Clean Out Junk on Your System with CCleaner

You install and uninstall software, surf the internet and use different programs. Eventually all of this can lead to a system contamination by unused files and other crap, and slows down your system. Therefore it is a good practice to clean your system from time to time. There are many programs for this purpose. I recommend CCleaner because it’s free and really does clean out the crap that accumulates in your hard-drive.
CCleaner is a very good system optimization tool. It can find and remove temporary files, log files, browser URL history, cookies, and unused and old registry entries – allowing your system to run faster, and freeing up hard disk space. CCleaner includes registry backup feature. Therefore you can make a back-up file, before deleting anything from the registry. But the best part is that it's rather fast cleaner tool.
In fact I was reading today that a new version 2.02.525 of CCleaner has just been released. See the list of new features on the site http://www.ccleaner.com.

7-Zip 4.57 – The Final Release of Well Known Archiver

The long-term testing of 7-Zip archiver was completed. The final release of this popular archiver is available now. It is 7-Zip 4.57.
7-Zip is a free compression utility that allows you extract archive files of numerous archive formats, including ZIP, RAR, CAB, GZIP and TAR. 7-Zip supports packing of 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR formats. It has its own incredibly efficient compression algorithm - 7z.
The program’s ability to compress files is amazing. The 7z archives that was created by 7-Zip are 30-70% smaller then their ZIP equivalents. And usually, 7-Zip compresses to ZIP format up to 10 percent better than most of other zip compatible programs.
7-Zip allows you to create self-extracting archives, and select the optimal compression level and password protection.

DAEMON Tools Lite 4.11

The new version of DAEMON Tools Lite has been released recently. It is DAEMON Tools Lite version 4.11. DAEMON Tools Lite is free and well known application for cd/dvd-rom emulation. This program is able to emulate almost all known copy protections on the market today, allowing you to run backup copies of Laserlock, SafeDisc, CDCOPS, Securom, Protect CD and StarForce protected games.
DAEMON Tools allows you to create a virtual DVD-ROM drives. So you can mount and use nearly any CD and DVD images without the need for the physical disc.
DAEMON Tools supports all popular versions of Microsoft Windows including Windows XP and Windows Vista. It also supports more CD/DVD image types than any other optical disc emulation program.
The program has simple and well designed interface. It creates a small system tray icon that gives you quick access to all its commands. Here you can select the number of virtual drives that you want to have at your disposal and mount images for each of them. You can assign each virtual drive any letter of English alphabet which is not yet in use. There is also a capability to select the regional code for any created virtual drives. I want to note that mounting and unmounting of virtual drives occurs almost instantly and without the need to reboot.




The features of the DAEMON Tools can be extended with additional modules, which are produced by third-party developers.
Major improvements of the new version:

• included DT Panel with Internet search box and "Mount'n'Drive manager"
• DT tray behaviour changed to DT Pro style
• Languages are now changed more easily and more convenient
• Fixed several bugs

Before you begin to download this good and very useful application, I would like to warn you that DAEMON Tools Lite contains an optional adware toolbar. I recommend you deselect this option during installation.

Download

Nero CD-DVD Speed – The Best Free Way to Test the Quality of Your CD/DVDs

There are many optical disc recorders and great number of brands that sell CDs or DVDs, and you shouldn’t count solely on a brand name when you require long term data reliability. You can verify written data in your favorite CD burning program, but it’s not enough. If you want to be sure in the quality of your home-written media, you need a program to test your optical drives and media.
One of the most popular programs for this purpose is Nero CD-DVD Speed that is part of Nero Toolkit.
Nero CD-DVD Speed is a powerful tool for testing optical drives.
The program has simple tabbed interface that is very easy to use. The first tab is called Benchmark. It allows you to check the read speed of a disc, DAE quality (for Audio CD), disc access type, access times, CPU usage at different speeds, and data interface burst rate.

