We complain about the cost of purchasing a multi-seat commercial license for key software, but then we're often guilty of going out and buying the market-leading tool, when there are a range of cheaper and free alternatives. In addition to the forthcoming OpenOffice 3, IBM recently released the first version of the free Lotus Symphony, which contains a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation tool.

Lotus Symphony 1.1 is now available and it ships with a smaller memory footprint, as well as a few new features. You can quickly and easily open or save in the Microsoft Office format, as well as the ODF (Open Document Format), enabling compatibility across office suites. Better still, there's a version for both Windows and Linux, so you can use it across alternative operating systems (a Mac version is not yet available, however).

Lotus Symphony link.

You're most likely to inflict your computer with an unwanted Trojan or virus when you download and open files from unscrupulous websites. It's easily done. Most of us want to test new software, but it's not always wise to just run an installer on your work PC. One option would be to use a sandboxed environment that would enable you to start and open software securely. Close the sandbox and all remnants of the contents will disappear. No files or Registry entries will appear on your PC.

The other option is to run a virtual operating system. If you can get hold of a cheap OEM version of Windows XP, you could use this as your test bed for new software. However, creating your own virtual environment isn't cheap, which is the reason behind VMware Player.

VMware Player 2.0.5 is a free player that will enable you to open pre-designed virtual environments created by tools such as VMware Workstation. You can open Windows, Linux and other operating systems on top of your existing OS.

There are a few software gems out there that, given the slightest excuse, we like to keep promoting. Recently we gave away TuneUp Utilties 2007 on a couple of our magazines. In all honesty, we'd never even tried using the software until we ran the promo. I was so impressed I upgraded to TuneUp 2008 (and also System Mechanic 8, but only because they were offering a 60%-off promo recently). This is an optimisation and system tweaking tool that will get the most from your PC.

TuneUp Utilties 2008 v7.0.8009 has been released and, if you install this system tweaking tool, you'll be overwhelmed with the number of optimisation features. However, it's not just restricted to tweaking modules as it also ships with extensive system and drive maintenance tools that will keep your PC in working order.

TuneUp Utilities 2008 link.

Anyone who uses a laptop and their desktop PC will be aware of the scenario where you want to access, download and reply to both your company and personal email, whilst working from different locations. One way around this would be to configure your desktop machine to delete email from the server and enable your laptop to leave the email on the remote server. However, this can cause issues - you might use your desktop PC for over 80% of your work and, if you've set this to delete the email from the server, you can't access old email from your laptop. One answer is to use a synchronisation tool that will compare the database from both email clients and merge data.

SynchPST 3.2 is such a tool. It's not free, but for anyone who uses a desktop and laptop, with Microsoft Outlook, you won't mind spending cash on a tool that synchronises your email effectively, between each computer.

SynchPST link.

When typing up documents, you inevitably need to refer to a dictionary or thesaurus. The trouble is, depending on the application or particular version of software you are using, there may be discrepancies. The same can be said for online services, as we all know, you can't always rely on the Internet. A good alternative would be a stand-alone dictionary/thesaurus that provides you with more consistent results.

WordWeb 5.5 is a small but useful dictionary that sits neatly in your SystemTray, ready for you to enter a word. It provides you with extensive results such as synonyms, similar and parts of words you enter. It's a good tool to have as you can refer to it quickly and easily, essential when typing documents of any description.

WordWeb link.

There are many reasons why you should catalogue your DVD and video collection. One of the primary reasons is to avoid duplication. With many of us keeping so many DVDs that we have to store them away from our living room, it's too tricky to realise which DVDs we've purchased in the past. How many times have you walked in to your local store, seen a DVD for sale at a discounted price and gone home to find that you already owned the movie?

CATVids 8 is video and DVD cataloguing software that will enable you to get your collection on your computer, along with audio and image samples so you can quickly view your movie list and also who has borrowed one of your DVDs.

CATVids link.

