Although everyone uses a web browser to access the Internet and download files, you ought to have an FTP client installed as you can download multiple applications from FTP sites, resume paused downloads and go back and download again if a download fails. Even better, an FTP client can be used to upload files to your homepage or any remote server. However, you need an FTP client and there have been three updates to popular clients this week.

Wise-FTP 3 is a full commercial download which we made available recently. Another popular choice is SmartFTP 3.0.1021.5, which is free for non-commercial use now shareware. CoreFTP LE 2.1 is another free FTP client, whilst WinSCP 4.1.6 is popular.

Whilst many of us have switched to a third-party tool to maintain our PC, we're still using the old Add/Remove programs preferences panel to remove software from our computer. This is fine for some software, but most applications leave remnants all over your system. This might include information in your Registry, temporary installation files and filetype references. However, you might not even understand which applications you should remove from your computer.

MyUninstaller 1.42 is a simple and effective software removal tool that will examine your system and give you feedback in regards to the software you can remove. It will let you make a more informed choice of the software you should be removing.

MyUninstaller link.

There's little point having a calendar and then keeping the information to yourself. If you're lucky to have your own PA, then other people can consult on your availability with your PC. Otherwise they simply have to guess or ask colleagues where you are located. If someone is located outside your office, they might make a wasted trip when coming to visit your for a potential meeting. The solution is a calendar which enables you to share information with other users.

Chandler 1.0 RC1 is a free opensource calendar which enables you to store all your 'to do' items, your files associated with projects, as well as sharing your calendar with other users, online. Simply set up a Chandler online account and publish your information online when you update.

Chandler link.

There is a problem with every operating system, whether it's a Mac or a PC, where the majority of video and audio files will not play back through your system, unless you download the relevant media player. It's annoying as this means it's difficult to play Windows Media Player files on your Mac and QuickTime files on your PC, without additional software. One solution is to install an independent media player such as the VLC Media Player. The other is to install the relevant codec which will enable playback through your existing media player.

K-Lite Codec Pack 4.1 is a comprehensive free collection of codecs that will enable you to play most regular media types. Install the collection from this pack and you may find that you do not need to find another media player ever again.

K-Lite Codec Pack link.

Most corporate websites require input from multiple sources. Whether it's a group of people updating the latest news or someone responsible for keeping company information up-to-date, these people need access to your site and/or server. It's made far worse if the contributors are situated outside of your office and, thus, outside of your firewall. One solution is a content management system, which enables you to give access rights to various people and allow them to access your server from outside your company.

Joomla 1.5.5 is free content management opensource software that enables you to upload a content management system (CMS) to your server and then open up access to particular users. It needs access to a database, so check the requirements before implementing the software.

Joomla 1.5.5 link.

External hard drives are rather cheap these days. I'm using the external 1TB Apple Time Capsule, with a difference. It's used for storing media files and can be accessed by any computer on the network, irrespective of operating system. It's also used for backing up files from both the Mac and PC. However, you need backup software on your PC to make incremental backups to the drive.

Acronis True Image 11.0.8101 is now available and is our choice for drive backup software. However, the latest v11 now enables you to backup individual files and folders, as well as your entire drive or partition. Best of all, we have a promo where you can get 20% off the latest Acronis True Image 11 and also get Acronis Disk Director 10 for free. Both products for around £21!

Acronis True Image 11 and Disk Director 10 links.

With numerous free and commercial applications offering to provide protection from spyware, where do you begin to look? Ok, there are plenty of free applications out there, most of which offer reasonable protection and there are also many commercial applications available, all varying in performance and price. A good place to start is with a trusted commercial developer, someone who specialises in PC protection and who have been doing so for number of years.

PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6 Starter Edition is full commercial anti-spyware technology and available as a world exclusive download from vnunet.com. Best of all, it  ships with unlimited definition updates, so you're always protected from the latest threats. The latest v6 has had a user-interface re-design and includes additional protection against the latest threats.

PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6 Starter Edition link.

If you own a fast Intel-based Apple Mac, you can quite easily run a Windows virtualisation tool such as VMware Fusion and you'll find that Windows runs very smoothly and efficiently alongside your existing OS X installation. With Unity support, you're able to run Windows applications right on top of OS X, as if they were a native OS X application.

VMware Fusion 2 Preview 2 is now available and this contains a host of new features. Unity 2 now enables you to run Windows on your Mac desktop without seeing any reference to Windows. For example, if you prefer Microsoft Outlook to Apple Mail, you can arrange your Mac desktop to launch Microsoft Outlook as your default email client, natively. You can also share your Documents folder from both the Mac and Windows. There are many many more new features and we suggest you read through the Fusion 2 Preview 2 new features list for more information.

VMware Fusion 2 Preview 2 link.

Sadly, Apple iTunes has caused a fair amount of negative press recently. With the recent release of iTunes 7.7, Windows Vista users found that Apple had forced a MobileMe preferences icon to be installed in your Control Panel, without even asking whether you wanted to install MobileMe or not. MobileMe enables you to synchronise your contacts between applications such as Microsoft Outlook and your MobileMe account.

