Free Software

If you want to clear out temporary files and other left over junk on your computer’s hard drive, Piriform’s CCleaner is arguably the best free solution.

For the past two years, the publisher has been working on a web-based version of CCleaner called Project Agomo. The service was in private beta, so to use it you needed to register your interest and await an invite. That all changes from today however, as Project Agomo is no more. Say hello to its replacement -- CCleaner Cloud.

Mozilla has released Firefox 41 FINAL for desktop, with Firefox for Android 41.0 due imminently.

The desktop build introduces a large number of mainly incremental changes – the most interesting are profile picture support for Firefox Accounts and the addition of instant messaging to Firefox Hello -- while the mobile version makes it possible to utilize different search providers from the search panel.

Windows integrity levels are a key element of your PC’s security, often manipulated by malware, and one reason why you sometimes can’t access files, folders or Registry keys. But most users don’t even know they exist, because there’s no standard graphical interface for viewing them.

MicEnum is a free portable tool which makes it easy to browse the integrity levels for files, folders and Registry keys, scan for anomalies, and -- in some situations -- even change them.

Freeware developer Sordum has released Simple VHD Manager, a tiny portable tool which makes it easier to access and use virtual drives (VHD, VHDX, ISO) in Windows 7 and later.

Drag and drop your files onto the program and they can be attached in a couple of clicks, making them freely accessible in Explorer.

Classic RTS game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is currently available for free via Electronic Arts' "On the house" scheme.

You get the full package, both campaigns -- Red Alert 2 and Yuri’s Revenge -- and it’s yours to keep forever.

EPub is a popular format for eBooks, but PC viewing support is still a little patchy, and the files can be hard to open.

Fortunately there are plenty of free ePub readers around which make it easier to build and browse your own eBook library.

Storing personal data in the cloud makes it convenient to access, but there might be security and privacy concerns. Can anyone else access your information during transmission? On the server? Will the company get hacked one day, compromising your account details?

Encryptr is a cross-platform (Windows, Android, OS X and Linux) cloud-based password manager and e-wallet, which might offer a better way.

Paint.NET is a great freeware image editor, easy to use and with a stack of essential features.

The program isn’t updated as often as we’d like, but if you need more functionality then it’s easy to extend the latest 64-bit edition with free Photoshop filters.

If you’ve been using PCs for longer than 5 minutes then you’ve almost certainly run into the limitations of the Windows clipboard, and tried a few clipboard managers to keep a complete history of your copy-and-pasting.

Testing out yet another example in CLCL probably isn’t high on your list of priorities, then. But wait -- it’s way more interesting than you might expect.

High Motion Software has extended its batch image processor ImBatch with a new scripting engine.

ImBatch 4.20’s Tools menu now includes a Script Editor, enabling users to dynamically change the current batch task based on any criteria, then maybe skipping one task, running something else, whatever they need.

Oracle has released VirtualBox 5.0.4, the first publicly flagged maintenance release for the 5.0 series of its virtualization tool for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Version 5.0 introduced support for USB 3.0 and hardware virtualization among other improvements, and version 5.0.4 is almost exclusively a bug-fix update.

German developer Ashampoo has shipped Ashampoo AntiSpy for Windows 10, yet another free tool for tweaking Windows 10’s many privacy and security settings.

There’s support for tweaking 40+ options covering browsing, updates, location features, webcam/ microphone access, Cortana, Contacts and Calendar, and assorted telemetry settings.

DirectShow video renderer madVR 0.89.1 has shipped with a host of new features and configuration options.

Anamorphic lens support allows the video image to be scaled correctly for even more screen sizes and ratios.

From PC novices to Windows experts, just about everyone needs to access the Windows Registry occasionally. But the standard REGEDIT doesn’t exactly make this easy, and it hasn’t seen any significant changes in years.

Registry Finder is a free tool which improves on the editing process with a strong set of extras and enhancements.

Spybot developer Safer Networking has released Spybot Anti-Beacon, a portable free tool which makes it easy to disable a host of Windows 10 tracking technologies.

Just launching the program displays the current status of 10 "problem" areas: Telemetry Hosts/ Services/ Group Policy, Consumer Experience Improvement Program Group Policy/ Scheduled Tasks, Application Impact Telemetry, Steps Recorder, WiFi Sense, "Apps use advertising ID" and P2P Windows Updates.