Top 5 Best Free Alarm Clock Software for Windows

If you are a busy person and wanted a convenient way of being reminded of an appointment or to basically just wake you up from your sleep, the alarm clock software for Windows is your best solution. With  the plethora of available alarm clocks on the internet, we have reviewed some and come up with a list of FREE Top 7 alarm clock software for Windows that you can immediately download and use to your purpose.

1. Alarm Clock

It’s a straightforward and simple program that will provide you with a total of eight alarms for each day of the week and an additional one-time alarm that can be used at any time. You can choose an MP3 or WAV file for the alarm sound; otherwise it will default to the old-school bell option. If you need a solid and simple alarm clock program then this is the perfect one for you.

• Our Rating: 
• Download Alarm Clock
• Home Page
• Pros: no fuss alarm and does its job as expected; easy to set and reliable
• Cons: it is a basic program and might not be ideal for people looking for more fancy and advanced options or features
• OS: Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit)

2. Free Desktop Clock

The Free Desktop clock offers more attractive interface and customizable clock settings to perform several functions such as using a transparent background, load at start up, use 12-hour format, among other things. It has a variety of skins to choose from to spice up the look and feel of your alarm clock.

• Our Rating: 
• Download Free Desktop Clock
• Home Page
• Pros: attractive with many skins and styles to choose from; easy to set up and very useful
• Cons: tries to install toolbars without permission
• OS: Windows 7, Windows 2003, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008

3. Cool timer

Cool timer live up to its hype as one of the coolest alarm clocks with a free 99-hour timer with countdown and stopwatch functions. It plays MP3, WAV and MIDI sound file as an alarm and also provides a scrolling message to display your purpose of setting the timer. It is a simple and straightforward tool with a cool and customizable interface that is very handy and reliable.

• Our Rating: 
• Download Cool timer
• Home Page
• Pros: fully searchable help file for guidance; flexible options and features; offers countdown and stopwatch functions;
• Cons: tries to install Bing toolbar without permission; limited color schemes available
• OS: Windows 7, Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows NT, Windows XP

4. Free Alarm Clock

Free Alarm Clock has a user-friendly interface that is simple and yet attractive; It has great alarm functions to loop, snooze, turn on the monitor and wake up the computer from sleep mode. Alarm sounds can also be customized with user’s own audio files as well as built-in options of 11 sounds. It also provides an online help file to explain its features, albeit the whole program is very easy to understand and operate without using a manual.

• Our Rating: 
• Download Free Alarm Clock
• Home Page
• Pros: able to backup and restore alarms; simple and user-friendly interface; built-in alarm sounds
• Cons: very simplistic in approach and might not be ideal for users who needed more advanced features
• OS: Windows 7, Windows 2003, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008

5. Multilingual Speaking Clock

If you want a clock that announces the time in different languages then you should go for multilingual speaking clock. This simple and straightforward program will effectively remind you of the time in your own native language. It is a simple digital clock with black numbers on a gray background. The alarm setting is so simple and easy to set up. This is the best way for anyone seeking out a free speaking clock that reminds you what time is it.

• Our Rating: 
• Download Multilingual Speaking Clock
• Home Page
• Pros: the alarm is loud and clear; gives 2 voices to choose from; allows you to keep track of time when you are engrossed in your work; can download other languages on the main website.
• Cons: no visual alternative for time alarm; some languages are not supported
• OS: Windows 2003, Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows NT, Windows XP

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Free Online HTML Editors

A long time back, I had came up with an article showcasing online CSS editors that don’t cost you a penny using it. It was hugely appreciated by our readers and they told me to come up with such other useful resources in the future. And you visit our site regularly, you must have noticed that we have been regularly come up with the articles that are pretty useful for the users.

Yesterday, I was doing HTML coding of my new website and suddenly my HTML coding software crashed (I don’t want to name that software here).  At that time, I was pretty frustrated because I lose all my concentration. I started to find other software for writing HTML codes and ended up with something more useful – Online HTML Editors.

