For many years I have been using Partition Magic as it was the only program that I could find that would resize partitions without losing data. This feature is very important when adding a partition to a computer that is running well. It could save you from needing to resinstall the whole system. Partition Magic is a commercial program which is hard to justify a purchase of, as you may only use it once or twice each year.

EaseUs Partition Manager Home Edition has been labelled a “free replacement for Partition Magic”, and rightly so. The interface is very similar to the popular Partition Magic, and it contains many of the same features.

Features include:

• Disk resizing without data loss
• Disk and partition copying
• Setting partitions active or hidden
• Disk Labeling
• Easy to use interface
• Everything else most people could ever want

This tool is a long saught after tool for those who do a lot of partitioning. Now the job of trying out Linux, or installing XP on a factory installed Vista machine is a lot less daunting, and dare I say it – even enjoyable.

Important Update: Ensure you turn off hibernation and sleep modes before running this program. If it enters these modes while the program is running, you may find your computer is unbootable. Most other tools of this nature run in DOS mode where sleep or hibernate is not a feature, hence not a problem.

Partition Manager has a commercial version available for people who would like a few extra features, but the home version is free and does everything reported in this article. Grab your copy from Partition-Tool.

There are normally a number of features in the power management component of the BIOS options, which permit all types of triggers to wake a computer up from hibernation or standby modes. However, if the computer is turned off, these will not work.

One of the triggers allows us to set the computer to launch via the real time clock. We can set how frequently the machine will wake up, or what time of the day we want it too wake up.

Every BIOS is a little different so it is impossible to give specific instructions, but it is not too hard to find. Go into the BIOS and find Power Management. In here, ensure S3 is enabled. There should be an option called “Resume by alarm”, or “Wake-up on RTC”. Once this is enabled, you will be able to set the time you want your computer to turn on. That should be all there is to it.

While I had not seen this feature before, I checked the 3 computers I have access to, to see if they also had this option. These machines are of various ages and they all included this feature. Only one time can be set in the BIOS, so using this method will not work if you want it to turn on in the morning and the afternoon. If you want to do this, you will need to use the task scheduler.

There are a number of Magic Packet senders that will wake a computer up over a LAN connection, but these are usually stand alone programs that need to be opened up and have data entered into them before they work. I wanted a more customizable solution.

Mc-wol is a command line utility that enables you to wake up a machine on your local area network. Being a command line utility, it is easy to utilize in a shortcut on your desktop, place into a batch file, or use it in a scheduled task.

Don’t let the command line scare you. The syntax is really simple. To launch a computer, type mc-wol followed by the mac/ethernet address. i.e.:

mc-wol 91:34:eb:de:45:32

Wake on LAN software only works on computers which are in standby or hibernate modes.

Mc-wol is free and available from Matcode.com. You will also find a bunch of useful information on the page about simple settings you will need to check before WOL will work.

BCDedit is configured through the command line. I played around with it for around 5 minutes before deciding that it was too complicated for me with a Christmas hangover. I knew that if I made an error, I may make my machine unbootable. There had to be an easier way.

I came across a utility called EasyBCD. EasyBCD let me change all the settings of my boot menu in a matter of minutes. I was able to add a Windows partition to the boot list, rename the operating systems as they are shown in the menu, and change the wait time.

EasyBCD made this job completely simple. The interface doesn’t allow for much user error as it fills in many of the blanks. EasyBCD can even help you add non Windows operating systems into the mix.

If anything does go wrong with the changes you make, and you find your machine unbootable, put your Vista disk in your computer and boot to it. A quick repair job will bring back the default boot menu.

Grab your free copy from NeoSmart.net.

Because of this common need to recover passwords, a few tools have been created to get past this problem. I once heard of a program called Ophcrack, but it looked a bit tricky to use.

A tool called PC Login Now was recently made available as freeware, so I tried it out. The download is an iso file that needs to be burnt to a CD, using just about any CD burning software. The result is a Linux Live CD. Restart your computer and ensure that the computer will boot from your CD drive first (most will by default). Watch the Linux Live CD boot to life.

PC Login Now will work with any Windows install, and it can even handle dual boot machines. The opening screen shows you the operating systems available on the computer. Select the operating system you want to tinker with and press next. You should now be able to see all of the user accounts for that system.

You can then reset the password of any account, as well as enable or disable accounts. You can pretty much perform any of the basic user account options available in Windows. This program does not show you the old password as some tools do, but resetting the password is just as useful in most circumstances.

Once your computer reboots, a disk check will be run. When prompted, try to login leaving the password blank. You should be able to get into the system. PC Login Now claims a 100% success rate, and so far I have had no failures on the 3 machines I have tested. It couldn’t be quicker or easier to use.

This will not work for computers which login to a domain, but there is normally a local user account on these computers, which you can use to gain access.

Take some caution using this in the workplace as many companies don’t like these tools.

