We have a problem with the full commercial applications we offer through our magazines and on vnunet.com. The problem is that many ISPs implement server-side anti-spam filters to protect your inbox from the huge amounts of spam you'd normally expect to receive. Snag is that this server-side filter system also stops some of the more legitimate email, especially from various .com software developers. The server thinks it's a spam message and the end user never even sees it in their mailbox and often doesn't even realise that their ISP is filtering their email on the server. Quite frankly, they don't understand nor want to understand. Result is that we get it in the neck when they don't receive their free code.

Agnitum Spam Terrier 2.0.164 is a completely free anti-spam filter that resides on your computer. This would enable you to turn off the anti-spam filter that your ISP users (you can do this in your webmail preferences) and train Agnitum Spam Terrier to only filter the more aggressive spam and to check your own junk mail folder, on your PC, to see whether any legitimate email has been filtered by accident.

The latest Agnitum Spam Terrier now supports 64-bit operating systems, including various 64-bit email clients. Better still, it works with Outlook, Vista Mail, The Bat and many others, so you can use the same filter system across more than one email client.

Agnitum Spam Terrier link.

There was a time when you had to give your commercial printer a Quark document, along with the fonts and images required to produce your document. It was prone to error - they might not have supported your version of Quark and, when InDesign came along, wasn't supported at all; initially at least. Commercial printers soon realised that PDF documents enabled their customers to output their document - along with the fonts, layout and images required - and simply hand over for printing. They could then duplicate without error. Problem is for Windows users, there is no PDF support built in to the existing operating system and you'll need a PDF tool to convert your work to the format.

doPDF 6.1.287 is a free PDF printing tool that does little more than enable you to choose doPDF as your printer and output to a PDF document. It will output as a high-quality PDF suitable for commercial printing or a low resolution document required for web download.

doPDF link.

Although broadband speeds and reliability have improved dramatically in recent years, innovative features have been few and far between in terms of browsing technology. One of the main reasons Mozilla's Firefox is so popular is that you can customise the browser with an array of third party add-ons, some of which greatly enhance the browsers functionality. Although there are a number of more mundane plug-ins available, sometimes we come across something a little more interesting.    

HyperWords 5.3 is a new technology that enables you to find more information on a highlighted word displayed on a web page, like a town or city. You can refer to Wikipedia and Google as well as quickly translate foreign words. This is a useful add-on for finding more information quickly, within your current browser window.

HyperWords 5.3 link.

Keeping your security software up-to-date and maintaining thorough protection against online threats can be a constant battle, especially against spam. Spammers are constantly finding and using new methods to distribute malicious emails. Although most people are wise enough to delete any suspect messages, it only takes a few to open these emails to keep the cycle going, but by using software that is regularly updated, you PC will remain as secure as possible.

SpamFighter 6.4.44 is a freeware spam filter designed to work with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. The application provides a database of users that identify spam mail as well as enabling you to identify messages yourself, you can then notify all other SpamFighter users.

SpamFighter 6.4.44 link.

Many people use a computer on a daily basis, and many of those people perform the same or similar tasks day in, day out. Although these tasks may not be difficult or particularly time consuming, they can become incredibly tedious. If you work in this way it may be worth looking at one of the many automation tools available to see if it could help ease your workload, even if it's just a trial version to see if you could benefit.

VistaTask 7.424 is an automation tool that enables you to control almost every aspect of your computer without programming any code. This is an ideal solution for those performing repetitive tasks or other administration tasks, so it could save you time as well as increase productivity.

VistaTask 7.424 link.

Email doesn't have to be solely for business, it's an equally convenient way of communicating with friends and family all over the world. The trouble is tat many email clients are more business orientated, which tend too look to formal when communicating with friends and family. The only other option is to personalise email messages, but this does tend to look a little amateur.

IncrediMail 5.86 is specifically designed so that users can personalise all aspects of their email messages. To make things even easier, the application has a similar look and feel to the popular Outlook email client. You can add images, 3D animations and even sounds to messages which can be downloaded from the IncrediMail website.

IncrediMail 5.86 link.

Editing and manipulating audio has never been easier and it's now possible to download a free application that's more powerful than what professional tools were not so long ago. Audio editing doesn't just have to be for the professionals, or even for making music. There are numerous applications for even the most basic audio editing software, from the more practical tasks such as cleaning up and cropping ripped audio files to creating snippets of audio for video clips or creating your own ringtones.  

Audacity 1.3.7 Beta is a powerful freeware tool for editing audio. You can import a wealth of different audio formats which can then be edited and manipulated in all the ways you'd expect, as well as including various effects to add something extra to your recordings. This is a powerful tool that's well worth a try, especially as it's free.

Audacity 1.3.7 Beta link.

Whilst working on your desktop computer you may be called to a meeting where you forgot to bring those important plans and company forecasts. All you need is the basic information, but you can't afford to take the time to run back to your machine, log in and print off the data. The answer is to access the computer remotely and take the information you need from the desktop. Remote access tools have been around for a while, but many users are put off thinking that they may represent a security hazard opening their desktop computer to outside access.

Laplink Everywhere has been re-released as a free limited edition that enables you to access your remote PC from just about any location. This could be a temporary host PC or your mobile phone. The limited edition works as the full version for 30-days and, after this period, enables basic remote access. You won't be able to control the desktop, for example.

Laplink Everywhere is secure. It's tried-and-tested remote access technology that's now in its fifth incarnation, from an established brand. Simply install on the desktop computer where you'll want to access remotely and then the toolbar on any machine where you want to access and use your remote PC.

Laplink Everywhere link.

Symantec are one of the 'big names' in Internet security and have been developing and producing security software for many years. As one of the most established names on the market they are responsible for not only protecting countless existing Internet users, but they are also responsible for equipping large numbers of new machines with pre-installed security solutions.

The latest 2009 version of Norton Internet security has been completely reworked and has been improved in a number of areas, featuring a new architecture that uses far less system resources, which had been a problem in previous versions.

