alternates to norton- win doctor - disk doctor and defrag

[Gordon Abbot]

I will be shifting the XP shortly and do not want Norton 2004 on my
drive- it has become spyware- but do want three features that worked
well for me with win 98se- windoctor, diskdoctor and defragmenter.

Windoctor checked the registry and shortcuts and fixed all the loose
ends. Diskdoctor fixed the fat and broken files. Defrag defragmented the
drive. What are good alternate freeware programs that do the same as
these programs?

Thanks.

GA

 

[omega]

Windoctor checked the registry and shortcuts

For purpose of maintenance of shortcut (.lnk) files, a neat utility
is Goldenfrog's Shortcutter.

http://www.sover.net/~wysiwygx/WinUtils4.html
ftp://ftp.ee.ncku.edu.tw/pub/cpatch/sysutil/shortcutter/srtcut.zip

 

[omega]

For purpose of maintenance of shortcut (.lnk) files, a neat utility

is Goldenfrog's Shortcutter.

http://www.sover.net/~wysiwygx/WinUtils4.html
ftp://ftp.ee.ncku.edu.tw/pub/cpatch/sysutil/shortcutter/srtcut.zip

I've got an array of screenshots from my initial explorations of
Shortcutter. (Screenshots have become how the main way I remind
myself of different features in programs). Just now, I've uploaded
several.

http://omega5.port5.com/clips/goldenfrog/SortDeadLinks.png
When Shortcutter gives you the list of dead lnks (which you can get it
to try to resolve, else delete), it lets you sort by different columns.

http://omega5.port5.com/clips/goldenfrog/InfoColumns.png
The different columns of information about your lnks, which it will also
display for your live functioning lnks, that's pretty extensive. Makes
this a fun toy to roll out.

http://omega5.port5.com/clips/goldenfrog/EmptyFoldersDelete.png
In addition to working with lnks, Shortcutter will also hunt down your
empty files and folders, if you wish it to. I'd never delete blindy,
and found it very useful to let me sort first, for delete decisions.

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

For purpose of maintenance of shortcut (.lnk) files, a neat utility
is Goldenfrog's Shortcutter.

http://www.sover.net/~wysiwygx/WinUtils4.html
ftp://ftp.ee.ncku.edu.tw/pub/cpatch/sysutil/shortcutter/srtcut.zip

Dead link it seems, or maybe just temp offline.F ound it here
<ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/.disk0/filepilot/windows/tools/srtcut.zip>

Readme.txt says ShortCutter for Windows95 version 2.0 by
GoldenFrog AT msn.com

DIR of zip content (size=bytes):

28.10.1996 10:25 345 readme.txt
28.10.1996 09:50 447 ShortCutter.cnt
01.03.1998 09:51 332.800 ShortCutter.exe
06.11.1996 09:01 46.686 ShortCutter.hlp

Same?

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[omega]

Dead link it seems, or maybe just temp offline.F ound it here
<ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/.disk0/filepilot/windows/tools/srtcut.zip>

Thank you!

Readme.txt says ShortCutter for Windows95 version 2.0 by
GoldenFrog AT msn.com

Quick note re OS compatibility. Extent of what I can factually
provide on that is that J44xm gave it a run on XP and reported no
problems. If somehow someone finds otherwise, hopefully they'll post.

DIR of zip content (size=bytes):

01.03.1998 09:51 332.800 ShortCutter.exe [...]

Same?

Yes. Those dates and sizes all match what I have. The freenet URL you
found is definitely the superior long-term link for this program. Even
had not that .tw one been broken. A fruitful foraging trip.

 

[Mario Alvares]

Quick note re OS compatibility. Extent of what I can factually
provide on that is that J44xm gave it a run on XP and reported no
problems. If somehow someone finds otherwise, hopefully they'll post.

I'm running it here on WinXP SP1, and it seems to work , except that it
does one very annoying thing. Whenever it finds a broken shortcut, it
pops up a confirmation box asking if you want to delete the .lnk file.
The box contains a "Do not show this message again" checkbox, which if
checked, presumably, should not display this confirmation dialog for any
more broken shortcuts that it finds. However this option seems not to
work, and it keeps popping up the confirmation box for each broken
shortcut it finds.