Apple iTunes 7.7.1 has now been made available for download and this new version contains fixes to help with stablility and security. Nothing has been mentioned about the MobileMe preferences icon within Windows, so we can't determine whether this still exists or not.

Apple iTunes 7.7.1 link.

If you're a song writer, particularly a writer who has to produce lyrics for pop songs, the problem is that you need to find rhyming words to fit your melody. This isn't easy and it is the primary reason why you hear some cheesy words when lyric writers simply can't find a decent word to fit both the song and to rhyme with a word in the previous verse.

Rhymesaurus Free v2 is a free tool that will enable you to enter a word and be given a number of rhyming examples that you can use for your lyrics. It's also useful for people who like to write poems or similar where the words need to rhyme through the prose.

Rhymesaurus link.

Few people seem to be aware of this, but Internet Explorer is 'built in' to Windows. Well, the web core components are certainly integrated. In the same way Safari's web core is built in to OS X. This enables software developer's to use the engine to drive their HTML-based help documentation and to display web content within the app. iTunes is a good example. That uses the IE engine to render the interface.

IE Tab 1.5 is an add-on for Firefox that enables you to open a tab that will display a page using the Internet Explorer rendering engine, rather than Firefox. This is good for sites that only require IE or for developers who need to test the odd page in IE, without actually opening IE. The latest IE Tab 1.5.x now supports Firefox 3.

IE Tab link.

If you own a Mac and run OS X, you're probably proud of the fact that it's almost impossible for your machine to be infected by a virus or a trojan. However, it's not completely impossible. The more popular the Mac becomes, the more likely it will happen. If you do not have an anti-virus client installed, you'll be the first to be infected.

PC Tools iAntiVirus is both a free and paid-for anti-virus client from a reputable software developer, designed to protect your Mac from the latest threats. It's completely free for personal and non-commercial use and there's a paid-for version with support and a commercial license.

PC Tools iAntiVirus link.

We've received a few emails about this subject and, although it rarely happens, we have had to temporarily remove the Webroot range of products from our website. Webroot contacted us and said that have decided that they need to update further before they can release the forthcoming 5.8 range of software. As we spent time putting all this information online last week - promoting it in our weekly newsletter and other locations - this isn't something we're too pleased about. However, we're looking forward to the 5.8 release of Spy Sweeper and Personal Firewall and will get them back up again immediately.

For now, keep an eye on the Webroot website for the re-release which will be soon. Spy Sweeper 5.8 was a big release and widely anticipated.

Webroot homepage.

Windows is highly customisable. Indeed, there are visual themes that enable you to turn your Windows installation in to something resembling a Mac OS X operating system. These themes replace your user-interface, colour scheme, desktop background, icons and much more. However, there are many situations where you either like a visual theme, but want to make your own minor adjustments, or simply cannot find a theme that you desire.

Stardock SkinStudio 6 is a visual theme designer that enables you to either change and improve an existing theme or design a brand new theme from scratch. Once finished, you can use on your PC and share with other users, online. Bear in mind that there is a free version and a pro version (paid for product) which contains additional features.

Stardock SkinStudio 6 link.

Back in early 2007 we put the first version of Firefox 3 online, expecting it to reach beta stage fairly quickly. It didn't. At the end of 2007 we were still posting previews online and this ended up confusing many general Internet users. Of course, Firefox 3 did enable you to install and use it without affecting your Firefox 2 installation, but it also installed separate versions for each beta and each new version affected your previous working add-ons and extensions.

Firefox 3.1 Alpha 1 codenamed 'Shiretoko' is now available to download, although we're going to hold off putting it on vnunet.com/downloads until it reaches beta stage. This new version brings a host of minor new features that didn't have time to get in to the original 3.0 release. These include support for the latest Gecko rendering engine, improvements to the Smart Location Bar and a brand new tab system that enables you to browse through a visual film strip of your previous opened tabs.

Firefox 3.1 Alpha 1 link.

Install Windows on your PC and most users would never realise that only the basic vanilla drivers are being used to control your components. This means that you are not getting the most from your computer and it could even lead to conflict. By installing the latest up-date-drivers, the manufacturer will have worked out most issues based around the latest Windows operating system.

Uniblue DriverScanner 1.0.0.192 is a driver tool that you can use to scan your computer, check your current drivers, check against an online database and then update if necessary. However, you can also backup your drivers, so if you ever need to re-install Windows, you can quickly get the latest drivers back on your PC immediately.

Uniblue DriverScanner link.

It's easily done, especially when more than one person uses the same computer. Drop an important work file to your desktop, someone else decides to clean up the desktop and wipes the file from Trash. As there is no recovery software built in to Windows, your first decision is how you are going to recover the lost file.

Recuva 1.17 is free recovery software that will scan your computer seeking deleted and so-called lost files. Most files can be recovered easily as, unless you've written a lot of new data to your drive, the chances are the remnants of the original data is still on your drive. You can also use Recuva to find lost digital photos from memory cards or examine external hard drives.

Recuva link.

There are plenty of free image and photo management tools, that enable you to categorise and store your photos, as well as basic image manipulation and enhancement. However, if you've recently upgraded to a semi-professional digital camera, it could be the time to take your photos more seriously. For this, you need a professional level photo manager and two of the most popular products are Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom.