This complete security solution offers complete and thorough protection from the very latest online threats and may be worth considering if you are in the market for a low maintenance, all-in-one security suite.

Norton Internet security link.

No-one has produced media software that's as effective as Apple's iLife, which was updated this January. PC media suites just attempt to offer so much 'functionality', that you end up with a number of applications that attempt to do similar tasks. In many instances, you'll simply want to create an audio or data disc with the minimum of fuss. If you need to burn some work files to disc, before you run across to another office, you won't requite a media suite to get your files on to the blank disc.

Ashampoo Burning Studio 2009 is a full commercial application worth around £35. This is a feature-packed burning tool, but is designed to get your data on to your discs as quickly as possible.

Ashampoo Burning Studio 2009 link.

When it comes to upgrading your computer, there are a number of variables to consider. Firstly, what is your machine primarily used for? A lot of people end up buying a new computer simply because it's on sale, only to find that this so called 'good deal' ships with useless equipment and software bundles rather than upgraded hardware that would better suit their needs. One way of finding out which areas are more important to you would be to use a system information tool, this would help you to identify memory and CPU usage as well as other information.   

Auslogics System Information 1.3.18.240 will provide a detailed and easy to understand print out of your system configuration. The application will show information on your OS, graphics card and RAM as well as processes that are running. The program will create comprehensive reports in HTML, XML or plain text format.

Auslogics System Information 1.3.18.240 link.

If you're working on a temporary computer, you may be limited to the installed applications. If you stumble across a file archive, there will be no way of opening the file without an archive manager. The solution would be to use a portable archive manager, on a flash drive, which wouldn't require installation. Simply install the archive manager to your USB drive, connect to the host PC and open with the tool on the portable drive.

PeaZip 2.5 Portable is free archive manager that comes recommended by vnunet.com. As well as supporting the standard ZIP format, it will enable you to open or create .TAR. .7z and many others. Many other file formats are supported, including ISO images.

PeaZip Portable link.

Although there using a mobile or land line is far cheaper than it ever has been, but it still cant compete with instant messaging, especially if you have friends and family abroad. Another benefit of communicating in this way is that it's possible to talk to people on a one-to-one basis as well as in groups. The only downside is that because there are so many different messaging clients available, it's highly unlikely that all your friends and family will be using the same one.

Miranda 0.7.14 is a free cross-network instant messenger client. This will enable you to talk to people, irrespective IM network. All status icons are included for other networks and your contacts are consolidated onto a single list. Unfortunately the application doesn't support all advanced features that ship with some IM tools.

Miranda 0.7.14 link.

There are a large number of people who work from home, some on a full-time basis, and others who are required to work on projects at work and at home due to deadlines and other targets. When working on ongoing projects or tasks it's important to regularly save and back-up documents, in case of system failure or other problems. Although this is the intention of many, it's easy to work on a document for a significant period without making a single save.

FileHamster 1.7 is a useful application for saving and backing up files and documents. You can set times between saves, decreasing the number of back-ups as well as add notes to saved documents. An ideal solution for designers and others working with documents requiring multiple changes. 

FileHamster 1.7 link.

Every so often your computer will require a little clean up; this may include removing unused or unwanted files or filing certain files stored on your desktop. When filing or deleting files it is important to check you aren't removing anything important because it can be all too easy to get carried away, and some of these files may not be backed up. Some accidentally removed folders and files may also be private and contain personal or sensitive data, so is it possible to recover files once you've emptied your recycle bin?  

Recuva 1.23 is a popular utility that enables users to recover files that have accidentally been deleted, including those no longer in your recycle bin. This useful application can also be used to salvage deleted images from your digital camera as well as recover songs from your MP3 player.

Recuva 1.23 link.

No idea why some people do not take the free office suites more seriously. We seem compelled to use Microsoft Office. I've got to confess, I'm the same. Business users seem to worry about not being 100% compatible with the latest Microsoft Office documents, so default to the suite out of necessity. However, the advantage of OpenOffice, Lotus Symphony and others is that they are developed as cross-platform office suites. You can install and use the same product across Windows, Mac and Linux computers. Combine this with support for Microsoft Office documents and tools that are updated regularly, and we ought to be using the free office suites more regularly.

OpenOffice 3.0.1 has been released and this contains a number of minor fixes and updates. However, the previous OpenOffice v3 was a massive release with a whole host of new features, so if you've not tried the office suite now, what's holding you back?

OpenOffice link.

First the good news: Microsoft are still working on the popular Internet Explorer and have recently released the updated v8 Release Candidate v1. Generally a RC is deemed 'feature complete' and is submitted as a test version which they intend to send to manufacturing. Structurally it shouldn't change much between this and the final release. That's also the bad news. If it's not going to change, it might be disappointing. It's been reported that IE RC1 doesn't meet the famous 'Acid' test. It only manages 20%, compared to 77% for Google Chrome (and supposedly 100% for the forthcoming Opera). It's also said to be the slowest browser to render web pages between the big four web browsers. CPU usage is said to be high, too.

Internet Explorer 8 RC1 (for Vista or Windows XP) does contain some new fuctionality. For example, IE 8 RC1 will now show suggested sites for a website you're currently browsing. If it's a news site, it might give you examples of other news sites.

Internet Explorer 8 RC1 for Vista and Internet Explorer links.

We're big fans of both Syncplicity and SugarSync. These tools enable you to synchronise your files across multiple computers, irrespective of operating system. Install SugarSync on your desktop computer and choose the files you want to backup. These files (and folders) are backed up to a remote online account. You can then access these files on any computer, from a standard web browser and download to the computer (or restore back to the original computer), if you suffer from a system crash.

However, here's the neat part. Install SugarSync on your Mac-based laptop and you can keep files synchronised across both machines, via your online account. If you have some word files in your "My Documents" folder on your PC, you can make these download automatically to your "Documents" folders on your Mac. Edit the work on your Mac, save, then the files are synchronised back to your PC. Brilliant.