There is an option (View -> Options under the General tab) to "Confirm
Actions". If I uncheck this, the confirmation dialog is not displayed,
but then every broken shortcut is automatically deleted.

What I want is a listing of all broken shortcuts, without being prompted
for each broken shortcut found, and without automatically deleting any
of the shorcuts. This doesn't seem to be possible.

Seems like you have tried ShortCutter. Are you experiencing the same
behaviour?

 

[omega]

<ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/.disk0/filepilot/windows/tools/srtcut.zip>

You know, one result for me when running this program, it's that it
caused me to realize that there is an item I don't quite get, about
lnk files.

I noticed it when viewing the "descripton column." That which I
suppose corresponds to a tooltip-type display when hovering over
particular lnk. A number of the externally-created lnk files on my
drive, they have a variety of description fields. In example, the
lnk for msft's media player: "Plays local and streaming..."

The thing is, my properties dialog for lnk files, I have no applicable
field for editing that. Must require some sort of specialized software?
Or am I missing something?

 

[Semolina Pilchard]

I'm running it here on WinXP SP1, and it seems to work , except that it
does one very annoying thing. Whenever it finds a broken shortcut, it
pops up a confirmation box asking if you want to delete the .lnk file.
The box contains a "Do not show this message again" checkbox, which if
checked, presumably, should not display this confirmation dialog for any
more broken shortcuts that it finds. However this option seems not to
work, and it keeps popping up the confirmation box for each broken
shortcut it finds.

I gave it a quick spin - SP1 also - and found behaviour like Mario
describes, except that in my case it identified every directory in the
root as being a zero-byte file. Well, yes, maybe, in an extremely
tenuous sense a directory _is_ a zero-byte file but most of them have
handy contents - like the entire operating system, f'rinstance, so
deleting them would not be the best of ideas.

The "delete" option did not actually work. I had one very temporary
directory that I'd expanded an installation zip into, and I allowed it
to try to delete that one, but it didn't.

So - non-working confirmation box
Mis-identification of zero-byte files
Deletion doesn't delete.

Not for XP, methinks.

 

[omega]

I'm running it here on WinXP SP1, and it seems to work , except that it
does one very annoying thing. Whenever it finds a broken shortcut, it
pops up a confirmation box asking if you want to delete the .lnk file.
The box contains a "Do not show this message again" checkbox, which if
checked, presumably, should not display this confirmation dialog for any
more broken shortcuts that it finds. However this option seems not to
work, and it keeps popping up the confirmation box for each broken
shortcut it finds.

Here's settings I have:

Actions
[X] Show Results
[ ] Confirm Actions

Delete
[ ] Broken files
[ ] Empty files (etc)

Under the Advanced tab, I have Autorun unchecked (don't like the sound
of that).

There is an option (View -> Options under the General tab) to "Confirm
Actions". If I uncheck this, the confirmation dialog is not displayed,
but then every broken shortcut is automatically deleted.

Confirm Actions unchecked works out for me; no auto-delete from that.
When I am in the results pane, and want to delete, there is not a nag;
that's the only difference unchecking it makes, I think.

What I want is a listing of all broken shortcuts, without being prompted
for each broken shortcut found, and without automatically deleting any
of the shorcuts. This doesn't seem to be possible.

That's how I want it too, and it's working that way here, with the settings
I have. Perhaps it's a matter about that second area in Options, the
Delete settings section. Have you tried running with those boxes unchecked?

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Semolina Pilchard wrote in

So - non-working confirmation box
Mis-identification of zero-byte files
Deletion doesn't delete.

Not for XP, methinks.

Maybe filesystem dependent perhaps, FAT32 vs NTFS?

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[omega]

I gave it a quick spin - SP1 also - and found behaviour like Mario
describes, except that in my case it identified every directory in the
root as being a zero-byte file. Well, yes, maybe, in an extremely
tenuous sense a directory _is_ a zero-byte file but most of them have
handy contents - like the entire operating system, f'rinstance, so
deleting them would not be the best of ideas.

