Wow. Never new this existed until today. The Windows API Code Pack provides a source code library that can be used to access some features of Windows 7 and Windows Vista from managed code. These Windows features are not available to developers today in the .NET Framework.

Here is a listing of the features included in the API code Pack:

• Windows 7 Taskbar
  • Jump Lists, Icon Overlay, Progress Bar, Tabbed Thumbnails, and Thumbnail Toolbars
• Windows Shell
  • Windows 7 Libraries
  • Windows Shell Search API support
  • Explorer Browser Control
  • A hierarchy of Shell Namespace entities
  • Windows Shell property system
  • Drag and Drop for Shell Objects
  • Windows Vista and WIdnows 7 Common File Dialogs, including custom controls
  • Know Folders and non-file system containers
• DirectX
  • Direct3D 11.0, Direct3D 10.1/10.0, DXGI 1.0/1.1, Direct2D 1.0, DirectWrite, WIndows Imaging Component (WIC) APIs
• Windows Vista and Widnows 7 Task Dialogs
• Sensor Platform APIs
• Extended Lingquistic Services APIs
• Power Management APIs
• Application Restart and RecoveryAPIs
• Command Link control and System definded shell icons

The setup and install is a bit different.  The API comes as one large solution that needs to be compiled and then the .dll's pulled from the projects bin folder for use.

http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/WindowsAPICodePack

Seems like I've been needing to install this alot lately.

SQL 2008 Express (With management tools.)

Sample Databases from Microsoft's codeplex website:

Sample Databases

Some say A poor craftsman blames his tools. I guess that would be true if you are cutting a piece of wood (No pun inteded.). As a software developer, blaming your own tools will only make things worse. I suggest you update your toolbox!

Here are a few tools that I am currently using.

• .NET Reflector
  .NET Reflector enables you to easily view, navigate, and search through, the class hierarchies of .NET assemblies, even if you don't have the code for them. With it, you can decompile and analyze .NET assemblies in C#, Visual Basic, and IL.

• ISO Recorder
  ISO Recorder has been conceived during Windows XP beta program, when Microsoft for the first time started distributing new OS builds as ISO images. Even though the new OS had CD-burning support (by Roxio), it did not have an ability to record an image. ISO Recorder has filled this need and has been one of the popular Windows downloads ever since.

• Fiddler
  Fiddler is a Web Debugging Proxy which logs all HTTP(S) traffic between your computer and the Internet. Fiddler allows you to inspect all HTTP(S) traffic, set breakpoints, and "fiddle" with incoming or outgoing data. Fiddler includes a powerful event-based scripting subsystem, and can be extended using any .NET language.

• Expresso
  The award-winning Expresso editor is equally suitable as a teaching tool for the beginning user of regular expressions or as a full-featured development environment for the experienced programmer or web designer with an extensive knowledge of regular expressions.

• Cooktop
  Cooktop is an editor and development environment for XML, DTD, and XSLT documents.

• Notepad++
  Notepad++ is a free (as in "free speech" and also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.

• LINQPad
  LINQPad lets you interactively query SQL databases in a modern query language: LINQ. Kiss goodbye to SQL Management Studio!

• Filezilla
  FileZilla is afree FTP solution. Both a client and a server are available. FileZilla is open source software distributed free of charge under the terms of the GNU General Public License

• VirtualBox
  VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software.