Go out and buy a brand new hard drive and it's going to be huge. No doubt it ships with one large partition and you'll want to re-configure as smaller partitions, perhaps one to host your media and another for your work. Partitioning within Windows isn't easy and, up until recently, there weren't too many options available. It was commercial software or nothing and, as you only partition your drive every few years, an expensive purchase is probably out of the question, particularly for home users.

EASEUS Partition Manager 3.5 Home Edition is the free version of the popular commercial partition manager. It's designed to partition existing Windows-partitioned drives: create new, resize old or copy a partition from one drive to another. You can also use the tool to give your partition a different drive letter, convert from FAT32 to NTFS and so on.

EASEUS Partition Manager link.

If you're given a brand new work computer, the first thing you'll do is personify and customise your desktop. Add your own desktop image, change the size of the title bar, font smoothing, default fonts and much more. You probably won't be able to install and use a theme manager, but there's no reason you can't do that on your home PC. However, for some people this just isn't enough. We want our everyday applications to have a unique brand and style that reflects our personality.

Mozilla Personas for Firefox 1.0 is an official add-on that enables you to add a custom theme to your web browser. This theme isn't applied to any other application, so it only applies to the browser. Whether you think this a good thing is a personal choice. For us the themes seem to be aimed at kids, but then some people like to personalise more than others.

Personas for Firefox link.

If you're a business owner where you are responsible for a number of international calls, you'll want to reduce costs. One way is to install Skype and use this to make your international calls. You'll certainly save a packet of cash. Whilst other phone manufacturers have allowed Skype access on their mobiles, Apple were reluctant. All this has changed with the official Skype app for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Skype for iPhone will enable you to make calls through a WiFi network. It's rumoured that the app will enable you to make Skype-based calls over your 3G network, using the forthcoming iPhone software revision 3.0. No doubt this will annoy the mobile providers, but as Skype is primarily used for long-distance calls, it shouldn't affect their revenue streams too greatly.

Of course, you can also use the Skype app to handle your messaging. We use Skype for keeping in contact with key software developers, for example. As this will work on the iPod Touch, you could connect a microphone with the revision 2 and use this as a phone.

Skype for iPhone link.

We read some market research recently which stated that teenagers are so used to audio recorded in the MP3 format that they prefer this to the quality you find when playing back a CD through a high-end amplifier and speakers. Audiophiles will despair as no-one wants our audio experience to be dominated by poor-quality MP3 recordings. Do not despair though as the latest non-DRM audio tracks from iTunes are far superior to the previous DRM-based revisions. Why? Probably as the tracks are sourced directly from the music publisher and compressed to a higher bitrate (256Kbps) than previously. However, compare the same tracks against those from the equivalent CD and they sound more dynamic, punchy and so on.

iTunes 8.1 is what you'll need to buy and download tracks from the iTunes Store. We'd definitely recommend you give the new non-DRM tracks a go and compare them to your regular CDs.

iTunes link.

During a computers lifespan it will accumulate a huge array of folders and folders, many of which you may want to keep or transfer to a new machine. As drives become larger the amount of data we are able to store increases, which will make it more and more difficult to move it from one drive to another. Not only is the volume of data an issue, there are many other variables to consider when transferring data, especially if your new machine ships with an updated operating system.

Easy2Sync 1.33.1 for files is a useful application that's designed to assist users when transferring data. The application has a number of useful applications and is especially useful when moving files and folders from one machine to another, this could be a new PC or from a home computer to a work machine.

Easy2Sync 1.33.1 link.

The average burning suite has gradually evolved over recent years and basic burning applications are being replaced with media style suites which are no necessarily as easy to use. For a more casual user all that's neede is an application that will burn a CD quickly, either to play on the move or even make a copy of something you are working on to take with you. Many suites available are often overblown and ship with features you'd hardly ever use, not to mention the extra space they occupy.   

FinalBurner 2.10 is a freeware, slimmed down CD/DVD burner. Use it to create Data CDs, DVD discs, audio CDs or to create an ISO disk image. You can perform all standard burning tasks quickly and easily, Ideal for those of us who don't need an overblown application taking up valuable space.

FinalBurner 2.10 link.

Maintaining a glitch free PC is the best way of preventing small problems escalating into potential disasters. Unfortunately not everyone has the time and it's easy to find something more important to do than pro-actively scan your system looking for faults. A decent maintenance and diagnostic tool would be useful to those who don't have time to look for issues themselves as you can use one to easily identify any problems as well as protect you from any potential threats.

System Mechanic 8.5.5.5 is a useful suite that enables you to take control of all aspects of system maintenance. The application will assist you in diagnosing, correcting and preventing system problems as well as aid you in recovering accidentally deleted files and completely formatting your drive.