SugarSync 1.5 now goes one step further. Not only can you backup, synchronise and access these files from any location, you can also choose to share files and folders with other users. If you're just back from your latest vacation, grab your favourite photos, choose to share them with your friends and they'll be available to other users. This applies to work documents too. You can share files between your colleagues, whether you are working from a beach hut in Italy or a remote office in northern Norway. The files will be available to share with other users and, if you want, you can enable them to make changes. If someone makes a change, the file will then be synchronised back to your laptop when you log back in to your account.

SugarSync link.

Go out and purchase Windows Vista, install, and you'll find that it's designed as a vanilla operating system that will operate across every computer, without causing installation or usability issues. For this reason, many of the secret functions are hidden deep in the operating system and aren't easily accessible. You can change the visual aspects of your user-interface, how Windows Media Player will interact with audio and video on your computer and so much more. There are many tools that will enable you to tweak these functions, but you'll want a tool that can do this more: defragment your drive, optimise your Registry, undelete files, monitor startup applications.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 5 is regarded as one of the best system tweaking and optimisation tools and we're giving the full current version, worth £25, with issue 284 of Computeractive, on-sale right now.

Computeractive magazine link.

Hardly anyone bothers to set up one desktop computer with a multi-user configuration for every family member. What's the point? You'll want the same software accessible for every user and most kids tend to use a web browser to access email, contact their friends or simply to surf the web. Problem is that we often forget that we might not want other users to see the websites we've been visiting, the images we've viewed on the computer or the temporary files stored on the PC. Not necessarily as we're doing something wrong, but we might be using the computer to search for a surprise holiday for the wife's birthday.

With the March 2009 edition of PCW magazine, on-sale right now, we're giving you the full current version of Webroot Window Washer 6.5, worth £20. This tool will enable you to cleanse your PC from unwanted personal information that resides on your computer. It can cleanse temporary files, browsing history, delete cookies, shred files and eradicate all traces of many third-party applications.

PCW magazine link.

Even with a fully up-to-date computer and high speed broadband connection; a good download manager could enhance your downloading experience. Download managers will separate files into smaller pieces in order do download them more efficiently than a single, larger file. Another benefit of using a download manager is that they enable you to resume broken connections and incomplete files.

Flashgot 1.1.7.2 is a download manager addon for Firefox that enables you to effectively handle single or multiple downloads. It ships with the usual download manger features such as the ability to resume downloads after your Internet connection is broken. It's incorporated with your Firefox browser so there's no need to run a separate program.

Flashgot 1.1.7.2 link.

Losing or accidentally erasing files, although easily avoidable, is one of the most frustrating elements of computing. Although there's a fairly low risk of this happening as computers become more stable, backing up important files is essential, just in case any problems occur. If disk space is a problem, you could always use and FTP server as a place to keep files and folders.

Cobian Backup 9.5.1 is a free multi-threaded backup tool that can be used to schedule backups and even specify location. Using the application you could take advantage of your own web space, using usernames and passwords to keep important data secure. FTP backup is supported for download and upload.

Cobian Backup 9.5.1 link.

When searching for a website or page of interest, most of us turn to Google for answers. However, before we had such advanced search facilities, it wasn't always that easy, which meant searching for useful links required a little more effort. Search engines are now so powerful that although they often provide hundreds of results, but we tend you stick to the first few that are found, rather than exploring further.     

Shareaholic 1.6 is an addon for Firefox that enables you to quickly and easily share any interesting links you find whilst browsing the web from within your browser. The addon lets you submit sites via your favourite social network, and you can see how many times other users have visited recommended sites or pages.

Shareaholic 1.6 link.

There are many benefits from choosing free lightweight security software over and above the heavyweight products from commercial developers. Although we probably feel our PC is better protected when we install security software from mainstream developer, these apps can often cause our machine to slow significantly. When their brand is on the line, and bad PR would seriously affect sales, they can't afford to let a virus infect your computer. Therefore the commercial apps use all kinds of heuristic scanning to check files you download, archives you open and even local documents.

Ad-Aware 2009 'Anniversary Edition' is shipped in three different editions, with the free version suitable for most home users. The latest version is built upon ten years of security development and is said to use 20% fewer system resources than the previous 2008 edition. As it's free, it's worth evaluating on your system to see how it stacks up against your current anti-spyware application.

Ad-Aware 2000 'Anniversary Edition' link.

Anyone who has downloaded a file, whether occasionally or on a regular basis knows what difference a fast and reliable Internet connection makes. However, even if your connection is quick and reliable, a decent download manager can also contribute to more reliable performance. A good download manager will enable you to manage allocated bandwidth and even accelerate downloads, but be wary of bulky, overblown managers.

Orbit Downloader 2.8.3 is a lightweight download manager that utilises multi-source download technology. It supports multiple protocols and will maximise your connection to maintain optimum download speeds. This download manager can also be used to stream video data from web pages as well as download Flash content.

Orbit Downloader 2.8.3 link.

The Windows Explorer file manager is a simple utility that enables you to perform numerous useful maintenance tasks which include renaming, making backups and deleting unwanted data. As with many tools there are alternatives available, but changing your file manager could vastly improve productivity by making usually laborious maintenance tasks easier than ever. Another benefit of using a third-party replacement is that it enables you to customise certain areas of the explorer and even change the look and feel if desired.

Directory Opus 9.1.1.7 is a more than capable replacement for your existing Windows Explorer, letting you do more, faster. The application is highly customisable and you can use it in single or dual-pane mode to quickly move folders and files as well as use it as your FTP tool for synchronising files between computers.

Directory Opus 9.1.1.7 link.

There are a number of applications known as being the most widely used in their field; Photoshop and Dreamweaver are just two. Another well known application is Macromedia's Flash which enables you to produce dynamic content for websites, but it's not always necessary to go out and purchase these expensive suites, especially if you are a novice user and when there are cheaper and able alternatives available.  

