Norton Commander (1986) 77 Utility DOS OS2 Windows

Norton Commander is a MS-DOS based file shell that was widely popular due to it's two column design. You could easily copy and move files between one folder or another, execute DOS commands and more. It competed against many other file managers including Gazelle Q-DOS and Xtree

• 1.x
• 2.x
• 3.x
• 1.x (OS2)
• 4.x
• 5.x
• 1.x (Win)
• 5.5x
• 2.x (Win)

After Dark (1989) 44 Novelty MacOS Windows DOS

After Dark, from Berkeley Systems, Inc, is a set of entertaining screen savers for Mac and Windows. After Dark for Windows started off as "Magic Screen Saver" for Windows 2.x. After Dark was most famous for its "Flying Toasters" screen saver. Afterdark was very popular on both the early Macintosh computers and Windows 3.0, as neither included any kind of screen saver or screen blanker that would help prevent screen burn-in.

• 1.0 for Macintosh
• Magic ScreenSaver
• 1.0 for Windows
• 2.x
• 1.0 for DOS
• 3.x
• 4.x
• Tenth Anniversary
• 9

Norton Desktop (1991) 17 Utility Windows DOS

Norton Desktop is a powerful desktop shell and file manager bundled with many additional tools. There are versions for both DOS and Microsoft Windows.

• 1.0 for Windows
• 2.0 for Windows
• 1.0 for DOS
• 2.2 for Windows
• 3.0 for Windows

DESQView (1984) 13 Utility DOS

DESQView, from Quarterdeck, was a DOS application multi-tasker and in later versions functioned as an X client for applications on remote UNIX systems. It competed against IBM Topview. The original DESQ was just a task switcher, but subsequent versions offered preemptive multitasking of well behaved DOS programs on real-mode 8088 PCs. It gained popularity when DESQView 386 added virtual x86 support. This enabled the ability to multi task many poorly behaved programs, and was often used on BBSes due to its excellent COM port handling. It was later overtaken by OS/2 and Windows.

• 1.x
• DESQView X 1.x
• 2.x
• DESQView X 2.x

Windows Resource Kit (1991) 12 Utility Windows

The Microsoft Windows Resource kit is a set of supplementary tools for managing and deploying Microsoft Windows. The first Windows Resource kit was released in 1991 for Windows 3.0. Most, but not all, Windows versions after that had corresponding Resource Kits. These were often freely downloadable from Microsoft.

• 3.x
• 95
• NT 4.0
• 98
• 2000

Direct Access (1988) 12 Utility DOS Windows

Direct Access is an easy to use menuing program designed to simplify access to applications on systems with many programs loaded on the hard drive. It is customizable, includes screen blanking, and includes password protection and usage logging. Later versions also detect common programs already installed on the hard disk.

• 4.x
• 5.x
• 1.0 (Win)

System Commander (1996) 11 Utility DOS

System commander, from V Communications, Inc, was a commercial boot manager for PCs. It offered a graphical menu and the ability to hide other partitions from the selected OS. It supported a variety of OSes including DOS, Windows 9x, Windows NT/2000, Linux, OS/2, and various Unixes.

• 2.x
• 3.x
• Deluxe 4.00
• 2000 (5.x)

BodyWorks (1991) 9 Reference DOS Windows

BodyWorks, from Software Marketing Corp, is an interactive computerized human anatomy reference for DOS and Windows. It is an informal educational/multimedia product targeted at home users.

• 2.0
• 3.0
• 4.0
• 5.0
• Classic

DiskDoubler (1990) 9 Utility Archive MacOS

DiskDoubler is an automated file compression program for the Apple Macintosh. It does not compress the entire drive, but rather specified files. It automatically compresses and recompresses files as you use them.

• 3.x

4DOS (2004) 5 Utility DOS

4DOS is a command line interpreter replacement for command.com that adds many new features.

• 7.50

Packard Bell Navigator (1993) 5 Utility Other Windows DOS

Packard Bell Navigator is an alternate user interface that replaces the Windows 3.1 Program Manager shell. It presents the content of your computer as a series of rooms.

