
.:: PowrPanel ::.

An alternative to classic Turn Off / Restart / Log Off.


Usage:

You can customize PowrPanel by editing config.ini. You can change the panel color, use your own background image and translate the buttons into your language.
Tip: if you hate PowrPanel's default look, try PanelColor=48,96,144 and Image=None for a quick change.

You also have a selection of cleanup options: delete temporary files, clear the recent documents list, clear the used programs list (User Assist history), empty Recycle Bin, delete Flash cookies, delete Firefox/Opera/Chrome/IE browsing data.
There are plenty of good cleaners out there, offering far more options. PowrPanel wasn't meant to compete with them; instead, it was designed to provide basic, automated cleaning when you're done with your work - sort of like brushing computer's teeth before it goes to sleep.


The option to clean up the Temp folder is particularly useful. Temp is a special, account-specific folder where running programs keep their temporary files. Ideally, every program should clean up after itself but in practice, often there are leftovers. If you don't have a habit of periodically cleaning the Temp folder, it will grow with time and can consume GigaBytes of drive space and even impact performance.
With PowrPanel, you can keep your Temp folder slim. You can choose between two methods of cleaning. The "brute" method will try do delete everything it finds (it doesn't delete locked files). This method is not recommended because the files which are in use by running programs are not necessarily locked and deleting them could prevent programs from exiting normally and could even lead to application/system crashes. This method was included in case you insist on deleting everything but it is strongly suggested that you use the "wise" method. The "wise" method inspects timestamps and only deletes files left behind from previous boots. Files that were created/modified during current uptime (since the computer was started) will be deleted next time (unless they are reused). So this method is always one boot behind but it is safe and should satisfy most users. In fact, all good cleaners employ some form of timestamp-based method; for example, CCleaner by default only deletes temp files older than 24 hours. Also note that (regardless of method) it may take a while to clean the Temp folder for the first time, if it contains a ton of files; the same remark stands for EmptyRecycleBin option.

Delete Flash cookies is also a handy feature because they are a major privacy threat. They're browser-independent and don't get deleted when you clear your browser's privacy data. They have no expiry date, they'll stick around forever, exposing your online activity. This, plus the fact that the average user is unaware of their existence, is exploited by advertising companies who can use Flash cookies to track you permanently. They can even use them to create backups of your regular browser cookies, the ones you think are gone when you delete them. A must-read on the subject: http://epic.org/privacy/cookies/flash.html

The recent documents / used programs lists can be disabled in Windows but with PowrPanel you can leave them enabled and have them maintained for the current session only.

Same logic can be applied to browsers - you can disable history or have it deleted upon browser exit but with PowrPanel you have the option of keeping it while you are logged on.
Tested with following browser versions: Firefox 3.6.10, Opera 10.63, Chrome 6.0.472.63, IE 8.

Notes for Internet Explorer: proper IE cleanup requires deleting index.dat files - these are special databases that IE uses and they are present in History, Cookies and Cache folders. The problem with deleting index.dat files is that they are locked and can't be normally deleted. PowrPanel deletes locked files by scheduling them for removal during system startup. They will be deleted on next boot and when you log on, Windows will create new, blank index.dat files. The limitation of this method is that it requires admin rights, so it doesn't work on limited accounts. Also, on admin accounts in Win7 with UAC enabled, PowrPanel runs with restricted privileges in order not to annoy the user with an UAC prompt ("Blah blah to make changes to this computer?"), since IE cleanup is the only feature that can benefit from admin rights. So if you want index.dat files to be deleted in Vista/Win7, set RequestAdminRights=Yes.



User profiles:

For single user/portable use, edit the config.ini in the program folder (where PowrPanel.exe is).
In multiple-user environments, use the PPconfig utility to create/edit account-specific or global PowrPanel profiles. The hierarchy of profiles is: current user > all users > program folder, i.e. PowrPanel will look for a configuration file in that order and use the first one it finds. It is recommended to make your customizations in your own profile so they can't affect other users and so that changes to the global profile can't affect you.



Legal-like stuff:

PowrPanel is freeware - share it but don't sell it, try it but don't buy it. The author, which is me, takes no responsibility for the actions of his program or people who use it.

2010 Andrea Milanovic aka aerDNA



Changelog:

v2.2.1:
- Chrome finally abandoned the practice of storing passwords and autocomplete history in the same database, so I added the DeleteAutoComplete option.

v2.2:
- Added deleting Flash cookies
- Added support for Opera/Chrome/IE
- Added new Firefox options

v2.1:
- Added clearing User Assist history
- Improved profile handling

v2.0:
- Added cleanup tasks
- Added appearance customization

v1.0:
- Inital release. It had fixed appearance and no cleanup options. Basically created for my personal use.
