What's in a week? 23 downloads you may have missed

There has been a great deal of activity in the security software department this week, starting with the release of Avast! 7 Free (beta2), a preview of what to expect from the upcoming antivirus tool. Interesting features such as the Reputation Service to check the safety of files and websites, and Remote Assistance for remote problem fixing, mean that this is worthy of your attention. From the same company comes another beta tool in the form of Avast! Internet Security 7 (beta2) which takes the security of your computer even more seriously.

Norton is a well-known name in the security arena and Norton 360 v6 FINAL is a complete suite of tools including a firewall, password manager and phishing protection as well as handy bonus features such as backup and system optimization.

Microsoft may be best known for producing Windows, but it is also responsible for a range of security tools. Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (32-bit) 4.5 and Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (64-bit) 4.5 are malware detection and removal utilities that do not offer real-time protection but are still useful tools nonetheless.

If you’re looking to boost your privacy as well as your security, look no further than Private Browsing 2.0, which can be used to add a number of privacy tools for Firefox, including FlashBlock and AdBlock.

Talking of web browsers, there have been a number of updates in this area, too. Google’s ever accelerating browser development continues with the release of Google Chrome 17.0.963.56 FINAL, and Mozilla shows no signs of slowing down either. The recently released final version of Firefox 10 has just been updated to Firefox 10.0.2 FINAL, while Firefox 11 Beta 3 is available if you would like to get a preview of what is coming up in a few weeks’ time.

If you’re running a 64-bit version of Windows, Waterfox 10.0.1 is a 64-bit version of Firefox that enables you to take full advantage of your hardware.

Of course, you do not need a web browser in order to use the Internet. While there are a number of online services available, they can often be accessed outside of a browser, and if you are a Google Docs user, you can take advantage of gExplore 1.0 to access your online files in a handy app.

The Internet can be a great source of video files, and in order to play back these files you will need to ensure that you have the correct codecs installed. K-Lite is a codec collection that is available in a number of forms -- K-Lite Codec Pack Basic 8.4.0,  K-Lite Codec Pack Standard 8.4.0, K-Lite Codec Pack Full 8.4.0 and K-Lite Codec Pack Mega 8.4.0 – and covers almost every video and audio format imaginable.

For anyone who is interested in getting the most form their computer rather than just using it, there have been a number of interesting releases. PC Wizard 2012.2.0 is an immensely useful utility that can be used to find out everything you could possibly need to know about the hardware and software you have – a great tool when it comes to diagnosing problems and upgrading your system.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 9 FINAL is, as the name suggests, a powerful collection of utilities designed to help you to boost the performance of your computer, perform maintenance tasks and much more. If you prefer not to part with any cash and are happy to work with the tools that are included with Windows, Windows 7 in a Box 1.0.0.0 provides easy access to a variety of accessories.

Backup, backup, backup should be the mantra for any computer user, and to make life a little easier in this department, Paragon System Backup 11 is a reasonably priced backup tool that enables you to easily, and automatically, backup your valuable files. But first you need to have created some files to backup, and if you’re in need of a word processor, spreadsheet, database or presentation tool, look no further than the update offshoot of Open Office, LibreOffice Productivity Suite 3.5.0 FINAL.

All of your PDF creation and editing needs can be catered for with Nitro Pro 7.2.0.12 [32-bit]. and there is also a 64-bit version of this PDF software available in the form of Nitro Pro 7.2.0.12 [64-bit]. The discovery of bugs and security holes mean that it is important to keep all of your software fully up to date.

Rather than manually checking countless websites to see if there are any updates available, take a look at updated Downloadcrew UpdateScanner 2.0.0.2 Beta which can do all of the hard work for you.

The past seven days have been busy and the coming week is shaping up to be similarly exciting – check back this time next week for another roundup.