System Mechanic 8.5.5.5 link.

We like to access the same bookmarks whether we're at home, work or using our laptop on the road. However, there are big problems with keeping the same bookmarks across each browser. Up until fairly recently, it was bad enough keeping the same bookmarks between the same browser (say, Firefox) across two computers. This was fixed with Google Browser Sync, then later Mozilla Weave and now Foxmarks. It was still impossible to add a bookmark to Firefox at home and then make sure that same bookmark was synchronised to your work IE-based PC.

Foxmarks for Internet Explorer 0.9.85 is an add-on that enables you to have your Internet Explorer bookmarks on any computer with the same browser (ie. work, home, laptop) or, even better between different browsers (ie. Firefox to IE or IE to Firefox). Simply install, login and then your bookmarks will be synchronised to the browser. Add a bookmark at home, go to work and find the same bookmark is available.

Foxmarks for Internet Explorer link.

There are a number of valid reasons for keeping your computer free from clutter, not only will keeping your machine tidy help it run more smoothly but it may help you to keep personal and private information more secure. Most files that accumulate on the average PC will be relatively harmless but there may be some files and folders that contain more sensitive information. When you delete these files or folders some tools are better than others at completely removing them so when you want to remove them, its important to find a reliable and effective tool to do so.     

CCleaner 2.18 is a powerful and hugely popular system cleansing utility that will enable you to remove any data, irrelevant or sensitive, that may be stored by online applications. Use it to remove temporary Internet files and clear browser history as well as clean Registry files and other information.

CCleaner 2.18 link.

Look though your hard drive and figure what are your most essential files. For me, it would be key fonts used for commercial purpopes, accounts, invoices, most important work documents and, probably, desktop photos. There's little else. As these files are relatively small, they could easily be stored online or even a removable USB drive. However, you don't need an extensive backup application to get these files backed up or restored.

FBackup 4.1 is a free tool that enables you to create various backup sets that can include certain folders and other information. Best of all, it pre-selects folders such as your 'My Pictures' and email, so just select these, add to your set, choose a destination and go. You can schedule your backup, so it may run at the end of every working week. The only thing you can't do is backup online, which would be useful within any backup tool. As we all have fast broadband and some server space, it makes more sense to backup online, than to an external drive.

FBackup link.

Back in the mid-90s, we used to use FTP software to download files from commercial servers. Indeed, most of this was done via a command line, logging to the remote site, selecting the files you want to download and they'd appear in a folder on your PC. With the web, we don't need to download files in such a way, but we still need to make sure that the files that make up our homepage, are updated. For this reason, it's still a good idea to have a powerful FTP client in your application portfolio.

WS_FTP Home 12 has been around for ages and this new version builds on the strengths of the versitile FTP tool. The new version ships with a customisable user-interface, support for Windows 2008 server, improved SSL support and much more. There's also a Professional version which includes additional functionality including secure transfer, a scheduler so you can make best use of your broadband, if you have large files you need uploading and much more.

WS_FTP Home and WS_FTP Professional links.

If you are in the market for an image editor that doesn't cost a fortune, you may have noticed a huge void in the market. It seems that you have to pay a significant amount more for an application that's capable of doing anything more than the basics. Another problem is that if you need an able editor that can be launched from a USB stick, there are very few decent options to choose from.

GIMP Portable 2.6.6 is a portable, freeware image editing tool that ships with some useful features and can be launched from a USB stick or other portable device. This application is equipped with all the usual image editing tools and is capable of performing most tasks you'd expect from an application of its size. The application supports an array of file formats and even supports some Photoshop plug-ins.

GIMP Portable 2.6.6 link.

Microsoft Word is so widely used that many of us forget that there are alternatives. Even though most users only ever use a small percentage of Words potential, they feel uncomfortable using any other word processing applications and end up sticking with what they know. The trouble is that word is not small enough to be taken on the road and if you need an application that can be stored on a USB stick, it may be time to begin looking at other options.

AbiWord Portable 2.6.8 is a portable word processor with all the required features for producing high quality documents in Microsoft Words .doc format. It has a similar layout to Word but as expected, this small portable application does lack some useful features but is more than capable of creating most documents.

AbiWord Portable 2.6.8 link.

When it comes to burning CD's most people require a simple tool that enables them to copy or create a CD from scratch as quickly and as easily as possible. The trouble is that many CD burners out there ship with features that many users would never require or use. Instead of purchasing an application that you'd never take full advantage of it may be more beneficial to look at some of the very able freeware alternatives.