We've included this application on downloadjunky.com on a few occasions, recently. However, quality software is always worth a mention. There are many scenarios where you might accidentally delete an important file or send a collection of files to trash. Empty your trash and there's no way of recovering files within Windows. They're ought to be, but you need to rely on third-party recover tools to locate lost data.

Recuva 1.18 is a free tool that will enable you to scan through your drive and find files that you've accidentally deleted and want to recover. You can also scan external drives, USB flash drives and even a digital camera memory stick. The latest Recuva 1.18 contains improved support for FAT32 drives, a few UI improvements and better support for handling duplicted lost files.

Recuva link.

Some of the best audio is sourced from vinyl, rather than modern CDs. Modern production values have dropped in recent years, partly as they have to accommodate the 'iPod crowd' who listen to their music through tiny headphones, which are capable of reproducing a limited dynamic range. If you like to listen to your music through large powerful speakers, you might want to grab your old LPs and import the audio to your computer. However, once it's on your machine, you need a tool to touch-up and enhance the recorded sound.

Wavosaur 1.0.3 is a free audio editor that will enable you to import your audio and make tweaks, remove issues such as crackle and then export as your finished track. You can even record your audio using Wavosaur, if required.

Wavosaur link.

Screen grabbing tools are so useful; they have so many practical implementations. Whether you work in an office as a web builder, designer or just need to print an on-screen image, a screen grab tool will save you time. A good tool will enable you to grab images of open applications, web pages and even Flash animation. Such tools were once expensive, so why not take advantage of a free, professional standard tool that may make life a little easier.

Screenshot Captor 2.42.01 enables you to quickly take grabs of entire screens, windows and moving animation. You can grab images with or without the cursor on-screen, and chose whether you require high resolution or compressed images. There are plenty of options to help you get the grab you want.

Screenshot Captor 2.42.01 link. 

The Internet, although a wealth of information and entertainment, is also a minefield of malicious material. Of course we have firewalls to protect our computers, but the way in which machines are being targeted is becoming ever more ingenious. Why then, if we sometimes use virtual environments to launch suspect applications, we don't do this when browsing the web?

ZoneAlarm ForceField 1.1 is a security application designed to sit in front of your web browser. It will also enable you to browse in a secure, private environment, sharing no personal data and storing no browser history or download information will be shared with other users. It may well be worth trying as an alternative to your standard security software.

ZoneAlarm ForceField 1.1 link.

There are various ways you can improve your productivity, but one of the most effective ways is to purchase and use another monitor. This enables you to open a desktop on one and another on the other screen and then move your mouse across, when moving from one to the other. However, it's not always so practical (in terms of space or finances) to have two screens on the one desk. A better alternative is to use a virtual desktop manager to open another desktop and then switch between these desktops using a key combination. Open your browser full screen on one desktop and your email client on another.

Desktops 1.0 is an official free virtual desktop manager from Microsoft, from the developers who brought you the Sysinternals software. It's a simple and effective virtual desktop manager that enables you to quickly switch between upto four virtual desktops.

Desktops link.

iTunes is the not only the worlds largest music store but it's also one of the most popular applications for managing music, on PC and Mac. iTunes success is down to it's ease of use, but it does have it's limitations. Unfortunately iTunes does not allow you to perform any tasks on your iPod without an iTunes equipped machine, which is as well as being frustrating is completely impractical if you do not have access to one.

Floola 3.4 is a cross-platform, standalone application that enables you to make more use of your iPod. Take it with you on your iPod and launch it wherever you may be. It converts any incompatible audio or video file so that you can copy almost any file to it. It will even let you add Youtube and Myspace videos.

Floola 3.4 link.

As most of us do not bother to backup or data, at the very least we should monitor the status of our drives. They have a limited life-span and, if used regularly, could be close to the end of their working life. If you get to the point where your drive simply stops working, you'd lose everything. Short of sending your drive to a professional system salvage unit, there's no way you can retrieve your files.

