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You've just reinstalled Windows from scratch—again—but this time you want to preserve your sparkling clean setup for instant restoration down the road. Instead of dropping cash on Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, burn yourself a free, bootable Linux-based System Rescue CD. The System Rescue CD includes open source tools GParted and Partimage, which can create a new partition and save your fresh Windows installation as a restorable image for the price of zero dollars. Never stare at those creeping Windows installation progress bars again: With the System Rescue CD, you can have that fresh new Windows feeling any time you need it. Here's how.
What's a partition?A partition separates a section of a physical disk into another virtual drive. When you split a hard drive into two partitions, you're creating a separate disk that your operating system (like Windows), treats as a different drive letter—even though it's the same physical disk. There are several handy uses for creating a separate partition on your computer:
Run multiple operating systems. Want your XP and Vista too? How about diving into Linux? With separate drive partitions, you can install several operating systems and make your choice of what to work in on startup.
Separate data and applications. Keep all your documents, music library, photos and videos on one partition and your operating system and programs on another. The separation makes data backup as well as a fresh operating system reinstall much easier.
Speed up your computer. Most new computers these days come with monstrous-sized hard drives. Separating it into partitions will reduce drive fragmentation and speed up disk reads as you work.
Back up the state of your operating system for easy restoration. Create a mirror image of your operating system and save it on a separate partition so you can restore your computer back to a past state any time in the future.
The last use is what we're setting up today.

What's a disk image?A disk image is a giant file that saves the state of an entire disk. Disk images can re-create an entire disk drive—like the C: drive where you've got Windows installed.

At the end of this tutorial, you'll split your C: drive into 2 partitions, and the second one will contain a disk image of the first. This way, next time you want to wipe your hard drive clean and start fresh with Windows, you can restore your backup image instead of suffering through Windows' tedious installation again.

What you'll needA DVD or CD burner.
The System Rescue CD ISO file. Download it here.
A PC with a good amount of free hard drive space.
A sense of adventure.
Note: Before we begin, know that 1.) there is command line work ahead, and 2.) partitioning an existing hard drive is a risky undertaking that could go all kinds of wrong. Make sure your hard drive is well backed up before you begin.

Let's get started.

1. Burn the System Restore CD. If your CD burner didn't come with Nero or another disk burning utility, grab previously mentioned ISO Recorder to burn your boot CD.

2. Boot from the System Rescue CD. Put the CD in your drive and try booting up your PC. It may automatically start from the CD, but if not, restart again and watch for a message like "Press F2 to enter Setup"—and do so. Once you're in setup mode (your BIOS) you can set the CD as the first drive in the boot sequence. If you haven't done this before, see step 2 here for more info.

3. Start up the System Rescue CD. Once you've booted onto the CD, type the following command to start the graphical user interface:

rescuecd doxdetect dostartx

That command tells the CD to detect your video adapter type and start the X window system. Note: The System Rescue CD supposedly auto-detects your video setup, but when I ran the boot command without doxdetect, my screen was all flickery and didn't render windows correctly. Your mileage may vary.

The CD will load your computer's hardware information. When it prompts you to "Load keymap" press Enter for the default. Once X is loaded, your X window desktop will look like this (apologies for the crappy screenshot):

4. Create a new partition with GParted. The Gnome Partition Editor (GParted) application is the third button down on the right-hand-side menu just above the Terminal. Double-click to launch it. GParted is a powerful partition editor that lets you shrink, expand, split, create and format partitions without disturbing the operating system already installed on a disk. We've already covered how to use GParted before if you're interested in more partitioning goodness.

At first you'll see a single partition within GParted—this is Windows' C: Drive. Right-click on it and choose "Move/Resize." From there, use the slider to shrink the main partition, making room for your new, secondary partition.

Words of warning: When I entered the exact number of MB for a 10GB partition, GParted moved the current partition to the right a bit on the drive. You can drag and drop it back to start at the beginning of the physical drive so you wind up with only 2 partitions, not 3.