CDBurnerXP 4.2.4 is a free disc burning utility that's been available for a number of years. The application enables you to burn a basic data or audio CD, high quality Blu-Ray or bootable disc for your computer. CDBurnerXP ships with a simple user-interface which will enable you to easily create the disc you need.

CDBurnerXP 4.2.4 link.

A solid antivirus is one of the first applications you should install on your computer, especially if you intend on browsing the web regularly. Your antivirus is the barrier that prevents potentially damaging malicious items from accessing your machine and causing any problems. There are a large number of AV packages available from full commercial applications to freeware alternatives, so why not test drive a freeware solution from one of the leading names in Internet security?

PC Tools AntiVirus 6.0.0.17 is a freeware utility that provides real time protection form viruses and other malicious items. PC Tools products are widely used and trusted by many users worldwide. This free tool does as it says and provides significant protection from the very latest threats as it benefits from regular updates.

PC Tools AntiVirus 6.0.0.17 link.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery and, quite honestly, how many of us come up with a brand new innovative idea? As web designers we tend to take note of other websites and take other sites as inspiration when we put forward designs for our new homepage. This happens at every company. They look around at various sites, gain inspiration, take a bit here, a bit from there and then collate these design ideas to create their own site. The end result is something that looks fairly independent, but not a departure from what's already available across the Internet.

LittleSnapper 1.0.2 is a handy Mac-based commercial tool that you can use to grab websites as you browse the Internet. It simply grabs an image or thumbnail of each site or page and then enables you to store for references purposes, so you can go back later and re-examine. Of course, if you're just an individual, you could use LittleSnapper as an elaborate and well-designed visual bookmarks manager.

LittleSnapper link.

For some reason, the Mac is blessed with excellent web design software. We're big fans of Coda, which we used to design and develop the Downloads newsletter. This tool is designed for web professionals who want to get dirty with their web code can want a tool that will enable them to code, test, evaluate and then upload their pages within the same application.

Espresso 1.0 is a brand new commercial web design tool for the Mac from the developers of the popular CSSEdit software (another tool we use on our Mac). It's very different from other web design applications and will take some getting used to. It offers you everything you need to get started developing your code, will handle your CSS and then will publish (or transfer) your files to your homepage, or server, when you want to go live.

Espresso link.

Few users realise that when they install Windows, the drivers that ship with the operating system are designed to work as effectively as possible. They are not necessarily optimised or maximised to get the most from your hardware. For this reason, it's a wise idea to go to the manufacturers website and make sure you have the latest drivers for your hardware. However, for some users this isn't so straightforward. You need to establish the components installed in your new PC before you can find the right drivers.

Uniblue DriverScanner 2009 v2.0.0.4 is a commercial driver update tool that will examine your system, check against a database of drivers and then let you know when a new driver is available. You can then choose to download and install. This is all automated, so the application will do the work for you. The only problem is that sometimes the process doesn't work so smoothly, especially with drivers that are in use (as they can't be overwritten as they are in system memory).

Uniblue DriverScanner 2009 link.

The claim that everyone has a song in them, which is great news. However, as most of us can't play the guitar, piano or other musical instrument, turning our song idea in to a project isn't always so feasible. You could try something like Microsoft Songsmith, although this is a really simplistic way of getting a song idea in to your computer. The wisest idea would be to source some music composition software that's designed for novice users. We're thinking software that you can use to drop loops, samples and other instruments on to a score.

With Computeractive magazine, issue 289 on-sale right now, you can get the full version of Magic Music Maker 15 Silver, which will enable you to start creating your first music track. Simply drop in the samples, instruments and loops on to the musical score, manipulate, add a few effects and then export and give to your mates.

Computeractive magazine.

Install software on your computer and it's soon out-of-date. Software developers are often releasing new updates and minor fixes to sort out issues they've found with their software. Update these come from user reports and it's always worth having the latest version installed. However, how do you get the time to go through your applications and check against the latest version available? It's difficult trying to find a version revision on some commercial developers website.

UpdateStar 4 is now available and is a tool that you can install on your PC and check against a huge database of online software and quickly update if a new revision is available. The latest UpdateStar 4 ships with a few new features, including a Registry cleaner so you can erase unnecessary information after you remove software from your computer.

UpdateStar link.

Go out and buy a new hard drive, install Windows, your favourite applications and watch as your computer boosts swiftly, applications launch immediately and everything just seems snappy. Problem is that we're all guilty of installing, removing and testing new software, as well as moving files around our drive. As we do that, data is not stored in a continuous block, so the drive has to spend a lot longer locating and then loading information. The result is that your computer just takes longer to boot and start applications. The answer is to defragment the content on your drive.

