7plus is an amazing tool that can extend Windows with a host of useful extra features. (And despite the name, many features work with XP and Vista, as well as Windows 7.)

The program allows you to upload files, screengrabs and clipboard content to an FTP server, for instance, with a single keypress.

It enhances Explorer with an IE-like Favourites bar (on Vista or Windows 7), so you can return to commonly-used folders with a click.

And 7plus simplifies file selection. No more Ctrl+clicking to manually choose all the JPG files in a folder, say - just enter a filter like *.jpg and you're done.

Window management options include the option to make a window "always on top" by right-clicking its title bar. Or, if you need to save desktop space, then you can alternatively move some windows off the screen altogether, bringing them back when you move the mouse to the screen border.

There are all kinds of small usability improvements here. Like hotkeys to create new folders or text files, for instance. Or the ability to change audio volume simply by rolling the mouse wheel up and down, while the mouse cursor is over the taskbar.

And you get a host of more significant extras, covering everything from clipboard management to Explorer navigation and even a weather forecast plugin.

Figuring out how all this works can take a long time, as you might expect. Especially as the help on offer isn't really adequate. Still, the Explorer additions alone may be worth installing the program for most people, so if you feel your file management could be easier, than 7plus may well be the tool to help.