Free Windows 7 Tools You Have to Try

The smartphone marketing phrase "there's an app for that" got me thinking -- isn't there an application for pretty much anything and everything I need on my PC? And aren't those apps typically free? Yes, pretty much.

Here are eight of my recent Windows tools discoveries. Let other readers know the ones you've found in the comments section below.

Windows 7 tool No. 1: Evernote
This tool is one that even Mac users will appreciate. I've been using Evernote for the past few weeks to take notes. I brought it to Microsoft's campus for the recent MVP Summit, for example, and CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote even included a reference to note-taking applications. OneNote is the main Microsoft app for that purpose, so it's funny that a Microsoft guy like me has taken up the Evernote flag.

I first discovered Evernote for my Android smartphone and found it let me easily add recorded sound, pictures, and videos to my notes, then sync them to my laptop back at the hotel and to my PC at home. In fact, you can capture pretty much anything you see or hear in the notes, then access the notes from nearly every computer, smartphone, and tablet on the market: Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, and so on. And your notes are searchable. Great job!

Windows 7 tool No. 2: Easy Duplicate File Finder
How many copies of the same picture, file, or video do you have on your PC? In my case, I must have two or three copies of some items, but I have no idea where the extras are. I'm also afraid if delete it in one place, I'll later discover that was my only copy of that particular file -- so I keep adding copies. I also have copies on one external drive after another because I gotta have backups. Easy Duplicate File Finder helps locate all those duplicates quickly and lets you resolve them easily and safely.

Although it's not free, you might consider instead DataStor's $99 Professional Desktop Protection 2010, which both backs up and deduplicates those files on your desktop and any external connected drives.

Windows 7 tool No. 3: FastStone Photo Resizer
When I move pictures off my camera, I know I could (and should) rename them, but I don't do so a lot of the time. With FastStone Photo Resizer, I can rename and resize pictures. Plus, I can add watermarks and text, as well as crop, rotate, and change the color depth of my photos.

If you simply want to rename files, you might try File Renamer Basic instead.

Windows 7 tool No. 4: Desktops
Created by Microsoft engineers, Desktops lets you take better advantage of your monitors by providing as many as four virtual desktops to work with.

In addition, you might like some of the other tools that co-creator Mark Russinovich has developed, including ZoomIt (for an easy zoom teaching application) and BgInfo (to show details about the system right on the desktop with an overlay of text).

Windows 7 tool No. 5: TeamViewer
I stumbled upon TeamViewer at a download site. It's a screen-sharing and file-transfer application that provides remote access to a second computer so that you can help tech-challenged relatives. There are other tools like this on the market, but TeamViewer was easy to install and work with; plus, it's free.

Windows 7 tool No. 6: ClipTraining
This is my company's tool, but it's worthwhile. ClipTraining has 100 videos (five hours' worth) on Windows 7 task-based training, plus instructions for Office and other applications.

Windows 7 tool No. 7: AllMyApps
Here's a good idea: Take all the applications you normally need to download and install one by one, but instead, choose them all from one source, then download and install them in one group. AllMyApps has more than 1,600 apps available.

Windows 7 tool No. 8: Dropbox
The cloud-based Dropbox tool lets you access its included free 2GB of space (you can rent more if needed) to establish offsite backups and transfer data easily from one system to another. Dropbox is also a great collaboration tool; unlike with an FTP site, you can simply drop a file in the Dropbox folder on your system and have it sync with others to which you've granted access. It works in Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, and other platforms.

There are, of course, many tools available for Windows users. My InfoWorld.com colleagues and I have covered some of them in other stories:

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Reset Windows 7 Password With Ubuntu

Sometimes you forget your Windows password, or maybe your workmate leave and you replace him and you cannot access his ex-computer because it have a password. And you cannot guess his/her password to login. And you cannot reinstall the Windows because it have lot if important data and software that need to be installed and tweak. Then reinstall the Windows is not the answer.

If you had this problem then don’t worry, you still can reset Windows 7 password using Ubuntu. Whether boot it from USB or using Ubuntu live CD. To reset Windows 7 using Ubuntu you can use chntpw.

So to install chnptw on Ubuntu, follow the steps below:
1. Open your terminal and add universe repository, by editing sources.list:

vim /etc/apt/sources.list and add or enable this line:

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid main restricted universe multiverse deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates main restricted universe multiverse

2. Update your repository list:

apt-get update

3. Install chnptw:

apt-get chnptw

4. chnptw installed.

Note this chnptw only work in OS 32 bit version. for 64 bit version you need to download from debian source here and pick 64 bit version.

chnptw usage:
1. Get your hard drive label by using:

fdisk -l 2. Find where you install your Windows 7, then go to that hard drive and windows installation folder

cd /media//WINDOWS/system32/config/  

3. Use chnptw to reset password:

chntpw SAM  

4. It will show you User details and command to reset password:

Choose “1″ to clear the default user password and press “y” to confirm.

5. You are done. Back to boot to your Windows and there is no password anymore.

You can set the password from the Windows again if you want.


