Wake-on-Lan (WOL) for Windows 7 Made Easy!

This was such a nightmare to troubleshoot that I just had to document the process. In my scouring the web, I found many like me experiencing the same woes in setting up their WOL. My whole purpose for doing this was in the interest of saving power. I could put my computer to sleep and still be able to wake it up remotely so I can RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) into it to access my files while away. [EDIT: I recently found this great article on WoWLAN by Andrew vonNagy which details some of the benefits and downsides to using this technology, and provides a nice cost analysis for an organization case study. Check it out if you're interested in the Wireless WOL.]

There are numerous steps to the process, so I'm first going to outline all of them to give you a nice overview of how to get setup. Henceforth I will refer to the Wake-on-Lan capability as WOL. Here is a zipped file with shortcuts to all the Control Panels you'll need for your convenience. It also contains a script for the WOL utility linked at the end of this article. ;)

COUPLE QUICK NOTES BEFORE WE BEGIN

• WOL ONLY works for Ethernet (i.e. hard-wired) connections, NOT Wireless!
• You must use the MAC address of you Ethernet card.
• Orange bullets relate to enabling WOL feature / services.
• Green bullets relate to the actual routing of the packets to your computer.
• Things you'll need to know about your computer: LAN IP, WAN IP, and MAC address. Real quick, hit Windows key + R and type 'cmd' then enter. In the console type 'ipconfig /all' and enter. Look for your "Ethernet card" and write down its IP (i.e. LAN IP) and MAC address. Then head to whatsmyip.org to get your WAN IP and write it down as well.
• This guide is designed so you don't have to read everything, but only refer to the sections where you're stuck or having issues. The troubleshooting tools at the bottom can help you deduce what is wrong.

OUTLINE

• Enable WOL in BIOS (from boot)
• Enable WOL for your Ethernet Card (i.e. NIC)
• Install Windows Feature "Simple TCPIP services"
• Start Service "Simple TCP/IP Service" (enables ports 7 & 9)
• Open UDP for Port 9 in Windows Firewall
• Forward the port on your Router
• Testing / Troubleshooting Tools

ENABLE WOL IN BIOS

Because of all the various motherboards out there, I'm not going to go into how to enable WOL in your BIOS, only know that you need to. However, if your BIOS, like mine, is severely limited in settings and no option is available to enable WOL, it might be safe to assume that it will work by default. My HP laptop has many of the BIOS settings locked for warranty purposes, but despite not having the option available, I am still able to use the feature.

ENABLE WOL FOR YOUR ETHERNET CARD (I.E. NIC)

Open "Device Manager" from the control panels or use the link in the zip. Expand "Network Adapters" and find your Ethernet Card. Right-click and open "Properties" then go to the "Advanced" tab. You should see something similar to the following. You want to enable "Wake on Magic Packet" or something similar.

INSTALL WINDOWS FEATURE "SIMPLE TCPIP SERVICES"

Open "Programs and Features" from the control panels or use the link in the zip. Click "Turn Windows features on or off" over on the sidebar. Scroll down and check "Simple TCPIP services" then click OK to install the feature.

START SERVICE "SIMPLE TCP/IP SERVICES"

Open "Services" from the "Administrative Tools" control panels or use the link in the zip. Scroll down to the service for which we just installed the feature. Make sure the service is started by clicking the link in the sidebar. Also ensure that the "Startup Type" is set to "Automatic" so that it will run with Windows.

OPEN UDP FOR PORT 9 IN WINDOWS FIREWALL

Open "Windows Firewall" from the control panels or use the link in the zip. Only UDP is needed, but you can if you with open the port for TCP as well. This is because UDP is a broadcast packet which can always be received by your NIC, whereas TCP requires the computer to be powered up. This can also be set to limit the IPs which can use the port and other security features to make your computer less vulnerable. These are the easiest settings.

FORWARD THE PORT ON YOUR ROUTER
You should see your routers' manual for the details, but here are the basics. Your router IP is almost always 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Enter your router IP into the address bar in your web browser (Chrome ftw :P) and login to the admin page. Once there, you will find a section called something like "Advanced." What you are looking for is the "Port Forwarding" section. Make sure you forward port 9 to your LAN IP that we got earlier.

