My System's Bells and Whistles...
CCleaner
Cleans and Fixes Windows Registry, removes extra temporary or application dump data - freeing space. It also has an Uninstaller built in to uninstall stubborn applications. A Windows Startup editor which can let you enable, disable and see what all applications/processes run on system start up/booting. Furthermore it has a System Restore Index (from where you can remove previous Windows restore points whenever you've fiddle with applications or updates by installing or uninstalling them). And, Lastly, the most sinister feature...The Drive Wiper; A tool which can be used to wipe clean or format the drives attached to the system. It has got multiple pass cleaning setting which can be adjusted.
Did you know, that whenever you delete any file or uninstall stuff, the files and data are only unlinked from the OS? Yup! True Story. That means that the actual data still remains in the hard-disks memory only it's address link is nullified. The data can be accessed when it's stored bits are scanned, identified, collected and read from that drive using data recovery tools. No sir, not even your beloved Shift+Delete Key would save you from this type of espionage. Formatting the drive, which is actually writing or overwriting the entire disk or drive with zeros makes it clean. Still, cleaning softwares work by estimating the un-indexed (due to deletion) data/disk segments and sectors writing zeros in them. Which, means parts of that data can still be recovered, though incomplete. Now, when you overwrite multiple times you are only decreasing the probability of leaving behind even a few bits or bytes of data behind.
Pandora Recovery
As you've been wondering which kind of scanner application recovers deleted data, well wonder no more! (Or, at least don't turn away from this webpage at least; Google not required.)
Pandora Recovery is a good tool to recover deleted data files. Though it has a limited set of file-type identification, it can easily identify and recover most office documents, images, files and others. But, it also shows the level of deletion or overwritten parts of the file to be recovered. It cannot make complete recovery of overwritten data or may even fail to yield results.
Still, it is useful to recover accidentally deleted data especially if you have a habit of quickly Shift+Deleting files or when you've emptied the Recycle Bin.
Stardock's Logon Studio
Logon Studio, lets you, without any manual hacks, replace the Windows boot screen to an Image of your choice. It also supports Slideshow feature of changing you Log-on Screen in selected intervals. Good at impressing your friends with beautiful wallpapers or artwork on your log-on screen.
Stardock's Fences [Full Version is Paid]
A very good desktop enhancement program that arranges your icons in beautiful fences/boxes and adds features like multiple icon work-spaces (like Expose in Mac OS X or Virtual Desktops or Work spaces in Ubuntu/Linux). It also gives some other cool features like Icons hiding and others. Icon hiding feature is very useful if you have cool Wallpapers.
Free Alarm Clock
A clock I got from Download.com, which is useful as any other clocks but, with customizable audio for alarms, makes it particularly useful for me. I add mnemonics, quotes and facts I need to memorize, in my voice, to be played after some intervals as audio flash cards. Cool eh? Specially useful with learning new languages. (Which I'm not currently engaged in.)
Slide Show Windows Desktop Gadget
That funny little floor plan you see in that small window of my Desktop, is an actual floor plan. I use this gadget to well, show pictures from a selected folder repetitively . These pictures are my own edited and drawn (using MSPaint) flash cards, to memorize stuff whenever I look at my desktop. More on it, I write later, in another dedicated blog post.
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