An alarm can be very handy for computer users, not only to signal the end of the work day but also other events. Say you have an appointment or business meeting in ten minutes, a lunch break or need to wait another five minutes before your coffee is ready. While you could do that by looking at the clock or your watch regularly, an alarm would make it less work intrusive.

Ghacks reader Odio just mentioned the Windows Gadget Alarm Clock which adds alarm functionality to the Windows operating system. When you first install it you will only see a red clock on your desktop. A click opens the configuration menu where you can configure the looks and alarms.

First thing you need to do is to click in the enable alarm check box to enable the functionality. Then you either need to select a time period, e.g. five minutes from now, or a specific time of the day. The alarm clock displays the set alarm above the current time.

A click on the Wrench icon opens the options. Here it is possible to change the color of the clock, the alarm sound, the alarm loop and the appearance of the clock on the desktop. The clock uses a 24-hour style by default which can be changed to a 12-hour time conversion convention (am / pm). The default sound of the alarm is not well suited for that purpose (Windows Balloon on the test system). It is advised to select another audio file for the alarm sound.

The desktop alarm clock is a handy gadget for Windows. It is on the other hand rather limited in functionality. There is for instance no option to configure multiple alarms or recurring alarms. Options to link the alarm functionality to calendar applications provided by Outlook would be handy as well.

Windows users can download the Alarm Clock gadget from the developer website. Check out How To Uninstall Gadgets In Windows 7 for uninstallation instructions.

The Windows timer can be configured to reset, shutdown, suspend or play an audio signal at a specified time or after time has passed. It is possible to set a counter or specify seconds, minutes, hours and even days before the configured action starts.

Another option is to set an alarm clock to specify a certain hour of the day. While reset, shutdown or suspend do not require explanation the audio signal mode does. This mode can be used to select an mp3 or other audio file which will be played when the time is met.

The timer software will display a visual reminder and run the defined action at the specified time afterwards.