UltraDefrag 3 is free disk defragmentation software and has had a major overhaul. The latest version ships with a new drive defragmentation algorithm, speed improvements and other bug files and minor enhnancements.

UltraDefrag link.

Although we featured it within our weekly Downloads newsletter, recently, we've held of discussing the merits of the latest Microsoft Internet Explorer v8 within this blog. It's now available and was released earlier than we expected. Many tech sites have demonstrated how the latest IE8 fails the browser acid test, although every site we tested rendered correctly within the browser. They appeared swiftly too, indicating that the browser is far quicker at rendering web pages than the previous release. There are a number of new features. Web Accelerators enable you to quickly perform an action from text or other page content. For example, select some text you want translating. There's also a private browsing mode, so you can browse the net without leaving a trace on your computer.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP and Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 for Vista are both now available for download and are official releases.

Internet Explorer 8 for XP or Internet Explorer 8 for Vista links.

We've got to the stage with computers where we can use a three-year-old PC for our day-to-day work without having to worry about having to upgrade to use the latest software. Only a few years ago it seemed to be case where even the most recent PC was out-of-date after 6 months and needed to be upgraded. However, some of the latest security suites have forced us to regress. Why? As these apps check everything we do with our PC, so it causes system slowdown. Files are checking before you save them to your computer, when you attempt to open from your desktop and, if they are within an archive, when you open the archive. Everything is checked, all the time.

AVG Anti-Virus Free 8.5 is the latest version of the free lightweight and popular anti-virus software that will give your PC protection against most day-to-day threats, without interfering with your work. You also get anti-spyware protection with the latest v8 release. Only this week, AVG announced v8.5 and, whilst this now ships with identity protection support in the paid-for version, the Free edition gains support for Windows 7 and other improvements.

AVG Anti-Virus Free link.

Backing up data is one of those things that we don't seem to think about until it's too late. Although we know we should backup photographs, music and other important files and folders regularly, there is always an excuse to get on with something else and we never seem to get round to doing so. Those who have experienced problems before are more likely to be aware of potential issues, for those who haven't; it may be worth investing in a backup tool, before you experience any problems first hand.

SyncBack SE 5.4.0.7 enables users to backup files, folders and other data at regular intervals. This means that in the case of an emergency, backups are as up-to-date as possible. Backup and store information on a CD-R or Flash drive or by utilising homepage space so that data can be accessed anywhere in the world via the Internet.

SyncBack SE 5.4.0.7 link.

When people talk about their favourite computer games they often reminisce about games from the past, not because they are graphically good but because they have simple, yet highly addictive game play. Games such as Tetris and Space Invaders have stood the test of time because of this and not graphical power. Although many big budget games of today may push the boundaries graphically, it's doubtful they will be reminisced about or played twenty or thirty years on.

MAME 0.130 uses old data files to emulate classic arcade and console games on your PC. You can source files from web archives and choose from thousands of games from the 70's, 80's and 90's. The application is great fun for the serious or casual gamer but does require a little configuration.

MAME 0.130 link.

Use your computer for some time and you'll soon find your system tends to slow. This isn't due to the installed software requiring additional system requirements, such as more memory or a better graphics card. It's simply due to the way Windows will write data to your hard drive. After a few months, it will stop trying to store information logically and data will be located all over the drive. This means it takes far longer to start your computer, load important software, write files to your drive and more.

UltraDefrag 3 is free disk defragmentation software that will re-arrange the contents of your drive in a more logical manner, in a continuous block. The latest version of this software contains a brand new re-written defragmentation algorithm, so defragmenation should be more effective, as well as numorous small improvements and bug fixes.

UltraDefrag link.

Evernote is one of our favourite applications. We use the tool to share information between the users responsible for uploading content for our downloads. For example, we can use the tool to share the downloads that need to be updated, new downloads that need to go online, others that need a review and interesting blog entries (that should be written, but often never end up online). As Evernote is both Windows and Mac compatible, the same data can be shared between desktop PC and laptop-based Mac and can be updated on any machine, as long as that has an Internet connection.

Evernote for Windows 3.1.0.1107 is now available and this brings a range of new features including better tag support, less memory required to operate and much more. The Mac version has also had a major upgrade, including Safari support so you can clip pages directly to Evernote. A major update to the Windows version is in development and should be released in the near future.

Evernote for Windows link.

With the launch of the new 3rd generation Apple Shuffle, yesterday morning, one of the important system specifications was the inclusion of Apple iTunes 8.1. The new version of media management application has been made available and you can download immediately. The biggest disappointment with the previous iTunes (8.0) was that it can be quite bloated, take a while to open and is less respsonsive than it should be, particularly for Windows users. There are times when we double-click on the iTunes icon on our desktop for it to open a minute later.