In the end I freed up about 12GB of space for my secondary partition (12.07 to be exact), but you can make yours any size that works. You want to have enough space for your Windows drive images, and Windows took up about 12GB for me. (Your disk images will be compressed, but better safe than sorry.) Hit the Apply button to start the partition-resizing. Depending on how large your drive is, this can take awhile—and by awhile, I mean possibly all night and/or day.

When you're done, you'll see an area denoting "unallocated space" on the disk. Click on that and from the Partition menu choose "New." Set the new partition file system to NTFS. Then, right-click on the new partition, and choose Format To>ntfs in order to make the secondary partition usable. Hit Apply to execute the action. Finally, you'll have 2 partitions displayed on your disk map in GParted.

5. Mount the secondary partition. Now it's time to put your new partition to work. Switch to the Terminal and type the following to make the secondary partition available:
ntfs-3g /dev/hda2 /mnt/windows

Now you can read and write to the disk. Let's make a folder to save our disk images, with:

mkdir /mnt/windows/winrestore

That will create a folder on your second partition called "winrestore." We'll use that space in the next step.

6. Image your Windows drive to the new partition. Now we can move into the second tool in this process, Partimage. Start it by simply typing partimage in the Terminal. Partimage's interface is old-school blue background with white text but it works the way you'd expect. First you'll see your two partitions listed. Select /dev/hda1 (your C: drive) to image, and enter a name for the image files, like windowsxp-clean.partimg. Make sure the option for "Save partition into a new image file" is selected (it is by default).

Hit the F5 key to continue to the next screen. Here you can select all the defaults (Gzip image files, enter descriptions, split files into 2GB's each, etc.)

Hit F5 to continue. Partimage will ask you to enter an image description (like "Windows XP Clean Installation" and then it will warn you that its NTFS support is experimental. We're adventurers, so we're OK with that. Hit the OK button to start the imaging process, which can take a good amount of time, depending on how big your C: partition is.

After a bit of work, Partimage will tell you it's out of disk space and ask where to save the image files. Here enter the path to the folder we created in the previous step: /mnt/windows/winrestore.

Once Partimage finishes doing its thing, you'll get the success message we all want at one point or another in our lives:

6. Boot into Windows and admire your new image files. Once you're done you can restart your machine sans the System Rescue CD and boot back into Windows. On my first reboot, Windows sensed its innards had been messed with and it ran a checkdisk which went fine. Back in trusty Windows Explorer, you'll see 2 hard drives instead of one—and your new drive will contain a folder called "winrestore" which is full of 2GB disk image files.

Next time your Windows install gets gummed up and you want to start fresh, boot into the System Rescue CD, start Partimage and choose "Restore partition from an image file" and you'll be golden.

Update: One important thing to know: Partimage's image files are not mountable and browsable the way Norton or Acronis images are. As far as I know, the image has to be completely restored to disk to access files within it. (Thanks to the commenters who brought this up.)

What's your favorite way to image an operating system or manage partitions? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Jim Sheafer for mentioning the System Rescue CD.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, hopes to never have to reinstall Windows on this PC again. Her weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

Linux users: Not only can desktop decorator Compiz Fusion add eye candy to your system that leaves Windows and Mac users drooling on their keyboards, it can seriously boost your productivity. As Compiz Fusion creeps closer to its first official release, its effects are well ahead of anything found in commercial operating systems. Let's take a look.
Installing Compiz Fusion
Depending on your distro, Compiz Fusion can be finicky to install. Ubuntu users have a few options that include Treviño's repositories, Amaranth's repositories or grabbing the DEBs manually. I strongly suggest using either of the repositories hosted by Treviño and Amaranth. If you're running Ubuntu and have never used Compiz Fusion, this thread is probably the easiest way to get going. All other distro users should check the appropriate support forums for installation instructions. Compiz Fusion does not work with all graphics cards so make sure your card is compatible before starting. MacBook graphics cards work great out of the box. If you're having a hard time getting CF up and running, give the support channel on IRC (#compiz-fusion) a try, they are extremely helpful.