Adobe Lightroom 2 is now available and it's a cross-platform product, so you can use it on both a PC and a Mac, whereas Apple's Aperture is a Mac OS X only photo manager. The latest Adobe Lightroom 2 contains a number of new features, including improved image enhancement tools and more.

Adobe Lightroom 2 link.

If you use a local calendar such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Sunbird or iCal on OS X, then you'll know it's an ideal tool for monitoring your tasks and forthcoming events, whilst also sharing the information with other users. However, unless you use a third-party synchronisation tool, it was never easy to publish your calendar online and then keep both updated. However, the latest version of the online Google Calendar now supports CalDav support, which means that you can now automate how your calendar appears locally and remotely, without a third-party interface.

Google Calendar is part of an online suite of tools from Google that enable you to edit and publish work information online.

Google Calendar link.

The problem for any laptop user is that you may need to move between different networks, depending on your location. In the office, you can connect to the local network, whereas out of the office you may need to rely on a slower 3G card. Worse, the 3G network may limit your bandwidth so you can only download 50MB/day. For this reason, you may want to surf the web without images, stop your email client downloading large attachments and more. However, you need to be able to switch between profiles, depending on the network.

Avanquest Connection Manager is free full commercial software that recently retailed for £20. It's a tool that enables you to either create a new profile or remember a profile you used previously, when you connected to a network. You can then switch your settings when you move to a different network, including configuring your favourite installed apps, automatically.

Avanquest Connection Manager link.

There are many advantages to using portable applications, they are often lightweight and they don't require you to installation. For example, your work computer may not be equipped with certain applications and it may not enable you to install any new applications without certain permissions. This is where portable applications are most effective, simply keep your apps on a portable drive such as a USB stick and you can take them on the road to use whenever you require.

VLC Media Player Portable 0.8.6i is a highly portable version of the standard media player. It's capable of playing numerous video and audio formats, so not only can you take your audio and video files with you, you have something to play them on, without installing any software.

VLC Media Player Portable 0.8.6i link.    

Trying to keep up-to-date and staying organised in business can be difficult, it can sometimes feel as though you're not in control. Applications for staying organised have been around for a number of years now but many can be more hassle than they are worth, especially if they aren't integrated with any other software you may use, such as your email client. However, if you work within a small business or larger organisation, enabling staff with such applications could help improve productivity.

Daylight 3.7.4 is a comprehensive organisation suite for business designed for your Mac that enables you to manage information using a system called linking. Projects, contacts and tasks can all be linked and stored, so you can relate projects and all other relevant information. You can also integrate the software with Apple Mail quickly and easily.

Daylight 3.7.4 link. 

What's happening with PC Tools? Most software developers are lucky if they release a new app every few months. With PC Tools, we've seen Spyware Doctor 6, Registry Mechanic 8, Personal Firewall 4 and a brand new Disk Suite 2009, in the last four weeks. This can only be a good thing and, as users get free updates within their subscription period, no-one can complain they have to pay for an upgrade.

PC Tools Internet Security 2009 is a complete suite of security software designed to protect your PC from the latest threats. Using technology from their popular software, it contains anti-spyware, anti-virus, a powerful firewall and anti-spam modules. Of course, this means you need to choose whether you want a complete suite or just the individual apps.

PC Tools Internet Security 2009 link.

Lately there has been some welcome competition in the disk and system optimisation market. There are existing tools from Iolo, and the latest System Mechanic 8 is rather superb, as well as the excellent Tune-Up Utilities 2008 (we're giving away Tune-Up Utilities 2007 with Computeractive magazine), which will enable you to optimise and tweak just about every aspect of your PC. However, there is another tool on the market from a well-resepected software developer, which was know as PC Tools.

PC Tools Disk Suite 2009 is a brand new disk and system optimisation suite that combines some of their existing technology with backup, partitioning and defragmentation tools that will keep every aspect of your PC in check. It has been released as a public beta preview, so use it with an element of caution.

PC Tools Disk Suite 2009 link.

New users may be unaware, but the Windows Registry has remained unchanged for years and acts as a database of information about your PC. Every application installed on your computer, the file type associations, location of files and much more. Snag is, the more you use your computer, the larger your Registry will become, which means your system can slow and take longer to boot. Uninstall software and you may find that the information remains in your Registry which means that it can conflict with other installed software.

PC Tools Registry Mechanic 8 is a solution and is one of the most popular Registry optimisation and defragmentation tools. This is a major update and has received a brand new interface, system optimisation tools, a new plugin architecture and much more.

PC Tools Registry Mechanic 8 link.

In this day and age, having your own website is a must. Unfortunately, paying someone to create and host a website can be extremely expensive, and creating your own can be daunting. Even though most professional web building tools will enable you to create a web site from a template, everything that comes after can be just as confusing, such as hosting and maintaining the site. So what do you do if you still want to create a website, but have no knowledge of programming?

TOWeb 2.0 enables inexperienced users to easily create and maintain your own website. You can add text, images and other content and TOWeb will assist you with the rest, keeping your site looking good and working well. 

