WINSUPPORT.ORG - Help for problems with Microsoft Windows, Open Source and Freeware Tools

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This site is dedicated to providing help for problems with Microsoft Windows. Here you will (hopefully) find helpful tips in dealing with Windows annoyances, as well as a collection of Open Source and Freeware tools that run under Windows. Not to mention links to various other articles, web sites, utilities (the kind that cost money but are worth what you pay for them) and my opinions about what is good and what is not in Windows.

I've found over the years that I've needed to support the legacy platforms that Microsoft has left behind. While Windows Vista is the next cool version, I still find myself dealing with Windows 98, NT and 2000. Not to mention the occational MS-DOS system. (Yes, there are still a few systems that run DOS, though these are pretty much niche areas now. And thankfully, Windows 3.1 seems to have mostly disappeared into the mist.) So you will find things here that not are on the bleeding edge (or anywhere close) but need to be preserved because not everyone has given up on their old system that still just works.

Like just about everything else on the Internet, this is a work in progress that will never by truly finished. So be sure to check back from time to time.


What's New

Dec 2007 Added the Code Samples section where I'll be putting snippets of code routines I've written, most released under the BSD License. Added Mapdrive, a VBScript to map network file shares to a local drive letter, in the Tools and Utilities section.


Category Sections

Problems and Solutions This will take you to the ever-growing list of problems and annoyances and what you can do about them.
Tools and Utilities There is no lack of tools and utilities that have been created to fill the missing gaps within Windows, and over the years I have collected quite a few. Some are Open Source and Freeware gems that no Windows user should be without. Others are commerical utilities that are worth every penny I paid. And then there are those that I wish I could have gotten my money back. Here is my attempt to sort out the good, the bad and the ugly.
Software Packages Because of the popularity of Windows, there is a mountain of software available for it in almost every category one could think of. While it's not possible to even scratch the surface, there are some interesting packages that I've found over the years and I attempt to list them here.
Scripting Scripting under Windows has come a long way since the days of MS-DOS batch files. This looks at Windows scripting using Command Scripts, the Windows Script Host with JScript and VBScript, the new PowerShell (formally Monad) scripting engine, and the dozens of other scripting languages from the Unix world that have been ported to Windows.
Code Samples Here you will find various routines that I have written for my own programs which you might find of use. All are released under the BSD License, so you can use them in your own projects without (much) restriction.
Legacy Support Windows has been around for a long time and over the years, products for it have come and gone. But just because a particular company has folded doesn't mean people aren't still using the product they made. They are known as legacy items and here you'll information and support for some of them.
Soapbox Talk to any Windows user and you'll find no shortage of opinions about what works and what doesn't. I am no exception. So here you will find my thoughts, praise and rants for and against Microsoft and the world of Windows.
About Me Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!  Well, if you must, here you'll find out a little about myself and the various things I have done over the years.