vista Image using third party app like vLite etc, as it may miss some core components required for FixWin to run and thus cause of failure.
Windows 7
The solutions used in this utility have been primarily sourced from WinVistaClub, Windows Club & WindowsValley, and the remaining developed by him.
If you wish to give feedback or need help or maybe even suggest a fix to be included in the next version, please visit The Windows Club Feedback & Support Thread.
How to install, reinstall, upgrade, uninstall, repair Windows 7, Vista & XP and How to Repair Install Windows 7 may also interest you!
Check out Ultimate Windows Customizer, which allows you to customize your Windows installation, including changing the Start Button, Logon Screen, Thumbnails, Taskbar, Explorer look, Windows Media Player and more! etc.
You may want to check out our other Windows freeware releases:
Fix Freezes or Crashes with these resources from TheWindowsClub:
Windows 7 freezes | Windows Explorer crashes | Internet Explorer freezing| Google Chrome Browser crashes | Mozilla Firefox Browser freezing | Windows Media Playes freezes | Computer hardware freezes.
By the way, we have some more freeware apps lined up for release. So if you are a developer with an idea for a Windows app and would like to release it through The Windows Club, we’d be delighted to help out.
These links may also interest you:
- How to run system file checker on Windows 7.
Related Posts:
Windows Repair (All In One) Download | |
---|---|
Author: | Tweaking.com |
License: | Free |
Operating System: | Windows XP/Vista/7/8/Windows 10 32-bit program. Can run on both a 32-bit and 64-bit OS. |
Version: | 4.4.9 |
File Size: | 36.85 MBs |
Downloads: | 1,519,563 |
Last Updated: | 05/10/19 05:30:00 PM EDT |
BleepingComputer Review:
Windows Repair is a utility that contains numerous mini-fixes for Windows. This tool will allow you to repair common issues with your computer such as firewall, file permission, and Windows Update problems. When using this tool you can select the particular fixes you would like to launch and start the repair process. This tool also comes in a portable version that allows you to use the program from a portable device such as a USB flash drive.
Windows Repair can perform the following tasks:
- Reset Registry Permissions
- Reset File Permissions
- Register System Files
- Repair WMI
- Repair Windows Firewall
- Repair Internet Explorer
- Repair MDAC & MS Jet
- Repair Hosts File
- Remove Policies Set By Infections
- Repair Icons
- Repair Winsock & DNS Cache
- Remove Temp Files
- Repair Proxy Settings
- Unhide Non System Files
- Repair Windows Updates
- Repair CD/DVD Missing/Not Working
Tweaking.com - Windows Repair 4.4.9 Change Log
Computer Repair Software Free Download For Windows 7 32 Bit Full Version
Speed improvements and spelling corrections.
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