Active Hard Disk Monitor 1.2 is a simple free tool that enables you to monitor and keep and eye on the status of your drives, whether they are internal or external. If you find that they are close to the end of their lifespan, then you can upgrade and migrate your data from the old to the new drive. There's also a Professional available that will enable to check and monitor remote drives - ideal for monitoring the status of a server.

Active Hard Disk Monitor link.

We're slightly confused. In recent months we've worked hard to make available various full commercial applications that you can download, from vnunet.com or computeractive.co.uk, free of charge. However, they don't seem as popular as they should - recent full commercial downloads include, for example, the superb V-COM Fix-It Utilities Express 7, which will enable you to check and repair your drive if you suffer problems in the future. We were also the first to put PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6 Starter Edition online, which will give you basic protection against key spyware threats.

More recently, we've promoted and given away a 6 month edition of Iolo System Mechanic 8 and PC Tools Desktop Maestro 2, which will enable you to keep your Registry and system both streamlined and optimised. You'll also still find Ashampoo WinOptimizer 4 and Wise-FTP 3 online.

Although the majority of our day-to-day work is produced via the Windows operating system, some tasks are simply easier to complete using OS X. Web design is a good example. If you're a novice user, you can use a template-driven web design tool such as Rapidweaver to quickly produce a professional homepage. However, if you know how to code or edit web pages, there are other alternatives that offer you more control over the pages in your site.

Coda 1.5 is a commercial web design tool aimed at the professional market. It enables you to setup and control various sites, edit the pages that make up your site, preview the pages live and then publish to your remote server. The latest Coda 1.5 supports versioning, so more than one person can work on the site and revert back to a previous published page if required.

We used Coda to develop the vnunet.com Downloads Newsletter. It's a well designed application and enables you to quickly make changes to your code and then preview those changes, before you 'make live' your work.

Coda 1.5 link.

The browser wars are hotting up and, despite what you may think, there are clearly new features that are being developed for the next round of web browsers. This includes Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 and the forthcoming Firefox 3.1, both due later this year. Opera 9.6 is also in beta-testing and should see a release within the next couple of months.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Preview 2 for Vista and for Windows XP is now available to download and ships with a few new features including the Web of Trust that attempts to help you browse only the safe side of the web and the pages regarded as legitimate. Microsoft have also setup their own 'add ons' site, the Internet Explore Gallery, which contains a host of extensions and other modules that will boost the functionality of IE 8.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Preview 2 links for Vista and for XP.

Download managers are no longer essential, but using one does have its benefits. Even with a high speed broadband connection, a good download manager will obtain files more intelligently, usually by separating downloads into more manageable parts so they can be downloaded more quickly than a single, large file. As well as enabling you to more efficiently download files, most download managers can resume broken connections or incomplete files.

Flashgot 1.1 is a simple download manager designed to work with Firefox. It can effectively handle single or multiple downloads and it will automatically resume file download if your Internet connection goes down. As it's integrated with your browser, there's no need to open a separate application when online.

Flashgot 1.1 link.

Your PC will accumulate and retain files whether they are important or not. Installing software, browsing the web and obsolete files and folders will eventually cause your system to slow down. Some of this information retained by your computer though is important and private; passwords and browser history are two examples of the sensitive data that your system will store. Therefore if someone has access your PC, they then have access to this personal information.

CCleaner 2.11 is a system cleansing tool that enables you to remove any information stored by any online applications. Use it to remove temporary files, as well as clearing yo
ur browser history. You can even use this useful application to clean registry files. 

CCleaner 2.11 link.

It can be a chore importing all of your CDs into your computers audio library, let alone converting audio from old analogue sources. However, music lovers tend to have old  or rare recordings in analogue formats such as vinyl and cassette. Importing these recordings isn't as tricky as it once was, but you still need to edit and convert these recordings so that you can play them directly from your PC, or create a more user friendly CD.

