It's been nearly a decade since we last checked out Lockhunter, an incredibly useful Windows app that ensures you'll always be able to remove files and folders that File Explorer refuses to delete. Developer Crystal Rich Ltd continues to update the app with useful features, but sporadically: It took around 3.5 years to go from version 3.1 of the app to version 3.2.
This app isn't something you'll probably have to use very often -- we hope -- but it's a great tool if you're upgrading your system and need to move everything from an old hard drive to a new drive.
Today we're taking a look at Rufus, a lightweight utility that makes it incredibly easy to create bootable USB flash drives.
Go ahead and get your Breaking Bad jokes out of your system. We'll wait. Once you're done, we recommend installing Amphetamine as soon as you can. This app is a super-tiny download, and it's like giving your macOS machine caffeine pills. Once activated, your system will stop going to sleep.
If you've been gaming on Valve's Steam service for a decent amount of time, you've probably heard of Steam Mover. It's a great tool for transferring your multi-gigabyte Steam games to different hard drives on your system, in case your primary hard drive is running out of space (or bursting at the seams).
There is not shortage of free mobile and desktop applications available on the internet. Unfortunately, most of them are either rubbish or trick you into parting with your cash via in-app purchases. But if you take the time to sort the wheat from the chaff, you'll find plenty of excellent apps that truly are free.
We're thankful every day for all the free apps out there that improve our lives (and the developers that make them!). Here are 50 our favourites.
Windows: In OS X, you can select a file and press Space for a quick preview of it. You can't do that in Windows -- at least not without Seer, a free utility that gives you the same power. Tap the space bar to bring up an image, video or audio file in a quick view, and press space again to dismiss.
Windows: Microsoft really, really wants you to upgrade to Windows 10, but if you're a happy Windows 7 or 8.1 user, you shouldn't be forced to upgrade. Never10 gives you control over whether Windows will upgrade itself.
Windows: If you're looking to get more out of the clipboard function than merely shuttling one-off snippets of text back and forth, ClipManagerexpands the text, image, and file handling power of the clipboard.
We love what Microsoft's done with Windows 7, but when we boot into Windows after spending a good amount of time on a Mac, here are 10 applications we sorely miss.
Macs are their own little universe of hardware, design, and software. It's an incomplete universe, like any other, but a nerd can dream. These are 10 applications we wish made the jump from Windows to Mac to make it a better place.
We've featured countless apps or all sorts over the years, but if you just want a quick look at the best free downloads for your Mac, this post's for you. This is the 2009 Lifehacker Pack for Mac OS X.
We feature downloads of all kinds every day at Lifehacker. Today, however, we're bundling all the best free downloads for new computer owners, re-installers, would-be geeks, or anyone who wants to save time installing the best stuff out there. This is our 2009 Lifehacker Pack for Windows computers.
Flash drives aren't quite a dime a dozen, but it's pretty easy to amass a bunch of them in your office drawer. This guide will help you turn them into software-packed giveaway drives.
Windows only: If you noticed Snipping Tool in the screen capture Hive Five and were disappointed it wasn't available in pre-Vista Windows, take heart. PrtScr is a supercharged remix for all versions.
Whether you're looking for an alternative to expensive commercial software or just trying to get a feel for what's out there, AlternativeTo is a handy service for finding software alternatives.
Windows only: The Image Resizer Powertoy Clone adds an option to the Windows explorer context menu for quickly resizing pictures—without opening an image editor.
Windows only: The built-in tool for dealing with unknown file types in Windows simply doesn't work. Openwith.org does, and it points you, or your less free-software-savvy friends, to downloads that fit the bill. If you've ever received an urgent email reply (or phone call, or text message) from a parent, friend, co-worker, or anyone else who needs "HELP!" because "this file won't open when I double-click!"—you've turned to the right download. Openwith.org installs an option on the right-click menu for files without an icon and associated program, reading "Openwith.org - How do I open this?" Choose that option, and the Openwith app launches, showing a brief file type description at the top and offering links to download free applications to handle that file. If one is already installed on the system, but maybe not the default handler, Openwith.org knows that and offers to open the file with it.