TESTING / TROUBLESHOOTING TOOLS

• wakeonlan.me - Can auto send you magic packets on a schedule though the schedule is messed up. I had to set the schedule time to EST while keeping the timezone set to my timezone. It's quirky, but it works. When you get the schedule set correctly is should tell you how many minutes before it sends the packets at the top. Alternately you can use another computer on your LAN to test it, but be sure to use your computers' WAN IP address to ensure it actually works from outside your LAN.
• Wake-on-LAN Packet sniffer v1.1 (direct download) - This nifty little free tool was incredibly useful when paired with the above site to verify that the magic packets were actually getting through to my computer.
• Wake-on-LAN Utility (direct download) - This is what you'll be using from your remote location to send the magic packet which will wake up your computer. There are other utilities like this available, but I like this one. It's simple. I will also include a batch script in a separate zip which will make your life easier. You'll only have to edit the script to put your computer MAC and WAN IP.
• whatsmyip.org - The indispensable tool for ensuring that your port is open to the outside world. Will only show open TCP ports. Not UDP as is used for WOL.

READER SUGGESTIONS

• Android app with excellent reviews called "Wol Wake on Lan Wan" by Brobble, available on Android Market. (thanks to Emad)

Updated 15-Jan-2012

Fixed broken link to download my script pack. Thanks Anonymous chat user :)

How to Minimize Skype to Windows 7 System Tray (Notification Area)

This is a paraphrase concerning Skype, from the original article at mydigitallife.info. All credit for this article should go exclusively to the original author. The purpose of re-iterating it here is strictly archival. Please thank the author for this excellent tip.

Changes in design behavior for Windows 7 causes many software applications to minimize (a behavior initiated by clicking the 'X' in some software) to the Taskbar instead of minimizing to the system tray (The area where the time and date are displayed in the lower right hand corner of the desktop; now called the notification area). You will notice this behavior in Skype 4.2 and newer.

Here's the workaround to minimize Skype to the notification tray on Windows 7.

Updated Skype Built-In Method

1. In Skype, go to Tools -> Options.
2. Then, click on Advanced tab to go to Advanced settings.
3. Uncheck and untick the Keep Skype in the taskbar while I’m signed in option.
   
4. Click Save button, and the Skype button or icon will be removed from Taskbar on minimize.

Note: You won’t see the option if the Skype is in compatibility mode.
Compatibility Mode Method

1. Exit or quit from Skype program.
2. Right click on Skype icon on Desktop or Skype shortcut in Start Menu, and select Properties.
   
3. Go to Compatibility tab.
4. Under “Compatibility Mode’ section, check and tick the checkbox for Run this program in compatibility mode for: option.
5. In the below drop-down box, select Windows Vista (Service Pack 2).
   
6. Click OK.
7. Start the Skype program, and now it should minimize to system tray.
   
   

Gadgets Toggle Script

I like a nice tidy desktop, but I also like to have access to my gadgets when I need them. I like to keep things efficient and fast too, so I went on a search for a script that would toggle my desktop gadgets on and off. This was what I found. It works really well too, though I made just a few cosmetic tweaks to the code.

http://www.wiseontech.com/hack/quick-script-to-showhide-windows-gadgets

Digsby IM Reviewed

I recently downloaded a new Instant Messaging software called Digsby. I used Pidgin for years which is amazing IM software, but Digsby has more functionality and special features such as popups that let you know when new email is received or updates are made on popular social networking sites, etc.

It's very functional, but there has been some dispute as to just how honest the people at Digsby are? They have taken steps in the right direction and it seems that they are more scrupulous than before by removing much of their crapware from the installer. Kudos to them for that.

Just be aware while installing the software that many options are selected by default such as an Ask.com toolbar. Here are the screenshots from the entire installation process for build 25261, as of this post.

Screen 1

Screen 2

Screen 3 - Deselect these options to kill the toolbar

Screen 4

Screen 5 - I only selected the top option to Launch automatically

Enjoy the software, it really is great except for the installer, and let me know what you think.

P.S. Does the Digsby guy remind anyone else of Homestar Runner? lol

Biometrics Fix

I have read that many people have had issues with the biometrics (fingerprint) scanner not working in Windows 7 while trying to use it to login for a second time. For most, including myself, it always worked the first time but after putting the PC to sleep and trying to login again, it wouldn't work.

After searching all over for a fix, I was unable to find anything that helped. So I waited patiently, and now it appears that Microsoft may have released a fix for the issue. I am running Windows 7 Professional (Build 7600) on an Asus C90S Laptop with an integrated biometrics scanner below the touch pad.

All I did was to temporarily turn on Windows Update and do a scan. Under the "Optional" updates section Windows should have detected an available update for the biometrics driver. At least there was for me, that's how I fixed it. I can't promise this will be available for everyone, but it worked for me.

Best of luck. Please feel free to respond with your own fixes if different from those already posted here.

Compatibility

I've found a strange issue with an ASUS utility called Turbo Gear that is compatible with Vista but apparently was the cause of me not being able to right-click the recycle bin on my desktop. It also caused issues with my system tray and other applications I have installed.

I would recommend not installing Turbo Gear.