It must have a serious inability to understand NTSF, it sounds like.
Even if it still works fine on lnks, that situation of its notions for
zero-bytes files, that would make it a very risky recommendation then
for NT/XP users.

The "delete" option did not actually work. I had one very temporary
directory that I'd expanded an installation zip into, and I allowed it
to try to delete that one, but it didn't.

Probably good that it fails to delete on your file system. If it's
already confused as it is, better that it also doesn't have the ability
to take such actions.

So - non-working confirmation box

I'm not yet convinced on that part. That regard it works fine for me,
and I'm wondering it to be a matter of the settings.

Mis-identification of zero-byte files
Deletion doesn't delete.

Not for XP, methinks.

Got me with you there. I absolutely, fully retract XP (any NTSF run OS
I'm theorizing) recommendation. Thank you for the warning!

 

[omega]

Semolina Pilchard wrote in


Maybe filesystem dependent perhaps, FAT32 vs NTFS?

That's my interpretation, too. I'm trying to decide whether I ought
to make a short post higher up in this thread, warning about its
incompatibility... (The OP was seeking utilities for XP.)

 

[omega]

Goldenfrog's Shortcutter.

Correction:
This program is to be avoided if using XP/2000 (NTFS).

<[email protected]>

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Not for XP, methinks.

Got me with you there. I absolutely, fully retract XP (any NTSF run OS
I'm theorizing) recommendation. [...]

Seems to be so. It does not show any active links at all here on my
Win2k system, nor any broken (noe even after I broke one). And while
showing directories as zero byte files, it did not pick up a new one I
created - even after closing it, re-started and did a re-scan.
Tried both quick scan and scan drive C: Results for C:

Total links found: 0
Total links broken: 0
Total empty dir's: 0
Total Zero-byte Files: 10

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[Semolina Pilchard]

That's my interpretation, too. I'm trying to decide whether I ought
to make a short post higher up in this thread, warning about its
incompatibility... (The OP was seeking utilities for XP.)

To help you decide - I changed the settings and tried again. It still
saw directories as zero-byte files but this time it *did* manage to
delete! In fact, it deleted when the "cancel the scan" button was
selected. I was able to restore them and no damage was done but it's
clearly incompatible with XP and would do damage.

 

[omega]

[...]
Tried both quick scan and scan drive C: Results for C:

Total links found: 0
Total links broken: 0
Total empty dir's: 0
Total Zero-byte Files: 10

Or else you just keep an extremely clean house.

Over here in FAT32 land, the last time I'd had it check D, it found
many hundreds of little messies for cleaning. (At least I've become
better these days. Keeping up on daily sweeping, and those routine
hauls out to the city dump.)

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Or else you just keep an extremely clean house.

Yes, so clean I must have no active links either.
Found non. I have dozens

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Here is another "shortcut cleaner". AFAIk seems to be Win9x only, but
I have just had quick a look - not throughly tested it.

Item #7 on this page
<http://www.downloads4all.freeweb-hosting.com/utilities1.html>
7.) Desk Cleaner (Direct Download)

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Here is another "shortcut cleaner". AFAIk seems to be Win9x only, but
I have just had quick a look - not throughly tested it.

Item #7 on this page
<http://www.downloads4all.freeweb-hosting.com/utilities1.html>
7.) Desk Cleaner (Direct Download)

But here is one that says it will work with XP too:

OrphansRemover - find and remove broken shortcuts
<http://www.snapfiles.com/get/orphansremover.html>
Home page: <http://www.digiarch.org/other.html>

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[omega]

Here is another "shortcut cleaner". AFAIk seems to be Win9x only, but
I have just had quick a look - not throughly tested it.

Item #7 on this page
<http://www.downloads4all.freeweb-hosting.com/utilities1.html>
7.) Desk Cleaner (Direct Download)

Haven't tried that. One that explicitly states full OS compatibility,
it's ShortcutsMan by Nir Sofer. However, its limitation (major one
for me) is that it scans only the startmenu, nowhere else.

Even while ShortcutsMan doesn't meet my interest, I always consider
NirSoft a good place to visit. Prolific developer, with steady
updates and new toys.

http://nirsoft.mirrorz.com (or)
http://members.lycos.co.uk/nirsoft1/utils/index.html