TimeComX Basic for Windows

With TimeComX Basic, you can tell your PC to shut down, go into hibernation, and run a variety of processes automatically on schedule, after a certain time, or when activity drops. This free program improves and expands your control over a range of automated processes and activities in Windows. Optional password protection, automatic screenshots, and logging make it a great choice for parents, employers, and others concerned about unauthorized access or activity on their computers.

TimeComX's unique interface is clean, efficient, and attractive, beginning with a row of icons accessing Global Settings, Passwords, Profiles, and Logs. The main view has three expandable headings on the right side: Event, Task, and Extras. The Event tab features an interesting rotary knob, the Simple Counter, that controls the time counter; other choices are Advanced Counter, with minutes and seconds; Daytime, for daily Events; and Activity Monitor, which can log any activity by CPU, Network, Process, or Keyboard and Mouse. The Task tab offers a range of activities on a drop-down list, including not only common functions like shutdown and restart but also running programs, opening URLs, ending processes, turning off displays, and playing alarms, many of which include a delay option.

Under Extras, we could select the screenshot feature and configure the optional Countdown Warning the program issues (visual, audible, or both) as well as enter a text message (GO TO BED NOW, for instance) to issue 30 seconds prior to an operation such as shutdown. The Global Settings pop-up configures startup options, sets password protection, and manages add-ons (such as the included Phonon Audio). TimeComX also lets users create more than one profile and Save and Debug the log file.

We tried a variety of Events in TimeComX, as well as counter options, and found it just as easy to use as Windows' built-in feature--or easier--and much more flexible and capable. Grabbing and twisting the Simple Counter's knob adds a touch of fun to this easy-to-use app. Whether you want a PC-based alarm clock or a simple way to find out if your PC's been used while you were away, give TimeComX Basic a try.