DITCH THESE WINDOWS SYSTEM TOOLS
14 Device Manager
Device Manager is an important Windows tool that’s hampered by being tucked away and by its old-fashioned tree-branch structure – it looks exactly the same in Windows 11 as it did in Windows 98. If only there was a faster way to access information about the devices connected to your PC.
What to use instead Devmanview
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Devmanview from the prolific developer Nirsoft shows Microsoft how it’s done, by listing all your connected hardware in a flat list instead of a tree view. Doubleclick a device to view information including the date and time it was installed and last used. Right-click it for useful options such as disabling, enabling and uninstalling the device; navigating to the relevant registry key; and performing a Google search for its name (see screenshot below). Provided you run Devmanview as an administrator, you can also check the device lists of other computers on your network.
15 System Information
Boring but useful, the System Information tool provides details of your hardware configuration and components in the driest manner imaginable – long lists that take a few
seconds to load. It helps you discover the correct parts for upgrading your PC, assuming you don’t fall asleep while browsing it.
What to use instead CPU-Z
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CPU-Z scans your PC and installed hardware to generate a detailed report about everything from your processor type to the speed of your internal clock. You can explore this data more easily than in System Information by clicking tabs such as CPU, Mainboard and Graphics, and save the report as a text file. It also lets you ‘validate’ your system’s specifications to compare them with other users.
If CPU-Z seems too complicated, try O&O Deskinfo – see page 19.
16 Disk Management
The Disk Management tool in Windows, which you access by right-clicking the Start button, allows you to create, format and manage drive partitions without needing to install dedicated partitioning software. But if you’ve ever tried using this basic, slow and far-from-intuitive tool, you’ll understand why so many third-party programs are available.
What to use instead Im-magic Partition Resizer
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Putting a friendlier face on partitioning, Im-magic Partition Resizer provides step-by-step instructions for tasks such as resizing, formatting and copying partitions, changing drive letters, converting NTFS to FAT32, and more.
Like other free partitioning tools, some features are limited to its paid-for version, but it doesn’t nag you to upgrade – though there is an annoying ‘follow us on Facebook’ icon. It also lets you migrate your operating system to a different, empty drive (see screenshot above).