Windows Explorer doesn't do everything. That's where free downloads come in handy. Here are some extras to fill in the gaps in your file¬management chores.

Check file contents fast: Let's face it, file names don't always tell the whole story about what's inside a file. Sure, you can open files in the programs that created them. But who wants to open a half-dozen huge pro¬grams when all you need to know is the basic contents of a document? Vista lets you add a preview pane to its Explorer; XP, unfortunately, does not.



Alexey Torgashin's Universal Viewer (Find it on the April issue DVD) to the rescue. This free utility lets you peek inside various common file types (graphics, PDF, HTML, and many others) by right¬clicking and selecting the Universal Viewer command. Install the plug-in for Microsoft Office (a separate free download), and you can view Word and Excel files as well.

Navigation buttons make skimming through all files in a folder easy. To get features such as rudimentary file-fit management capabilities and an Explorer-like tree pane for navigation, you'll have to shell out $20-approx Rs. 800 for the personal version.