Computers aren’t that expensive any more but why spend money buying a new one when all you have is a broken keyboard or dis-functional power switch for your monitor. Here are great utilities that can serve as replacements when specific hardware goes haywire:

1. Monitor Off: ^[1]

If the power button on your monitor doesn’t work any more, don’t fear. MonitorOff is a simple utility that can turn the power of your monitor off when you rub it. To turn your monitor on again, simply move your mouse or press a key on your keyboard.

2. Optical Drive Tray: ^[2]

So your CD Rom drive works but the little button thingy on it is moody? Use this handy utility to open and close the drive tray with a simple slick. The great thing is, it supports up to 4 optical drives at any given time.

3. Touch It (On Screen Keyboard): ^[3]

If you think your keyboard is a piece of junk, ditch it for an on-screen keyboard that can be customized. Touch-It is a great utility for this with extended features like task switching and multi monitor support.

4. DK:Keyboard: ^[4]

If the LED light indicating the status of your CAPS LOCK and NUM LOCK keys is broken, use this great tool to have an on-screen bubble indicate their status.

5. J-Mouse: ^[5]

Your mouse just broke but you do have an old joystick lying around? Use J-Mouse to turn a joystick or game pad into a mouse.