Advanced SystemCare Free
Slow down, freeze, crash, and security threats are over. Advanced SystemCare Free is a comprehensive PC care utility that takes a one-click approach to help protect, repair, and optimize your computer. It provides an all-in-one and super convenient solution for PC maintenance and protection. All work will be done with 1 click and 1 minute. Compared with its nearest competitor, Advanced SystemCare Free provides the more essential and practical formula for Windows: Removing Spyware and Adware, Preventing Security Threats, Privacy Protection, Fixing Registry Errors, Temporary Files Cleanup, Startup Cleanup, Repairing Windows, Speeding up System and 1-click Mechanism.
This utility offers a one-stop-shop for cleaning and maintaining your computer for better overall system performance. The interface is very simple, featuring only a few buttons, which makes it easy to get down to cleaning immediately (in fact, it automatically runs on start-up) and doesn’t confuse you with multiple steps.
The Maintain Windows section focuses on four areas of maintenance: spyware removal, Registry cleaning, a privacy sweep, and deletion of junk files. The Diagnose System button provides system optimization tools, detects spyware, defragments your disk, and scans for hijacked Windows settings. In our tests the scan and clean for each of these areas took less than 10 minutes to complete. In many of these scans, it is difficult to tell what exactly is being accomplished by some of the tools, but we were able to test against other trusted apps, which confirmed Advanced SystemCare’s efficacy in those areas.
Under the utilities section you are given several tools, which are similar to plug-ins, for other areas of optimization and diagnostic tests. Overall, Advanced SystemCare Free is a good way to maintain your system’s speed and clear out junk files, but you’ll need to remember to run it regularly because scheduling of scans is only available in the paid Pro version.
Windows 7 Release Candidate
Windows 7 is the updated version of the Vista operating system from Microsoft. It was built around feedback from users and has been developed to work with touch screen controls, among other features.
However, because Microsoft isn’t providing technical support for the Beta, we strongly recommend that only experienced computer users sign up. How experienced? At minimum, you should be comfortable backing up a computer, formatting a hard drive, burning an ISO file to DVD, and installing an operating system from scratch. You should also be comfortable troubleshooting problems on your own. If you’ve not used beta software before, please read the warning messages and make sure you know what you’re getting into.
Windows 7 provides an improved taskbar and full-screen previews. Jump Lists put the documents you want handy and the ones you’ve used recently a couple clicks away. Desktop enhancements simplify how you work with the windows on your desktop. You’ll have more intuitive ways to open, close, resize, and arrange them. Introduced with Windows Vista, Windows Search helps you find virtually anything on your PC quickly and easily. Windows 7 also makes search results more relevant and easier to understand. Available now, Internet Explorer 8 helps you do what you want online, faster. With Windows 7, you’ll use a single Devices and Printers screen to connect, manage, and use whatever printers, phones, and other devices you have on-hand.
CNET REVIEW
License: Free to try
Additional Requirements:
1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit), 16GB disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit), DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0
Limitations: No limitations
Broadband Speed Tests - Is There Any Point?
Gone are the days when those who have Internet connection at their homes had to suffer congested lines and super-slow connection speeds which are provided by dial-up modem services.
As the demand for higher-speed Internet services has increased, more and more subscribers are switching to broadband Internet - choosing it over the traditional dial-up Internet services.
To have a deeper understanding of the reason behind the high demand of consumers when it comes to broadband Internet services, take a look at its benefits:
1. Broadband Internet allows an individual to free up the phone lines while connecting to the Internet at the same time. If you have a dial-up modem, this is not possible because you will be using the phone line to connect to the Internet - unless you have two separate phone line.
2. With broadband Internet services, you can finish uploading or downloading data at a speedier rate.
3. Browsing through web pages using a broadband Internet connection is much faster.
4. Your online activities will be optimized if you have broadband Internet services, from instant messaging, Internet calling to file sharing.
5. More importantly, broadband Internet is more cost-effective as compared to dial-up Internet services.
Broadband Speed Test: Its Definition and How it Works
If you already have a broadband Internet connection at home, you may have stumbled upon sites which offer free broadband speed tests.
How exactly do broadband speed tests work? Are they accurate? What benefits will you get if you try an online speed checker to determine the speed of your broadband connection?
First, let us define what broadband Internet speed tests actually do. As the name implies, this type of test will help you calculate or determine the speed of your Internet connection.
When you visit a site which offers free broadband Internet speed testing - it works in such a way that when you click on the button to begin the testing - a file will be downloaded from a server.
In some cases, a file will also be uploaded from a server. After the test is finished, the average upload and download speed will be measured. This way, you will know whether your Internet Service Provider or ISP is living up to its promise of giving you a particular broadband Internet speed.
Broadband Speed Test: Does this “Speed Checker” Really Work?
As you can see from the aforementioned explanation, the way that broadband Internet speed tests work is exceedingly simple. As such - there may be instances when the results are not 100% accurate.