TOWeb 2.0 link

Many of us are not allow to use our company email for personal correspondence. For that reason, we tend to read and access our email through our Google Mail account or via Facebook. Google Mail has the advantage in that it can obtain email from other accounts, enabling you to pool email from multiple sources in to one mailbox. However, you need to open a web browser to keep checking your mail and this isn't alway convenient.

Gmail Notifier 0.6.3.6 is an add-on for Firefox that enables you to check multiple Gmail accounts and will display a simple blue icon when you have new mail. You only need to check your mail folder when you see the red envelope swap to a blue image. Simple and a basic way of checking your mail.

Gmail Notifier link.

Open source software is improving all the time and as they improve, the number of users increases. Some applications however are used so widely, providing an open source version can cause compatibility issues. There are a number of open-source word processing applications available that that enable you to open and create Microsoft Word documents. That's great for those that use the software, but what if you want to open or create an open format document in Word?   

OpenOffice Plugin for Microsoft Office 1.2 is a useful tool that enables users to open Word, Excel and PowerPoint file formats. Using a toolbar for Word and Excel, you can import and export documents easily. You can even set Word to use the ODT format by default.

OpenOffice Plugin for Microsoft Office 1.2 link.

File synchronisation is the way forward. Apple saw this and decided to upgrade their old Mac toolkit to support file synchronisation with the new MobileMe. Unfortunately the plan has gone to pot and the file synchronisation part has been temporarily excluded.

Evernote 3 has finally reached open beta, so anyone can now sign up for an account and get started. It's superb media and note sharing software. You can cut and paste information from a website, email and other sources, then paste as a new note. These notes are synchronised with your online account and, if you have installed Evernote on another computer, you can sync the same notes back to the other PC.

In the future, it would be great to enable other users to share your information. For instance, if you wanted to share blog notes, interesting data and other points of interest, you could create an area in your account which was open for other users. This would be ideal for a development team who wanted to share ideas and notes regarding a current or future project.

Evernote 3 public beta link.

From time to time you stumble across software that goes way beyond your expectations. The problem with system maintenance or optimisation software is, quite frankly, that they only do a fraction of what you might expect. We've already discussed the advantages of System Mechanic 8, which we're giving away on the October PCW magazine, but with the latest edition of Computeractive magazine, issue 272, on-sale from tomorrow, we're giving away something equally as good.

Tune-Up Utilties 2007 is a complete all-in-one system optimisation and maintenance suite, along the lines of System Mechanic. We suggest you compare both and evaluate which one is more effective for your PC.

Computeractive 272 magazine link.

There are so many tweaking, optimisation and system boosting tools that you can end up with multiple installed software, just to keep your system in check. However, it would be far more effective to use a single suite of software that contained all the tweaking, system maintenance and optimisation tools within one interface. System Mechanic 8 is a popular choice and it's free with the October edition of PCW magazine, on-sale now.

System Mechanic 8 will enable you to check for drive errors, defrag your drive, defrag your Registry, check startup applications, optimise your memory and much more. The latest version of System Mechanic is very polished. We've had it installed for the last few weeks, without issues. If you were disappointed with previous version, it's worth considering trying the latest revision. If you already own System Mechanic 7, you receive a free upgrade to v8.

October PCW magazine link.

When you install many different applications on your PC, you may be equipped to perform almost any task but unfortunately, even if you don't use the software it could be doing more harm than good. Every time you install an application, you submit data to your registry, which could automatically open applications when your machine boots, hindering the time it takes for your machine to start. Another issue is identifying and removing registry entries, as you may find they remain even after software is removed.   

Autoruns 9.31 is a too that enables you to view a complete list of all items launched when your PC boots. Use it to locate hidden files that are associated with installed applications as well as disable problematic start-up items. 

Autoruns 9.31 link.

Anyone who has used the Internet has downloaded a file, even if they may not have been aware. However, if you do download files on a regular basis, whether for work or in your own time, you will recognise the importance of not only the speed of downloads, but a reliable connection. A decent download manager will help you maintain speed and connection as well as give you more control over bandwidth and even accelerate your downloads. One problem with some managers though is that they can be a bit bulky, when all you really need is a simple, easy-to-use application.  

Orbit Downloader 2.7.2 is a simple but lightweight download manager based on multi-source download technology. It supports multiple protocols and will enable you to maximise download speeds. You can even use it to stream from web pages and download flash videos.

Orbit Downloader 2.7.2 link.

A few short years ago, Webroot Spy Sweeper was arguably the biggest anti-spyware application available. However, Webroot migrated in to the corporate market and, apart from within the US, they left few resources for promoting their products to consumers. They also have a rather obscure way revising their products. The original Spy Sweeper 5.0 was released over two years ago, when PC Tools were still promoting Spyware Doctor 4. Since then, they've moved to 5.3, 5.5 and now 5.8. Although it appears to be a minor number revision, this new version does contain a number of new features and is the biggest update for a year.

Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.8 is commercial anti-spyware software and this new version includes enhanced support for detecting spyware, the ability to check and scan your computer in the background whilst you play a game in the foreground and protection for the latest Vista PCs.

Webroot Desktop Firewall 5.8 was also released, with a number of improvements. It's a free firewall for home use.

