Computeractive! Latest downloads

SUMo 2.6.2.77

Lee Collins — 2009-07-14T10:31:00.000Z

Lee Collins, vnunet.com, Tuesday 14 July 2009 at 10:31:00

Keep your installed software up-to-date

Install software on your machine and you'll expect it has been through rigorous internal testing so there are few problems after installation. Not always so, particularly when the majority of software is produced by individual developers.

As software is updated regularly, issues involving erratic software performance can simply be down to the particular version of the application you may be using. Even release software can include bugs and problems in early stages, with older versions of software may not be stable on a newer operating system.

SUMo (Software Update Monitor) is designed to help keep applications up-to-date. The simple update reminders that are integral to many applications are great if you use the software regularly, but SUMo will alert you when updates are available, even if you are not using a particular program.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.39

Chris Wiles — 2009-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

Chris Wiles, vnunet.com, Tuesday 14 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Protection from malicious software

This is the software publisher's description.

Have you ever considered what makes an anti-spyware program an effective one? We at Malwarebytes have thought long and hard about that seemingly simple question.

Your computer is under constant attack from several types of malware (virus, worm, trojan, rootkit, dialer, spyware, etc) that are constantly evolving. There exists a real war between this malware and the anti-malware community. Only the most sophisticated anti-malware techniques can now keep your computer running safe, sound and secure.

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is a full-blown anti-malware program that has recently left our labs and can be considered the next step in the detection and removal of malware. We put together a host of new technologies that were especially designed to quickly detect, deter and destroy any malware that could reside in your computer.

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware monitors every process and actually stops malicious processes before they even start. It uses our impressive technology that is in fact a completely novel way of heuristic scanning and it is our response to the increasingly complex malware threats. And, as we did with our Malwarebytes’ RogueRemover we also have added a threats center. You can simply check online which pests are removed the most and thus are the most prevalent.

Ashampoo Photo Commander 7.21

Lee Collins — 2009-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

Lee Collins, vnunet.com, Tuesday 14 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Organise, edit and share your photos

This is a software publisher's description.

Perfect example of a new generation of programs that are genuinely intuitive easy to use. It makes organizing your pictures and getting them to look great as simple as pressing the button on your camera. You’ll save time, have a barrel of fun and your friends and family will be really impressed.

Almost everything is done with a couple of clicks – adding picture frames, correcting your photos, making greeting cards, collages and slide shows, sharing your pictures on CDs/DVDs or your website and much more.

Ashampoo Photo Commander is a one-stop solution. You organize and view your photo collection, edit and enhance your photos and use creative editing and project tools all in a single program. And it also manages your audio.

Ashampoo Internet Accelerator 3.10

Lee Collins — 2009-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

Lee Collins, vnunet.com, Tuesday 14 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Faster web surfing made easy

This is a software publisher's description.

Many Windows settings work in harmony in order to get the best out of an available internet connection. Unfortunately, the factory design of these settings means that they are often not optimised for a particular connection type, or they are adjusted by a newly installed software product unasked. The consequences are plain to see: the computer can’t get the best out of your internet connection. As a user, this means you have to wait longer until web pages have loaded in your browser or until internet downloads are finished.

A slow internet connection costs time and gets on your nerves. For this reason, taking the time to optimise the settings is almost considered a must – particularly since an optimisation in terms of speed doesn’t come with any additional cost, neither for a hardware extension nor for the software, as the Ashampoo Internet Accelerator 2 can be used completely free of charge.

a-squared Free 4.5.0.8

Lee Collins — 2009-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

Lee Collins, vnunet.com, Tuesday 14 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Protect your system with this security tool

This is the software publisher's description.

Security must not be a privilege. Under this motto, Emsi Software provides the Malware scanner a-squared Free completely free of charge for private use. But it is not a very limited version, it is a full tool to clean your computer from Malware. Not only Spywares, as detected by classic Anti-Spyware programs, but also especially Trojans, Backdoors, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and a lot of other destructive pests, which makes it dangerous to surf the web.

Trojans and Backdoors provide strangers with access to your PC. Once a Backdoor is installed, an attacker can take full control of your computer. A Trojan is best described as a piece of software pretending to be something it is not - they often contain Backdoors, and usually arrive as email attachments. A Keylogger is a type of Malware that invisibly records all keyboard activity, whereas Rootkits hide on your PC and manipulate internal system operations. a-squared Free specializes in recognizing and eliminating these types of Malware.

Your personal data and information is worth a great deal of money to certain advertising companies. They have no qualms about smuggling software into your system, recording information and spying on everything you do. Adverts that change the start page of your browser also belong in the Spyware/Adware category. a-squared Free completely removes Spyware from your PC. Traces of Spyware in the Registry and Tracking Cookies are also recognized.

This is the new v4 which now contains both anti-virus and anti-spyware modules, amongst other new features.

WPanorama 9.4.1

Chris Wiles — 2009-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

Chris Wiles, vnunet.com, Monday 13 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Turn photos in to panoramic images

Most of us own a digital camera, but the majority of us use it in exactly the same manner as our old SLR cameras.

We ask our family to stand by a local structure and then take a picture of them in front of the object. We get home, put them up on our homepage, and we all see the same photos that everyone else has taken.

Our digital cameras enable us to take many photos without us requiring a new film roll after only 36 photos, so why not make better use of your camera?

WPanorama is a tool that will enable you to create a 360 degree panorama image from your digital photos. For instance, if you're standing in a middle of a room, use your digital camera to take shots of each section of the internal room and then use WPanorama to stitch these photos together to create one panoramic image.

Once you're happy with your panorama, you can choose to export as an AVI movie, which you could place on your homepage and enable friends and family to be part of your holiday experience.

Fresh UI 8.36

Chris Wiles — 2009-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

Chris Wiles, V3.co.uk, Monday 13 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Optimise and tweak Windows

There are many options in Windows that are hidden and unavailable to the average user. Unless you know what you're doing, and are prepared to manually edit your Registry (not advised!), you'll never find the majority of these options.

Tweak UI is a simple application designed to get the most from Windows. The majority of the hidden options are included, along with many of the 'hard to find' options, such as the facility to turn off internal disc burning within Windows, or the autoplay option so CDs do not autoplay when you insert them in your computer.

This tool has been around for a long time so is tried and tested and safe to install, although it requires free registration.

EssentialPIM Free 3.04

Chris Wiles — 2009-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

Chris Wiles, vnunet.com, Monday 13 July 2009 at 00:00:00

Personal information & task manager

EssentialPIM is a free and multilingual personal information manager which includes three components: a calendar, note taker and contact manager.

It has a very usable interface, with things kept simple but extremely functional. This results in a small file size, and the use of few system resources.

The Calendar comes with day, week, month and year views, reminders and repeat options. The Notes component includes all the usual formatting options (bold, italics etc) along with the ability to insert images or tables.

Finally, the Contacts element lets you store work and personal details for individuals, along with IM details, images and birthdays.

If you're an Outlook or Outlook Express user, you can import existing data directly into EssentialPIM. Data can also be exported in HTML, RT, CSV and TXT formats.

Multiple databases can be created, so you can have separate PIMs for work and home, or for each family member. For security, each database can be password-protected and encrypted.

This release of EssentialPIM and now enables you to synchronise your calendar with Windows Mobile 5.x and smartphones, two-way Google synchronisation, a sticky notes option to post your 'to do' notes to your desktop and many other improvements and fixes.