LaunchIt

LaunchIt is a small-sized application that enables you to create a list with favorite files and folders to open from a launchpad. It runs from the systray to provide quick access to its settings while letting you carry on with your normal PC activity without any interruptions.

The entire program's packed in one executable file that you can save to a preferred directory on the disk or copy to a removable storage unit to be able to run it on any PC with as little effort as possible.

It doesn't modify registry settings. However, it creates a new file on exit to remember your configuration. On top of that, .NET Framework must be installed, since it was made using Microsoft's platform.

Once launched, LaunchIt creates an icon in the systray area and shows a tiny frame on the top-center part of the screen. Clicking it opens the launchpad, which can be filled with any multiple files and folders to rapidly open.

It's possible to strip the launchpad of all graphical elements by removing the icons of files and folders to create a plainer look, and make the top-center frame stay on top of maximized or fullscreen windows.

You can assign any local image as the launchpad background, hide or show descriptions, as well as integrate the app into the Windows autostart sequence, so it runs by default every time you turn on your computer until further notice.

It left a small footprint on the computer's performance in our tests, running on a low amount of CPU and RAM. The application remained stable throughout its runtime, without causing the operating system to freeze, crash or indicate errors.

To wrap it up, LaunchIt takes a straightforward approach toward creating a list with frequently accessed files and folders to quickly open from a launchpad. Too bad that it hasn't received updates for a long time.