Only a few years ago, you could walk in to your office stationary cupboard, to find stacks of post-it notes, waiting for you to write reminders and stick them all over your desk or computer monitor. Snag is, their stickiness reduces over time and it's too easy for the office cleaner to cleanse your desk with your most important notes. The answer is to to stick post-it notes on your computer desktop, so you are reminded as soon as you switch on your PC.

PinNotes 1.3 is another free sticky notes tool that enables you to place notes across your desktop. You can hide them, make sure they are always on top, make the notes transparent and much more.

PinNotes link.

If you want to produce a simple but effective website, Mac owners are overwhelmed with options, including Rapidweaver, iWeb and many others. These tools enable you to take a pre-designed template, add the text, photos and other media files you want on your site and then publish to your homepage. There aren't too many similar apps on the Windows platform.

Template Shaker 2.4 is a free WYSIWYG tool that will enable you to edit and create template based sites using just your mouse to produce the pages. It's all based around CSS, which means the same look-and-feel will be transposed across your site.

Template Shaker link.

If you use certain freeware or shareware applications, you often find they are updated fairly often, monthly or sometimes even weekly. These 'updates' may not be major, but they make software more stable. If you don't regularly visit download sites or software publisher's sites, it may be more difficult to recognise newer versions of installed software. A useful and convenient way of keeping software updated is to use an auto-update tool, so you don't have to check manually.

UpdateStar 2.2.614 Beta is auto-update tool that will find updates for applications installed on your PC. Inevitably, it's not likely to find updates for all software installed on your machine, but this will improve as we see newer versions of the software. It also looks good, borrowing the ribbon interface from Office 2007.

UpdateStar 2.2.614 Beta link.

Spam filters are available in many varieties, usually designed to work with a particular email client such as Outlook. Although Outlook may have a spam filter of its own, spammers have developed more ingenious ways of distributing malicious mail and many emails may still slip through the net. The advantage of using a separate filter with your email client is that many tend to benefit from regular updates, so they recognise the very latest threats.

SpamBully 4.2.0.7 is a spam filter for Outlook that identifies a huge number of malicious or potentially malicious emails. You can also use SpamBully on a mobile device if you're on the road, and it will only make legitimate emails available. There are also versions available for Outlook Express and Windows Mail. 

SpamBully 4.2.0.7 link.

Unless you are an avid gamer, most modern PCs will last a fair few years. Indeed, you'll probably get bored of your PC long before you need to upgrade. There are various reasons why you shouldn't get rid or move on your old PC. Partly for the security reasons of having to format the hard drive and partly as you can use it for other purposes.

MediaPortal is a free solution for turning your PC in to a fully-fledged media centre, which will enable you to stream, record and playback recorded TV and video. You can store all your favourite movies or videos, catalogue them and then playback via your media centre. View your photos, music, stream radio and more.

MediaPortal link.

If you own an Intel Mac, you can run Bootcamp on a partition or external drive and use both Windows and Mac on the same computer. Mac OS X enables you to read from your NTFS partition, but Windows won't allow you to access your Mac drive. Sharing data might prove tricky. Connecting a Mac-formatted iPod will mean you can't access the contents and any Mac-formatted external or removable drive will be inaccessible.

MacDrive 7.2 is software that enables you to both read and write to your Mac drives, whether this is your internal drive, a Mac partition, your Mac iPod or other external drive. Indeed, with MacDrive installed, you'll often forget you've even connected a Mac-formatted drive. This means that if you use your Mac to manage your iPod, but want to use the iPod in 'disk mode', you can format it on your Mac, move across files and then still read/write from Windows.

MacDrive link.

Mozilla Firefox is the most popular web browser available, the release of version 3 set the world record for the highest number of downloads in the first twenty four hours of release. If you are a user of Firefox, having to use an alternative browser can be frustrating, this may be a work or family members computer that use default browsers such as Safari or IE. Why not take a portable version of you favourite browser on the road?

Firefox Portable 2.0.0.15 is a transportable version of the hugely popular web browser. It's self contained which means that all browser history, bookmarks and cookie information is kept with you on whatever portable device you use. 

Firefox Portable 2.0.0.15 link.

When you're browsing the Internet, you may come across an address which you want to locate for reference purposes. In the past, you'd take the postcode, open a mapping site and locate the address. However, you can make the process more simple. If you use an add-on for Firefox such as Mini Map Sidebar, you can highlight the address with your mouse, right-click and choose from an option within your right-mouse menu. From there, you can view the address using Google Maps.

Mini Map Sidebar 0.3 is a free and simple address finder for Firefox that adds options to your right-mouse button menu, so you can quickly locate an address via Google Maps. If you prefer, there is the option of using Yahoo Maps. You can find directions to the address, from a specified location, if required.

Mini Map Sidebar link.

We've put a fair number of full commercial apps on vnunet.com/downloads over the last couple of months. We're never going to go down the daily route, as we'd prefer to put up higher quality commercial apps, once or twice a month. Also, our apps have no license restrictions and can be used for both commercial and personal use, unlike license restrictions posed by rival sites.

