CCleaner 2.01

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer www.ccleaner.com
Size 2.5MB
Free Download

Just as regular exercise is good for your health, a regular workout for your hard disk is recommended. Windows has its own tools for doing this, but CCleaner makes a slightly better job of it.

The application is free to use and shows the door to all kinds of temporary files, from temporary internet files to old automatic back-ups from application such as Office XP and file sharing software. It also shakes out old entries from your computer's registry, such as unistallers and invalid shortcuts. The makers guarantee that it contains no apyware or adware.

CCleaner is one of the more popular system cleansing and optimisation tools available. This is the major v2 release incorporating a number of new enhancements. For instance, the new version is completely re-written and is much faster and analysing and cleansing your system. It ships with a brand new user-interface and is available in a compact version, so you could take it with you on a portable USB stick and use it to cleanse a PC that you've used in a web cafe or other location. Of course, there are also a number of other tweaks and improvements.

Winamp 5.50

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Type freeware
Manufacturer Nullsoft
Size 12.45MB
Free Download

Winamp has always prided itself on being free and it has a steady, loyal following as a result. Version 5 is sure to please its current users, and to win it some converts.

It looks good with a completely new interface, and comes with fairly comprehensive file support. Audio support includes CDA, MIDI, MP1/2/3/4, AAC, OGG, WAV, AIF, WMA and more.

Support for video is added in version 5, and currently this stretches to MPG, M2V, AVI and ASF formats.

It packs a good deal into a fairly slim package, with the player incorporating everything you would expect and more: loop, repeat, ID3 tag support, cross-fading between tracks, 2x CD burning/ripping, internet TV and radio support etc.

It has a media manager, 10-band graphic equaliser, visualisations and a playlist editor. Upgrade to the Pro edition to get full support for ripping/encoding audio into the MP3 format, and integrated CD burning up to 48x speed.

Spyware Terminator 2.0.1.224

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer CRAWLER, LLC
Size 4.3MB
Free Download

There are plenty of anti-spyware programs available, but few as comprehensive (or free!) as Spyware Terminator, which is an application that will prevent spyware, adware, keyloggers and other types of malicious applications from hijacking the use of you computer. It resides in your system tray and works in real-time to prevent unauthorised programs from taking over your computer.

There are others available, but many anti-spyware applications are paid-for products, primarily as the software developer has to update the anti-spyware engine on a daily basis. These developers are always fighting the latest spyware technology.

When Spyware Terminator finds a suspect file, it is moved into Quarantine. Spyware Terminator prevents them from functioning and causing further damage to your computer. You can review and choose to permanently remove suspect files or safely store essential files.

Spyware Terminator will scan your computer manually or schedule an in-depth scan to be performed on a regular basis. The scan process runs in the background so that you will not be disrupted while working on other tasks.

v2 is major update to Spyware Terminator. New features include a brand new user-interface, improved scanning, improved post-scan reports and much more.

Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.3

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Lavasoft
Size 18.84MB
Free Download

This free utility scans your PC to identify and remove any adware or spyware components.

For the uninitiated, adware or spyware is unwanted software that can be installed on your PC, either with other software or when you visit websites (cookies etc).

They can track your surfing habits, push aggressive advertising at you, and generally abuse your privacy.

This new version completely overhauls the scanning engine, which results in more accurate scanning methods and an all-new program architecture. This new version now supports the detection of embedded malware, including known and emerging threats.

The new TrackSweep module will control privacy by erasing tracks left behind while surfing the web through Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera, with one easy click.

You decide exactly what is scanned on your PC, from a single folder to the complete system. Files larger than a specified size can be skipped, making for a quicker scan. Flagged components can be quarantined, letting you restore them if their removal causes problems.

Note that the free version is for personal-use only. The new 7.0.2.3 revision supports Windows Vista (32 bit edition).

PC Tools ThreatFire 3

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer PC Tools
Size 14MB
Free Download

Existing commercial anti-virus and anti-malware packages are designed around a tried-and-tested system where you rely on the software supplier to provide you with ttarhe antidote to avoid being caught by the latest threat. However, you often need to be downloading new definition updates on a daily basis in order to keep on top of the situation. If your PC is used by the entire family, you can’t really monitor what your kids are downloading on your machine through the day.

The other problem with traditional anti-virus tools is that they rely on you to run a system check or schedule a check. If malicious software has found a way in to your system, you may not realise there is a problem until the next system check.

