Bangarsoft SlideShow

Bangarsoft SlideShow is a lightweight and straightforward application you can use to view graphic files with the JPG, BMP and GIF extension, as well as to put together slideshows on the spot. It features preview and fullscreen mode, along with approachable options for all types of users.

The tool is packed into a single .exe, which can be saved anywhere on the disk or transported to a USB flash drive to run the utility on any computer with as little effort as possible.

No new entries are inserted into the system registry, and no files are generated on the disk without permission. However, it might be necessary to separately get ahold of some missing DLLs to get the utility running. The developer hasn't updated this program for a long time.

The interface consists of a small window whose buttons are tiny, making it difficult to spot settings. Unfortunately, there aren't any options implemented for enlarging the panel or changing the display mode in any way.

By default, Bangarsoft SlideShow loads all supported images from the same directory as itself, showing a preview of each picture in a list, together with its name and format. The folder can be swapped for another one, whether it's on a local, removable or network location.

Graphic files can be filtered by JPG, BMP or GIF instead of displaying all. Before starting a slideshow, you can enable preview mode, randomize the sequence order, set the on-screen time of each slide (seconds), as well as enable fullscreen mode for the presentation.

A few options are available in the context menu of the fullscreen mode. It's possible to open the current picture in your default image viewer, remove it from the hard drive, pause the show, go to the previous or next slide, stretch the picture to fit the screen, ask the utility to retain the shape, and alter the background.

The actual configuration can be remembered on exit. Moreover, Bangarsoft SlideShow is capable of creating an .ini file to keep track of the slideshow settings (path, start, filetype, fullscreen, interval, repeat, stretch, retain shape), along with an autorun file.

During our tests on the latest Windows edition, Bangarsoft SlideShow felt awkward to work with. It has a rudimentary-looking interface and a weak set of options for viewing images and generating slideshows.