Mike Williams

If your digital photo collection is something of a mess then there are thousands of programs that promise they can restore order. And so, like us, you probably don’t see an urgent need for any more.

Snaps is a genuinely interesting photo manager and viewer, though, that offers a little more than some of the more identikit competition. And while the program has some problems, in part because it’s still very young (it’s currently at version 0.3.9), there’s already enough functionality to be useful and it shows plenty of promise for the future.

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Setting up a local installation of WordPress on your own PC can be a convenient way to test themes and plugins, but it’s not the simplest of tasks. Along with WordPress itself you’ll need to install and configure PHP, a server, database and more.

Sounds too much like hard work? Then you might prefer Instant WordPress, which provides everything you need and requires no complex configuration at all.

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Making a USB key bootable sounds like it should be a reasonably straightforward task, but the reality can be very different. There are a lot of variables to consider, and in some cases it can take a very long time to figure out how things should work on your particular system.

If you’re having difficulties, though, one way to improve your chances of success is to ensure you’re using a program that gives you plenty of options, and there are few tools quite as versatile as RMPrepUSB.

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Getting text or images into the Windows clipboard is generally very easy; pressing Ctrl+C or choosing a right-click option is probably all you need. Getting it out again can be more a hassle, though. If you’ve just pressed PrtSc to capture the current screen, for instance, then you may need to launch a graphics program, paste the screen grab there and click File > Save to get it to disc.

Fortunately there is a simpler way. Install the free-for-personal-use Paste As File and you’ll be able to save the contents of the clipboard (image or text) directly to a file with a couple of clicks.

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Acronis has released True Image 2013, the latest edition of its power-packed backup tool. And while the program isn’t exactly the most revolutionary of updates, it does include some important changes.

The new edition is now fully compatible with Windows 8, for instance, good news if you’re planning to upgrade on or near release date.

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If you like your security suites to be hassle-free then Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 should impress you immediately. Installation was quick and easy, no complicated options to consider and the program was up and running in under a minute on our test PC.

The simplicity continues, at least for those familiar with the 2012 interface, because apart from a few minor tweaks the suite looks and feels very much the same: a clean and clear display keeps you to-to-date with current threats, update status, licence details and more, while a scrolling toolbar provides easy access to the program’s various modules.

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Moonchild Productions has released Pale Moon 15, the latest edition of its custom Firefox build, an important upgrade that sees the program take a new direction.

While previously the browser has focused very much on low-level JavaScript benchmarking as a measure of success, that’s now changed, the developer told us: "I’m going by (subjective) overall speed and smoothness as that is what really matters to end users".

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The betas are over, the final bugs squashed (well, hopefully), and Kaspersky Lab has just revealed the final versions of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 and Kaspersky Internet Security 2013.

And while outwardly the new packages look very similar to the previous versions, explore a little further and there are some useful additions and improvements to be found.

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When you’re trying to remember that important URL you visited yesterday then viewing your browser’s history will probably provide the details you need. But if you’ve more than one browser installed then it could still take quite some time to trawl through your previous online sessions.

Fortunately there’s now a simpler option in the shape of BrowsingHistoryView, the latest NirSoft release, which presents your Firefox, IE, Chrome and Safari histories all in a single table.

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Adobe Systems has released a new version of Muse, its coding-free web design tool, and the program is packed with significant additions and updates.

A new Forms widget, for instance, makes it easy to add a custom form to your page. Alignment tools help you align page objects in relation to each other, and asset support means you can now link to PDF files, archives, executables and more, ready for your visitors to download.

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Streaming media, downloading files, running a backup -- there are all kinds of reasons why you might leave your laptop (or any PC) alone for a while. But if your home has babies, pets or other curious passers-by then that could lead to problems, as even a single stray mouse click or key press could interrupt whatever you’re trying to do.

And that’s where KeyboardLock comes in. Small, portable and entirely free, the program can block keyboard and mouse events on demand, making it a little more difficult for even the most determined dog to affect your system setup. (Unless they hit the power switch, anyway.)

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If you need to free up some hard drive space then using something like CCleaner to remove leftover and temporary files is a good place to start. But duplicate files can also tie up a surprising amount of real estate, and so it’s often a good idea to use a specialist duplicate detector, such as CloneSpy, to see how bad the problem might be on your system.

To get started, launch the program, click Add Folder and choose the drive you’d like to scan: C:\, say. Click Add Selected Folder > OK > Start Scanning, and in just a few seconds (it’s very fast) CloneSpy will display the first pair of matching files.

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The PC world has more than its share of image viewers, which makes it difficult for any one product to stand out from the crowd. FreeVimager is a rare exception, though, winning you over by its sheer weight of features and functionality.

You get the core viewer basics, of course. The program can associate itself with individual file types (AVI and some audio formats as well as basic images), or open entire folders to display them as a slideshow. And there’s a decent set of image editing options: resize, rotate or crop tools; sharpen and soften filters; brightness, contrast and colour adjustments, a red-eye remover and more.

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Uninstalling an application doesn’t seem like it should be such a difficult task: make a note of what you add to a PC during installation, then remove it all when you’re asked, right?

In reality, though, many installers leave assorted files, folders and Registry keys behind to clutter your hard drive and slow your system down. But grab a copy of Mirekusoft Install Monitor and you’ll be able to quickly identify these leftovers, and clean up them all with a click.

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Visit YouTube in your browser and it’s easy enough to search for and play any videos you like. Downloading individual clips and using them offline is a little more difficult, though -- unless you get help from a third-party tool like YouTube Mate.

Launch the program and it’ll immediately begin monitoring your clipboard for YouTube URLs. If you find a video you’d like to save, just copy the address to the clipboard, and YouTube Mate will pop up a Download dialog. Click OK, choose the video format and resolution you’d like to save (there’s full HD support here) and watch as YouTube Mate downloads and saves it for you.

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