REAPER 2.45 is a tool for recording, editing and mixing tool for rendering audio as well as creating your own compositions. Extract and import edited audio directly into your music collection. After you have converted your analogue recordings it makes listening to them far easier, you can also listen to them on your portable mp3 player.

REAPER 2.45 link.

Most computer users do not realise that their Registry holds information about every installed application, assigned file types, startup tools and much more. When this works, everything is fine. However, when we uninstall software, the information isn't always removed from the Registry, which can lead to slowdown when you start your PC. File types may be associated with the uninstalled software and much more. The solution is a Registry optimisation tool and we're giving away a full commercial version, worth £40.

PC Tools Desktop Maestro 2 is our exclusive current full commercial download and will enable you to keep your Registry optimised. However, it's not just a Registry optimiser as it will also enable you to protect files on your system with the built-in Privacy Guadian module.

PC Tools Desktop Maestro 2 link.

It's good to have all the applications you may require at your disposal, but having your PC equipped with numerous tools may eventually cause problems. With each application you install, no matter big or small, data is submitted to your Registry. This may mean that applications may automatically open as your machine boots, which will slow down the time your PC will take to boot and unfortunately, those problematic registry entries may remain, even after you uninstall an application.

Autoruns 9.33 is a useful tool that enables you to obtain a list of any items launched when your PC boots. You can use this list to identify and locate hidden files related with installed applications and disable any unwanted or problematic start-up items.

Autoruns 9.33 link.

There is no need to keep unnecessary or unused applications installed on your computer; all they do is take up space on your hard drive and drain system resources. Usually you would use the Windows Add/Remove facility to rid your system of unwanted software but sometimes, folders, files or other elements of applications may be left behind. If you need a more able removal tool, it may be worth looking at a standalone uninstaller, something that's a little more pro-active when it comes to removing applications.   

Ashampoo Uninstaller 3.1 takes a 'snapshot' of your PCs Registry prior to the installation of any applications, so it's able to determine where all folders and files are located. By detailing this information, it identifies all related folders and files quickly and easily, enabling you to completely remove obsolete software.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 3.1 link.

It's easy to lose files on your system. Fonts are a problem for me. I've both purchased commercial fonts and used company fonts, move systems, accidentally deleted the files from my desktop and more. The problem is, delete the files from your Trash and you can't recover the files without a specialist tool.

With October 2008 edition of PCW magazine, we have the full current version of Iolo Search & Recover 5, which is a professional file discovery and undeletion tool. It will search your system, scan for files you can recover, list a selection of files and enable you to retrieve the lost data. You can specify search filters, so you can scan for lost MP3 files, if you only want to find deleted audio files.

PCW October 2008 link.

After using your PC for a few months, you'll notice system slowdown. This is due to the constant read/write access to your drive, which results in fragmentation. Files are located in different areas of your drive, which results in your system taking longer to find then load the files, which means your PC seems more sluggish. The solution is to run a defragmention tool which will rearrange your drive so the files in a more logic order. However, most defragmentation tools tend to ignore many of the system files as these can't be moved whilst you are running Windows.

With Computeractive magazine issue 274, we're giving you the full current version of Paragon Total Defrag 2009 SE, which will enable you to defrag your drive outside of Windows. Bear in mind though, this is advanced defragmentation software and can take hours to finish defragmenting a large system partition.

Computeractive 274 link.

Although Mozilla Firefox 3 is a better browser, people do not like change. It's the same reason some still use Internet Explorer 7. There are still far more users of the old Firefox 2 than the new browser, even though Firefox 3 is now established, developed to support more recent web standards and offers a much-improved browsing experience. Mozilla's plan is to make sure that these Firefox 2 users are aware of the new browser and that they should upgrade. It's not going to force people to upgrade - at least, not yet - but will give them an automatic warning that a new version is available and give them an option to install.