I like the concept of online HTML editors because first of all these are totally free to use and it will be available on any computer with internet connection. These editors also come handy because sometimes you need to write some HTML codes and you are not working on your machine or your favorite HTML editor crashed just like it happens with me.

So, this article will bring you 10+ online HTML editors that will save your time and allow you to write html on the go without relying on any software.

Thimble

An online code editor made by Mozilla that can easily create, publish web pages and also can make you learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript with it.

Online – HTML – Editor : Simply does what it says, a simple HTML editor that produces HTML content online in a simple way and its free to use.

WYSIWYG HTML Editor : Want better looking auctions? Can’t get the eBay editor to work? Don’t want to use complicated webpage authoring tools to create code that won’t work on eBay? Don’t feel comfortable doing all your editing on the listing page? Spice up your auctions with a tool that creates eBay-compliant code.

HTML Editor : MS Word like Free Online WYSIWYG HTML Editor. Its really very useful editor because it allows you to work in 2 modes – preview and source. Work with your appearance in preview mode and editor will automatically write HTML in source mode.

HTML Instant : An HTML editor that has own Google chrome extension. This editor allows you to check changes in real time and had buttons of basic HTML tags.

Ajax.org Cloud9 Editor : Ace is a standalone code editor written in JavaScript. It can be easily embedded in any web page and JavaScript application. Ace is developed as the primary editor for Cloud9 IDE and the successor of the Mozilla Skywriter (Bespin) Project.

Tiny MCE : One of the favorite online HTML editor for developers and designers. A full-fledged editor that is used by millions and millions of people all around the world.

Amy Editor : A very simple online editor that supports HTML, Ruby, Python, Texy!, PHP, etc.

Online HTML Editor : Here you can write and see HTML in action.

Real-Time HTML Editor : Let’s face it, website editing can be a real pain. Constantly having to switch between your website making software and your browser window takes up valuable time, which, let’s face it, could be better spent doing better things, like actually coding your website. Well that’s where the real-time HTML Editor comes in. The real-time HTML Editor solves this annoying problem by allowing you to see the edits you make immediately. Exactly as they would appear in a normal browser window.

Quackit Online HTML Editor : Use this online HTML editor to create HTML snippets or even whole HTML pages for your website, MySpace page, etc.

Edit the form as much as you like. When you’re ready to see the code, simply click the “Source” button (at the top left of the editor).

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Best free backup software: 11 programs recommend

Protect your files from disaster, entirely free of charge, with these backup programs

From viruses and software bugs, to hardware failure or human error, there are many potential dangers waiting to trash your files.

And if the worst happens - you lose personal photos, your music library, important business documents - then that could be a real disaster. Which is why it's a very good idea to back up your PC on a regular basis.

This is never going to be fun, of course, but with the right software it'll be easier than you think. And you may not have to spend anything, either, because there are some great free backup and disk cloning tools around.

Whether you want to copy the contents of your Documents folder somewhere, clone one drive to another, or create a backup image of your entire system, we've found plenty of programs that can help.

So what's the best free backup and disk cloning software? Read on for our recommendations.

1. AOMEI Backupper

If you like your backup programs to be simple than AOMEI Backupper's straightforward interface will appeal immediately. Choose the drive or partition to back up, the destination drive, and a click later Backupper will be creating an image for you.

The program has plenty of power, though, if you need it. There are options to encrypt or compress your backups. You can create incremental or differential backups for extra speed. You're able to restore individual files and folders, or the entire image, and there are even disk and partition cloning tools.

What you can't do, unfortunately, is schedule backups - they must be run manually. But otherwise AOMEI Backupper is an excellent tool, packed with features yet also easy to use.

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2. EaseUS Todo Backup Free

Just like most free (for personal use) editions of commercial products, EaseUS Todo Backup Free has a few limitations - but the package still has more than enough features for most people.

The program can run both image and file-based backups, for instance, manually or on a schedule. You're able to run full or incremental backups.