The most recent promotion was Wise-FTP 3, which will enable you to download files from the Internet, upload data to your homepage and administer a remote server. Prior to this, we gave away Ashampoo WinOptimizer 4, which will boost and tweak your XP or Vista installation. Serif Page Plus 8 PDF Edition will enable you to design and create your own posters, newsletters or invitations. Spyware Doctor 5.5 Starter and Spyware Doctor 5.5 with AntiVirus Starter will safeguard your computer. East-Tec Backup 2007 will backup and restore data, if necessary, whilst V-COM Fix-It Utilities 7 Express will attempt to salvage files and data.

We have other full commercial apps lined up and will attempt to get one or two online, every month.

Sticky notes are a useful tool for keeping notes and to-do lists on our desktop, making them easy to refer to. If you use a computer each day, and use some sort of sticky note application, it can often be difficult to work without them once you've got used to using them. Even if you work from a computer that is equipped with a notes tool, that doesn't really help because your notes will only appear on your desktop. In this instance a synchronisation tool would be very useful.

IQ-Notes 3.65 enables you to store all of your notes on an FTP server which is completely secure, and then access them from whichever computer you may be working from. Use it to synchronise note between your home computer, your work computer or your laptop. 

IQ-Notes 3.65 link.

Does this scenario exist? You tell us. You're hooked on purchasing from Amazon, like to watch various products, keen to keep an eye on whether watched products are made available on special offer and, if so, are keen to take advantage of that special offer. If so, you'll spend a lot of time using your browser to check the store. An easier way would be to find a tool that enables you to track and view watched products, from one interface.

AmazonWatcher 0.3.5 is such a tool and will enable you to track Amazon products from six of the top Amazon International stores, including the US, UK, Germany and others. If a product you watch is put in to the sale, you can then take advantage and make your purchase.

AmazonWatcher link.

Remembering computer passwords can be a real headache, we often have several for online accounts alone. Many of us will remember one or two we use regularly but it's a little more difficult remembering all of them. Password storage isn't usually anyone's first thought when setting up online accounts, so they often end up being jotted down on a scrap of paper that ends up in the bin. If you want a hassle free way of keeping all of your passwords in one place, it would be worth considering a password storage application.

FlyingBit Password Keeper 1.1.0.9 is a handy password safe that enables you to keep your entire password library securely in one place, all you need to remember is one master password. By using an encrypted database, even if someone has access to your computer they cannot view any protected information.

FlyingBit Password Keeper 1.1.0.9 link.

Norton products seem to receive a lot of mixed press. Personally, I had Norton AV installed for years, until recent activation 'improvements'. Bought a 3-PC edition and quickly realised that if you install within a virtual environment and, even after a successful uninstall, the license requirements remain on the Norton servers. You had to write (yes, post a letter) to Symantec to show proof of ownership and a description of the problem, for them to give you back the right to install the software on a further PC. Result? Norton AV removed, never installed again. Not good PR for Norton products.

Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009 have been released as public previews, along with a host of new features. The interface has had an overhaul and both products use fewer system resources (we've heard that before). They both use more proactive methods of preventing intrusion and attack. Both are free to try until 23rd of September 2008, but remember they are still beta previews.

Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009 links.

Do you ever get the feeling your computer has a mind of its own? Sometimes your PC seems to take forever to boot, or an application is behaving erratically and you can't seem to close it down, it sometimes feels as though you have little or no control over what your PC or open applications are doing. Although you can use the Windows Task Manager to view and manage open applications, it can be more difficult to take more control if you aren't reasonably computer literate.

Magic Utilities 5.50 is a small suite of three applications that enable you to manage certain aspects to maintain a smooth running computer. There's an uninstaller, a start-up organiser and a process killer, all of which are extremely easy to use.

Magic Utilities 5.50 link. 

Only yesterday we mentioned that Webroot had released their own secure online backup tool, which gave you 2GB of online storage for $29.95/year. Since that blog entry, other users have recommended SpiderOak, which is a relatively new online backup storage facility that offers a 2GB account, free of charge. Best of all, it's well designed and cross platform, so you can use the same tool on your PC as well as on your Mac. Sadly, unlike SugarSync and Syncplicity, you can't easily synchronise your 'backup' files across computers.

SpiderOak 1.4650 is worth trying as you get a free account and you can always upgrade if you require additional storage. Check it against the other recent online backup tools and see how it compares.

SpiderOak link.

PC performance begins to deteriorate overtime and with use, it's inevitable. Getting your computer to run as if it was a new machine isn't as hard as it may seem. With the right tools it's possible to rid your machine of the clutter that can accumulate, such as uninstalled applications and unused files and folders. If you regularly de-clutter your PC, it's possible to maintain a good level of all round performance.

PC Health Optimizer 2.5 is equipped with twenty five different optimisation and tweaking tools that enable you to enhance every aspect of your PCs performance. Not only can you enhance your PC using these tools, you can use it to identify any unnoticed problems.

PC Health Optimizer 2.5 link.

Recently the fad seems to be to develop backup software that enables you to store information online and then restore back to your system, if you experience issues. Backup tools such as SugarSync and Syncplicity have gone much further, enabling you to take your data, backup online and then synchronise this data across different computers. One consistent function is that you generally receive a free account that enables you to receive 2GB of online storage as part of the basic package.