PC Login Now 2.0 is available for free from pcloginnow.com.

Types is a worthwhile replacement to the inbuilt Windows file type utility. It works on both Windows XP and Vista. It also offers a large display window so that you can easily find the extension you want tinker with.

To use Types, right click on the extension you want to edit and select properties. From the window that opens, you are able to change which program will open up the file, the extensions icon, and a few class options, but you shouldn’t need to worry about those.

This program does a small job well, and it is an improvement on the inbuilt Windows options.

Types is available for free from SourceForge.

When I am told that a computer is running slow, the first thing I do is look in the locations that call these programs to load, and I cull the programs that are not necessary. There are numerous locations (registry, startup folders and win.ini) where these programs are called from, so the process can take quite a while.

Startup Manager is a free utility that shows you each of these locations in a single, easy to use interface. Just check out the screenshot of it. This is certainly a no nonsense program.

Startup Manager shows you what is going to be loaded at startup. All you need to do is untick the items that you no longer want to be part of your daily life.

The startup programs should probably be checked every 6 or so months to keep your computer running lean. The list can expand very quickly, often without the users knowledge. Using this utility can save a lot of time. It is one of those useful programs to keep on a USB disk, so that you can load it up quickly in the case a friend is in need.

Get your copy of Startup Manager for free from StartupManager.org.

Most spy-ware, trojans, viruses or spam ridden software will place entries into your registry, without your knowledge. Once the entry has been made, the program can run once the computer is restarted. If software is discovered after this, it is too late because the damage has already been done. A timely and difficult clean up job is required to restore your computer to full working order… if you are lucky.

Reg-runner is a program that runs in the task tray, that will help you protect your computer from these nasties, by popping up a small alert when a change is made to the registry, or when a program or process has started or ended. The majority of these alerts will be for programs you intended to install or run, but eventually the time will come when you are alerted to a program that is not wanted. 

Reg-runner has a number of tabs, showing the programs that are loaded at startup, running processes and registry changes. Each of these entries can be looked at more deeply. Right clicking on any of the startup items or processes will bring up a context menu. From this menu, Reg-runner can shoot you off to Google or Processlibrary.com for more information. Using these resources, you can find out if any program is malicious, or more simply, what any of your programs or processes do.

This program is small, weighing in just under 400k. For those who don’t like to use virus scanners or anti spy-ware programs because they slow down your computer, this would be a very sensible addition to the task tray.

Reg-runner is available for free from SourceForge. There is a standard version, and a black edition for those who like to live on the dark-side.

Normally it does not matter if files are recoverable. It is handy in many cases. If a file is accidentally deleted, it is nice to know that all is not lost. Some sensitive files, you may want out of your life forever.

I came across a small but powerful utility called Eraser that would fulfill my needs. After running it, my deleted files were no longer recoverable. It can be used in two main ways.

First off is the Recycle Bin add-in. When you right click on the Recycle Bin, you normally get the option to empty it. Eraser adds a number of extra options for you. You can securely delete the files in the recycle bin using any of the extra options. Most of them will run several passes over the file. Others will replace the file with random data, which in both cases will ensure the file is gone forever. This does take longer than a normal bin empty, but it is not an uncomfortable wait.

Secondly, Internet history, cookies and uninstalled programs all bypass the recycle bin. That is why Eraser offers another component to look after you. Eraser can be setup to do a number of tasks on a schedule. You can delete files, folders… or my favourite, erase all free space. This ensures that any deleted files will remain deleted.

Lastly, many people sell their computers without correctly wiping the disk beforehand. This makes all of their data available to the purchaser, whether the files have been deleted or not. Using Boot and Nuke which incorporates Eraser, you are able to make a floppy disk or CD that will erase a computer completely before it is sold.

Eraser runs on most versions of Windows. Get your copy of Eraser for free from their website.

Batch scripts

AutoIt is a scripting language for Windows. You can use it to create very basic scripts, or complex utilities with GUI interfaces. It can help you do a great deal of things.

Below is an example of some code that will load up Notepad and enter some text.

Run("notepad.exe")
WinWaitActive("Untitled - Notepad")
Send("This is some text.")
WinClose("Untitled - Notepad")
WinWaitActive("Notepad", "Do you want to save")
Send("!n")

This example closes down and cancels the save dialog. It’s not too complicated, hey? Sorry this example is not at all useful in a practical situation.

AutoIt scripts can be run from any computer where AutoIt has been installed. Even better is the feature where you can export your script into an executable(exe) file. This is an ideal option for creating a working environment.

This is one the most basic scripting languages I have looked at. Some commands can be picked up by a beginner easily, but others do require a lot more knowledge. As with most languages, copying and editing scripts that have already been written is often the best way to go, especially if you are learning the ropes.

AutoIt runs on all versions of Windows, and is available for free from AutoItScript.com.

Thanks to Murphy for the tip.