An option to limit write speed reduces the impact backups have on your system performance. It's possible to individual files or folders, or an entire image via the program's recovery disc. And there are tools to clone and wipe drives, too.

On the negative side, you don't get encryption, there's no differential backup, and you only get a Linux-based disc (not Windows PE). But EaseUS Todo Backup Free still looks like a great program to us.

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3. Redo Backup and Recovery

Redo Backup and Recovery is an imaging backup tool with a difference. Instead of installing a program, you download a large (249MB) ISO file, and burn it to CD or USB key drive. Then just boot from it to launch a simple tool which can back up your drives, and restore them later (even if Windows won't start).

There's also an undelete tool, and even a web browser if you need to look for help on your PC problems.

The program isn't exactly convenient, then. You can't schedule backups, they all have to be run manually, and there are very few options.

But it's also easy to use and free for everyone, so if you only want to run backups occasionally - or want a system you can use on any PC, without installing software - then it might be worth a look.

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4. Cobian Backup

Cobian Backup is an excellent file backup tool with lots of features. You get full, differential and incremental backups, for instance; zip or 7zip compression; AES 256-bit encryption; include and exclude filters; a strong scheduler, backup to or from FTP servers, and the list goes on. Every aspect of the program is extremely configurable, too (there are more than 100 settings you can tweak).

PC or backup novices are likely to find this a little overwhelming. If you're more experienced, though, you'll love the amount of control Cobian Backup gives you over every aspect of the backup process.

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5. Macrium Reflect Free

One of the most popular free (for home use) disk imaging programs around, Macrium Reflect Free delivers a solid, if basic feature set via an easy-to-use interface.

The program doesn't have incremental or differential backups. And you don't get encryption or password protection. This does make creating a backup job very easy, though (choose the source drive, the destination, maybe set the compression level and you're done).

There's a capable scheduler; you can mount images in Windows Explorer, or restore them entirely with both Linux and Windows PE-based recovery discs. And overall Macrium Reflect Free is a great choice for anyone who wants a simple but reliable image backup tool.

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6. DriveImage XML

Free for personal use, DriveImage XML is a lightweight alternative to the more bulky imaging competition. Backup is as easy as choosing a source drive, a destination, and (optionally) setting your compression level.

Restoration is just as simple, and the only significant extra is an option to copy directly from one drive to another.

There are some complications elsewhere. Click "Task Scheduler", for instance, and you'll get instructions on how to manually set up Windows Task Scheduler to run your backups. But if you need just a basic drive imaging tool then give DriveImage XML a try.

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7. FBackup

FBackup is a capable file backup tool, free for both personal and commercial use. The interface is simple and straightforward, and there are a number of features you don't always see elsewhere.

Plug-ins allow you to back up individual programs with a click; there's support for include and exclude filters; and you can run "mirror" backups, which just copy everything without zipping it up (which makes restoring files very easy).

Compression isn't so good, though (it's the weak Zip2), and the scheduler is also more basic than you'll see elsewhere. But if your needs are simple (or you're tired of "free for personal use" tools) then FBackup should appeal.

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8. Backup Maker

At first the free-for-personal-use BackupMaker seems like any other file backup tool, with incremental or full backups available, scheduling, compression, encryption, include and exclude filters, and so on.

But interesting extras include support for online backups to FTP servers, and running backups automatically when a USB device is connected.

The program stores data in Zip files, too, making them very convenient to access. And Backup Maker comes in a tiny 6.5MB download, far more manageable than some of the bulky competition.

If you're a home user looking for capable file backup then Backup Maker could be ideal.

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9. Clonezilla

Just like Redo Backup and Recovery, Clonezilla isn't a program you install: it's a bootable environment which you can launch from a CD or USB flash drive.

And it's seriously powerful, to you're able to create an image of a drive; restore an image (to one drive, or many at the same time); or clone a drive (copy one drive to another), with plenty of low-level control over how this works.