KoolMoves 7 is an application designed to enable both novices and professionals to produce high quality Flash content such as movies and content for websites. The application is easy-to-use and ships with advanced and powerful animation effects. Another useful feature is that you can quickly produce content using pre-defined templates.

KoolMoves 7 link.

Keeping all of your images and photographs organised isn't always easy, especially if they are stored across multiple drives and other removable media. Another issue is the number of different file formats used to save images, as not all applications recognise all formats. Keeping your images in one place helps you not only stay more organised but it also makes it easier for you to refer to your images, especially if they date back a while, and the easiest way of archiving images is to use a management utility.

StudioLine Photo Basic 3.50.70 is an application that enables you manages, archive and edit your images. You can also categorise images as well as add keywords and descriptions to make searching for images easier. This is a solid freeware tool, but requires free online registration after thirty days.

StudioLine Photo Basic 3.50.70 link.

Although hugely convenient, there's no escaping the fact that MP3s don't provide the greatest audio quality. Fortunately though there are ways of compressing MP3s whilst maintaining a better quality audio file, even Apple have recently introduced DRM-free, 256-Kbps AAC encoding now available via iTunes. Much of the quality is lost during the initial phase of copying audio from CDs or other analogue formats, simply because many people opt for speed rather than quality, or the application doesn't enable you to edit tracks without a loss in quality.

MP3 Direct Cut enables you to perform basic edits on your MP3 files such as cropping and splitting, and although the application only ships with basic editing features, files can be cropped, cut and exported without a loss in audio quality, ideal for users who prefer quality over quantity.

MP3 Direct Cut link.

If you're one of those people who stick post-it notes all over your work monitor or tend to use magnets to hold reminders on your fridge, then you may prefer a more ingenious method of collecting together your notes, thoughts and ideas. For example, if you're a person who collects recipes, you won't want scraps of paper littering your kitchen.

ActionOnline Lite 3.0 is a free tool that enables you collect together your notes, thoughts and plans within one interface. It uses a heirachical tree where you create a thought or master plan and then create various sub-groups underneath. This could consist of a master project, with a number of tasks that need to be completed. Alternatively, a plan for your weekend, including the chores you need to complete.

ActionOnline Lite link.

Having a PC that's bursting with applications for every conceivable task may seem a good idea, but the reality is that installing lots of different programs could eventually cause problems. When you install any application, data is submitted to your Windows Registry which may lead to applications automatically starting as your machine boots which not only makes booting slower, but once an application is uninstalled those problematic Registry entries may remain.

Autoruns 9.38 is a utility designed so that a user can obtain a list of any applications that are launched as your PC boots. This list can then be used to identify and locate any files that are related to installed applications, enabling you to disable any problematic items.

Autoruns 9.38 link.

It seems that almost every website you visit features an advert of some kind, not only are they annoying but they may also hinder browsing as the adverts are often located away from the page or site and require more loading time. Avoiding these adverts is almost impossible so he only way of preventing them is by using an ad-blocking utility so that you can browse the web without any hindrance.

Adblock Plus 1.0.1 is a Firefox addon that enables you to prevent annoying adverts from loading. Once you've downloaded the application, right click a particular add and it will not be downloaded again. You can also use a filter subscription and automatically prevent unwanted ads. This utility will prevent in-line ads from loading, but not pop-ups.

Adblock Plus 1.0.1 link.

There will be a time when you end up using a remote or temporary host PC to access the Internet. We always recommend you use portable applications on your host PC so that you do not leave any trace behind when you browse the Internet. The web history and cookie information will be written back to the portable apps, rather than to the host PC. Problem is that you have to use an ISP to access the Internet and this ISP can trace your traffic, browsing habits and the amount of data you download to the PC.

PortableTor 0.2 is an anonymous surfing tool that you can use to protect your location, web browsing history and Internet use from other Internet users, remote websites and the owner of the host PC. The added bonus is that when you access a remote website, as you are surfing anonymously, they can't determine your source location. Which means you won't get content tailored specifically for, say, the UK.

PortableTor link.

Hard drive capacity is always increasing, from internal drives to portable storage devices. No matter how large drives get, many of us still mange to utilise all that free space. Rather than backing up information and storing on CDs and DVDs we now store more information on our hard drives or external devices than was previously possible, especially when it comes to audio and video files. It's obviously convenient to have all your files and folders in a single place but searching for a particular document may be difficult, especially across multiple storage devices.    

Copernic Desktop Search 3.1 is an application designed so that users can compile a database of files and folders stored across multiple drives. It's constantly running in the background updating your database and ensuring document searches are performed as quickly as possible. Unfortunately the application does feature and advertisement asking if you wish to upgrade, which you may need to do to perform network drive searches.

Copernic Desktop Search 3.1 link.

We surf the Internet from home, our laptop or at work. Either way, we'll stumble across a website that we find interesting and want to include within our bookmarks. However, we'll want the same bookmarks across every machine, whether at home or work. Snag is, that there's no easy way of sharing your bookmarks unless you copy and paste them manually or via email.

Mozilla Weave 0.2.98 is an official add-on for Firefox that enables you to open an account and synchronise your bookmarks from your computer to your online account. If you then install Firefox on another computer, whether this is a PC or Mac, you can then install Weave, login to your account, then synchronise your bookmarks back to this computer. Add a new bookmark and this is sychronised back to your online account.

Problem is that Foxmarks 2.6.2 is a far better and more polished add-on for synchronising your bookmarks. It also enables you to login to your online account and access your bookmarks from a temporary browser, if you don't want to synchronise your bookmarks to a temporary PC. Foxmarks also supports the forthcoming Firefox 3.1

Mozilla Weave and Foxmarks links.

Some users may struggle to imagine a time before we used search engines to locate a particular website. There was a period where users would buy a magazine full of recommend web URLs and spend time finding new sites by following the 'links' from these sites. The problem with search engines is that the premier results are dominated by either the most popular commercial sites or by larger companies who know how to get the most from a search engine. Some smaller sites tend to go unnoticed, yet these are the most interesting across the Internet.