TweakNow RegCleaner v.3.7.0

The new version 3.7.0 of TweakNow RegCleaner has been released recently. TweakNow RegCleaner is very useful software that can remove all Windows registry errors and restore your system to optimum performance.
The system registry is one of the most vitally important parts of any Windows system.
It contains information about your system configuration and determines how Windows looks, how efficiently it works, and what you're allowed to do.
Almost all programs use registry to keep configuration and other information. When you delete a file or uninstall a program, the registry entries of this program are deleted automatically. Unfortunately, it does not always work that way. Sometimes, programs fail to remove their own registry entries. Thus, an obsolete data or error stays in the registry.
Over time your Windows registry becomes saturated with these obsolete entries and invalid data that cause errors and even system crashes. Therefore it is very useful to periodically clean your system's registry.
TweakNow RegCleaner is an excellent utility for this purpose. The program has clean and simple interface. It is very easy to use.

TrueCrypt 5.0 - Best Free Real-time File Encryption

If you want to protect certain sensitive data, the most viable and simple solution is data encryption. There are many encryption programs to choose from, but when it comes to ease of use and value few can compare to the open-source TrueCrypt software.
TrueCrypt can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mount it as a virtual disk that can be accessed via a drive letter. It can also encrypt entire hard drive or removable media, such as USB flash drives, floppy disks, and memory sticks.
Any file that is saved on the encrypted virtual drive is automatically encrypted on-the-fly, and can only be accessed while the drive is mounted with the correct password or key.
TrueCrypt supports 11 algorithms for encrypting your private data, including such algorithms as AES-256, Blowfish (448-bit key), CAST5, Serpent, Triple DES, and Twofish.
The best feature TrueCrypt provides for the user is the ability to create a hidden drives. It is the best way to prevent others from discovering that some data even exist.
The program has quite simple interface and the regular user can handle it easily. The useful tips in the comprehensive web help manual and volume-creation wizard provide excellent guidance.

FastStone Capture 6.0 – Powerful Screen Capture Software

The new version of powerful, flexible and intuitive screen-capture utility has been released recently. I talk about FastStone Capture 6.0.
Taking a screenshot of your desktop is quite easy if you simply want to capture the entire screen, using the 'Print Screen' key on your keyboard.
But what if you want to capture a specific area of the screen? Of course, you still can use the 'Print Screen' key to copy your screen to the Clipboard and then paste it into the image editor where you can crop a certain area of the image. However, it is not very convenient. There is also a Snipping Tool for Vista users that allows them to grab a particular area of the screen.
If you don’t have Vista or don’t like its Snipping Tool, I recommend you to try FastStone Capture. It is fast and easy to use screen-capture software.
FastStone Capture allows you to capture anything on the screen including windows, objects, selections, scrolling windows or web pages as well as full screen. It has integrated image viewer and capture editor where you can modify the captured image before saving. FastStone Capture’s editor enables you to apply additional editing tools like resizing, sharpening, brightening, cropping, rotating, text, watermarks, sepia and more.

jv16 PowerTools 2008 - Very Good Optimization Software

The new version of jv16 PowerTools 2008 is available. This software is amazing set of 22 different tools which allow you to keep your computer error free and running smoothly. jv16 PowerTools 2008 lets you fix, repair, optimize and tune up your computer easier than ever.
The program has well designed interface that gives a quick access to all its functions and features. It is very easy to use. The multilingual user interface of jv16 PowerTools allows the software to be used in all major languages, while safety features and automatic backup help you to use the program as risk free as possible!

jv16 PowerTools 2008 1.8.0.455

Macecraft Software Company has released an updated version of its jv16 PowerTools software.
jv16 PowerTools is one of the most known and certainly one of the best Windows optimization programs. This software is the suite containing 21 different tools which allow you to keep your computer running smoothly and error-free.
With jv16 PowerTools you can:

• Automatically fix many types of registry errors
• Automatically clean your Windows registry from unneeded and obsolete data
• Easily remove all traces of software you have thought you have already uninstalled ages ago
• Detect and remove unneeded history data and MRU (most recently used) lists that can contain your privacy information
• Find and remove unnecessary files, including temp files and duplicate files
• And much, much more!

