Free Software

Microsoft has released Script Browser 1.1, an excellent PowerShell ISE add-on which makes it easy to find, view and download PowerShell scripts.

The program equips the ISE with a simple TechNet search tool. Enter a keyword or two here, click Enter and it displays a list of any matches, including script name, rating, description and author. Double-clicking displays more details -- including the script itself -- and you can copy it to the clipboard, or open it in the ISE.

Softland has released doPDF 8.0, a major new release of its free PDF printer driver that allows Windows users to output any document in PDF format for sharing or viewing.

Version 8.0 adds the NovaPDF plug-in for converting Microsoft Office documents from within Office with one click. It also comes with new predefined forms to take the total number supported to over 80.

Anvisoft has released Anvi OneStart, a Start menu replacement for Windows 8.x.

If you’re thinking "not another one", then we know what you mean, but this one is a little different: it can also be set up to show the Start Screen, but on the desktop -- not maximized.

The Tweaking.com website has released Windows Repair 2.7.0, a major update to its collection of Windows fix-it tools. Also available in portable form, version 2.7.0 adds a new start-up check for reliability purposes.

The new release also includes a new repair tool -- Repair Service Permissions -- to take the total number of fix-it tools to 30, and has been rewritten in parts to work better with Windows 8 and 8.1 machines.

Just over six weeks after entering beta, the Apache Software Foundation has released final version of Apache OpenOffice 4.1. The update is relatively minor, building on the major changes introduced in version 4 last year.

One notable new feature making its bow in version 4.1 is support for annotating and commenting on selected text ranges. Meanwhile Mac users should be aware that from version 4.1, OpenOffice becomes 64-bit only.

You have a PDF document you’d like to share with others -- but there’s a problem. It has one or two objects which really should be removed: a logo, a phone number, a line of text, whatever it might be.

You could solve this by opening the document in a full-strength PDF editor, carefully editing it to suit your needs.

Irish security developer Safer Networking has released Spybot -- Search & Destroy 2.3, a minor -- but significant -- update to its Windows anti-malware tool.

The update debuts a brand new Notifications feature that allows users to receive scan results remotely, plus implements a number of improvements to scan performance as well as usability.

Microsoft has updated its .NET Framework Repair Tool to version 1.2, adding the ability to detect and fix issues with .NET Framework 4.5 and 4.5.1.

As with previous releases, the Repair Tool can only address MSI-installed updates of the .NET Framework from 3.5 SP1 to 4.5.1, and won’t touch the version installed with Windows.

Mozilla has released Firefox 29.0 FINAL for desktop, with Firefox for Android 29.0 also due for release shortly. Version 29 is a landmark release, sporting a major redesign of the program interface.

It also debuts a vastly improved -- and simpler -- Firefox Sync function using accounts, finalizes and enables the Gamepad API and offers a new interactive new tour to help step users through the new user interface.

Screen Courier is a small but interesting screen capture tool from Mister Group, the developer of System Explorer.

The program installs quickly and easily. There’s no adware, and even though it can host your captures online, no registration is required.

Ralph Richardson has released FreeOCR 5.0.2, a major update of his free OCR tool for Windows. Version 5.0.2 introduces one notable new feature -- automatic scan cleanup -- and adds official support for Windows 8.1.

It also fixes some bugs when using TWAIN scanners and changes the automatic updater tool to point to the program website rather than attempt to download a new version due to warnings flagged up by selected security tools.

It’s bad enough removing all those programs your PC manufacturer "thoughtfully" chose to include on your Windows 8 PC, but now it feels like Microsoft is at the same game. If you’re hankering to trim back the number of Modern UI apps pre-installed with Windows 8 or its immediate successors, then you need Windows 8 App Remover.

This tiny 220KB portable program acts as a graphical front end for a Microsoft tool -- dism.exe -- that does the hard work of getting shot of the files in one go, making it a much easier job than removing them individually or grappling with command-line parameters.

Piriform Ltd has released CCleaner 4.13 and CCleaner Portable 4.13, the latest versions of its popular Windows cleaning tool. Version 4.13 adds support for Windows 8.1 Update and Windows Server 2012 R2 Update.

It also comes with improved browser cleaning tools as well as some general program improvements and support for three new applications, including Real Player Cloud.

Avira has released Avira Free Mac Security 2.0.4, an update to its free anti-virus tool for Macs. Version 2.0.4 boasts a user interface redesign as well as performance improvements and tweaks to the Scheduled Update and Scheduled Scan tools.

The update also adds support for scanning network shares and squashes a number of bugs that plagued earlier versions.

Sordum has released Simple Run Blocker, a compact portable tool which can prevent users on your PC from running certain applications.

The program is very simple to use. Drag and drop any target executables onto the Simple Run Blocker interface, save those settings, and the application should be blocked (although we found you may need to restart Explorer or reboot, first).