Webroot Secure Backup is the latest online backup tool. However, there is no free version and even the 2GB account is $30 a year. The tool is poorly designed - and looks like it was coded in Java - and there is no synchronisation across your computers, even though you can backup and restore using up to 3 PCs.

Webroot Secure Backup link.

Keeping a clean, efficient PC requires you to keep a clean, efficient Registry. Your Windows Registry is an integral part of your computer and any clutter or fragmentation will seriously hinder your PCs performance. There are numerous general optimisation and defragmentation tools available for PCs but if you want to make sure your Registry is in optimum condition you may want to opt for something specific.

Clean My Registry 4.7 helps you maintain your Registry, keeping it free of unnecessary or unwanted files. With a single click it's you are able to completely remove clutter. It's easy to use and suitable for novice users.

Clean My Registry 4.7 link.

You may wonder why on earth you need to bring a software uninstaller with your portable USB stick. Portable applications enable to use the software from an external drive, without having to instal the application to the host computer. However, there are instances where you might not be able to obtain a portable version of your favourite application, so you may need to install software on a temporary host PC and then remove.

You can't always rely on the Windows Add/Remove Programs option as it will leave traces, temporary files and even information in the Registry.

Revo Uninstaller Portable 1.71 is a portable version of the applications remover that you can use to cleanse a host PC with installer software.

Revo Uninstaller link.

Whether you're writing a document in Word or surfing the Internet and ordering goods, you'll find that the same information is inserted in to forms, invoices and other files. Insert your phone number, address and even the same greeting, over and over again. It would be good to automate this somehow. Your browser will enable you to store basic form information, but you can't always use this across other applications.

WinPaster 1.2 is a tool that enables you to store, collect and then retrieve and paste key information in to documents, forms and other applications. However, it's a fairly simple tool and perhaps ought to have been freeware, or at least a limited free version made available for personal/home use.

WinPaster link.

It's a constant battle trying to stay up-to-date with the latest online threats, especially spam. Spammers are constantly finding new and more ingenious ways of distributing malicious software via email, and the more people who open this mail, the more computers become infected. By using applications that are regularly updated, you can be secure in the knowledge that your PC is protected from the very latest threats.

SpamFighter 6.3.19 is designed to work with Microsoft Outlook, it has a database of users which identify spam mail. If you identify a message yourself, simply mark the message as spam and everyone using SpamFighter will be automatically updated.

SpamFighter 6.3.19 link.

It's been a month since the release of Firefox 3 and, although we know that the developers are busy working on 3.1 (an alpha release is available), if there are any key security issues, bugs or other problems, a more immediate update is required.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1 is now available for download. If you already have Firefox 3 installed, you should receive this update automatically, through the Help > Check For Updates facility. This may happen a day or two after the official release. There aren't really any new features in 3.0.1, so don't get too excited. You'll find some minor bug fixes and security updates.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1 link.

There is an array of paint tools available for you to use on your computer, from handy freeware applications to expensive, fully fledged 'graphics suites'. Many of these applications though tend to be more graphically orientated, or are suited more to manipulation than creating original works. However, if you're an artist, and want to use a pen tablet or even directly using your mouse, few programs offer natural painting simulation.

Artweaver 0.5.3 is an application more suited to those who prefer to directly draw work using a tablet or mouse. This program offers a number of realistic simulated tools including chalk, charcoal, pencils and other brushes. You can also import a range of different image formats as well make sketches from existing photos and images. 

Artweaver 0.5.3 link.

One of the first things many people learn how to do on a computer is how to type up a document of some description, often using Microsoft Word. Once you get used to Word, it becomes more difficult to move away from it and find an alternative. One reason you may want to use an alternative is the cost, Word can be an extremely expensive purchase. Another reason may be, like many other people, you simply don't utilise enough features to justify using it any longer.

AbiWord 2.6.4 is a very competent word processor, compatible with Microsoft Word documents. Although it may not seem as feature rich as Word, It still offers a wealth of functions, more than enough for the average user and best of all, it's completely free.

AbiWord 2.6.4 link.  

Only a few years ago, an FTP client was an essential part of your Internet software suite. We used an FTP client to log in to large servers, find the latest software and download. Since FTP support was built in to web browsers, there was little need for an FTP client. However, we're quick to forget that you can use an FTP client to upload files and most of us are given free space when we signed up to our broadband account. You can use an FTP client to get files on to the Internet, administer a server and much more.

Wise-FTP 3 is our latest full commercial download, worth £40. It's an FTP client, that's fully Vista compatible, which will enable you to download, upload and fully administer a remote site.

Wise-FTP 3 link.

One of the major new features of the new iPhone 3G is the facility to download and install (free and paid-for) applications from the new AppStore. You don't need to purchase the iPhone 3G to obtain these apps though, if you already have the iPhone or own an iPod Touch, you can upgrade to the latest v2 software and you'll also have access. To gain external access to the AppStore, you'll need the latest version of iTunes.

iTunes 7.7 was released recently and this enables you to download apps from the AppStore, even without an iPhone. However, can't do much with the apps until you sync them to a valid iPhone or iPod Touch. Still, there are hundreds of great new apps available and many of them are free, such as the Apple Remote software.

iTunes 7.7 link.

