Free PowerToys from Microsoft

Glenna Winters

I am a geek! I am also thrifty. So when I see FREE and SOFTWARE together…. I’m there!!

Microsoft provides space on their website to deliver some third party products that work with their Windows XP operating system. I have tested most of them and found that there are two that I use constantly.

The Power Calculator
With this PowerToy you can graph and evaluate functions as well as perform many different types of conversions. I use it for pretty basic calculations because it is a bit more user friendly than the Windows standard calculator.
You can download the Power Calculator directly from this site: http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/PowerCalcPowertoySetup.exe 

The Image Resizer
This PowerToy enables you to resize one or many image files with a right-click. No kidding!! After you have downloaded a picture, just right click on it and select “Resize Pictures”. A dialogue box will open asking you to select the size. (You can also select the advanced tab for more options.)
 

You can download the Image Resizer directly from this site:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/ImageResizerPowertoySetup.exe 


Now, if you want to see all the Microsoft Powertoys, here is the site: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx 

Disclaimer: PowerToys are for Windows XP only and will not work with Windows Vista. If you installed PowerToys prior to April 23, 2002, you must uninstall your old PowerToys before installing the versions available here. Not all "free" software can be trusted. Be sure to scan all downloaded software from other sites for viruses before installing.

Enjoy!

Glenna Winters
Instructional Technology Specialist
Columbia State Community College
http://www.columbiastate.edu/fitt 
931-540-2614