Universal Viewer
For Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista
File size 1.2 Megabytes
Download time: About 7 minutes for dial-up users - a second or two for broadband users.
What it is: A universal file viewer and shell extension.

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Step right up! How would you like to have a handy, dandy, little gem that would let you right-click almost any kind of file and view it without having to open up a single program? Something so quick, easy, and useful, you'll wonder how you lived without it! A tiny, elegant,  piece of programming that will add delight to your days and spice to your nights?

Something that steams, dries, dices, pares, freezes, boils, chops, minces and takes out the garbage? Well, my friends, right here in my mortal hands, I hold the invention of the century. A sleek, teeny, tiny little wizard of alls that will make your life 1000 times better than it is right now. You sir, step right up here! I'm going to put this little wonder on your computer free-of-charge! That's right the installation is free-of-charge. That's what I said: FREE FREE FREE! In fact, today, and for the foreseeable future, I'm going to give everyone this little modern miracle absolutely free. That's right, no charge. Not a penny. Not a single one.

Enough! Enough! Gee, I think I've lost my marbles and gone off into a tirade of the bizarre. I will get right to the point. While this program is not a miracle, nor will it add a single hour to your long life, it will make your computer days happier by making them easier. As with all things computer, easier is happier - easier is also better. Don't you agree?

We're going to let the author step up to the stage now and tell you about his program in his no nonsense way. I bet you're really glad that we are finally getting to the point of this whole article. One thing you have to admit - you've never in your life read a Windows tips and tricks newsletter like this one!

Here's what the developer of Universal Viewer has to say:

"Universal Viewer (ATViewer) is an advanced file viewer with wide range of formats supported. Implemented view modes and corresponding file formats are:

* Text, Binary, Hex, Unicode: any files, of unlimited size (even 4Gb+ sizes are allowed)
* RTF, UTF-8: RTF and UTF-8 encoded texts
* Image: all general graphics formats: BMP JPG GIF PNG TGA TIFF... plus all formats supported by IrfanView/XnView external viewers
* Multimedia: all formats supported by MS Windows Media Player: AVI MPG WMV MP3...
* Internet: all formats supported by MS Internet Explorer: HTML XML DOC XLS...
* Plugins: all formats supported by Total Commander Lister plugins

Application is fully Unicode-compatible and can be integrated into Windows Explorer's context menu, so there is no problem to call it from anywhere in Explorer: right-click a file and select the "Universal Viewer" item. It can also be integrated into other popular file managers.

Generally, Universal Viewer is an application similar to Total Commander Lister. But, comparing (it) to Lister, it has some major advantages:

* Full support for Unicode filenames
* Built-in functions of several popular plugins: images, multimedia, webpages view
* Support for multiple codepages: ANSI, OEM, EBCDIC, ISO, KOI8, Mac etc.
* Toolbar, status bar, other interface improvements
* Auto-reloading of file on changing, "Follow tail" option
* Displaying of non-printable characters
* Combined Unicode/Hex mode (call Unicode mode twice)
* More modern RegEx search library

In the Lister plugins section you will find the list of rather good Lister plugins to use in conjunction with UV. These plugins are developed by 3rd parties and are not included into UV installation.

License: available as freeware and shareware versions..."

The best feature of this program is its ability to view many different types of files - and integrate with Windows Explorer so you can right-click on a file and view it immediately without having to open the program's default viewer. The integration with Windows Explorer makes this program unique and useful. Right-click on almost any type of file and view it using Universal Viewer. See the screencap below taken from one of our Vista computers:

A handy and useful program and one worthy of our highest honor. What's that you say? That, my friend, is being selected as this week's Freeware Pick Of The Week. To read more about and or to download Universal Viewer, visit the developer's site. Keep in mind, there's a freeware version and a shareware version. The freeware version should have plenty enough features for all but the most persnickety ones among you :).

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