LittleSnapper 1.0 is a Mac-based tool that enables you to take visual grab of a website or web page and store it as an image. You can create categories so you store sites within a particular section, add tags and references so you can quickly find stored images and share your sites with other users, online. This is also an excellent way of sharing information with other users. For example, if you're a web designer and you're constantly sourcing ideas, you could use LittleSnapper to grab various sections from a website and then share that information with your fellow designers.

LittleSnapper link.

It doesn't take long before a PC begins to accumulate an array of unwanted items, from unused software to unnecessary folders and files. The speed at which your computer accumulates unwanted data is dependant on usage, but when you get online this is dramatically increased once your machine is bombarded with malicious software. It's no wonder then that over a period of time, all these factors eventually contribute to system slow down.

Auslogics BoostSpeed 4 is an application that enables you to tweak and optimise different areas of your computers performance. Use it to optimise memory, clean your Registry and adjust browsing options as well as enhance numerous other areas of system performance.

Auslogics BoostSpeed 4 link.

Writers and programmers are often required to open or work on documents side-by-side, so that they can be compared. Working with two versions of a particular document open is especially useful for programmers as it enables you to compare documents, making changes when required. It's more beneficial to make changes to a document whilst directly comparing it to a previous version as this also makes it easier to identify how much you have done, without opening a document and trying to identify how far you have got.

WinMerge 2.10.4 is designed so that users can compare and merge documents. This has numerous implications but can also be used to merge old and new parts of documents but its primary function is to compare edited documents, especially if they have been updated by others.

WinMerge 2.10.4 link.

If you read interviews from various musicians, some of the most famous song writers tend to write very simply. Perhaps a few chords, with someone humming a basic melody over the top. At this stage, any words are just made up to fit in to the melody. Once that sounds effective, the musician will start to build the rest of the song. This means that you don't necessarily require traditional song-writing skills to produce your own track. Or at least the early version of the track.

Microsoft Songsmith is a tool from their Research Labs that will enable a user to hum or sing in to a microphone, choose a theme and record their first track. The application ships with a number of pre-designed tracks that will automatically wrap around your singing. This isn't a completely free application though, so you'll need to purchase if you find it useful.

Microsoft Songsmith link.

Like so many small utilities, even if you don't always require one, a good screen grabbing tool may come in handy. You can use a versatile grabbing tool to take grab of anything that's visible on your monitor, enabling you to use the grabs as a reference when working on or presenting a particular project. A good tool will enable you to take grabs of images, open applications and text.

HyperSnap 6.40.01 is a useful tool that enables you to grab photos, images, text and even error messages as well as use it to grab areas of editable text. A handy feature when the standard copy/paste function isn't applicable. The application is extremely east-to-use and features customisable menus and toolbars.

HyperSnap 6.40.01 link.

An easy, convenient and cheap way of communicating with friends and family is instant messaging, whether you chatting one-on-one, or in a group. Unfortunately, as there are so many networks available, you may find yourself using different clients to communicate with different people. Before you begin installing different clients, there are multi-platform clients available which will enable you to use a single application to communicate with others, irrespective of network.

Pidgin 2.5.4 enables you to use your current IM contacts and chat across any platform to single users or groups, simultaneously. The application supports many popular features such as file transfer, away messages and typing notification amongst several unique options. This is an excellent IM client that works across almost any platform.

Pidgin 2.5.4 link.

Trying to understand and organise a network isn't easy, which is why we have full-time system administrator's. Worse, if you takeover another network that was setup by the previous administrator, it can take an age to figure where all the company servers are located, where various files are hosted and how desktops workstations connect to the various servers. Mapping this yourself could take ages.

The Dude 3.1 is a free tool designed to analyse and map your existing company-wide network. It enables you to run an analysis on your entire network and receive a pictorial view of the server locations, hardware used and will even work across your various offices if you network stretches across different locations.

The Dude link.

Buying a new computer is a hugely satisfying experience and after the initial set-up, all tasks, in comparison to your old machine, seem to be performed with ease. Although the hardware installed on your new machine is undoubtedly superior to your previous computer, another reason for enhanced performance is that your machine has had no time to accumulate clutter from unused files and folders. As this unwanted data accumulates, even the fastest machine will eventually slow down, and left unchecked, could lead to a fragmented hard drive.     

IObit SmartDefrag 1.1.0.2 helps users maintain a smooth running machine. This simple defragging tool enables you to arrange and consolidate space on your drive to improve or enhance system performance. Applications will run more efficiently and the time it takes your system to boot may be reduced amongst other improvements.

IObit SmartDefrag 1.1.0.2 link.

It seems to become the norm to follow conversations, social events and the latest gossip, online. Before the popularity of the mobile phone, people made the odd landline call and would head down the pub after work and mate up with some mates. These days, we can't stay off our computer. Over Christmas a younger member of my family spent more time on his computer, discussing plans and thoughts with his friends on Facebook, than he did with his family. How have we reached this point?

Mozilla Snowl for Firefox 0.2 is an add-on for the browser that enables you to follow the latest news feeds and Twitter conversations from your friends, without having to move to another application. Mozilla have big plans for this add-on and will enable support for following Facebook conversations, AIM messages, Google Talk members and much more. Remember that the add-on is still an early preview.

Mozilla Snowl link.

Instead of backing your data to a disc or external hard drive, we recommend a remote server. There's no reason why you can't buy your own. A basic entry-level virtual server can be bought for as little as £3.95/month (see www.webfusion.co.uk/webhosting), which also gets you a free domain and 1.5GB of storage space. At a minimum, there's no reason why you couldn't simply use this storage for hosting your data, rather than a website. You'd then use an FTP tool to access the content and upload or download files. The bonus of using a remote server is that you can access the content from any computer and in any location, as long as you have Internet access

Uranium Backup Free 7.2 is a tool that you can use to perform a basic backup (or restore) of your important files. You can use a remote server, too. Simply select the files you want to backup, such as your accounts, choose the server, backup. It's that easy. You can even use ZIP compression to save space on the remote server.