Apple iTunes 8.1 is now available and this is a fairly major upgrade. The application has received a speed boost, so it's more responsive than before. New features include support for the 3rd generation Shuffle, as well Genius support for your TV and movies, so you can find similar programmes on the iTunes Store.

Apple iTunes 8.1 link.

When you begin working on a new work or home based project it's important to identify and outline all tasks required for completion. There are numerous task and/or project management applications available which can be used to help you stay organised and on top of your own workload, but you may need to involve others from time to time. In this instance it would be incredibly useful if work related tasks could be shared.

Task Coach 0.72.1 is a useful tool that enables users to manage both individual and multiple tasks. It's a cross-platform application so it can be used with Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Unfortunately the application only supports single users but the developer intends to migrate the tool so that this information can be shared.

Task Coach 0.72.1 link.

Looking online for a particular audio track or video clip is usually the easiest way of finding what you are looking for. The trouble is that sometimes these files can be compressed in many different ways and playing them using your default media player could prove difficult. If you download files from different sources you may find that you need several different players to listen to or view your newly downloaded files.

Songbird 1.1.1 is a free cross platform media player designed to work on Windows, Mac OS and Linux. The application enables you to manage your audio files ripped from CDs as well as stream video and audio and download various media files directly into your media library. Songbird also supports a number of useful add-ons.


Songbird 1.1.1 link.

The other day someone mentioned to me that they didn't know what to do with the '.air' file they'd downloaded from the Internet. They were fairly clued up, too. Thinking it must be an archive format, they spent time trying find an archive management tool to open the file. If you find an unknown file extension on your computer, you could quickly run a Google search, view the results and then download a recommended application. However, would you really know what you're downloading? You can't trust every site presented through the search results.

OpenWith.org Desktop Tool 1.0.1 is software you can install on your PC and use to find a legitimate recommendation for unknown file extensions. Simply highlight a file which isn't associated with an application, go to your right-mouse button menu and select the option to check with OpenWith.org. This will check the OpenWith.org website and look at the recommended software for the file extension. However, some of the software it recommends isn't always free, even though it states it is free.

OpenWith.org Desktop Tool link.

Passwords are required for you to access just about everything online, from your email account and social networking sites to online banking. We are all aware that scribbling passwords down on a scrap of paper isn't the most secure way of storing them, but keeping them on your machine may leave them open to anyone who has access to your computer, unless of course, you install a password manager to keep them safe.

Password depot 4.0.5 is a freeware password manager that's designed to be as easy-to-use as possible. As well as using it to keep your passwords safe you can also use it to automatically complete fields on a web page that require usernames and passwords. You can also store the application on a USB Flash drive so you can your passwords can be taken on the road. 

Password depot 4.0.5link.

High speed broadband connections are more readily available than ever both at home and at work. Most home users tend so sign up to broadband packages based on published figures and often choose the most convenient provider. Before you renew your broadband package though, it may be worth looking at your bill more closely, especially if you are being heavily charged for excess bandwidth usage. How do you know if you are being incorrectly charged for unused services? The only way to know for sure is to use a monitoring tool, or to set incoming traffic limits.

NetWorx 4.7 is a handy freeware application that enables users to monitor and evaluate bandwidth usage and network activity. You can use the software to set usage limits over set periods of time so that you can avoid excess charges from your ISP. Incoming and outgoing traffic is represented in a line chart and logged as a file; your statistics can then be viewed in a variety of formats for further analysis.

NetWorx 4.7 link.

The problem with the Skype is that this network is closed to third-party technology, so the network-spanning chat clients such as Adium, Trillian or Miranda will not enable you to speak to users who are connected via Skype. As Skype is used as the business chat client of choice, it means that you need Skype and another messenger running, to keep in contact with all of your friends and business clients.

Fring is different and is one of the first chat clients that will enable you to see which Skype users are online and chat with them via your mobile phone. You can also chat with users from other networks such as AIM, MSN, Facebook and more. You can also use fring to make cheap international calls if your phone allows this facility. iPod Touch users can use fring as their social networking mobile device, whilst they are on the move.

Fring for iPhone link.

Everyone writes note and stores them differently. Each time I head over to London, on business, I tend to sit there for a couple of hours and write notes about the forthcoming meeting, more as a reminder to what needs to be discussed. At the meeting, I tend to write more notes. The other day I was looking back through my old notepad and realised I'd lost track of the notes that I'd written back in 2007 and many of the 'action points' hadn't ever been actioned, for various reasons.

