(Now updated for the final release). With every major new release of Windows since Windows 95, Microsoft has issued a set of PowerToys--small applets and applications that expand the capabilities of the OS in generally useful ways. The penultimate PowerToy, of course, is TweakUI, an all-in-one Windows configuration tool that's been a favorite of users since the first version in 1995. And now, with the release of Windows XP, Microsoft has provided a new set of PowerToys, available for free download from the Microsoft Web site. This overview of the XP Toys will give you an idea of which you'll want to use and which to avoid.

Note that Microsoft has an amazingly inconsistent way of naming these Toys. When you install them, they are referred to one way, though the online documentation refers to most of them by different names. In the list below, I use the Setup names first and then add the names used in the documentation parenthetically.

Alt-Tab Replacement (Task Switcher)
Category: Shell enhancement
As someone constantly running several applications, the ALT+TAB application switching functionality in Windows is one of my most often used key presses. This Toy replaces that functionality, using a thumbnail preview of each window in the task list, displayed in a manner that is consistent with the new Windows XP look and feel.

Here's how it works. Once you have two or more applications running, hold down the ALT key and press TAB; this displays the first application window in the task list, using an attractive thumbnail image (Figure). Release the TAB key to select that application, or hit it repeatedly until you find the application to which you'd like to switch.

It sounds great, but in practice, this Toy is more bother than its worth. The problem is speed: Generating and displaying the thumbnail images just bogs down the system, the exact opposite of what anyone using the keyboard would want when switching applications. If you're a heavy ALT+TAB user now, stay away from this Toy.

Command Window on Folder (Open Command Window Here)
Category: Shell enhancement
An update to an old favorite, this PowerToy adds an "Open Command Window Here" context menu item (via right-click) to folders in My Computer or Explorer (Figure). Just right-click a folder, choose Open Command Window Here, and you're off.

If you find yourself using the command line often, this Toy is must-have.

Magnifier (Taskbar Magnifier)
Category: Shell enhancement
This Toy is similar to the Magnifier tool that ships with Windows XP (Start - All Programs - Accessories - Accessibility) in that in provides screen magnification capabilities. The difference, however, is that the PowerToys version sits in the Taskbar and, as a result, offers a smaller viewing area.

To activate this Toy, right-click the Taskbar and select Taskbar then Taskbar Magnifier (Figure). If you right-click the Toy, you get options for following the mouse cursor and keyboard focus (both on by default), and a setting for the zoom level (1 to 8x; 2x is the default).

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would want to use this Toy.

Photo Toys (Image Resizer)
Category: Digital Media
This nifty little Toy allows you to resize a picture or group of pictures, without changing the originals. It works in a manner similar to the Send Pictures via Email functionality that's built into Windows XP, but with easier control over the sizing options and, of course, a nice batching functionality for resizing multiple images at the same time.

To use this Toy, select any image, or group of images, right-click, and select Resize Pictures. The Resize Pictures dialog will appear (Figure), giving you options to resize the images at 640x480 (Small), 800x600 (Medium), 1024x768 (Large) or 240x320 (Handheld PC-sized, for Windows CE-based Pocket PC and other handheld devices). When you resize the images, new versions are created with subtly different filenames, by default. So, for example, if you resize an image called Mark at the Beach to handheld-sized, it will be renamed Mark at the Beach (WinCE). Resized to Medium, this image would be called Mark at the Beach (Medium).

There is also an Advanced button you can use to enable more options (Figure). This includes a choice to make images smaller during conversion, but not larger (often a good idea), and one that will replace the original rather than make a copy.