Uranium Backup link.

Although the Microsoft severs were bombarded over the weekend, we finally managed to get hold of the new Windows 7 beta 1. Good news is that Microsoft have announced that the download will be extended beyond the initial 2.5 million downloads limit, so you'll still have time to grab the beta if you want to preview the new operating system.

We installed it on VMware Fusion on our old MacBook Pro. The first impression was that it was a seamless trouble-free install that seemed to require little interaction. The other impression was the speed. Yes, Vista is usable under virtualisation, but it's not idea. Windows XP is better. However, we were quite suprised how quick and usable Windows 7 was under virtualisation. Remember that this is an unoptimised beta, too.

Although Windows 7 is a migration from the current Vista, like OS X there isn't a need to re-work the kernal. This enables Apple and Microsoft to concentrate on making their curent operating system work more quickly. Windows 7 certainly boots far quickly than Vista, for example.

New features are important and the latest Windows 7 enables you to quickly preview the local WiFi networks, their signal strength and switch between them if necessary. There's also a backup tool that will enable you to backup your drive, restore and even create a bootable recovery disc where required. These are just two of the many new features you'll find in Windows 7. We don't suggest you install this on a production machine just yet - there are some incompatibilities with existing Vista-compatible third-party software, for example.

Don't forget to download:

Windows 7 Beta (x86) : 7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO

Before the rise of the Internet, the only way of sourcing clipart, new fonts and document templates was from the additional content supplied with an office suite. Although some of this content still exists, you need to buy a boxed version of a drawing tool or word processor to get the extra fonts. Download versions of these tools have many of these extras stripped out to save space within the archive. The free office suites are the same, which is why there's room in the market for a free comprehensive collection of templates, fonts, clipart and more.

OxygenOffice Professional 3.0 is another free office suite and can be described as OpenOffice with extras. It ships with a collection of clipart, fonts and, most important, pre-designed templates to get you started quickly.

OxygenOffice link.

If you're a software developer, designing your own box images or cover art isn't an easy process. You can commission an artist to create the graphics, but you need an expert to make sure the dimensions adhere to the required standards. A DVD cover will differ from a CD, for example. It can take ages to get this right and, if you don't get it right, it's going to be costly problem when you receive the printed covers.

TBS Cover Editor 1.5.3 is a commercial tool that's designed to make designing covers and box art from pre-designed templates. You can make your artwork easy by dropping in images from the supplied clipart or by using your own work. Once you have finished designing your box (or cover), you can get a 3D preview before you send the cover art for commercial printing.

TBS Cover Editor link.

Yesterday afternoon the latest public beta of Windows 7 was made available but, as you can imagine, Microsoft's servers have been hit hard over the last 24 hours whilst users from all over the world attempt to download and try and get their beta serial codes. Snag is, as Microsoft have stated that downloads will be limited to the first 2.5 million users, the downloads will be withdrawn sooner rather than later. We're busy downloading the 32-beta version right now.

So, how do you get the Windows 7 public beta preview? Try these direct downloads links, which are provided as ISO images:

Windows 7 Beta (x86) : 7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO

Windows 7 Beta (x64) : 7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO

It wasn't so long ago that a good FTP client would have been a useful tool for most Internet users. These FTP client have now become less relevant since the development of modern web browsers and because broadband provides more reliability and greater connection speeds. Most people who now use the Internet have probably not used an FTP client, or doesn't really need to, but they can come in useful if you regularly download files as well as provide an efficient way of quickly uploading data.

FileZilla 3.2.0 is a popular freeware FTP client that enables you to transfer files to and from the Internet. By using the client alongside your broadband connection, it's possible to administer a remote site or take advantage of any free homepage space to gets files online more efficiently.

FileZilla 3.2.0 link.

Apart from the obvious need to protect your computer there are a number of other factors that are worth considering when searching for a suitable anti-virus application. Almost everyone will be equipped with some form of online protection, unfortunately though, these products aren't always ideal. For instance, you may be a casual Internet user and use it very occasionally, so there's no requirement for an overblown, expensive anti-virus solution, but you may use it regularly and need a more comprehensive security package.

AVG Anti-Virus 8 client that utilises only a small amount of your systems memory so won't drain system resources. The program ships with a Resident shield that actively looks for and protects against any malicious apps before they launch and can be used to scan your entire computer plus much more. 

AVG Anti-Virus 8 link.

If you own or use more than one computer, you probably use a similar collection of apps across these machines, including your favourite we browser. Having your favourite applications and other information to hand makes working from a computer easy, but using one without your trusted utilities can take some getting used to. Bookmarks are also important, especially if you use the Internet on a daily basis, but syncing them across different browsers isn't always easy.

Transmute 1.08 is a simple but effective tool that enables users to import bookmarks from one browser for use with another. Although you can use this useful app to export bookmarks across several browsers, it is Windows-only, so you can't use it between your Mac browsers.

Transmute 1.08

We were keen to try the first public beta of Windows Vista which was released back in June 2006. After the final release in January 2007, we decided to implement the new operating system which caused no-end of issues. Nearly every application had to be upgraded and most of these paid-for upgrades through 2007 made 'Vista compatibility' as their primary new feature. How frustrating to think that a new feature was support for the new operating system. Worse, some of these updated apps didn't even support the new OS correctly and were somewhat rushed out to offer 'compatibility'.

We're now back at the same stage again where Microsoft are close to offering the first public preview of Windows 7. Although we've yet to test Windows 7, again we here of compatibility issues with key software such as Skype. However, bear in mind that Windows 7 is an evolution over the current Windows Vista, so compatibility issues should be far easier to solve for software developers.

There are a number of new features within Windows 7, which you can see for yourself at the Windows 7 public preview page that will also host the download later this afternoon.

Windows 7 public preview link.

