Nick Peers

Windows 11 is here! It’s shiny, it’s new, it’s streamlined, it’s -- er -- missing some favorite features. If you’ve discovered that the new Start menu is more stop than start, and yearn for something old and familiar, then the good news is that there are options -- both paid-for and free -- to fill the gap.

Chief among these comes from renowned Windows developer Stardock. It’s just officially released Start11 v1.0. The bad news is that it’s no longer free to use now it's out of beta, but you can at least give it a trial run before deciding if $5.99 is a fair price to pay for it.

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Berlin software developer O&O Software GmbH has unveiled its latest major update to its comprehensive Windows backup tool. O&O DiskImage Professional 17.0 provides users with both file-based backup and complete drive imaging for Windows PCs, and this latest release comes with the carpet rolled out for the recently released Windows 11, sporting both full compatibility with the new operating system and a user interface designed to fit seamlessly in with Microsoft’s new design.

The interface refresh -- a common feature for new O&O releases -- opts for colorful icons in place of the minimalist look favored by the previous version. The design and color scheme follows closely the recent design changes in Windows 11 itself.

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German developer SoftMaker Software GmbH has unveiled the latest version of its free office suite for Windows, Mac and Linux. SoftMaker FreeOffice 2021 is the first major release in over three years, and provides free alternatives to the key components of Microsoft Office, namely Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

New features are thin on the ground, and form just a subset of those that accompanied the commercial release of SoftMaker Office 2021 last year.

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Windows 11 is here! Well, it is for some people. If you’re currently running Windows 10 and you navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, you’ll have already verified whether your PC meets the system requirements to receive the update.

Assuming it passes muster, Microsoft would like you to wait for the update to be offered to you. But what if you can’t wait, or want to use the opportunity to create a clean install of Windows 11? What options are available to you?

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dotPDN LLC has unveiled Paint.NET 4.3.1 for Windows PCs. It follows a mere five days after the major 4.3 update, and fixes some problems introduced with the new version.

These include resolving an issue with the Explorer 'Open with' menu, which primarily affected Windows 7 and 8.1, but also some versions of Windows 10, as well as repairing image thumbnails when using File Explorer’s Details View.

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Just how bulletproof is your security package? Sadly, even the most reputable names are occasionally caught flat-footed by a new threat. If you’re serious about protecting your computer, you’ll leap at the chance to add a secondary layer of protection that works in tandem with your main package to catch threats that are missed (or ignored).

The good news is that Malwarebytes 4.0 stands ready and waiting to answer the call for reinforcements. And we’ve got a mouth-watering deal that will enable you to protect up to five devices -- Windows, Mac and Android -- in your household for the next two years -- all for under $30!

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Acronis True Image is no more. Actually, that’s not strictly true. Acronis True Image has changed its name to one that more accurately reflects the features it offers in 2021. Please welcome on to the stage, Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office 26.0 for Windows and Mac.

As major unveilings go, it’s a bit of a damp squib. Aside from the name and bump up to version 26.0, there’s no major changes from its previous incarnation, Acronis True Image 2021. But what there is still impresses: a comprehensive backup suite augmented with extensive protection against a range of online threats from malware to ransomware.

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Berlin software developer O&O Software has released O&O Defrag 25 Professional, a major new release of its extremely configurable defrag tool.

The major new feature is built-in S.M.A.R.T. functionality, enabling the program to monitor the health of a system’s hard drives and provide alerts. It’s accompanied by a new drive activity display in the Windows taskbar, and a revamped user-interface design.

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Windows 11 is fast approaching -- Microsoft has just announced it’ll be rolling out from 5 October, and still we know virtually nothing about how much it’ll cost, how it’ll be supplied and whether there will be any cheap standalone deals available.

But one thing we do know: upgrades from Windows 10 will be free. So why risk having to pay big bucks for Windows 11, when you can purchase a copy of Windows 10 for as little as $49.99? Read on to find out what new features are coming, then discover how to get a risk-free Windows 11 upgrade at a price you can afford.

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Another month, another major Firefox update. This time, Firefox 91 brings with it two major changes of note: improvements to its Total Cookie Protection feature, and support for logging into Microsoft, work and school accounts through Windows single sign-on.

Total Cookie Protection, introduced back in February when Firefox was a mere 86 iterations old, aims to confine cookies to the site where they were created as part of an attempt to put the brakes on invasive tracking cookies from third-party companies.

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Parallels International GmbH has unveiled a major update to its eclectic toolkit for Windows and Mac users with the release of Parallels Toolbox 5.0. The latest new release adds five additional tools to its roster, along with a handful of improvements and other enhancements.

Version 5.0 opens by adding two new barcode tools. First, Barcode Generator can be used to generate 13 different types of barcodes including QR codes and EAN-8/EAN-13 codes. QR codes can be generated simply by typing (or pasting) the content to encode. The code can then be saved as PNG image or copied to the clipboard.

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After last month’s major redesign, you’d be forgiven for thinking Firefox might take it easy with its latest update. But while there are no standout features to rival version 89’s facelift, Firefox 90 sports some notable new features and improvements to make the update a noteworthy one.

The Windows build gets particular attention with this new release. Firefox 90 introduces a new about:third-party page to help users identify compatibility problems caused by third-party modules and apps.

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The big reveal has been made: Windows 11 is coming later in the year, and it’ll be a free upgrade. So if you’ve been putting off the move to Windows 10, relax: you can buy or upgrade now, then upgrade again when the new OS becomes available.

Windows 11 offers more than a simple facelift over Windows 10 -- although at first glance you might think that many of the features announced yesterday amount to little more than windows dressing.

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For years, millions of PC users have trusted CCleaner to keep their computers clean and running smoothly. Now Piriform has added a major new feature to the tool’s impressive roster with its latest release, CCleaner Professional 5.82.

That feature is a full driver updater tool, enabling users to check their computer for out-of-date drivers, plus apply updates quickly and easily.

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Big tech takes an ever-increasing role in our lives, with Google and Amazon in particular seemingly insatiable when it comes to dangling more exciting new services in front of us in exchange for another slice of our privacy. If you’re looking for ways to fight back, then Vivaldi Technologies' latest browser release should interest you.

Billing itself as a "real alternative to Big Tech", Vivaldi 4.0 arrives packed with yet more privacy-first tools, including beta releases of built-in mail client, calendar tool and feed reader for those who want them.

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