While Redo Backup and Recovery focuses on ease of use, though, Clonezilla is more about providing advanced options, like "run unattended Clonezilla via PXE booting". It's not complicated - it's probably the best free disk cloning software around - but the program is aimed at experienced users, and backup beginners should look elsewhere.

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10. Paragon Backup & Recovery 2013 Free

Another free (for personal use) version of a commercial drive imaging product, Paragon Backup & Recovery 2013 Free is a good tool with some restrictions.

There's strong support for the basics: you can create image backups (full or differential), compress and encrypt them, use exclude filters to help define what's included, run backups on a schedule, then restore specific files and folders or the entire image.

Extras include the "capsule", a separate partition to help keep your backups safe. And a good set of basic partition tools is included, too.

Problems? You don't get incremental backup; you can't clone disks or partitions, and the interface occasionally feels a little complex. Still, Paragon Backup & Recovery 2013 Free is a quality tool, and well worth your attention.

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11. Duplicati

If you need online file backups then Duplicati is one of the most versatile tools around, with support for saving files to SkyDrive, Google Docs, FTP servers, Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloudfiles and WEBDAV-based storage.

The program can also save to local and network drives, though, and includes plenty of useful options (AES-256 encryption, password protection, a capable scheduler, full and incremental backups, regular expression support for the include/ exclude filters, even upload and download speed limits to reduce any impact on your system).

So whether you're saving files to the web, or locally, there's something for you here.

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5 Signs Your Hard Drive Lifetime is Ending & What To Do

Every one of us owns precious files like personal documents, photos, videos, or audio files, and we typically store them on hard drives. Few people realize that most electronic storage devices, including hard drives, have a rather limited lifetime when compared to the ancient ways of storing information, such as stone, papyrus, paper, or old school records. The average lifetime of a stationary hard drive today is around 5 – 10 years, depending on the type and manufacturer, and it rapidly declines if the drive is subject to strong variations in temperature, humidity, and motion as in not being stationary.

Since a majority of people today own laptops and external hard drives, which get dragged around quite a bit, a realistic hard drive lifetime is probably around 3 – 5 years. This is an extremely short time to reliably store important data. In the best of cases, hard drives fail gradually, giving you the chance to react, get a copy of your data, and replace the storage device before facing a fatal failure. There are a host of signs that hint to a gradual failure of your hard drive. If you are unsure how much life is left on your hard drive, read this article to find out what signs may reveal an approaching failure.

1. Slowing Down Computer, Frequent Freezes, Blue Screen Of Death

These are very unspecific signs that can be caused by a million different things. However, regardless of what the issue behind these symptoms is, it is recommended that you immediately make a backup. If these problems occur after a fresh installations or in Windows Safe Mode, it is almost certain that it is due to bad hardware, and possibly a failing hard drive.

2. Corrupted Data

If you’re beginning to find files that fail to open and are corrupted even though they saved without errors or if files suddenly disappear, you should get worried. While again this could be due to a multitude of issues, it is also a typical sign for a gradual hard drive failure.

3. Accumulation Of Bad Sectors

Bad sectors are areas of the hard drive that do not maintain data integrity. They are automatically masked by the operating system and thus hard to identify, especially if large amounts of the disk are currently in use. If you actually run into bad sectors, however, that certainly is a bad sign.

You can run a manual disk check to identify errors that Windows has not spotted, yet. In Windows 7, go to > Start > Computer and right-click on the disk or partition you wish to check. Select > Properties, in the window that opens switch to the >Tools tab and click > Check now… In the Checking Disk window place a checkmark next to > Automatically fix file system errors and > Scan for an attempt recovery of bad sectors.

Windows will also check for bad sectors, when you perform a full format or chkdsk command. See this article – The Difference Between Windows Full Format & Quick Format [Technology Explained].

