Windows only: Freeware application Click&Clean works in conjunction with previously mentioned favourite CCleaner to cover your browsing tracks with the click of a button. To use it, first make sure that you’ve already installed CCleaner and then download and install Click&Clean. Once installed, Click&Clean will add an entry to your quick launch bar. You can stop with that if you like, but Click&Clean also provides a Cleaner button for you Firefox and Internet Explorer toolbars—you just have to add them through the customise dialogs. Once there, clicking the toilet paper icon will automatically run CCleaner’s browser cleanup tools to give your browsing session a deep clean. Click&Clean is freeware, Windows only. Click&Clean [HotCleaner via FreewareGenius]
Windows Vista tip: If you’ve been missing the Up navigation button in Windows Explorer since you upgraded to Vista, the functionality is still there—it’s just hidden behind an Alt-up keyboard shortcut. Now when you want to move to the parent folder of the folder you’re currently browsing inside, just hold Alt and tap the up arrow. We’re assuming Windows decided to drop the Up functionality in Vista because in most cases, the Back arrow (or Backspace) will suffice, but if you’ve jumped to different folders in the sidebar or you started browsing your filesystem below the root, the Back button just doesn’t do the trick. Luckily Alt-up is a simple, intuitive shortcut alternative. Thanks Chuma!
Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension RAMBack manually frees up memory from Firefox to keep your favourite web browser running light. Once installed, RAMBack adds a Clear Caches entry to Firefox’s Tools menu. When clicked, RAMBack clears the memory cache of sites that aren’t in use (like tabs that you’ve closed). After playing around with it for a bit this morning while keeping my eye on the memory usage in the Windows Task Manager, RAMBack certainly does appear to free up RAM. The smallest drop I saw was around 10MB, while the largest was somewhere over 40MB. RAMBack is free, works wherever Firefox does. If you give it a try, let’s hear how RAMBack works for you in the comments. RAMBack [Firefox Add-ons]
Cross-platform media player VLC is often referred to as the “Swiss Army knife of media applications” for good reason: Not only does VLC play nearly any file you throw at it (you even voted it the best desktop media player), but it can do so much more. From ripping DVDs to converting files to iPod-friendly formats, let’s take a look at the four coolest things you can do with VLC and start you on your way to becoming a VLC ninja. Photo by R’eyes.
Dear Lifehacker, Even though it may “void my warranty,” I’ve made changes in Firefox’s about:config area based on tweaks you’ve published and ones I’ve seen elsewhere. Problem is, at some point I mis-entered one, and I can’t seem to delete it. I can only edit the value in about:config, but I can’t remove the entry entirely. I know it probably isn’t a big deal, but just in case, because I hate knowing it’s there: Is there any way to delete an about:config entry in Firefox?Signed,Config Fat Finger
Sure you can waste a whole lot of time hearing about what your friends ate for lunch on micro-blogging service Twitter, but if you’re already a Twitter addict, you might as well make your time there as productive as possible. My fellow Twitterers, while it’s impossible to avoid some useless noise on Twitter, there are a few tweeters and bots that offer up-to-the-minute alerts, useful information, functionality, and inspiration. Here are a few Twitter users—besides your friends—worth following.
Windows XP/Vista only: SteadyState, a free Windows utility offered by Microsoft, is a handy tool to have if you’ve got kids, friends, or just a program or two that could possibly wreak havoc on your system. SteadyState basically creates new user profiles inside a disk section kept at arm’s length from your actual system, and can go a step further by locking down access to drives, putting tight restrictions on a user’s configuration access, and have the main user’s hard disk restored to its previous state whenever an interloper logs on and does their misdeeds. As commenter JBDaddy pointed out, it’s a great way to kid-proof your computer—but you can also try out potentially crash-prone or system-changing apps in a virtual blast container. SteadyState is a free download for Windows XP and Vista; it requires a Windows Genuine validation before downloading. Windows SteadyState [via Download Squad]
