Software Alternatives & Startups

smartmontools VS ShellNewHandler

Compare smartmontools VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

smartmontools

The smartmontools package contains two utility programs (smartctl and smartd) to control and...

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, ShellNewHandler seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 2
Monitoring Tools popularity
84% vs 16%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

smartmontools
ShellNewHandler
Website smartmontools.org sourceforge.net
Pricing
Open source
—
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

smartmontools 5 features
ShellNewHandler 0 features
  • Comprehensive Diagnostic Capabilities
    Smartmontools provides extensive diagnostic capabilities to monitor the health and performance of hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs). It allows users to predict drive failures and take proactive measures to safeguard data.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    The toolset is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions, making it versatile for users across different platforms.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, smartmontools is free to use and benefits from community contributions, allowing for regular updates and improvements.
  • Command Line Interface
    Smartmontools offers a powerful command-line interface, facilitating automation and scripting for advanced users and system administrators.
  • S.M.A.R.T. Attribute Monitoring
    It can read S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) attributes, which provide detailed insights into the condition and operational statistics of storage devices.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complexity for Beginners
    The command-line interface and the breadth of options can be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with technical diagnostics, making it less accessible for beginners.
  • Limited GUI Options
    While smartmontools is powerful in a command-line environment, it lacks a native graphical user interface, which may deter users who prefer visual over command-based interactions.
  • Potential for Insufficient Warnings
    Despite monitoring drive health, smartmontools may not always predict every failure, particularly those that occur suddenly without prior warning signs.
  • Resource Intensive During Tests
    Running detailed diagnostic tests can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting system performance during the testing period.
  • Manual Configuration
    It often requires manual configuration and tuning to match specific use cases, which can be time-consuming and require a good understanding of the tool's capabilities and the user's specific hardware.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

smartmontools
ShellNewHandler

No analysis of smartmontools yet.

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
smartmontools
ShellNewHandler
84% 84%
16% 16%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using smartmontools and ShellNewHandler. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

smartmontools 0 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions

Tracking smartmontools since Mar 2021.

  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to smartmontools and ShellNewHandler

When comparing smartmontools and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.