Four Utilities from 20 Years Ago That Windows 11 Still Can't Replace

**Microsoft continues to add features to Windows 11 that many users do not request, while leaving out basic capabilities that existed two decades ago. Autoruns, WinDirStat, Ditto, and VLC are just a few of the free utilities that fill these gaps and that the company's engineers should study.

• Autoruns shows all the startup locations that Windows 11 does not reveal, including registry keys, services, and scheduled tasks.
• WinDirStat provides a visual map of storage to find large and duplicate files that the native explorer does not detail.
• Ditto expands the clipboard to 500 items with search and editing, surpassing the 25-item limit of Windows 11.
• VLC plays DVDs, Blu-rays, and rare formats that Microsoft’s Media Player has abandoned.

Microsoft has turned Windows 11 into a system filled with features that many users consider unnecessary, such as Copilot, which has infiltrated almost every corner of the operating system. Meanwhile, there are basic shortcomings that users have been complaining about for years, which the company seems to completely ignore. Fortunately, a handful of utilities created more than two decades ago continue to solve these problems with an efficiency that modern software does not reach.

The author of the original article, published in XDA Developers, notes that these old-school tools do a wonderful job of maintaining their system or backing up a productive workflow. Their complaint is straightforward: they wish Microsoft engineers would learn from what independent developers have created and implement similar functionality in the Windows 11 experience. Below, we review the four utilities that demonstrate that sometimes, the old is much better.

Autoruns: Total Control of Windows Startup

The Task Manager in Windows 11 allows users to close resource-hungry applications and manage the programs that start with the system in a basic way. However, its startup tab shows only a fraction of what actually happens during boot and login. Autoruns, a tool developed by Sysinternals (now part of Microsoft), lists all startup locations and offers much greater detail than Windows 11 can show.

With Autoruns, users can see every automatic startup location that the system checks during boot, including registry keys, scheduled tasks, background services, codecs, DLLs, Explorer extensions, and Office add-ins. It found applications that were only half-uninstalled and allowed users to remove them to improve Windows performance. This deep inspection capability is precisely what is missing in the native Task Manager, which is limited to a superficial list of applications.

The XDA article highlights that many more things happen in the background during startup than the average user believes, and Autoruns makes them visible. From there, users can manage which applications and services run during boot and login, something that Windows 11 does not allow accurately. It is an essential tool for diagnosing slowness or ghost processes, and its price is unbeatable: it is free and lightweight.

WinDirStat: The Visual Map of Storage

WinDirStat has existed since the early 2000s and offers a more detailed view of your drive's content than any native Windows tool. Its main function is to scan any drive connected to the system, analyze it, and generate a graphical visualization showing which files are taking up space. Windows 11 only presents a generalized view of folders, without allowing a deep breakdown of the individual files that saturate the disk.

The author of XDA explains that WinDirStat allows users to delve into folders and find the exact file that is taking up space, which is crucial when one does not know where the large files are or what they are. It also helps detect multiple small files that, together, occupy unnecessary space. Beyond visualization, the folder tree shows the complete path to the files that need management, and the tool even detects duplicate files.

Another highlighted feature is the monitoring of storage changes over time, with the ability to export CSV reports to see data evolution. This makes WinDirStat a comprehensive diagnostic tool that goes far beyond a simple disk cleaner. Despite its age, it remains the preferred choice for many advanced users who are not satisfied with Windows' generic statistics.

Ditto: A Clipboard That Keeps History

Microsoft improved the clipboard in Windows 11 with a history feature that can also sync across devices. However, this feature is limited: it only allows for 25 entries, and each item has a maximum size of 4 MB. Additionally, unless the user pins an item, the system will automatically delete the oldest ones to make way for new entries, making the history ephemeral and uncontrollable.

Ditto, a utility available in the Microsoft Store, takes the clipboard concept to another level. Since the early 2000s, it has allowed users to keep everything they copy, with the ability to organize, search, and edit stored items. Its default setting saves up to 500 items, and this limit can be increased according to the user's needs. Unlike the native clipboard, Ditto can retain items indefinitely, creating a local database of everything copied unless a deletion period is configured.

This database allows users to search among saved items, which is very useful for retrieving texts, images, or files copied weeks or months ago. Moreover, Ditto does not have the 4 MB limit, although the author warns that if very large files are copied, the database can grow uncontrollably. Still, the comparison is striking: Windows 11 seems outdated compared to this tool from 20 years ago.

VLC: The Player Without Limits

The Windows 11 Media Player gained support for FLAC a few years ago, but it still does not play DVDs or Blu-rays and struggles with uncommon multimedia formats. VLC, the open-source player that has been the gold standard for playing virtually any media for 25 years, fills that gap impeccably. While Windows 11 only handles audio discs and common file types like MP3, AAC, and M4A, rarer formats like OGG require additional extensions that the system does not offer by default.

VLC plays DVDs, Blu-rays, and rare file extensions that the user may not even have known existed. At a time when most PCs do not include optical drives, this tool remains essential for those who need to play physical media on their machines. Microsoft has left behind most optical media support, but VLC does the job and more, with a lightness that contrasts with the weight of the operating system.

The XDA article concludes that after more than 40 years of development, Windows still cannot do many things or does not do them well. Fortunately, these utilities that are 20 years or older allow users to perform tasks that the native system does not cover, and all of them are lightweight, free, and do not require significant resources. In an already overloaded operating system, having tools that do not add weight is an extra advantage. The author's final question invites readers to share their own favorite old utilities to get more out of their PCs with Windows 11.

This content is provided for general informational purposes only and doesn't constitute financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Any events, rewards, online promotions, or related information mentioned herein should not be considered a recommendation, solicitation, or invitation to purchase, sell, trade, or otherwise deal in any crypto assets. Crypto assets are highly volatile and may result in loss. The availability of WEEX services, products, and related events may vary by region. You are responsible for ensuring that your participation is in accordance with applicable local laws and regulations.