Peer-to-peer technology has received a lot of bad press over the last few years and, in all honesty, Limewire was one of the primary tools for obtaining technology from other users that was less than legitimate. However, there's no reason why we can't make better use of P2P and the industry has realised that there's no reason why P2P couldn't be used by business users or friends to supply and share their own legitimate files. For example, if you're working across a project, you can use P2P technology to provide files to authorised users.

Limewire 5 Preview is the first beta release of the forthcoming major revision to the popular file-sharing software. This new version ships with a completely redesigned user-interface, as well as the facility to allow particular users to have access to your shared files and folders. Idea if you want to share your latest holiday photos and other legitimate files.

Limewire link.

When undertaking a new project at home or at work, outlining the tasks required for completion is a good place to start, but how many people actually bother? There are a number of task managers available which could help you stay on top of your projects and are useful if you are managing a task of your own, but on other occasions you may involve a team of people, and in this instance it's useful to use a system that enables you to share work related information between users.

Task Coach 0.71.5 is an application that enables you to manage individual and multiple tasks. The application is cross-platform so can be used with Windows, Mac OS and Linux, but is currently designed for a single users. Although information cannot currently be shared with other users, the developer intends to migrate the tool so that this information can be shared.

Task Coach 0.71.5 link.

We're amazed by the number of people who tell us that their computer has slowed considerably, but do not understand how they can resolve the situation. There must be an industry out there for people to charge a small fee to fix and upgrade slow computers. Well, there is, as PC World and others have a service desk to help users get the most from an old and slow PC.

If you were planning on building a collection of system service tools, there's no reason why you couldn't produce your own maintenance toolkit using a USB stick and a number of key portable applications. Take with you a portable Registry cleanser, a defragmentation tool, a recovery application and so on, and you have your own system toolkit.

Defraggler Portable 1.05 is the version you can install to a USB flash drive or similar, without having to then install it on the host PC in order to use the software to defragment the same host computer.

Defraggler Portable link.

Buy a Mac and you can setup a Windows partition and either choose to boot in to Windows or OS X. However, you can see and read your Windows partition within Mac, which means you can move across files from your Windows to Mac partition. You might ask yourself, what's the point in duplicating files? The snag is the OS X can't write to an NTFS Windows partition, without third-party software (don't forget that Windows can neither read, understand or write to your OS X partition, unless you use CrossMac).

Paragon NTFS for Mac 6.5 isn't a tool. It's a simple and basic plugin for OS X that enables you to read, write and use your Windows partition (or any external NTFS-formatted drive) within OS X, as if it was a standard Mac partition. This means you can write files directly to your Windows drive and vice-versa.

Paragon NTFS for Mac link.

One of the benefits of using Firefox is the huge number of add-ons available, these enable you to personalise your browser and set it up in a way that suits you. Some of the add-ons available are incredibly useful but many aren't exactly groundbreaking, however, some of the most useful add-ons will enable you to incorporate some of the best features from other web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Opera.  

Fast dial 2.16 is a useful plug-in that enables you to create a panel of thumbnails displaying your favourite sites. The application replaces the ¨about:blank¨ page and enables you to assign URLs to blank cells, displaying a preview of each one. There are several other customisable features designed to help you personalise your browser too.

Fast dial 2.16 link.

Traditional backup tools are having a hard time of it at the moment. They need to change quickly in order to survive. Problem is that, with the move to faster broadband, it's now far more convenient to use the Internet for storing your most important files. With many online backup providers giving users a free 2GB account, this is more than enough for backing up your most important files.

Online backup offers you one key advantage: you can access the data from any computer, via a web browser and even restore the data to another machine, meaning that you can use your online backup account to copy, move and synchronise files between your computers.

IDrive Online Backup 3.2.4 is the desktop tool for the IDrive online backup account which will offer you 2GB of online storage for free. There's also a Mac version of the desktop client, although it won't enable you to use your space for both Windows and Mac backup files. This is something you can do using rival products such as Sugarsync and Dropbox.

IDrive link.

Media suites encourage us to build and burn our own DVD using our favourite photos and videos and then give that DVD to our friends and family. Same in business. No reason why you couldn't design a presentation, burn to disc and give that disc to colleague. Problem is, if you need to distribute this CD/DVD across the Internet, there are few easy ways of making the auto-running disc available to other people. One solution is an ISO image; snag is that users need to be able to work with your ISO archive.

WinCDEmu 2.0 is a tool which users can use to mount an ISO (or other disc archive) as a virtual drive. For example, this would be allocated a drive letter and you could access the contents as if it was a regular drive. When you're finished, you simply eject the drive as if it was a removable drive connected to your PC.

WinCDEmu 2.0 link.

Rather than work with multiple monitors, it's far easier to open more than one desktop workspace and then quickly switch between each open workspace. For example, you could open your email client full-screen on workspace, an image editor on another and keep your main desktop for your browser and other small apps. A quick keyboard shortcut would enable you to jump to any workspace within seconds.

WindowsPager 0.39 is an early experimental version of desktop workspace switching software that will place a small grab of each open window within your System Tray and enable you to point your mouse at the screen you want to switch to. Of course, you can also assign the usual keyboard shortcut. Remember this is still experimental. You may be better using the official Microsoft Desktops application instead.

WindowsPager link.

Like many other Mac users, we were slightly disappointed with the recent Apple Keynote presentation. We were expecting new Mac hardware, such as an upgraded Mac Mini which we use a central audio distribution system. However, Apple did announce upgrades to their key suites: iLife and iWork.

iWork 09 is the latest suite and is available right now for £69. We've pointed this out as there is no upgrade path from the previous version. Everyone has to pay £69, even if you own iWork 08. Still, it's a reasonable price for an office suite. iWork 09, like its predessors, contains three modules, Page (word processor), Numbers (spreadsheet) and Keynote (presentation). Each module contains a number of new features, with the biggest new feature being the new iwork.com site which you can use to store and share your documents. Allow other users to comment and download your files.

iWork 09 link.

