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AutoIt is excellent. Make sure you get the excellent IDE, also.

For keyboard macros, use AutoHotkey, a fork from an earlier version of AutoIt.

Both FREE.

1. AutoIT to create a script.
2. IrfanView to grab the entire screen and/or apply optional transforms to the captured image. This is optional, since AutoIT can probably send the "PrintScreen" command itself, and move the resulting file(s) into a capture directory.

You can use the free program AutoIt

; Example AutoIt script to run a program as admin
RunAsSet("Administrator", "", "adminpassword")
Run("C:\Program Files\example\foo.exe")
RunAsSet()

The script can be compiled into a stand-alone executable so that you don't need your password sitting in a plain text file on your hard drive

You can use the free program AutoIt

; Example AutoIt script to run a program as admin
RunAsSet("Administrator", "", "adminpassword")
Run("C:\Program Files\example\foo.exe")
RunAsSet()

The script can be compiled into a stand-alone executable so that you don't need your password sitting in a plain text file on your hard drive

You probably know this:

Use AutoHotkey to make keyboard shortcuts to run programs and enter text.

Use AutoIt to simulate keyboard entries and mouse clicks and when you need complicated decision-making. Download AutoIt with the SciTE auto-completion IDE. The SciTE editor makes writing and testing AutoIt programs and compiling the finished results very easy.

Both these programs are very sophisticated, the best available, and FREE. AutoHotKey comes with source code. Both are programmable.

For example, I've written an AutoHotKey program that uses a shortcut to toggle between Windows shortcut keys and WordStar/Brief control-key editing commands. I like to avoid taking the time to touch the mouse.

AutoIt is great for automating installations of software.

Both allow programming your own GUIs.

I second Microsoft Power Toys and add some more:

* AutoIt for simple automation tasks and creating small programs with graphical user interfaces

* Firefox, of course. Opera is also a good choice.

* Daemon Tools for mounting ISOs as virtual CD/DVD drives

* Trillian--AIM, ICQ, IRC, MSN, and Yahoo messenger client


* QuickTime Alternative

* RealPlayer Alternative

* IrfanView--small, free, fast image viewer



* SysInternals utilities--useful for admins

* Scanner--shows hard drive usage as stacked pie graph of files/folders

* 7-zip: similar to WinZip or WinRAR or StuffIt

* Foxit [PDF] Reader--a lite alternative to Adobe


Following ones aren't free but are very useful Windows-only programs:

* FinePrint--n up printing, universal print preview, etc.

* MaxiVisa--use a networked computer like a secondary display

* TextPad, though I opt for the open-source and FREE SciTE

Have you looked at AutoIt v3? It offers a very simple scripted interface, and the ability to package it all up into a stand alone EXE. I am not sure about serial port access using it, I would imagine you would need to include a COM object to do it. Regardless, it is worth a look - and can be used for a great many things as well. The even distribute it as an installer or zip package for those that detest installers.

http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/

I don't know what the GP was doing, but AutoIt and AutoHotkey are excellent, and the best in their fields. Use AutoIt for scripting, AutoHotkey for hotkeys. Free.

You won't need much technical support, because they work.

Use the SciTe IDE for AutoIt. Very nice. The install package takes care of installing AutoIt, too.

Here's a complete solution for Windows:

Use AutoHotkey to make keyboard shortcuts to run programs and enter text.

Use AutoIt to simulate keyboard entries and mouse clicks and when you need complicated decision-making. Download AutoIt with the SciTE auto-completion IDE. The SciTE editor makes writing and testing AutoIt programs and compiling the finished results very easy.

Both these programs are very sophisticated, the best available, and FREE. AutoHotKey comes with source code. Both are programmable.

For example, I've written an AutoHotKey program that uses a shortcut to toggle between Windows shortcut keys and WordStar/Brief control-key editing commands. I like to avoid taking the time to touch the mouse.

AutoIt is great for automating installations of software.

Both allow programming your own GUIs.

Don't forget to contribute to these efforts.

No, this isn't for every situation. Common hardware is a must (or at least a real help). But, it does neatly solve other common issues, like system builds.

A freind of mine does just this on his home system about once a month (well, and at work...as he says, we're not in the business of installing an OS by hand anymore). I'm going to take the same plunge. Pick an automated system rebuild method, test it, build new systems with it and rebuild your systems on some sort of regular basis. There are lots of caveats to the Microsoft methods (ADS/RIS... single partition systems, you need BOOTP, blah blah blah). And, the image-based methods can be tricky (Ghost? Oh come now). Other options like nLite might help, too.

It may not be what the doctor ordered, but it will simplify your life when you need to build a new workstation. And, if one gets pokey beyond the reach of the other tools mentioned, blow on a new image. Plus, if you're using XP, you can use folder redirection to keep the user files someplace else, so you don't neccesarily have to rely on draconian policies regarding where they should save files (well, you can't let them save files just anyplace, so a few policies may be in order).

Is this the ultimate insult that the best way to manage Windows workstations is to automate reinstalling them? Well, maybe, depending on your viewpoint. But, it is what it is, so we build automated methods to learn to live with the limitations.