Remove the annoyances
First let's adjust two default settings that are a bit annoying. By default, CF uses sticky windows to facilitate easy window placement. I find that it interrupts my workflow more than it helps, so I prefer to disable it. CF settings are managed with CompizConfig Settings Manager. CCSM can be accessed through System >> Preferences >> CompizConfig Settings Manager. In CCSM, navigate to Wobbly Windows and disable Snap Inverted.
The second major CF annoyance is related to window placement. By default, every application is opened in the topmost portion of the screen. Anyone running a panel across the top will probably prefer to open applications in the middle of the screen. To change this setting, in CCSM, navigate to Place Windows and change Placement Mode to Centered.
With the installation and the annoyances taken care of, let's get down to using Compiz Fusion to improve productivity.

Using the defaults to improve your productivity
Compiz Fusion has a bunch of great features built right into the default installation.

The Cube
One of the most well-known and useful features is the "spinning cube." The spinning cube is actually a virtual desktop manager. Virtual desktops (brought to Windows with Dexpot and Yod'm 3D and Mac with VirtueDesktops) are a great way to manage your open applications: email on one "face," web browsers in another, music in a third and image editing on the fourth. Virtual desktops keep your workday modular and easily navigable. To use the cube effect, middle click anywhere on the desktop and drag the desktop face. Alternatively, CTRL + ALT and the arrow keys will change the desktop face. The entire cube can be unfolded with CTRL + ALT + Down arrow.
Hit the video clip to see the cube in action.


Expo
Expo is another virtual desktop management effect. Expo allows you to see all of your virtual workspaces simultaneously. In addition, you can drag and drop windows and switch virtual workspaces with Expo. Expo can be invoked with SUPER + E ("SUPER" is the Windows key on PCs and the Option key on Macs).


Ring Switcher
Similar to the SUPER+TAB effect for Vista (demoed here) and expanded with SmartFlip, CF has the same effect, known as Ring Switcher, which can be invoked with SUPER + TAB and reversed with SUPER + SHIFT + TAB.


Send active windows to the background and take screenshots
You can send active applications to the background simply by middle clicking anywhere in the title bar. Additionally, you can take screenshots by holding down the SUPER key and selecting the region of the screen you would like to capture.

Make the best better
A few simple tweaks to CCSM can make Compiz Fusion fly. To emulate the Expose effect used in Mac OS X, navigate to Scale, select the Actions tab and add a screen edge (I prefer top right) for Initiate Window Picker for Windows on Current Desktop. With this plugin enabled, you can then mouse to the top right of the screen and change the active application. Additionally, if you would like to show the desktop, you can click directly on the desktop and the active windows will disperse to the corners of the screen. When you want to restore the windows, click CTRL + ALT + D.


You can also enable task bar previews of open applications by simply activating Window Previews in the Extras section. Windows Vista users have this feature built in, and XP users can get the same effect with Visual ToolTip. Please note that this feature will only work if you have a window list in the menu bar. It does not work with Avant Window Navigator.

Since the Expo effect (mentioned above) requires heavy use of the mouse, it is a good candidate to set up a "hot corner." You can set Expo to be activated when you mouse to the lower left corner by selecting Expo and then selecting the Actions tab and assigning a Screen Edge location.

It all comes together
Compiz Fusion has a ton of great features. The following is a nice compilation that gives a taste of everything Compiz Fusion can do to improve your productivity.

What do you love about Compiz Fusion? What did I miss? Share in the comments.

Kyle Pott, Lifehacker's Contributing Editor, credits Compiz Fusion for ratcheting up his love for Linux to an unnatural level.

How many times have you wished Notepad had tabs, Paint supported layers or Windows Explorer let you bookmark frequently-used folders? Power users need power utilities, and Windows' default system programs barely get the job done. Over time third-party developers have stepped up and built superior replacements to programs like Notepad, Paint, Windows Explorer and the Command Prompt. Get the simple jobs done smarter, faster and more efficiently with some of the best Windows utility power replacements - all of which are free downloads.
Built-in: Notepad
Power replacement: Notepad++
What you get: Tabbed, multiple document windows and support for lots more beyond plain text - like HTML and other programming languages, with code and markup collapsibility and plugins. Free and open source.

Built in: Windows Explorer
Power replacement: Xplorer2
What you get: What don't you get? Three-panel tabbed interface, the folder set bookmarking and full FTP support to name a few features. See more on replacing Windows Explorer with Xplorer 2. Free version available with paid upgrade.