Diskeeper Professional 2008 - Powerful Defragmentation Software

Over time your HDD becomes fragmented. As you delete and create files, you create new regions of free space. Your free space is not in one big chunk at the end, but instead just a number of small holes all over your disk. And sometimes it is impossible to allocate new files contiguously, and your operating system has to break them into fragments, putting a small piece here and a small piece there.
File system fragmentation on your HDD can bring unforeseen problems, such as complete slowdown of system performance, slow startup and shutdown, PC crashes and sometimes even to drive failures.
Fortunately for all of us there are a number of programs that are designed to eliminate fragmentation. One of the best programs of this kind is Diskeeper 2008.
Diskeeper 2008 has one of the most powerful defragmentation engines ever developed. Even if your system only has a 1% of free space it can be defragged by this great program.
Diskeeper runs in the background and in real time and automatically defrags your disk when your machine is idle. Thus it can handle fragmentation as it occurs, eliminating the need for manual defragmentation.

Cobian Backup 9.1.1.193 – Good and free backup software

The new version of Cobian Backup software has been released recently. Cobian Backup is a multi-threaded application that allows to schedule and backup your files and directories from some place in your computer to other directories or drives in the same computer or to a shared drive in another machine. There is also full support for the protocol FTP. So the program lets you ability to back up your files to your FTP server.
Cobian Backup exists in two versions: software and service. Cobian Backup software uses very few resources and can be running on the background on your system, checking your backup schedule and executing your backups when it necessary.
The application supports several methods of strong encryption and compression. So it can be used not only for making backups of your file and folders but for creating security copies of them.
Cobian Backup has very simple and easy to use interface with extra-large icons that even your grandmother can read without her glasses on. Maybe the program lacks some features of more powerful backup software products but it allows you to create and schedule an automated backup of all your important files in a few minutes.

Smart Defrag – Very Efficient Defragger

Fragmentation of hard disk drive space is generally main cause of slow and unstable computer performance. Smart Defrag is one of the most efficient disk defragmenters. With the help of this program you can keep your hard disc drive space from becoming excessively defragemented.
Smart Defrag is very easy to use and maintain. You can just install it and forget it. The program works automatically and quietly in the background while your computer is idle and doesn't need additional user manual intervention for basic maintenance. While working in the background, the program only uses up 14MB of RAM, so it's feasible to run it smoothly on aged machines.
The program also includes a manual defrag option where you are able to set up to defrag whenever you want and schedule defragmentations. Smart Defrag can shutdown your computer after defragmentation.

PhotoFiltre 6.3.0 – The Best Free Digital Image Editor

PhotoFiltre is an excellent tool for anyone who wants to retouch their digital photos. Actually, I think it’s one of the best free digital image editors for Windows PCs that is available today. Though PhotoFiltre is not for professional use, it may be a good alternative to such programs as Adobe Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro.
PhotoFiltre has simple, but elegant user interface that is very easy to use.
The program has a well designed set of toolbars. You easily notice the toolbar with the most frequently used tools, with easy recognizable icons. Other toolbars give you access to more advanced tools such as gamma correction, dust reduction and another standard filters with just a few clicks.

ACDSee Photo Manager 2009 – The Best Digital Imaging Software

ACDSee Photo Manager 2009 is now available. The new version of these powerful digital imaging software designed for digital photographers, crafters and scrapbookers. ACDSee Photo Manager is a comprehensive application ideal for viewing, acquiring, enhancing, organizing and sharing your images. Improved features make ACDSee Photo Manager 2009 the quickest, most flexible and affordably priced organization software available for at-home use.
The new user interface is wholly customizable, and offers fast access to tools and features. You can customize the screen layout, the order of pictures, toolbar display, and many other options to suit your preferences. ACDSee Photo Manager is very easy to use image management software that everyone from novices to professionals can use and enjoy.

Winamp 5.52 – Universal Media Player

Winamp is flexible and free multimedia player designed to play and manage your music. But Winamp is more than just a player. It is your window to the world of multimedia. From mp3s to streaming video Winamp is the one place you go to feed your audio and video habit.
Winamp supports a great number of audio and video formats. It can play any video or audio file for which there are built-in, or external decoders. Winamp also plays streamed audio and video content, interacts with online shops and online-services, synchronize audio files with portable digital players, and more.
Moreover, it has an extremely customizable media library, and allows you to rip and burn your favorite music CDs.
Winamp has highly flexible and customizable interface. There are thousands of skins and plug-ins that allow you to completely modify the appearance of the player interface and add new features. It is also worth mentioning a new Bento layout that gets Winamp away from the old modular design. The joined panes for the media library, browser, media player, playlist editor and more make Winamp at once more visually attractive.