Humbly submitted, here are some of my bookmarks on the subject:
http://www.cmu.edu/computing/andrew-windows/andrew -ris-server.html
http://ani.sourceforge.net/
http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb; en-us;299441
http://www.livejournal.com/users/lotso/1863.html
http://isg.ee.ethz.ch/tools/realmen/
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howi tworks/management/remoteover.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/risover.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windo wsserver2003/library/TechRef/3983c4a4-e6ff-4664-84 25-28ec740474b1.mspx
http://unattended.sourceforge.net/
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/Index.cfm?Art icleID=7109
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windo ws2000serv/evaluate/featfunc/intmiror.mspx

I miss batch files too. I discovered AutoIt a few years back, though, and it's proven to be quite good at more than a few things. It's come a long way now, but even 5 years ago it was quite usable for just about everything I had wanted to batch up in Windows.

Check it out.

As someone else said, use AutoIt. AutoIt is by far the best open source software for automating Windows installs and other tasks in which the program pretends to be a user. There's an IDE with an Intellisense-like interface and a compiler. Be sure you get AutoIt with the SciTE IDE, the site is a little confusing.

AutoHotkey came from the same source as AutoIt, is also open source, and is also impressive.

--
If your gov't chose killing as policy (CIA trained Arabs in 1980), expect others to choose the same.

As someone else said, use AutoIt. AutoIt is by far the best open source software for automating Windows installs and other tasks in which the program pretends to be a user. There's an IDE with an Intellisense-like interface and a compiler. Be sure you get AutoIt with the SciTE IDE, the site is a little confusing.

AutoHotkey came from the same source as AutoIt, is also open source, and is also impressive.

--
If your gov't chose killing as policy (CIA trained Arabs in 1980), expect others to choose the same.

Take a look at http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/. It can automate windows GUIs and you can convert your scripts to .EXE files for easy of deployment.

-Adam

If you're maintaining Windows-computers, I can highly recommend AutoIt.

It is the perfect tool/language for automating away tedious tasks. You can even make executables with it. :-)

AutoIt is script based, so it might take a few minutes to write what you want, but in my experience it's worth it. The language is very simplistic and reminds a bit of batch-files in DOS. But, using the utilities that comes with it, automating a task is a relatively quick undertaking.

It has saved me a lot of time and hassle in the past, and has always been stable and dependable.

I've found that UltraVNC is the best VNC. Version 1.0.0 was released on 24 Jun 2005, but it is a quite advanced package. Be sure to install UltraVNC with the video driver, which is not included on Sourceforge.

AutoIt is by far the best open source software for automating Windows installs and other tasks in which the program pretends to be a user. There's an IDE with an Intellisense-like interface and a compiler.

I've heard that OpenVPN is the best software-based VPN, but I have not used it. There are hardware firewalls with VPNs; I suggest you stay away from Netgear's, which I have found to be quirky.

--
Bush lied, 100,000 died. J.C. said not to return violence with more violence.

Want a command language for Windows? Try the free, open source AutoIt, which is amazingly complete and well-developed. AutoIt comes with an autocompletion IDE that automatically displays function usage information. The version that includes the IDE installs easily. AutoIt also has a compiler, which is also free. See AutoIt on Sourceforge.

Want Hotkey macros? Try the related free program, AutoHotKey.

Both are excellent.

They both are here now, with no Microsoft grief.

Want a command language for Windows? Try the free, open source AutoIt, which is amazingly complete and well-developed. AutoIt comes with an autocompletion IDE that automatically displays function usage information. The version that includes the IDE installs easily. AutoIt also has a compiler, which is also free. See AutoIt on Sourceforge.

Want Hotkey macros? Try the related free program, AutoHotKey.

Both are excellent.

They both are here now, with no Microsoft grief.

I'm very interested to know which are the best automation programs and macro programs for Windows and for Linux.

Is Macro Express, mentioned in the Slashdot article, the best?

For Windows automation, I've used the free AutoIt, which is amazingly complete and well-developed. AutoIt comes with an autocompletion IDE that automatically displays function usage information. The version that includes the IDE installs easily. AutoIt also has a compiler, which is also free.


I used WinBatch several years ago, but I had a huge amount of trouble getting technical support for it.

Microsoft has released several scripting languages, but my experience is that they are poorly documented.

I'm very interested to know which are the best automation programs and macro programs for Windows and for Linux.

Is Macro Express, mentioned in the Slashdot article, the best?

For Windows automation, I've used the free AutoIt, which is amazingly complete and well-developed. AutoIt comes with an autocompletion IDE that automatically displays function usage information. The version that includes the IDE installs easily. AutoIt also has a compiler, which is also free.


I used WinBatch several years ago, but I had a huge amount of trouble getting technical support for it.

Microsoft has released several scripting languages, but my experience is that they are poorly documented.

Looks like the free AutoIt would help.

Also see AutoIt Script home page.

It is good to see someone doing something about GPL violators, but what happens when the violators are other GPL developers?

I contribute (a little) to a project called AutoIt3 (http://www.autoitscript.com/). They make a really useful scripting language for Windows.

Until recently they were using the GPL license. However some people took big chunks of the code, ripped it and repackaged with a different name. They only mention "based on AutoIT" or something similar on the Readme.txt but not in the code and of course they do not mention the original authors of the original work nor on their web page.

Some of the AutoIt developpers were so pissed that now they have changed the license (for their newest releases only, of course) and do not distribute their code until some months later.

Perhaps what these guys did is legal, I don't know, but if GPL developpers dishonor the heart of the GPL, then why use it and how can we expect for commercial companies to abide to it?

There's very few things Linux will do that Windows won't. But Windows holds the dominant market share and has a lot more commercial support. That's why I (mostly) use Windows.