The best thing about any major computer show is that developers use it as a showcase for new or forthcoming major updates to their software. With iWork 09 released this January, Mac users have a number of options when looking for a word processor. The recently released OpenOffice 3 is now Mac native and Lotus Symphony is another Mac office suite. However, what happens if you simply want a basic word processor? Most of us do not need fancy tables, to drop in a spreadsheet or need to create a graph within our document.

Bean 2 Preview is the latest version of the Mac-only word processor. It's a basic tool designed to enable you to write basic documents. The latest version now enables you to create a multi-column document as well as other enhancements.

Bean link.

When you begin using a new computer, everything works perfectly and using it is a pleasure. The trouble is, depending on usage it doesn't take long for it to accumulate folders, files and other junk which may contribute to your machine performing more erratically. Before you seek technical support though, why not try a diagnoses tool and attempt to identify any problems yourself?

Fresh Diagnose 7.98 is a tool that enables you to analyse and benchmark several aspects of your computers performance. The application detects CPU and hard disk performance as well as motherboard information, so it can be used to identify any potential problems with regards to the performance of your hardware.

Fresh Diagnose 7.98 link.

Whether you have unwanted presents from Christmas or simply want to spend January cleansing your house with all the clutter that could interest other people, the Mac-only iSale will enable you to sell and track your products through eBay.

iSale 5.5 is a superb well-designed template-driven tool which you can use to manage every aspect of your eBay sales from designing the initial auction, uploading the required images, tracking bids and then handling the final sale. What makes iSale superb is that it ships with a number templates which make getting your products online far easier. Just select a template, populate the page and publish.

At the January MacExpo, Equinux have announced a free application for your iPhone that will enable you to create and manage basic auctions through your phone (or iPod Touch) and then swap the information back and forth between the desktop iSale and mobile application.

iSale link.

Started iTunes this morning and found that I was able to upgrade all my previously downloaded iTunes tracks to DRM-free versions. This has benefits. The DRM-free tracks can be transported and played on other portable music players and as many computers as you own. You're not limited to 5 PCs for your purchased audio. Other benefits included a higher bitrate for your tracks, which means the quality should be slightly improved over the previous tracks.

Problem, however. The upgrade requires an 'all or nothing' approach to replacing your current tracks. You can't simply choose the tracks you want to upgrade. So, if you're bought a lot of tracks that, quite frankly, you are somewhat embarassed to own, if you do upgrade these will be upgraded too. Apparently I had 169 tracks that required an upgrade, which cost around £20. Each track is around 20p per upgrade.

iTunes download link.

Working across more than one computer is fairly common for some people, maybe a desktop at home as well as a work machine or laptop for working on the go. Being able to access multiple machines does provide flexibility, but on the other hand it does pose other problems like keeping all files, folders and documents up-to-date on all computers. By using a synchronisation utility it's possible to ensure recently saved documents are easily identified, no matter what computer you may be using.

GoodSync 7.6.1 is a tool designed for anyone working across multiple computers as it enables you to automatically sync or backup documents. This makes it possible to work on a document when you're on the train, arrive at work, turn on your office machine and continue working on the same document.

GoodSync 7.6.1 link.

The constant maintenance required to maintain a smooth running PC can be tiresome, and sometimes it still isn't enough to keep your machine error free. Many of us deal with computer issues on a daily basis, many of these problems are minor but others can be more serious. Viral infection at it's most serious may prevent your machine from booting correctly, which can not only prevent you from identifying the problem but it can also make it extremely difficult when trying to rectify it. Without taking drastic steps, how do you go about recovering your machine and the files stored on it?

System Rescue CD 1.1.4 is a freeware utility containing a selection of programs on a bootable CD designed to repair Windows. As it's a bootable CD it doesn't require Windows to start and is still able to read files from the Windows hard disk. It will also access the Internet in an attempt to find answers to any problems.

System Rescue CD 1.1.4 link.

It's so easy to install software, sometimes without even realising. Media payers and plug-ins are easily downloaded and installed when listening to music or watching a video online, but what happens to them after you're finished? Removing some installed applications can be a problematic and the Windows Add/Remove utility doesn't always completely remove the files and folders associated with some applications, so it may be time to look to a third party application to completely remove unwanted apps.  

Total Uninstall 5.1 is an effective removal tool designed to effectively remove all traces of an application. It monitors where folders and files for the application are placed during the installation of any new application so when it comes to removing them, it's more thorough than the standard Add/Remove utility.

Total Uninstall 5.1 link.

It's safe to assume that we understand that, when we install software, it will write various files to your system and add entries to your Registry. These can cause issues with your PC, especially when you try and uninstall at a later date (I'm aware of this situation right now, being unable to remove the old public beta of Adobe Dreamweaver CS4, even though CS3 is installed and I've just paid for an upgrade to CS4 - but the beta has timed out and can't be removed from the regular uninstaller or via a third-party tool such as Revo Uninstaller. Grrr!) and find that your system won't boot quickly as it's looking for files that do not existing on your computer.

Sandboxie 3.34 is one solution. This free tool creates a safe and secure sandbox that enables you to install, test and run software. When you want to get rid of the test software, remove the sandbox and nothing affects your regular computer. You can use the sandbox to test and examine new software before you decide whether it's really worth installing on your PC.

Sandboxie link.

The problem with security software is that we over rely on their technology to protect our system, so become careless in our attitude. We open obscure emails, read attachments, download software from sites we've never previously visited and automatically accept a file from a friend, what chatting online. It's easy to infect your computer and mostly you're at fault. If you find your system slows due to your installed security software, it's too easy to turn off proactive scanning or the scanning of archived files. However, it's these files that can end up infecting your PC.

AntiVir Rescue System 3.5 is a bootable rescue CD which you can use to try and salvage your computer when you find you can't boot in to your computer (thus can't check your system for virus-related problems). We advise you download this regularly as it is updated daily, burn to disc and keep in a safe place.

AntiVir Rescue System 3.5 link.