If you open a dialogue window window within Microsoft Office or later editions of Windows, you'll be presented with a number of pre-defined popular destinations, so you can quickly find your favourite files. For example, a link to your 'My Documents' folder and other locations. However, if you keep your documents elsewhere - such as an external drive - this link is going to be fairly useless.

PlacesBar Editor is a tool that you can use to edit these locations. You could point a documents folder to an alternative location. You could point another folder to your 'downloads' area on your drive and more.

PlacesBar Editor link.

Smaller organisations often use external developer resources to produce their website, maintain servers, develop projects and more. Indeed, there are situations where further developer resources may be brought on board when a project falls behind schedule. These developers need to share code, files and associated information. However, there are few easy ways of enabling these developers to share files required for their work and to make sure they have the most up-to-date information.

TeamDrive 1.4 is technology designed for multiple users working in a team. You can assign authorisation to particular users, the files you want to share and then enable those files to be synchronised across the various users.

TeamDrive link.

If you work from the same computer each day, you get used to having all the applications, contacts and bookmarks you require to work efficiently. Sometimes though, you may be required to work from a different machine, this could be a replacement for a broken computer or maybe your working from home and using your laptop. If you use the Internet for work, you may use specific URLs which you have bookmarked and may be difficult to remember. However, if you're using a different PC, how do you access your bookmarks?

Foxmarks 2.1.0.12 is a Firefox add-on that runs in the background and enables you to synchronise your bookmarks from any computer by using my.foxmarks.com. You can manage and sync all of your bookmarks from any machine you may be using.

Foxmarks 2.1.0.12 link.

With various commercial developers releasing their 2008 and 2009 editions of anti-spyware tools, the guys over at Safer Networking are working towards their next big release of the free and popular anti-spyware tool, Spybot Search & Destroy. This security tool has been around for ages and there's a very good reason why it's second in our 'most popular' downloads list.

Spybot Search & Destroy 1.6 was made available recently and this contains a number of new features, including parts of the forthcoming file scanning engine planned for v2, which is under development. Other new features include support for the latest web browsers.

Spybot Search & Destroy link.

Safeguarding your files, work and other important data isn't easy. Indeed, sell or give away your computer and you'll need to spend time erasing and then formatting your drive, to prevent the other user from recovering data. However, there are other options. For example, why not simply encrypt an area on your drive where you can store your most sacred files, such as your accounts, contact info and so on. You can go even further and encrypt an entire drive, on an XP or Vista machine.

TrueCrypt 6 is free file and drive encryption software and, with the latest version, you can now encrypt and create a secure area on your drive where you could store an alternative operating system, without anyone knowing that it's installed.

TrueCrypt 6 link.

Notepad is a simple and convenient tool that many of us use, especially copying, pasting, editing text documents and webpage code. It's such a small application it enables you to open it up and edit documents with minimal effort. The trouble is, although it's useful for performing basic tasks, when it comes to anything more challenging, Notepad does lack useful features which is evident when viewing programming code.

Notepad++ 5 is a more feature rich alternative to Notepad that ships with many useful tools and features such as a file browser, spell checker and a function list as well as colour coding. You can even use it to completely replace the standard Notepad.

Notepad++ 5 link.

We've mentioned previously that Mozilla were working on their own bookmarks synchronisation tool for Firefox 3 users. This has resulted in Google ceasing development of their Browser Sync Firefox extension as, quite frankly, the Mozilla Weave extension is far superior. With Weave, you can synchronise bookmarks, passwords, browsing history and even half-filled registration forms. This means you can have the same information shared across your various Firefox 3-based browsers, irrespective of location or operating system.

Mozilla Weave 0.2.2 is now available and this has has a major overhaul, making it easier for end users to set up the Firefox extension. However, if you previously had Weave 0.1.x installed on your system, then you'll need to set up another new Weave account in order to install Weave 0.2.x on your machine.

Mozilla Weave 0.2.2 link.

Every so often, it's necessary to spend some time cleaning your system. This could be moving desktop clutter, uninstalling unused software and removing unwanted files and folders. However, it's easy to get carried away and start deleting items, some of which you may need. What if they are important or sensitive documents, how do you recover them once you've emptied your recycling bin?

Recuva 1.16 is a small and very useful application that enables you to recover accidently deleted files and folders, even if you have emptied your recycle bin. You can also use Recuva to salvage photographs deleted from your digital camera or memory card as well as songs from your MP3 player.

Recuva 1.16 link.

Anyone who works with online media will share the view that it's reasonably difficult to get away on vacation and have some down time. Download updates are required, blogs need to be written. You may have noticed it's been a little quiet recently? Normal service will resume 14th of July.

Still, we can't completly avoid updating apps, so you'll notice that Ashampoo Burning Studio 8 is now available, PC Tools Personal Firewall Plus 4 was released (again with little fanfare), Adobe Reader 9 is shipping, as well as Opera 9.51.

For more of the latest downloads, from last week, see the More Latest Downloads link.