Note:

to reset password for user other than administrator or default user use this command:
 

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Remove Windows Error Corrector - Keep Your PC Safe From This Malware

Have you been experiencing a larger than normal number of performance issues with your computer lately? Have you been seeing numerous warning messages telling you that there are several serious problems with your computer? Have you recently installed antivirus software called Windows Error Corrector?

Even though Windows Error Corrector looks and acts like antivirus software, it is actually the cause of all of these issues and more since in reality it is a malware in disguise and you need to remove Windows Error Corrector to stop this.

The first time you run into Windows Error Corrector will actually be when you are online surfing the web. You will often see a message that looks as if it's a pop up message from your operating system that says:

Microsoft security essentials alert
There has been a possible viral threat located on your computer. You should take action now before the problem becomes worse and scan your computer.
The scan will then run on your computer. Afterwards, you will be informed that a number of viruses and other malware have made it onto your computer. You will then be informed that the best option for taking care of this these types of problems is by using the Windows Error Corrector.

Once you install the so called full version of Windows Error Corrector, you will be told that in order to finish the process, you will need to reboot your computer. Everything looks normal till your computer is almost fully booted up. Instead of having your desktop come up as normal you will be shown a screen for this malware telling you that you need to scan your computer again.
The scan is not a real scan and is just some random animated images and the only real way to stop this is to remove windows Error Corrector quickly.

If you do get past that screen without the scan, you will then begin experiencing one pop up message after another all of them giving you different warning messages. Some will warn you of active key logging software, some will tell you that either a program or an unknown person is trying to access your computer and make changes. Every one of these warnings will all end the same way though, telling you that in order to solve the problem you need to purchase your copy of the Windows Error Corrector software.

How do you get rid of this malware?

#1. The first thing you need to do is to start task manager and prevent this malware running. To do this right click on the windows task bar and click on task manager. If it will not open it is being blocked by this malware and you need to use the automatic method or go into safe mode. If task manger does open you need to find open the processes tab and then look for a service full of random characters and stop it. If you cannot find it start your computer in safe mode and then go to the next step.

#2. Once you have stopped the malware from running, either by stopping the service it uses or by entering safe mode you need to remove the following entries in the registry.
Start the windows registry editor by going to the windows start button, then run on the start menu and type in regedit. Once it starts search for these entries:

#1 HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "random generated file name"

#2 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "random generated filename"
...where random generated file name is a mixture of randomly generated characters such as xxyesw1.exe or similar. You need to delete both these entries.

#3. Once you have done this search for any file or folders called windows Error Corrector and delete them. Once you have done restart your computer and you should find you have removed windows Error Corrector.
If the malware is still there it is because you have missed some files or it has reinstalled itself. If this happens you need to run the automatic method.

Automatic method to get rid of windows Error Corrector:

#1. Start your computer in safe mode. To do this press f8 before windows starts and then select safe mode with networking from the menu.
#2. Open your web browser and download a system and registry scanner. Run a full system scan while in safe mode.
#3. Once the scan has finished follow the instructions. This will stop any running malware automatically and remove windows Error Corrector. you will not need to go through the manual method. If you are not sure about how to edit the registry or want a quick solution scan your computer right away and get rid of any malware from your PC.

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Tips to Optimize Windows Startup

Advancement of technology has given a new dimension to our life. If you want to start your car, just turn the key in your car ignition, want to play TV, hit the On button on your TV remote, everything has become very easy. you also expect the same from your computer. You hit the power button of the CPU and expect the computer to start instantly. But it is not happening. After hitting the power button you need to wait for several minutes before your PC is ready to run. What to do? The situation might be annoying but there are ways to speed up your PC's startup time. Go through the article and learn how to do this. You can also consult a PC repair company for Windows support.

By making some simple changes to the system BIOS, you can help speed boot time in Windows. Let's see how to do it. Tturn the computer on and enter the system BIOS screen either by pressing the DEL key, or by pressing F2 key as mentioned in the motherboard manual. You will get to the BIOS screen and in the BIOS setup, look for a BOOT menu and select it with your keyboard arrow keys, Tab, and Enter. You will find an option for Quick Boot. Enable it. Under Boot Device Priority change the first boot device to be the hard drive. Exit and Save Changes and the computer will reboot.

It is also recommended to remove unnecessary startup programs. Open Run dialog box and write Msconfig. Click the Startup tab, it will display a list of programs that launch at startup. Uncheck the boxes on the left-hand side of the Msconfig window that you don't want during Windows loading. Then click Apply and OK to confirm. You need to restart the computer to get the effect.

Clean the Windows Registry as most of the times computer experiences slow startup due to registry errors. Windows crashes and error messages are the results of registry errors. Registry problems occur due to references left behind after uninstallation as well as incorrect removal of software and missing or corrupt hardware drivers. You can consult a remote computer support provider for online registry repair. Or you can download or install registry repair software that will scan your Windows registry for invalid or obsolete information and make your computer stable and run faster.

To optimize Windows startup it is recommended to disable unnecessary Windows services. There are a number of services that load but they are not needed. They take up memory space and CPU time. As a result the startup time of the computer goes up. You should disable these services to free up system resources.

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