For example, if you are from the United Kingdom and you go to a broadband Internet speed test site which is based in the US - the results of the test may vary.
This is why it is recommended that you visit local sites within the UK if you want to determine your broadband Internet speed through online speed checkers.
However, the good thing about these broadband Internet speed tests is that they can be used if you are experiencing a problem with your speed or connection. If the results of the speed test is way off from the download or upload speed that you are expecting from your ISP - then you can call them up to have your Internet connection checked.
Article Author : Caroline Telford
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.36
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is a high performance anti-malware application that thoroughly removes even the most advanced malware and spyware. With one of the fastest, most effective quick scans and malware removal capabilities on the market, this program is the perfect addition to your PC’s defenses. The full version of the product includes a number of key features, including the ability to schedule updates and scans and most importantly, a real-time malware protection module that blocks malicious processes before they even start.
Version 1.36 adds new heuristics for Vundo infections.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a surprisingly effective freeware antimalware tool. It’s a relatively speedy malware remover, with the quick scan taking about 8 minutes even with other high-resource programs running. The heuristics engine proved on multiple computers during empirical testing that it was capable of determining the difference between false positives and dangerous apps.
The app has some nice features rolled in, too. It supports multiple drive scanning including networked drives, context menu options including a scan-on-demand for individual files, and the FileAssassin option under the More Tools section for removing locked files. The interface is simple, but pleasant-looking and well-organized. Tabs live just below the oversized logo, with few options per tab to keep down the clutter. The installation process was fast enough, but interestingly offered up the well-kept changelog and an instant definition file update.
Do note that the real-time protection is restricted to the paid version, as is the scheduler for updates and scans. Overall, though, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a responsive malware remover that does what it should with a minimum of fuss.
License: Free to try
Limitations: Realtime protection disabled
uTorrent 1.8.3
uTorrent is a powerful and efficient BitTorrent client for Windows. Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in uTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading, and Mainline DHT. Additionally, uTorrent supports the protocol encryption joint specification and peer exchange. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources–typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren’t there at all.
Version 1.8.2 is a bug-fixing release.
Still not for the faint of heart, this torrent utility is one of the easiest to use. The uTorrent executable adds a directory and some option information to your PC, but it is still small enough to run off an old USB key. The memory footprint for uTorrent is very small, and system resources are barely touched. Our testers found that IP phones were difficult to use with a torrent, but uTorrent’s simple button interface makes it easy to pause downloading.
The most difficult aspect of using a torrent client is finding the torrents, but included are both a torrent search bar that links to MiniNova and a handy RSS feed download function. Subscribe to select feeds, and uTorrent automatically downloads files as they publish. Adding, starting, pausing, and listing torrents takes merely a click or two each. A speed guide helps you test your ports and adjust system settings for optimal performance.
Even though uTorrent is now owned by BitTorrent, there haven’t been many noticeable drawbacks, if any. Some tried-and-true BitTorrent options are available to uTorrent users, such as Local Peer Discovery and DHT Network. The latest version also includes Teredo and Ipv6 support, and patches a critical security error that has been discovered in all pre-1.8 builds, making this one of the secure torrent clients around. Throw in all the other features, and that should make it the torrent program of choice for novices, intermediate, and advanced users.
License: Free
Limitations: No limitations
Internet Explorer 8
Internet Explorer 8 adds accelerators to provide instant access to information like maps, web searches, translations, email, blogging, and more; faster performance; a smart address bar; improved privacy protection; and Compatibility View for displaying websites designed for older browsers.
Internet Explorer 8 addresses just about all of the major concerns that users and critics have had with the world’s most used browser. Whether they get answered in a way you like is another matter.
There are several new and interesting features. Web Slices lets you save predefined sections of a Web page for at-a-glance viewing. Instead of going to a traffic Web site for updates, the latest commuting news comes to you. Similarly, Accelerators make repetitive tasks one-click behaviors, for instance finding directions or blogging. InPrivate browsing introduces a cache and history on-off switch, while related tabs are color-coded and automatically reorganized as you open them. There’s also tab sandboxing, which means that when a tab crashes, IE itself won’t, and it even tries to resurrect the page that crashed.
There’s a greater emphasis on Web standards and security than before. The SmartScreen and cross-site scripting filters throw up a red warning page when you’re about to visit an unsafe site. There’s also domain highlighting, which grays out the name of the URL you’re looking at except for the domain itself. This sounds simple, but effectively draws attention to spoofed site URLs. There’s also a compatibility button so that sites designed specifically for IE 7 and earlier can still be viewed.
IE 8 lacks a default “smart” location bar that many other browsers have, but you can search your history and most visited pages from there. Also, the installation process still requires a reboot–unimpressive, to say the least. Drawbacks aside, there’s no reason to not upgrade if you’re an old fan of IE, and there’s even a few things in IE 8 for new users.
License: Free
Limitations: No limitations
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