• 1.0
• 1.1
• 3.5
• 3.6
• 3.9

Stuffit Expander (1997) 5 Archive MacOS

Stuffit Expander, from Aladdin Systems, is a freely redistributable tool for extracting Stuffit "SIT" archives on Apple Macintosh computers. Most Macintosh file archives are in this format. Unlike ZIP, Stuffit preserves special resource fork and creator type information required by Macintosh file systems. For the Microsoft Windows version, please see Aladdin Expander.

• 4.5
• 5.5

3DNA (2002) 5 Utility Novelty Windows

3DNA is a 3D virtual environment shell that presents your computer as a series of 3D video-game like rooms. It features objects that you can set to launch applications, web site previews in the form of a "browser bay", and in-program advertising. It was bundled with some video cards. In many ways it is like a 3d-version of Microsoft Bob, and has a resemblance to Packard Bell Navigator.

• 1.0
• 1.1

Sidekick (1984) 4 Utility PIM DOS OS2 Windows

Borland Sidekick is a DOS based PIM (Personal Information Manager) and one of the first widely-used TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs. The key feature of Sidekick was that one could use Sidekick's utilities while using most other MS-DOS applications. This was important because MS-DOS had no built-in multi-tasking or task switching capabilities.

• 1.x
• Plus
• 1.0 for OS/2
• 2.0
• 1.0 for Windows
• 2.0 for Windows

ToyBox Menu Manager / Magic Desk (1992) 4 Utility DOS

ToyBox II, later renamed to Magic Desk, is a simplified graphical menu system that lets you launch your DOS applications from a selection of tiled iconic buttons. Supports nested hierarchies, includes an icon editor, and a number of common icons.

• 2.x
• 3.x (Magic Desk)

Wired for Sound (1992) 4 Novelty Windows

Wired For Sound, from Aristosoft, is a tool that assigns silly sounds to various Windows events. It also includes a set of backgrounds, alternate icons, and alternate cursors, and a talking clock. There were different editions of WFS Pro with different sound sets.

• 2.x
• 3.x

Deskman/2 (1995) 4 Utility OS2

DevTech's Deskman/2 is a set of desktop and system management tools for OS/2. It contains data compression tools, networking tools, performance monitoring tools, and desktop management tools.

• 1995

ABC 3D Atlas (1997) 3 Reference Novelty Windows

A 3D world atlas.

• 98

Calendar Creator Plus (1990) 3 Novelty PIM DOS Windows

Calendar Creator Plus from Vermont Creative Software/Power Up, and later Spinnaker Software, is a tool for creating printed calendars with different styles and custom lists of events.

• 3.x (DOS)
• 2.0 (Win)
• 4.0 (Win)
• 5.0 (Win)
• 7.0 (Win)

Q-DOS (1989) 3 Utility DOS

Gazelle Systems Q-DOS is a text mode based file manager for DOS. Q-DOS is a simplified file manager that presents all DOS functions visibly. It competed against many other file managers including Norton Commander and Xtree

• 2.x
• 3.x

HyperCard (1988) 3 Other Database MacOS

Hypercard is a graphical card "stack" oriented application and database programming tool for the Apple Macintosh. It features hypertext and hyperlinking of graphics and buttons, and includes an easy to use scripting language called HyperTalk. In many ways, it resembled a web browser, however it had no networking capability.

• 1.x
• 2.x

Diskeeper (2001) 3 Utility Windows

Diskeeper is a professional disk defragmenting tool with versions for both 9x and NT. It includes features such as scheduling and background defragmentation.

• 6.0

EZ-Drive (1996) 3 Utility DOS

EZ-Drive is a hard disk partitioning tool bundled with new hard drives. It detects, partitions, formats drives, and installs BIOS overlays, all in one easy to use program. Such setup programs were often necessary due to the complexity of BIOS size limitation and the skyrocketing size of new hard drives. EZ-Drive is similar to Ontrack Disk Manager.

• 8.x

12 Months Screen Calendar (1996) 2 Utility Windows

12 Month Screen Calendar v1.00 displays the next 12 months on one screen. Distributed as freeware by Command Line Software.

• 1.0

Advanced Task Manager (1995) 2 Utility Windows

A task manager replacement for Windows 3.1.

• 1.x