Windows only: Free shell extension utility Shell Tools adds a few rare-but-good abilities to your right-click menu, including a means of toggling hidden file showing that’s a lot more convenient than digging through each folder’s toolbar menus to find the switch. In addition, the configurable extension tool lets you copy file names instead of files, create (hidden) note files on any file, grab URLs or site names from Internet Explorer bookmarks, and install or load fonts for a single session from the Explorer shell. I’m keeping it installed for the hidden file feature alone, but those who do a lot of file-swapping might find a good use for the notes feature, at the least. Shell Tools is a free download for Windows systems only. Shell Tools [via FreewareGenius.com]
Mac OS X only: Freeware application FinderPop adds tonnes of new and useful functionality to your Mac’s context menus through a highly configurable preference pane. FinderPop’s main goal is to make it quick and painless to navigate, copy, move, and alias files across your filesystem through the context menu, but it does much more than that . Unfortunately FinderPop is an app that takes a little time to get your head around, but it’s also an app that you could imagine being blown away by if you were watching someone who was really good with it. FinderPop is freeware, Mac OS X only. FinderPop [via Cool OSX Apps]
Dear Lifehacker, I’ve been searching around for a solution to disabling the right mouse button for my son, Xander (4), who gets very frustrated when he inadvertently mashes the right button. There’s a shareware program out there that fits the bill, but I’m hoping that there is a freeware program, or some other solution that will completely disable the right button for when he is logged in. Yours, Too-Many-Buttons
Dear Buttons, Whipping together a script and simple program to disable the right-click button on your mouse is a breeze using AutoHotkey. Hit the jump to see how and to download the KillRightClick script and executable.
Windows only: Sendto Flickr adds one-click photo uploading to your Windows right-click “Send to” menu, making it easier to post photos instantly to your account and worry about the details later. While Flickr’s home- grown uploader already adds a “Send to Flickr” to your context menus, it still requires opening its interface and confirming the upload and photo details. Sendto Flickr, after a first-run authorisation, just gets one or more selected photos up there. The program doesn’t seem to play well with .BMP files, but that shouldn’t be an issue for most any user. Sendto Flickr is a free download for Windows only. Sendto Flickr [via FreewareGenius.com]
Despite its slim profile and Windows 3.1-style interface, Notepad is a tool that Windows users have come to know and love, using it for all manner of tweaking, quick editing, and other tasks. The How-To Geek explains a pretty simple registry hack that lets you add “Open with Notepad” to the right-click context menu anywhere in Windows, saving most of us a few screens’ worth of clicking through the “Open with …” dialogs. We’ve previously show how to accomplish the same kind of tweak with the freeware apps Sent to Notepad and the larger Send To Toys, but the Geek’s solution requires no extra software and just a little bit of registry hacking (which means, of course, it’s time to make a backup). Follow the link for instructions, or a file that can add the right key for you. Add “Open with Notepad” to the Context Menu for All Files [The How-To Geek]
The Ubuntu Unleashed blog has a handy suggestion on how to add a helpful perma-delete tool to your right-click menu in Nautilus using the Nautilus-Actions plug-in. You just install the “wipe” package, which securely deletes a file multiple times to prevent later data-recovery efforts, and fill in a few text boxes to add it to your standard options in GNOME. After all, you don’t just keep porn sensitive files on your Windows partition, do you? If so, check out DeleteOnClick for Windows and Permanent Eraser for OS X systems, which perform similar secure deletions.
Windows only: Quickly upload any file directly from Windows Explorer via your right-click menu with freeware application RightLoad. After you’ve installed and set up your FTP server, uploading any file to your FTP is as simple as right-clicking the file(s), choosing the server, and selecting the directory you want to upload the file(s) into; RightLoad takes care of the rest. Once the files are uploaded, this brilliant little utility generates links to the files or markup for linking to or embedding the file you’ve uploaded so it’s easy to share the link with a friend or add it to a web site. It can even automatically create thumbnails for images or rename duplicate files. RightLoad is freeware, Windows only.
RightLoad [via NoHeat]