Of course, no development team wants to support two browsers with a different code base. It means having a team working on the old browser, just so they are familiar enough with the code to make security fixes and other important updates.

So, do Mozilla a favour and move across to Firefox 3 yourself.

If you own a business, are a musician or need to create an online portfolio, creating your own website is a great way of enabling people to find out more about who you are and what you do. However not everyone can afford to pay a professional to create and host a website and, and doing it yourself can be complex, especially if you have no understanding of web building languages. By using a good template-driven web builder, it is possible for somebody with just a basic understanding, to create professional looking site.

Rapidweaver 4.1 makes creating professional looking websites as easy as possible. It's template driven and ships with a number of themes, with more choice online. As it supports Flash, you can create slideshows of photo or picture collections as well as providing support for anything you may need to get a site up and running.

Rapidweaver 4.1 link.

For new Mac users, moving across from the Windows platform, one common question is how do you remove installed software? When you first install a Mac app, the installer is also supplied with an uninstaller. You can use this option or, for the most basic apps, it's as simple as dragging the Mac app icon to your Trash. However, larger installed applications place files in different locations, so you can't remove these apps without a dedicated tool.

AppZapper 1.8 is a simple but effective Mac uninstall tool that is as simple as you dragging the Mac application icon to an AppZapper icon and letting AppZapper uninstall the app. It will locate all the other files associated with the tool on your system and even remove unncessary system files.

AppZapper link.

It's difficult trying to convince your users that software is dynamic. As a magazine company, we offer full commercial software to download. All legitimate commercial software tools. However, as software is dynamic, it can perform differently across various PCs, depending on your operating system and installed apps. What works effectively on machine may cause an instant blue-screen on another. One solution would be to build an auto-update facility in to your software so it enables the end-user to have the latest installed version on their PC.

Sparkle 1.5 is a free Mac developer toolkit that enables you to build in an auto-update facility within your Mac apps, so the end user can see if a new version is available, read the release notes and choose to install now, later or not at all. It's a free development toolkit, so there's no reason why you shouldn't give users this option.

Sparkle link.

Searching online for rare tracks and video clips is often the quickest way to find what your are looking for, sometimes though, once you've downloaded the files, it could be playing them that's the difficult part. As there are a number of different audio and video formats, it's not always possible to find files in formats your default media player supports, and you may be required to download and install alternative media players to view your newly downloaded files.

Songbird 0.7.0 is a free cross platform media player available for Windows, OS and Linux. It not only enables you to manage your audio files ripped from CDs but you can use it to stream video and audio as well as download various media files directly into your media library. Songbird also supports a number of useful add-ons.

Songbird 0.7.0 link.

In recent years, it's become far easier to get more for your money when buying a new PC. It's highly likely your new PC or even laptop will be equipped with a large hard drive at no extra cost. The trouble is that your new Windows machine will be equipped with a drive with a single, large partition. Before you start installing software or storing folders or files you may want to consider partitioning your drive. This enables you to divide your drive into more manageable sections, making your drive much easier to maintain.

EASEUS Partition Manager Home Edition 1.6.4 enables you to easily partition your drive, helping you to stay organised. You can also use this tool to create, delete and format partitions as well as hide or show particular areas of your drive.    

EASEUS Partition Manager Home Edition 1.6.4 link.

Software developers and manufacturers make installing software as easy as possible, yet removing it can prove much more difficult, even after using the Windows Add/Remove utility. Some software will require a third party application for complete removal, more effective tools will monitor installation and remove folders and files that are added to your machine are used at the time the software is initially installed.  

Total Uninstall 4.9.4 will completely remove all traces of folders and files of unwanted applications. It monitors where folders are placed during the installation of any new application, making removal far more thorough and effective.

Total Uninstall 4.9.4 link.

Online video portals are used by many of us to search for music videos, news or classic cartoons and programs. Using more generic sites like Youtube are great for finding popular clips easily, but when it comes to finding the latest or more specific videos, you struggle can find what you want. With broadband getting faster and more reliable, RSS players may be a better alternative. They provide a greater choice of clips and programs and some of which you can download straight to you computer.

