Keeping certain files backed up helps to keep items safe in case anything disastrous happens to your computer, but although most of us know we should be regularly backing up photographs, music and other personal or important files and folders regularly, how many of us actually do? Those who have experienced problems before are more likely to, but for those who haven't; it may be worth investing in a backup tool, before you experience any problems of your own.  

SyncBack SE 5.6 enables users to backup important data at regular intervals. This means that in the case of an emergency, backups are as up-to-date as possible. You can use the application to backup and store information on a CD-R or portable Flash drive. You can also utilise homepage space so that data can be accessed anywhere, via the Internet.

SyncBack SE 5.6 link.

If you are an artist and tend to use more traditional media, you may find it more difficult to freely express your ideas using computer. For many artists and even designers, there's nothing like the freedom of using more traditional methods such as pencil and paper for quickly developing ideas and sketches, and computers can affect this. You could always scan in your hand drawn images, but raster images can't be used with many popular CAD programs.   

RasterVect 14.9 enables you to convert raster drawings into a more versatile vector format. Use the application to scan in hand drawn images and convert them so that they can be opened and edited in almost any CAD application. The program has a number of different conversion methods and includes a selection of viewing tools.

RasterVect 14.9 link.

Go out and buy a multi-core computer and you'll soon realise that basic tasks won't even saturate the power of one core, rather than the other three or four cores that make up your CPU. However, there's no reason you couldn't allocate more than one core to a virtual operating system and enable this to use more power. It's now possible to use your virtual operating system management tool to allocate resources individually to each OS.

VirtualBox 3.0 is now available and this is a major new release. As mentioned above, it enables you to allocate more than one CPU core to each virtual operating system. Other highlights include enabling Windows-based hosts to use and access DirectX 9 as a virtual operating system, support for Windows 7 and much more.

VirtualBox link.

Obsolete applications quickly occupy space within your PCs memory and can even drain system resources. Most people would turn to the Windows Add/Remove facility to remove these unwanted programs, unfortunately though some tools may leave associated folders and files behind even if the program itself is successfully removed. If you are in search of a reliable removal tool, it may be worth considering a more proactive uninstaller.  

Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.0 takes a snapshot of your computers Registry prior to the installation of any new application, determining where all folders and files are placed.
you can then use the uninstaller's comprehensive "Before and After" comparisons to monitor and identify the activities of any program such as hidden files and Registry keys.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.0 link.

Maintaining an organised computer not only helps your PC run more smoothly but it's essential for privacy reasons, too. Inevitably files will accumulate on any PC, and although many will be harmless, there will still be files that your machine will automatically store that may be more sensitive. Even if you think you've removed these items, there are some tools that are better than others at completely removing these files.

CCleaner Portable 2.21 is a portable version of the popular cleansing tool. The portable version enables you to run the application without installation on any machine you may be using via a USB stick or other portable media. The application is also useful for removing old Registry entries such as uninstallers and invalid shortcuts.

CCleaner Portable 2.21 link.

After installing and removing software from your computer, over a period of time this will slow and result in your PC taking longer to boot, start applications and will generally feel sluggish. You can do three things to solve this situation. Remove some of the unnecessary items from your Registry, using a Registry optimisation tool, cleanse your PC from unnecessary startup applications and give your drive a boost by defragmenting the drive contents. This means you use software that will take your drive contents and re-arrange them in a logical manner so that your computer can find and load them more easily.

Defraggler 1.11 is the latest version of the free defragmentation tool that you can use to optimise your drive or drive partition, internal or external. There's a portable version of the software which you could install on a USB flash drive and take with you to optimise other computers. The latest version ships with a number of small fixes and enhancements.

Defraggler and Defraggler Portable links.

Modern broadband packages now provide more reliability and greater connection speeds than old dial-up connections and most modern Internet users have not used or needed to use an FTP client before. Although FTP clients are no longer necessary since the development of modern web browsers, they are still useful in certain circumstances and especially if you regularly download files. They are also an efficient way of quickly uploading data.

FileZilla 3.2.5 is a popular, freeware FTP client that enables you to transfer files to and from the Internet with ease. By using the client alongside a good broadband connection, it's possible to administer a remote site or take advantage of any free homepage space you may have to upload files more efficiently.

FileZilla 3.2.5 link.

People are now using smartphones, PDA's and other hand-held devices to do more and more, from creating a document and sending emails to browsing the web and paying bills online. As with using a normal computer or laptop, it's important to keep personal data secure. Malware can still affect handheld devices and cause them to function erratically and even enable others to access your phone. It's also important to keep data safe in case you are a victim of theft.

Norton Smartphone Security 5.0.4 is an application from Symantec that utilises a selection of solid security applications. The software ships with a powerful firewall, antivirus protection, data encryption and password protection.This smartphone application also provides real-time protection, keeping your device secure at all times.

Norton Smartphone Security 5.0.4 link.

Going online in search of a particular audio track or video clip is usually the easiest way of finding what you are looking for, but much of the time these files are compressed in a variety of different formats which can make and playing them using your default media player a little tricky. 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, making it almost impossible to easily listen to your entire audio collection back-to-back.

Songbird 1.1.2 is a free, cross platform media player. The application enables you to manage audio files ripped from CDs as well as stream video and audio as well as download media files directly into your media library. Songbird also supports a number of useful add-ons and can be customised with different themes.

Songbird 1.1.2 link.

Phone calls from mobiles and landlines are cheaper than they ever have been, and the service is generally reliable to but the fact is, it still can't compete with instant messaging, especially if you have friends and family abroad. Another plus point is that communicating in this way enables you to talk to people on a one-to-one basis as well as in groups. However, one downside is that because there are so many different messaging clients available it's pretty unlikely that all your friends and family will be using the same one.

Miranda 0.8.0 is a free instant messenger client that enables you to communicate across almost anyone, 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, but it's a small price to pay for the convenience of using a single application.

Miranda 0.8.0 link.