Software Watcher

Many application integrates some of their functions to the right-click menu. This is great for access simplicity, but on the other side this makes the menu becomes too cluttered that a user sometimes may take a while in finding the command needed. This means less productivity than it should be.

Fortunately, some applications let the user to fully control the integrated functions. They can be disabled completely or only for several functions, grouped into a container, and marked by specific icons for easy navigation. However, there are some other applications that somehow do not give this management privilege. The integrated commands can not be disabled unless the program is uninstalled, or there is completely no option for you to manage how the commands appear on the right-click menu.

This is the situation where this simple software called Mmm can help you a lot. Even with the free version of it, you still can totally manage the right-click menu items. Moreover, the menu's look is replaced with a more attractive one.

What is it?
Mmm free: a free software for Windows to customize the context-menu into the user's preference.

How it works?
Mmm works by letting the user to entirely hide the visibility of the commands selected or group them into a separate container called "Rarely used".

The first choice is good for a program that forces its functions to be integrated but leaving no option to be disabled while they are not actually needed to appear on the right-click menu, and is also good to remove some standard integrated Windows commands such as Refresh which can easily be executed by pressing the F5 button by default.

The grouping is helpful when you have several commands that keep appearing everytime a folder or file is right-clicked no matter what the extension is, but you need them quite often. Unfortunately, you will not be able to organize them into specific containers.

The simple, standard menu itself will be replaced by a colorful one. The colors will change randomly whenever you right-click on different files or folders. On the colored bar, there is a button to access its main window.

As you can see from the picture, there are two panels. One contains all the context-menu items, and the another is where you can drag and drop the items to be hidden or grouped. Once you are satisfied with the configuration you made, you can have a backup of it by saving the setting to the registry.



This software, just like other free softwares which have the pro versions, has limited functions. The menu replaced is only able to be accessed when you right-click on the Windows explorer's right panel, Start menu's items, and the desktop. To have it works on more places such as on save/open dialog you need the pro version. If you find it useful, buy it. If not, don't waste your money.

Publisher: HACE
License: Freeware
OS required: Windows XP only

The focus of this blog is to provide information about valuable software to manage your files efficiently and to secure the important ones. Each software is personally tested and reviewed in-depth. This blog is not intended to be a specific marketing tool for any software company, which means each review is dependent from any company's influence. I love finding good software, and that is the main reason SoftwareWatcher's blog is made.

My name is Rony Kurnianto Ardistialam, an Indonesian blogger. As it has been already indicated above, hunting software is a what I like to do. It is a hobby that I myself can not explain the reason. I think this is just the same as some people like climbing mountains or collecting stamps. In fact, I have a big collection of software that I categorize into specific categorization and mark which is bad and which is good.

I wil not claim that this blog is the place where you can find all best software. This is a place in which you can find software reviewed honestly. All in all, I hope that the information I provide here is useful for you. At least it can become one of your trusted references to find software you need.

What is it?
Access Boss: a security application letting you to manage who, how, and when a user can access your computer. It is armed with features which not only give more flexible usage and broader capability, but also easy to operate for everyone including parents that simply want to limit their children's computer hours.

What it can do for you?
An owner can set time limits both for certain user or for the computer itself so the setting is applied to all users with no exception.

It is also possible for you to configure when a user is able to access a computer. In other words, a user is only able to access the computer at a certain specified time.

A feature that is probably suitable for parents to control their children's computer activity is that this application lets you to determine how long a user can use a computer. What makes this feature even greater is its capability to set different time limit for each day. For example, two hours for Monday and 4 hours for Sunday.

To prevent a user from creating a new account in purpose to have unlimited time access, you can make a list of users permitted to use the computer. By utilizing this feature, no one is able to access the computer other than those already included on the list.

Other interesting offerings are that you can set a user account expiration date, check the usage statistic for each user, apply the time limit configuration accross a network, and all the settings can be configured and applied remotely.

Publisher: FSPro Labs
System Requirement: Windows 2003/XP/Vista
License: 30 days trial, $29.95 to buy.

As it has been indicated by the name, Folder Lock is a software specifically designed to give high protection for all your sensitive documents. The capability of its features has received around 260 awards which some have come from respectful independent reviewers such as SnapFiles, CNet, PC Magazine, and Download.com. Therefore, anyone should never doubt about its capableness.

Despite its pretty impressive security features, Folder Lock is very easy to use for even an average Joe who needs to secure his files without any hassle of the usage. The interface is not just good-looking, it offers simplicity as well in terms of the neat features placement. The utilization is even much easier for it is equipped with a well-managed help documentation to guide the users exploring and executing every command available.

What about the high level protection that I keep mentioning before? Thanks to the five different locking methods protecting documents at kernel level, Windows explorer level and real DOS level, accompanied by the abilities to scramble and apply a 256-bit Blowfish Encryption, any file's visibility and accessibility is highly secured even from advanced hackers and malware's threat. Any document protected with Folder Lock can only be accessed, renamed, and/or deleted by the owner.

User can lock files as many as possible as it does not limit the number. No need to worry about the speed if you need to lock GBs of files. It finishes the process in seconds. The lock and unlocking action themselves can be done easily from its main window or from simply the right-click menu in Windows explorer.

Folder Lock also makes it possible for the users to keep their files stay protected even though the software is being inactive. In other words, you do not need to run it all the time in order to keep the files protected. Moreover, you can apply the protection to files stored in removable storages.

Another great feature I catch from it is the Auto Lock. Briefly described, it can automatically lock the pre-defined files and folders after a specified certain time. This is a good idea since there is always the possibility of forgetting to re-lock the files after having finished with them.

And the additional interesting features to anticipate illegal access, one is the access monitoring in which any attempt to hack the program to gain an entrance path to the files protected is monitored and recorded in logs. This way a user can have a grasp of the hacking behaviors and do some steps to anticipate the potentially next attempts. Another is the ability to command Folder Lock to auto lock or auto shutdown the computer after someone enters three invalid passwords.

There are still some other good functions. All in all, Folder Lock is an excellent, thus a recommended piece of software for anyone who needs to protect sensitive documents in a practical way but highly secured.

Publisher: NewSoftwares.net Inc
System Requirement: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista
License : Free Trial, $35