Windows: If you’re a fan of system monitoring applications but you’re constantly underwhelmed by how little they actually monitor — just memory and CPU usage? Pitiful! — then you’ll want to take a look at Glint, a more-is-better system monitor. More »
Windows 7 only: If you’re not into Windows desktop gadgets, there is another way to easily monitor your computer’s CPU and RAM: Taskbar Meters puts simple, attractive resource monitors right on your Windows 7 Taskbar. More »
Windows only: System monitoring application Real Temp monitors your Intel CPU temperature from the system tray—so you’ll know when it’s hot enough to cook some eggs. More »
Windows only: If you’re curious whether your processor will support XP Mode in Windows 7 or not, SecurAble is a simple freeware application you can use to find out. More »
Windows Vista tip: The Hackosis blog points out that Windows Vista uses only one CPU to boot itself by default, regardless of whatever dual- or quad-core hardware you’re using. Enabling multi-core boot might save you a bit of time, and the fix is pretty simple. Run msconfig from the Start Search box (or after hitting Win+R), then head to the “Boot” tab, check “Number of processors,” and change the drop-down box to fit your processor. I haven’t tested this myself, but given how long it takes Vista to gear up to running speed on my dual-core box, it probably couldn’t hurt, either. Let us know if you see any gains in the comments. Quick Way to Boost Vista Boot Time [Hackosis]
Windows only: Freeware system tray application Process Lasso monitors your running processes for CPU hogs and reins them in before they take over and freeze up your computer. Like previously mentioned Process Tamer, Process Lasso does this by lowering the priority of those processes on a runaway train to freeze-ville. Unlike Tamer, Process Lasso also offers a tonne of user customisation, so you can set default priorities by process or other rules for how Process Lasso deals with CPU hogs, like “Make firefox.exe run only on CPU #1 each time its launched.”