ThreatFire is a security tool from PC Tools that was designed to be different, from conception. It does not rely on definition updates, but constantly checks against system activity and warns when it believes something is happening to your machine that is different from the norm. Essentially, it simply keeps an ongoing check on your system activity, before malicious software can affect your machine.

This is the free version of ThreatFire. There is a Pro version of ThreatFire that includes PC Tools’ Anti-Virus module to offer additional support against the latest threats.

ZoneAlarm ForceField Preview

Platform Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Check Point Software
Size 4.88MB
Free download

Wouldn’t it be good if you could surf the Internet in a virtual environment, outside of your primary operating system, so could be more assured that malicious files would not end up on your PC, additional entries wouldn’t be included in your Registry nor would your Internet browsing history be all over your computer.

Sadly we can’t really expect a virtual operating system on top of your existing operating system, unless you choose to run a tool such as Virtual PC 2007, but then you’d need another copy of Windows in order to get around the activation issue. You can’t use the same copy, twice. Another option is the Sandboxie tool, which is ideal for testing games within a closed box environment, but not always ideal for using it for browsing the Internet and testing downloaded files.

ZoneAlarm ForceField is a tool designed to act as a go-between, situated in front of your web brower. Download a file and it is checked by ForceField before you install. It will also enable you to browse the Internet in a private environment, so no web history, download information or other personal data is shared with other computer users. It’s simply not stored on your computer.

Note that ZoneAlarm ForceField is still in beta. It is designed for Windows XP and Vista, although the Vista version is still not fully supported.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0 Preview 8

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Mozilla
Size 6.27MB
Free Download

Some users were disappointed with the release of Mozilla Firefox 2.0. After months of betas, release candidates and previews, the new features weren’t as spectacular as people expected. However, there is only so much you can do to improve a web browser.

With the forthcoming release of Mozilla Firefox 3.0, planned for 2007, the web graphics rendering engine will receive a completely new upgrade. Dubbed ‘ Cairo’, the new graphics rendering engine should improve the output across different platforms, as it’s being developed as an open-standard (see http://wiki.mozilla.org/Cairo). Mozilla Firefox 3.0 will also be based around the forthcoming Gecko 1.9 rendering engine.

With other improvements in the way that pages are ‘painted’ on screen, improved SVG support and CSS enhancements, the general improvements for Firefox 3.0 are based around the way it will render web pages through the browser.

Note that further improvements and new features will be included within Firefox 3.0 as it is being developed. This 3.0 Preview 8 (dubbed “Gran Paradiso”, rather than Firefox) is an early developer preview.

The product release notes should be referred to before you download

Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.7

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Mozilla Corporation
Size 5.54MB
Free Download

Mozilla Firefox, the popular web browser, caused a stir with the original release, but apart from minor changes, visual improvements and security fixes, there haven’t been a wide range of new features since the original 1.x release. This is all about to change, with the release of Firefox 2.0. Windows version available to download from this page.

Current new 2.0 features include anti-phishing support, useful for acknowledging the difference between a legitimate website and a fake site set up for the purposes of obtaining your personal information.

Other new features include enhanced tabbed browsing, the ability to open tabs closed accidentally, spell checking within web forms, a search plugin manager, combined and enhanced Add-Ons manager and much more, including support for new web standards.

You can download other language editions of the Windows Firefox 2.0, as well as Linux and Mac OS X versions from the Mozilla website.

AVG Anti-Virus Free 7.5.488

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Grisoft Inc
Size 50.97MB
Free Download.

The word 'free' often equates to an inferior product but, in this case, there is no doubt that this is a professional product.

Split into three sections and a Control Centre, AVG Anti-virus protects against viruses in a number of key areas. The Resident Shield works in the background and checks all files and file types (including floppy disk, CD content etc.) for viruses, whilst the Email Scanner works with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook.

The Boot-up Scanner operates at start-up, and checks the most important areas of a PC before you begin to use it. Every aspect of AVG's virus protection can be configured using the Control Centre, which allows you to modify a number of program settings and to schedule scans, among other things.

When installing there's an option to create a rescue disk for use should any of your key system files become infected. All crucial areas and files on a PC are backed up, and can be restored from this disk.

Skype 3.5.0.239

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP
Type freeware
Manufacturer Skype
Size 22.77MB
Free Download

When it comes to making free calls across the internet using Voice over IP technology, Skype is certainly leading the pack. With almost 26 million people having downloaded the software, Skype is the most used free internet application.

Developed by the people behind the file-sharing service Kazaa, Skype offers free internet telephony with another PC user as long as both have the Skype software.