Tree 1.3.1 is a commercial tool for the Mac that enables you to store your notes electronically, using a parent/child approach. Think of a topic, then add various notes within this topic. Move to another and add more child sub-topics. If your notes become extensive, you can simply close the idea tree to get an overview of your thoughts. It's a nice interesting application, but rather expensive - it's $40!

Tree link.

Every time I head over to London on a business trip, I forget how heavy my laptop seems to feel by the end of the day. Take a MacBook Pro, plus power cables, and it's a surprisingly heavy weight. You do wonder if there are better solutions. Apart from purchasing a Netbook, the other option is to take a Blackberry, which will enable you to access your email on the move. The other solution is to use someone elses machine (and there's nearly always a temporary host PC you can use in the office) and take portable versions of your favourite software on a USB stick.

PortableApps Suite Standard 1.5 is a collection of free portable applications, including Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice, that you can use from one central interface. Simply place this on an external drive (USB, flash or even your iPod Classic), plug this in to a temporary host PC and you should be able to use your apps without writing personal information to the host computer.

PortableApps Suite link. 

We'll be honest and tell you that we're big fans of Adobe's Fireworks. Indeed, I've been using the application from back in the late 90s and it has proved to be one of the best commercial image editors for producing graphics for the web. Problem is, it's expensive. I daren't look back and figure how much it's cost us in upgrades over the last few years. Advantage is though, we know this program inside out. However, we only use the app to edit images and produce basic content for our site.

Pixelmator 1.4 is a Mac-specific commercial image editor that's designed to get most from your installed graphic card. It's promoted as the world's first GPU-enhanced image editor, which is ideal when you have multiple large images open at the same time. It has all the usual image editing tools you'd expect to find and much more. You'll see Mac-specific features such as Automator support, so you can create automated action, such as quickly resizing images to a specific size.

Pixelmator link.

If you're a Firefox 3 users, we guess you have few complaints. It's a fast, stable and widely supported browser and it's clear to see why it's so popular. However, no software is ever 100% and requires constant updates. Firefox is no different. We experience issues with our Mac where it sometimes seems to freeze after using it for some time. Whilst we wait for the much-touted major Firefox 3.1 release, Mozilla are still releasing minor updates for the existing web browser.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.7 is the latest release and contains a number of minor fixes, updates and language support. For example, some users experienced problems where cookies seemed to disappear and they would have to re-enter information when heading back to a familiar website. This is fixed in the new update. If you have Firefox 3 installed, it should update automatically. If not, click our link and download.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.7 link.

They say the best way to plan for a project is to brainstorm ideas, draft, then send them around the participants to find the right path. Problem is that this leads to notes with information scattered all over the page. It's difficult to decipher who said what, how it might affect your plan, colleagues or workload. One option is to map your thoughts using a mindmapping tool, which enables you to take a thread and then work it up and see eventual possibilities.

Edraw Mind Map 1.0 is a free version of the commercial tool that enables you to map out your ideas, thoughts or a potential project plan. Take a central theme and then create threads that brand out in to other areas. See how their interact, print and look at the 'bigger picture' more clearly.

Edraw Mind Map link.

Keeping track of everyday events can be tiring, scheduling appointments or meetings at work or even remembering a friend or colleague's birthday can all be difficult to remember at times. There are applications out there that are designed to alleviate some of the stresses of a busy lifestyle, but some only add to the confusion by being difficult to understand and use.   

Calendarscope 4.1 is an application designed for managing, planning and scheduling at home or in the office. Events can be viewed on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly overview as well as create single or recurring events and tasks. Another useful feature is that it can be synchronised with your pocket PC or smart phone.

Calendarscope 4.1 link

Although Windows 7 is due soon, I doubt we'll be migrating so quickly as we did from XP to Vista. By 'we', I don't mean the entire company. No, they're primarily using XP. I mean the small office responsible for this downloads blog. We migrated to Vista and then quickly realised we'd also need to (pay for) upgrade our existing software, too. Indeed, some of the software developers had the cheek to highlight 'Windows Vista compatibility' as their primary new feature in the paid-for update. Still, Vista has its merits and Windows 7 looks like a step up again. If you own Windows Vista, you may be interested in the new Service Pack that's around the corner.

Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC1 is now available and this brings a host of new features including support for burning Blu-ray discs from within the operating system. Bear in mind that this is still only a Release Candidate and, although feature-complete, still isn't completely bug free. We've provided a link to the ISO image which contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit updates as well as a standalone 32-bit only installer.

Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC1 ISO image (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC1 installer (32-bit only)

Skype is a hugely popular VOIP application and has a large number of people using it all over the world. Although it's a fantastic application that's not to say that there aren't improvements that can be made to the software. Many people have began to use Skype as their main form of long distance communication as it's cheap and reliable, but you still have to rely on the person you want to contact to be available, and that's not exactly convenient when they happen to be on the hundreds or even thousands of miles away.  

PrettyMay for Skype 3.5 is a voice assistant for Skype that enables users to receive answer-machine messages which are left when you are away from your computer, saving them as an MP3 file. You can playback messages, forward them via email or call back the person who left you the message.

PrettyMay for Skype 3.5 link.

Instead deleting data as your hard drive nears capacity, more people are turning to external drives to alleviate storage issues; this is because external hard drives are much more affordable than they once were. There are numerous benefits to storing everything you need, but that's not to say there aren't any downsides. Keeping track of externally connected devices such as printers and scanners can be difficult enough, without the risk of accidentally disconnecting a storage device containing important files and folders.

USBDeview 1.35 is a useful tool that lists all USB devices connected to your PC, including previously used devices. The application will display information on connected hardware such as device names and descriptions and even serial numbers for mass storage devices.

USBDeview 1.35 link.

Despite using Windows computers to produce our online content, we use an Apple Time Capsule in this small office, serving a few machines. It suits various purposes. Not only does it enable us to use one networked printer across various computers, it distributes a wireless network using the fastest 801.11n and also acts as a central storage area for files that need to be shared between users. With the forthcoming new firmware, the Time Capsule will be accesible from your MobileMe account, from a computer outside your network. This will be ideal for users who are on the road with their laptop but require files stored on the office hard drive.

NoSleepHD 1.0 is a free tool that does one thing: it will stop your network or external drive from powering down, so you don't have to keep waiting for the drive to power up every time you want to write a file. All it does is write a temporary file to the drive every few minutes (user configurable) and can be turned off when required, or when you power down your PC.

NoSleepHD link.

All manner of personal information is stored on the average computer, whether it's a work or home machine. The majority of files and folders on your machine won't be overly sensitive, but there will be a certain proportion that are and that need to be kept secure. One way of keeping this data secure is to use a file security program, that way you can hide, encrypt and even lock certain folders and files that are stored on your computer.

Folder Lock 6.1.7 is a useful application for preventing others from accessing private files and folders. You can also protect any data stored on removable media including USB Flash drives and CD-RW. This is a useful application that's incredibly easy-to-use.

Folder Lock 6.1.7 link. 

Designing your own professional website isn't too difficult if you want a simple navigation menu, contact info, a blog and other information. However, making it stand out isn't easy. The most obvious idea is to ask a professional web designer to create a site on your behalf, but in the current climate, this might not be feasible. The alternative is to do it yourself. On the Mac there are a range of web design tools that enable you to select a pre-designed template, drop in your components and publish directly to your server.

Xara Web Designer 5 is a brand new commercial tool designed to offer you the facility to design, build and publish your own site. Start from scratch or choose from one of the many different templates. Next, drop in the text, images and other components and then tweak and test in your web browser. Once finished, simply upload directly to your server and view live.

Xara Web Designer link.

Although it may not be the first piece of software on your mind, an easy-to-use screen grabbing utility has a number of practical uses, at home or in the office. Maybe your a designer or you simply need to print an on-screen image, you could use a screen grabbing tool to save you time. There are a number of freeware solutions to choose from but more able tools enable you to grab images of anything that's visible on-screen, from web pages, to animation and open applications.  

Screenshot Captor 2.47 is a freeware application that enables you to take grabs of anything that's displayed on your monitor, including moving animation. You can remove the cursor from your grabs and increase or decrease the resolution of your images as well as make a number of other adjustments, in order for you to get the grab you need.

Screenshot Captor 2.47 link.

When you replace an old computer, it's almost as if your new machine can do anything you ask of it. However, after the initial honeymoon period, more advanced users will begin to explore the limits of their machines performance, adjusting settings to match their personal needs. Without the required skills though, adjusting these settings via the Windows Registry could lead to problematic entries and potential system failure. An alternative solution would be to use an established optimisation tool, although they have a more general approach to optimisation, they are a safer alternative for less experienced users.

Fresh UI 8.20 is a freeware optimisation tool for Windows that can be used to easily configure your operating system. There's no need to edit your Registry, meaning you can configure PC performance without fear of interfering or potentially damaging key areas of your operating system.

Fresh UI 8.20 link.

I've never quite understood who would want to a read a book from a small device such as their iPhone. Book enthusiasts must despair that people will buy a book and then look at a screen to read the novel. The beauty of reading a book is that we can get away from looking at screens all day. That's why we'll bring books on holiday, but leave our computer behind. Still, there are loads of people who like the idea of just carrying device and using this single device to fulfil their requirements.