Miro 1.2.7 is an online television service boasting a comprehensive list of clips and channels. Watch online or download videos to your PC for watching at a later date. Use it to store downloaded videos and Miro will automatically manage and delete your oldest clips.

Miro 1.2.7 link.

When it comes to gaming, many people have different opinions on why a game is good. Most people will be able to distinguish a game that is graphically good, but game play is something different altogether. If games such as Tetris and Space Invaders are regarded as classics, surely it's more to do with addictiveness and originality than graphical power? These games have stood the test of time and are still played today, I doubt the same can be said for many new or modern big budget games.

MAME 0.127 uses old data files to emulate classic arcade games on your PC. By sourcing files from web archives, you can choose from thousands of you favourite games spanning the 70's, 80's and 90's. Good fun for serious gamers or those after a bit of entertainment.

MAME 0.127 link.

Since the release of Mac OS X Tiger, icon designers have released a number of replaced icon sets for your favourite applications. Windows XP users looked on in envy, but since the release of Vista, you can now have your own high-quality scalable icons on your desktop and it's fairly easy to drop in a replacement icon. However, there are fewer Vista icons than OS X icons and you may see an OS X icon you'd like on your system.

IcoFax 1.6 is a free icon creation and conversion tool that will enable you to import an image and convert to an icon or even import an OS X icon and then export it back for use in Vista. You can create your icons from scratch if you prefer.

IcoFx link.

A few years ago we worked on one desktop computer or dragged a laptop around with us, wherever we were located. These days, as the price of a laptop makes it a compelling second computer, we often prefer to use a desktop computer at work and then the laptop at home or on the road. Factor in other computers and it's not easy to keep the same files synchronised across these machines. Update a work document on the road and you either need to email it back to yourself or upload it to your work server.

Microsoft SyncToy 2 is a simple free tool that will enable you to synchronise files and other documents across one or more computers, so you always have the most up-to-date version of the file on each machine. Work on a document at home and the file should be automatically sync'ed back to the document on your laptop.

Microsoft SyncToy 2 link.

Instant messaging is an easy, convenient and cheap way of staying in touch with friends and family, using it to chat on a one-on-one or to a group. One inconvenience with IM services is that there are many different networks available, making it a little trickier when trying to access contacts from one account to another. One option would be to consider a multi-platform application that will enable you to access your contacts, irrespective of your IM network.

Pidgin 2.5 will enable you to use all contacts from your current IM client. The main feature however is that you can use Pidgin to chat with friends and family across almost any platform, to single users or groups, simultaneously. 

Pidgin 2.5 link.

Networking with another Windows machine isn't always easy. It's made much more difficult if the computer you want to join to your network is situated outside of your home. For instance, there's no reason why you couldn't join forces with a few friends from your neighbourhood and create your own network, which is accessible by all machines across this network. There are major advantages if you want to share files, swap important data or play network games. However, getting start is the hardest part.

LogMeIn Hamachi 1.0.3 is a free (for non-commercial use only) zero-configuration networking tool that will enable you to connect computers in your home or in a radius, to your existing network. It's based on P2P technology and will work across operating systems, so you can as easily connect a Mac to a PC as two PCs.

LogMeIn Hamachi link.

Earlier this year, Opera 9.5 was released and this was a major new revision. Far faster, better rendering engine and a host of new features. However, Opera aren't resting on their laurels. Whist Mozilla are busy planning Firefox 3.1 for the end of the year, Opera have gone on to release two minor upgrades to the original release.

Opera 9.52 is available and, although there aren't many new features, there are a couple of visual changes to the user-interface, primarily to avoid skinning issues. Other improvements are generally fixes, such as improved support for AOL-based email. There are a number of security fixes and updates.

Opera 9.52 link.