4. Strange Sounds

When you hear strange noises coming from your hard drive, it may be too late already. A repetitive sound also known as the click of death is caused by the head as it is trying to write data and recovers from errors in doing so. Grinding or screeching noises indicate that parts of the hardware, for example the bearings or spindle motor, are failing.

5. S.M.A.R.T. Data

There are tools that aim to predict hard drive failure by reading the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) data that is recorded by the operating system. Unfortunately, like most other methods listed above, S.M.A.R.T. is notoriously unreliable in predicting hard drive failure and the catastrophe will often happen before the warning of S.M.A.R.T. kicks in. If you have a working hard drive, however, and would like to have a look at its S.M.A.R.T. data, check out this article – 4 Tools To Predict and Prevent Hard Drive Failure

I Think My Hard Drive Is Failing, What Shall I Do?

So you are worried that a hard drive failure is just around the corner? The truth is, even if you are not worried, it is! The only thing you can do is always keep backups of your data on a second hard drive. The likelihood that both drives will fail simultaneously are very rare. An exception would be natural disasters like floods or fires. For these cases, I recommend to keep a copy of your most important data in a different physical location, for example at work or with a friend, or possibly on a remote server, for example by using an online backup solution.

For more information how to back up data, read my PDF manual Stuff Happens: The Backup & Restore Guide.

Conclusion

Do not rely on signs or software to tell you whether you have a failing hard drive. It is more likely than not that it will fail unexpectedly and without any warning signs whatsoever. Rather than trying to forecast something that is even less predictable than the weather, you should rely on backups.

What is your worst hardware failure nightmare, did it ever happen to you, and did you actually lose any data?

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Signs Your Hard Drive Lifetime is Ending & What To Do

Losing data can be a real disaster, but thankfully hard drives often show warning signs before they die. If you observe any of these nine signs of impending failure, back up your drive immediately and prepare for the worst.

What's more boring than an old hard drive? Not much ... until it suddenly isn't. When that little package of chips, wires and glass dies, it can be panic time.

It often happens with little or no warning, and if you haven't recently performed a backup, your files, music and pictures could be toast. Sometimes there are clear warning signs of impending failure. If you know what those signs are, and keep any eye out for them, you can usually avoid data Armageddon. (Datageddon?)

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The drives most prone to failure are the older, electro-mechanical devices that store data on a rapidly spinning disk. Modern solid state drives (SSDs) fail as well, but it happens less frequently.

How to tell your hard drive is about to die

I recently chatted with David Zimmerman, CEO of data recovery firm LC Technology International, who makes a living rescuing panicked computer users. Here are some common warning signs of a conventional hard drive's impending failure, from Zimmerman.

• Frequent and cryptic error messages while performing typical activities like moving files
• Folder and file names that are scrambled and changed
• Disappearing files and folders
• Really long wait times to access folders and files
• Hard disk is silent for a long period after you request data by opening a file or folder
• Garbled output from open files or printing
• Hard drive grinds away constantly because of noisy bearings
• Frequent crashes, particularly when booting up Windows

"Sound can be an excellent indicator of disk trouble," Zimmerman says. "If you previously didn't hear a peep from your hard drive but now you do, check it. If it seems much louder than usual or makes occasional clicks or grinding sounds, check it ASAP and be prepared to backup your data and replace the drive. It's almost never too late to backup"

If the problem is severe, and you're comfortable with electronics, you can remove the drive, buy an enclosure, and then plug it into a working computer. This lets you pull data off the drive without having to boot it up. Some laptops are more difficult than others to work on, so it can be a good idea to visit a repair shop and have the techies there install the enclosure.

If you can't access the data at all, you still have a few options. Zimmerman's company, and others like it, sell data recovery software that could help. Some of their products will boot machines when their hard drives can't. These types of companies also perform data recovery services, and they can sometimes rescue data from seemingly dead drives. But it's not cheap; data recovery costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the problem.

If you find yourself paying thousand of dollars to recover data, you're not going to be pleased, to say the least. So the biggest lesson here might be to back up regularly to avoid costly data recovery. 

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