Notepad replacement at SimpleBusiness.org

"The original Notepad shipped with Windows is probably the handiest program of all times, small, fast, without frills! Notepad2 tries to follow this principle, it’s a small, fast and free text editor with syntax highlighting for HTML and other common languages." - Notepad2

I have to agree with the author. For a quick edit, Notepad2 is without peer. Small and fast, all the most used features are there. Powerful search and replace, open large file, syntax coloring, line number, change file format…

It is just one file, so there is no install involved and can directly replace the Windows Notepad.

There are 2 ways to run the program - separately as a standalone program or as Notepad replaced.

Standalone is simple. Just unzip the file anywhere, Program Files or Windows are good choice. Create a shortcut and put it on the desktop or start menu.

As Notepad replaced is slightly more complex. Here’s what I do on Win XP. Try it at your own risk. You can search the net for more information.

Unzip the file to Desktop.
Rename notepad2.exe to notepad.exe
Copy the file to C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache and overwrite a copy of notepad.exe there first.
If you cannot see this folder, enable viewing of hidden folder.
Copy again to C:\WINDOWS and overwrite the current copy of notepad.exe
The first time Notepad (Notepad2 now) is run, there will be a warning message. Just ignore it and select the necessary option to dismiss it.

The reason it seems is that Windows is protecting system file from being modified. Again use with care and at you own risk.

What I like about ?

UTF-8 support.
I can open and edit files with chinese characters. This is very important as I can quickly open a file and change a few words.
Small quick light. Many important features without the bulkiness.