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Recover Closed Applications with GoneIn60s
Posted by Adam Pash at 6:00 AM on December 7, 2007
Windows only: We've all done it: You inadvertently exit the wrong application or press the wrong keystroke and you quit the application you're currently working on. In the best case, you just have to re-open the file or restart the application. Worst case, you lose important changes. Freeware application GoneIn60s recovers recently closed applications within a certain timeframe (60 seconds, by default) so neither scenario will happen. It does so by hiding the window when you close it—but not entirely closing it until the 60 seconds are up. That means if you close an application by mistake, you can just recover it through the GoneIn60s system tray icon before it actually closes. Essentially, then, GoneIn60s just hides your app and sets a delay to close it later, which is—frankly—brilliant. GoneIn60s is donationware, Windows only.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
LastVigilante
Posted 3:17 PM 6/12/07
On more than one occasion I have wished that Windows had some sort of Ctrl+Shift+T function like Firefox. In fact, I'm pretty sure after accidentally closing an application I've actually hit Ctrl+Shift+T in a desperate effort to bring it back!
This definetly is a "brilliant" workaround, but it doesn't happen frequently enough to me to warrant installing a helper program, and I have the same queries as burnmp3s regarding file locks and shutdown.
LastVigilante
burnmp3s
Posted 2:38 PM 6/12/07
Is there any way to actually close it instead of the 60 second delay? There are times when I need to close a program to kill all of its file locks and it would be annoying to have to wait a minute for the locks to go away.
Also, how does this work when the computer is shutting down? Do a bunch of dialogs pop up from Windows saying that its waiting for applications to close?
burnmp3s
Adam Pash, LH Senior Editor
Posted 3:51 PM 6/12/07
@~Karolis: Good point. It does work correctly with Alt-F4, though, so that's something.
Adam Pash, LH Senior Editor
~Karolis
Posted 3:39 PM 6/12/07
The program only works if you click [X] if you go through File -> Exit, then the program is closed instantly. Also it does not play nice with some programs (so far I've noticed PS CS3).
You can exclude some programs from being delayed.
~Karolis
cpeterso
Posted 5:14 PM 6/12/07
re file locks:
I highly recommend Unlocker. It sits quietly in your Windows system tray until it (automatically) detects Windows Explorer's "file is locked" error. Unlocker will then show you a list of programs locking the file and allow you to kill them or just revoke their file handles. VERY USEFUL!
cpeterso
delphine
Posted 7:11 PM 6/12/07
@jpfree: The awesome Taskbar Shuffle does this ;)
delphine
jpfree
Posted 7:07 PM 6/12/07
Now someone please write a program that lets me middle click programs on the taskbar to close them. Then I'll be in a Firefox-like state of heaven!
jpfree
jpfree
Posted 1:49 AM 7/12/07
Cheers Delphine! I actually went and wrote my own crude solution immediately after I wrote my comment. (Those interested may download from [jfilestore.googlepages.com] , probably only works in XP) but taskbar shuffle is really nice.
jpfree