Windows Tools, Help & Guides

If you find yourself repeatedly typing phrases or snippets of code, you’ll find Texter very useful. Texter is designed to take the repetition out of computer use. I use it when I write guides for this site; I always write the guides in plain HTML first and then move them to my CMS. I’ll often write lines of HTML code over and over again, so this tool is a real time saver.
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If you want control over when your PC shuts down, Dshutdown is for you. This program will give you complete control over triggers that make your computer shut down. This can be useful if you are energy conscious and want your PC to shut down after use. I realize many of this site’s readers never let their computer even hibernate — because they use it so much! However, I hope this program may help some of you.

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Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with
4 out of 5

VERSION TESTED: 4.1.1 PROS: Simple partition management to assist in allocating space for multi-boot environments or data partitions. Easy-to-use interface with drag and drop functionality. Back up entire partitions to assist in operating system reinstall without loss of data. CONS: 32-bit only support for the free home version. Windows XP, Vista, and 7 have fairly good partition managers already built in so this product is not necessary in some cases. VERDICT: If you want to create a multiple boot environment or you want to create a “media” partition on the same drive as your operating system install, this is a great tool to use and far more intuitive than Windows’ built in tool. If you shook your head after reading my previous sentence, I wouldn’t bother with this program. PRICE: Free DOWNLOAD: EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition

Many of my drives are split into two or more partitions. Why would you want to split your drive into multiple partitions?

• Create a dual boot system.
• Create a triple/quad boot system with Linux and OS X.
• Relocate your personal folders to minimize data loss from malware.
• Minimize fragmentation on your system partition.
• Decrease the chance of filling your operating systems drive up to the point where it cannot function properly.

Note: Here’s how to create, move, resize, and delete partitions with Windows’ built in disk management tool.

In this review, I share EASEUS’ latest, free partition management tool: EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition.

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Recently, we bought a new TV for our front room. One of the primary reasons for buying the TV is to connect it to our PC; this way, we can watch TV shows on something bigger than a desktop monitor. There are many TV shows freely available online these days. You can search YouTube, Hulu, and other great websites. But if you are looking for an integrated solution to find most, if not all, your TV shows, Miro may be the program for you.

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WinZip and WinRAR are classic file managers for compressed archives; however, over the years, these programs have become more commercial and less useful (feel free to disagree — I don’t feel that strongly about it.) In this guide, you’ll learn about three alternatives to WinZip and WinRAR: 7-Zip, PeaZip, and TUGZip.

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If you would like to assist a friend remotely or present from your machine and have others look in, TeamViewer is for you. Learn, in this guide, what team viewer is and where to download it.

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