Menu opens doors to little-known Windows tools

[Kathleen Atkins]

BEST PRACTICES Menu opens doors to little-known Windows tools By Michael Lasky Some of the more useful apps in Windows 7 are hidden in plain sight — in the Accessories folder. For example, the Ease of Access tools found at the bottom of the Accessories list has a treasure trove of helpful utilities originally designed for sensory-impaired users. The full text of this column is posted at http://windowssecrets.com/best-pract...Windows-tools/ (paid content, opens in a new window/tab). Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.

[DKS01]

I can't say enough about how well the built-in Windows 7 Speech to Text app works. My spouse is an independent medical practitioner. She is required to complete many patient charts, which are sent to her in PDF format. Her charting time has been reduced significantly by using the Speech to Text app. A side benefit is that neck pain, which was caused by moving her head up and down from screen to keyboard, has disappeared. This past weekend she had to complete a 48 page professional report. With Speech to Text it took about 12 hours over three days, as opposed to 20 to 24 hours over a week, as in the past. While there is a learning curve, this is one program that makes Windows 7 well worth every penny.

[dblevins]

Here's what I think is a much better sticky_notes program:

http://atnotes.free.fr/

Even tho it has been "discontinued", atnotes is GREAT and can still be downloaded. Lots of options for each note, color, alarms, hiding, and on and on.