Amazon Kindle for iPhone is a free application that will enable us to use the Kindle service on your phone or iPod Touch. Simple install the app, hook up to the Amazon Kindle store, select from the books on offer and then access and read them on your portable device.

[courtesy of AppShopper.com]

Not so long ago, creating a PDF document used to require expensive commercial software. Even though there were freeware apps available the final product never really matched that of more professional solutions and was not of a high enough quality for commercial printing. PDFs are a universal file format that can be used for displaying all manner of information including images and text and are an easy and effective way of sharing information, so it's useful to be able to download and read the literature within these documents.

Bullzip PDF 6 Printer enables you to output almost anything as a PDF document. When the end user receives your PDF document, it will appear exactly as it did on your computer, even if they don't have the same fonts installed on their machine. The application is good for single users or for a small organisation to produce good quality PDF documents.

Bullzip PDF 6 link.

Soon we won't need to install software on our computer. There are a wide number of web services that enable you to manage a project, share files with other users, write a document and even edit images. With the rise fast broadband, it makes it possible to use an online service as if it was a desktop application on your computer. Microsoft have realised and are working on technology that will enable you to use Office applications via the web than installed on your PC.

WobZip is a service which will enable you to handle and extract just about any archived file. This means you could upload an obscure archive to the service and it will offer you the extracted files for you to download. Alternatively, if you have to download an archived file, rather than download and attempt to find an archive manager that will open the archive, simply give the URL to WobZip, it will extract and give you the option of downloading the archive contents.

WobZip link.

We've mentioned a few times that we recommend the Foxmarks bookmark synchronisation service. This add-on for Mozilla Firefox and other browsers enables you to make sure you have the same bookmarks synchronised across your various computers, irrespective of operating system. Your Mac-based laptop can offer you access to your bookmarks from your office PC. Foxmarks was updated recently so it now supports other browsers, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Safari. This means you can add bookmarks to your PC-based Firefox and then access the same bookmarks on your Mac-based Safari browser. Better still, if you need to use a temporary host PC, you can use your bookmarks online without having to download them to the local computer.

Foxmarks has now become Xmarks. Well, the migration has started. Xmarks is an updated version of Foxmarks that now enables you to see website recommendations, based on a Google search. The downside is that this add-on is Firefox-only, although they do promise versions for other browsers by the end of March. The old Foxmarks add-on is still available, too, for the time being.

Xmarks and Foxmarks links.

They say you should use a different web password and login for the various sites you tend to visit. However, is this realistic? Some sites force us to use a specific username or password. A site may require you to enter a password which is a specific length or using numerical data, simply as makes it less likely for someone to break the login information. Superb, but if you can't login yourself, there's little point using the service.

LastPass 1.45 is a web service that also provides an add-on for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Safari that enables you to store your login information, passwords and other data in a secure protected web service and then drop them in the relevant page from your web browser. Even better, you can assign sticky notes to certain sites so you can remind yourself of your bank login ID when you often have to enter various bank-assigned information just so you can get to your credit card statement, online.

LastPass link.

Commission a web designer to build you a site and half the cost will be based around the concept planning, design and Photoshopped mockup. Once approved, the design team will start working on the page templates that you will need to create your website. This is the standard industry norm, but it can cost a lot of money. Why? Often we have a design idea in our mind, but lack the skills to get that information on to a page, so we rely on our web designer to interpret our requirements. This can lead to various mockups before we see a final design that can be signed off.

Mockups for Desktop 1.5.27 is an Adobe Air based design tool that will enable you to mockup a web page (or pages) by dropping in the various components on to a blank page. You can then resize these components, add additional functionality and much more. As it's an Adobe Air product you can download and use on your Windows, Mac or Linux operating systen, which means you can work on your desktop PC and then move across to your Mac laptop on the way back home.

Mockups for Desktop link.

Only the other day we were recommending that you take the initiative and create your own floorplan using the free Google SketchUp. It makes a lot of sense. Although this person shall remain nameless, I know of someone who recently took on a house with a lot of 'potential'. Signed up with an architect who went away and came back with draft designs on how to extend the house. Problem is that they differed wildly from the clients requirements. In the end, the client simply designed the extension themselves and then asked the architect to finalise and certify the design.

Floorplanner is web technology that enables you to design your own floorplan in 2D by simply dropping in the various elements on to the design. Simply select the household items, drop on to the design and scale as required. Once you're finished, you can turn this 2D design in to a 3D model and then use your mouse to move around. For personal use, you can only have one plan and design.

Floorplanner link.