Prokey (1989) 0 Utility DOS

Prokey is a DOS TSR macro recording and playback program. It adds lotus-style menus to applications, lets users create their own help messages, can copy text from the screen, remembers the last 300 keystrokes, and supports timed reminder alerts.

• 5.x

PushButton WORKS (1993) 0 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Database Windows

PushButton WORKS, from MicroBurst Inc., was a very low cost rudimentary integrated office suite. It includes a word processor, spread sheet, graphing program, and database. It competed with ClarisWorks, Footprint Works, and Microsoft Works for Windows.

• 3.0

Quark Catalyst (1985) 0 Utility Other

Quark Catalyst is an Apple II utility that enabled moving applications, including copy protected applications, from 5.25" floppy disks to 3.5" floppy disks or hard disks, and provides launcher menu shell. As of version 3.0 the user interface was revamped to mimic the appearance of the Macintosh Finder. To appease software publishers, the Quark Catalyst software itself is copy protected.

• 3.0

Quarterdeck GameRunner (1995) 2 Utility DOS

Quarterdeck GameRunner, from Quarterdeck Corporation, is a specialized packaging of their QEMM memory management product that is specifically designed to automatically maximize the memory and speed available to known games. DOS based games of the time used a hodgepodge of memory access methods, that varied from product to product and often created conflicts. GameRunner attempts to mitigate some of this chaos by providing automatic configuration and management.

• 2.x

Quarterdeck Manifest (1988) 0 Utility DOS

Manifest is an easy to use diagnostic program that provides incredibly detailed information about DOS resource usage, loaded programs, IO devices, and memory usage including EMS, XMS, and UMB memory. It was available as a standalone program and bundled with QEMM and Deskview. Tools like this were essential for resolving compatibility problems between poorly behaved DOS programs and highly customized environments, especially in task switched or multitasking environments.

• 1.x

QuickMenu (1991) 3 Utility DOS

QuikMenu III is an icon-based graphical menu and desktop for DOS.

• 1.x

Sidekick (1984) 8 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

SitBack (1991) 0 Utility DOS

SitBack is a unique backup tool that backs up files in the background while users are using their systems. This is based on the reality that most users do not want to take the time or effort to manually back up their work. SitBack can backup up to local drives or network shares, and can back up from many kinds of media.

• 3.x

Softkey Address Book Maker (1992) 0 PIM Windows

Softkey / Spinnaker Easy Working Address Book Maker is a personal information manager that stores and retrieves names, addresses, and phone numbers. with the ability to print them out in the format used by many popular paper organizers.

• 1992

SoftKey Key Master Maps (1995) 1 Reference Windows

SoftKey Key Master Maps is a road map of the entire USA on a CD.

• 1.0

SoftLogic Disk Optimizer (1987) 1 Utility DOS

Disk Optimizer, from SoftLogic Solutions Inc., was a low cost disk defragmentation utility that competed directly against the Norton Utilities. Like other disk optimizers, it re-arranges where files are stored on a hard drive to decrease file access time. It was, however, not as full featured or robust as the Norton Utilities.

• 2.x

Stacker (1991) 5 Utility Archive DOS OS2 Windows

Stacker, from Stack Electronics, was a hard drive compression tool. It was wildly popular until Microsoft virtually eliminated the third party market for this by including their own drive compression tool with MS-DOS 6. and Expandz! Plus.

• 1.0 (DOS)
• 2.0 (DOS)
• 3.x (DOS)
• 1.0 (OS/2)
• 4.0 (DOS)
• 4.0 (OS/2)

Stardock Object Desktop (1996) 1 Utility OS2

Object Desktop is a set of utilities for OS/2 power users. It provides a number of visual enhancements, define hotkeys, an improved editor, desktop configuration backup, archive management, system help advisors, and system backup.

• 1.5.x

Super PC-Kwik (1992) 1 Utility DOS

PC-Kwik is an easy to use hard drive disk caching utility. Compared to some other caching utilities, it is easy to use, it automatically configures itself, and is less likely to cause data corruption.

• 5.x

SuperKey (1986) 3 Utility DOS

Borland SuperKey is a combination resident macro program and file encryption tool. It can record and play back keystrokes in most DOS application, enabling you to automate repetitive tasks. It also includes a file encryption tool that lets you password protect sensitive files. It was marketed alongside Borland Sidekick.

• 1.x

Talking Icons (1994) 0 Novelty Windows

Talking Icons 2.0 is a utility from Aristo-Soft for Windows 3.1 that adds silly sounds and animated icons to the Windows environment. It also features a tool (Windows FX) that changes the windows border with multiple themes, additional screen savers, wallpaper, additional mouse cursors, an icon editor, and "Talk" ready versions of Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Clock.

• 2.0

The New Basics Electronic Cookbook (1992) 0 Reference DOS

Created from the best-selling Silver Palate Cookbook series by authors Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, The New Basics Electronic Cookbook includes a library of over 1,800 delicious recipes, hundreds of colorful pictures, and a wide range of helpful cooking hints, spoken by the authors themselves.

• 1992

The Software Toolworks Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) 0 Reference DOS

The Software Toolworks Multimedia Encyclopedia is an early multimedia CD-ROM encyclopedia that features articles, photographs, animation, and sound. It was often bundled with sound cards and new computers. There were versions for DOS, Windows, and Macintosh.

• 1.x

TheSky (1993) 0 Reference Windows

TheSky, from Software Bisque, Inc (a company that also develops telescope mounts) , is an astronomy program that plots the position of objects in the sky and includes a database of object names and other additional information.

• 1.x

Toolworks Backup Pro (1990) 0 Utility DOS

Backup Pro, from The Software Toolworks, is an easy to use backup program for MS-DOS. It features drop down menus and mouse support. It was sometimes bundled with OEM computers, and was sold for very low cost compared to others.

• 1.x

Toolworks Desk Reference (1991) 1 Reference Windows

Toolworks Desk Reference is an electronic version of the New York Public Library Desk Reference. This reference contains a huge collection of various facts about ideas, advice, details and discoveries. It includes twenty-six subject areas and thousands of entries.

• 1.0

ToyBox Menu Manager / Magic Desk (1992) 2 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)

VideoWorks (1985) 0 Presentations Graphics MacOS

VideoWorks is a Macintosh animation program that eventually became Macromedia/Adobe Director.

• 1.00
• II

WINCheckIt (1994) 13 Utility Windows

WINCheckIt, from TouchStone Software Corporation, was a popular diagnostics and system cleaning utility for Microsoft Windows 3.1. It diagnoses issues with CMOS/BIOS setup, finds IRQ problems, tests I/O devices and memory, benchmarks system performance, removes unused application files, and fixes system files. WinCheckIt is the successor to their earlier DOS based CheckIt diagnostics.

• 2.0
• 4.0

Windows Resource Kit (1991) 18 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