If you're an existing Skype user, the first thing you'll notice is that the interface has had a makeover. Another key addition is the use of public chats, so you can now start a conversation between a group of people, whether you know those people or they're random users who happen to join your topic of conversation.

Ashampoo ClipFinder 1.19

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Ashampoo
Size 2.47MB
Free Download

Online portals like YouTube, VideU, MyVideo and ClipFish have long since become cult, they collect many funny and creative short videos. In the office and of course also in your everyday life in the meantime it is considered to be chic to call up the video portals for a short break and to start a couple of films to relax or for your own enjoyment.

The problem is that the offer of available videos has exploded so much in the past months that it is hardly possible to directly find the best contributions on an interesting topic. People who are in to the funny Star Wars parodies, the best animal films or quite seriously intended company presentations definitely need help with their orientation.

Ashampoo ClipFinder knows the most important portals and can, analogue to a search machine, simultaneously pass on a quickly made search inquiry to all video portals. A few seconds later, the Ashampoo ClipFinder collects all hits in its program window in order to make the user curious with preview pictures.

Ashampoo ClipFinder shows diverse information which fits each film in the results, including the length, the name of the film and its assessment. A click of the mouse is enough and the Ashampoo ClipFinder plays a film. It is however not a problem to transmit it completely to the hard drive. Then it is always available - and not only with an existing internet connection. Alternatively the link to a film can also be taken over in the favourite files and reactivated again from here at any time.

Download Accelerator Plus 8.5.6.3

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer SpeedBit
Size 7.48MB
Free Download

Download Accelerator Plus (DAP) is a download manager that also claims to increase download speeds by up to 300 per cent.

DAP performs this trick by locating the most responsive server using a proximity test, and by splitting the file(s) into several segments and accessing them from multiple sources if necessary.

In our tests with an ADSL connection, DAP was only faster in a handful of occasions, but always saved you the trouble of manually selecting the fastest or closest server.

More usefully, DAP is also a download manager, which is a tool many of ushave forgotten about. Today most people download files into a variety oflocations where they can often become lost.

DAP keeps track of them all and also provides a handy history of what you've downloaded and when.

DAP will additionally recover and resume a download which has been interrupted by a broken connection. Very handy even if it doesn't necessarily make your Internet connection feel much faster.

Free Download Manager 2.5.707

Platform Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Type freeware
Manufacturer FreeDownloadManager.ORG
Size 5.35MB
Free Download

Download accelerator and manager which you can use to easily download a list of files and whole web sites from any remote server via HTTP, HTTPS and FTP. FDM (Free Download Manager) can function as a site manager, accelerator, site explorer and scheduler.

FDM can resume broken downloads, so you needn't start the downloading process from the very beginning after casual interruption. You can resume unfinished download from the moment when it was interrupted. Also this program warns you if resuming isn't supported by the servers. It allows you to make a decision about the downloading. So with FDM you save your time and money.

FDM is an indispensable tool for download acceleration. It splits files into several sections and then downloads them simultaneously allowing you to increase your download speed up to 600%.

This software application can be used in automatic mode. You can schedule the following operations: set or hang up the Internet connection, exit from the program and shutdown the computer. All the operations mentioned above can be set at the specified time.

Maxthon 2.0.3.4552

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Type freeware
Manufacturer Maxthon International Limited
Size 2.41MB
Free Download

Maxthon is one of the more popular Internet Explorer replacement browsers and is constantly updated.

The newest version Maxthon 2.0.3.4552 contains a new streamlined interface, which looks a bit like a mix of the Mac OS X Safari web browser and Firefox. Other features include multi-user support from the same web browser, so each user has their own preferences. There are tons of other minor updates, too.

Skype 3.5.0.229

Platform Windows 2000, Windows XP
Type freeware
Manufacturer Skype
Size 22.9MB
Free Download

When it comes to making free calls across the internet using Voice over IP technology, Skype is certainly leading the pack. With almost 26 million people having downloaded the software, Skype is the most used free internet application.

Developed by the people behind the file-sharing service Kazaa, Skype offers free internet telephony with another PC user as long as both have the Skype software.

If you're an existing Skype user, the first thing you'll notice is that the interface has had a makeover. Another key addition is the use of public chats, so you can now start a conversation between a group of people, whether you know those people or they're random users who happen to join your topic of conversation.

Skype Prime enables a small business, such as an advisor, to offer services over the Internet. SkypeFind is a new business and feedback system, that enables end-users to rate businesses it finds through Skype.