Built in: Paint
Power replacement: Paint.NET
What you get: Open multiple images in one window and edit image layers, remove red eye and Ctrl+Z to your heart's content with a history of undoable actions. Freeware.

Built in: Alt-Tab
Power replacement: Alt-Tab PowerToy
What you get: Dynamic window previews (versus the plain old application icon) for more informative switching. Free download from Microsoft.

Built in: Taskbar date and time
Power replacement: QuickMonth
What you get: A monthly calendar pops up directly from the taskbar just by hovering over it with your mouse, avoiding the "Adjust date and time" click. Freeware.

Built in: Add/Remove Programs (in Control Panel)
Power replacement: Revo Uninstaller or My Uninstaller
What you get: Fast one-click program removal that scrubs all traces of the software from your system. Both are free.

Built in: Start menu and Run box
Power replacement: Launchy
What you get: Start programs, web site URL's, run commands or open documents from the Launchy, er, launcher. See more on how to take Launchy beyond application launching, tweak Launchy to your liking and run terminal commands in Launchy.

Built in: Task manager
Power replacement: Process Explorer
What you get: Get more information about that process that's hanging your PC with Process Explorer, which lists which DLL's tasks use and offers a handy Google search for a process name within its interface. Freeware.

Built in: Wifi network detector
Power replacement: NetStumbler
What you get: When Windows' built-in wireless network detector is slow - or simply not seeing the network everyone sitting around you can - grab NetStumbler, which can even detect networks that don't broadcast their SSID, with signal strength and encryption status.

Built in: Command Prompt
Power replacement: Cygwin (for Unix interface) or PowerShell
What you get: More commands - and more familiar commands, for those of us who work on *nix platforms when we're not on Windows - are available in the Cygwin Unix emulator and Microsoft's own new PowerShell command prompt apps. Wanna get good with Cygwin? Check out our tutorials: part 1, part 2, and part 3. Cygwin users should also check out Poderosa for tabbed terminal fun. Both are free downloads.

Built in: Windows Task Scheduler
Power replacement: Xecutor
What you get: Manage your startup and shutdown as well as scheduled tasks while your PC is on. Free download.

Built in: Windows Explorer archive extractor
Power replacement: 7-Zip or ALZip
What you get: Windows can only handle vanilla .zip files on its own, but 7-Zip and ALZip can extract and bundle any kind of archive file you throw at it. Free.

Built in: Windows Explorer file copy operation
Power replacement: TeraCopy
What you get: Speedier, pausable, practically fail-proof file copying, especially useful when you're transferring huge sets of files between folders. Free.

Built in: Defrag
Power replacement: JkDefrag GUI
What you get: Scheduled defrags, file optimization, and the option to include/exclude directories, plus a screensaver that visualizes your defrag when your PC is idle and hasn't been defragged for a user-defined amount of time. Free.

Built in: Calculator
Power replacement: Power Calculator
What you get: Graph and evaluate functions, and perform conversions in this mathlete's dream calculator.

On a Windows tweaking tear? Check out our previous features, Top 10 free Windows downloads and Top Windows tweaks.

What are your favorite Windows utility power replacements? Let us know in the comments.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, wants all her toys to be power toys. Her weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

Windows only: Freeware application Jpeg Enhancer attempts to restore low-quality JPEG images mired by artifacts and blotchy pixelization to a better state.

To be perfectly honest, I don't imagine that there are many cameras these days that are creating many real JPEG compression problems (and those who care probably shoot in RAW), but I've actually got a handful of pictures from my first less-than 1 megapixel camera that could potentially find some good use with an app like this. Your results may vary (don't expect to go from blotchy to crystal clear), but it is a very simple tool that anyone could use to try improving low-quality images. Jpeg Enhancer will cost you an email address, Windows only. If you've had luck with a different simple tool, let's hear about it in the comments.

Jpeg Enhancer [via Freeware Genius]

Simple tweaks can be done to optimize your current speeds

Software for Starving Students

People who illegally share music files online are also big spenders on legal music downloads, research suggests