Free Software

Windows gadgets made their first appearance in Vista as a convenient way to install tiny desktop tools like clocks, system monitors or weather applets.

The technology was retired in 2012 due to security vulnerabilities, but these days any danger is minimal, and if you were a fan then 8GadgetPack provides an easy way to run more than 50 gadgets on Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 PCs.

Download a large dataset from just about anywhere and there’s a good chance it’ll available as a CSV file, which you can then open in just about any spreadsheet or database.

And if you don’t have access to any heavy-duty data processing packages right now, you could always try CSVed, a tiny free Windows tool for browsing, editing and generally processing CSV files.

Chinese tech startup Duodian Network has released an English version of Nox APP Player, an emulator which allows users to run Android apps on their Windows desktop.

The package took a while to download on our test PC, but installation was easy, getting us a virtual Android 4.4.2 tablet in a near full-screen window.

After years with no activity at all, Gabriele Ponti’s classic Explorer extension Send To Toys has been updated to version 2.71 with improved installation, various bug fixes and Windows 10 compatibility.

That’s good news, as it’s still a time-saving tool, extending the right-click Send To menu with options to copy a file’s contents to the clipboard, open them in the command prompt, enter their name in the Run box, copy or move them, send them via email, and more.

Whether you’re asking for help with a PC problem, or trying to explain a point to someone else, it’s often important to clearly document a series of steps.

StepsToReproduce is a free application for Windows Vista and newer which makes it easy to record, annotate and share a sequence of screenshots.

You've found a great new Chrome extension. Installing it only takes a click, but if you're not quite sure what it's doing, whether it's safe, you might want to take a look at its source code, first.

Chrome Extension Source Viewer (CSEV) is a free extension which makes it easy to inspect the innards of other Chrome add-ons.

Mixmax is a free Chrome extension which upgrades Gmail with a host of useful extras. You get instant visual previews for YouTube videos, Google Maps, Twitter timelines, Pinterest pins, and other links and attachments.

It’s easy to create quick polls and surveys. The user clicks one of the choices in the message and you can review the results later.

Numbers, letters, basic symbols and punctuation -- your keyboard covers all the typing basics. But what if you need to enter accented characters, math symbols, superscripts, or anything else a little less standard?

WinCompose is an open source tool for Windows which can insert special characters and symbols into just about any document or application.

If you need to translate website text then there are plenty of services and apps available, most of which have piled on the features as they try to stand out from the crowd. But while that sounds great in theory, in practice it can mean wasting time navigating a bulky interface to get what you need.

TransOver is a Chrome extension with more of a back-to-basics approach. There’s no copying URLs, no opening new tabs or panes -- you’re able to translate text by selecting, clicking or just pointing at it.
Just hover your mouse over a word, for instance, and by default a tooltip appears with appropriate definitions.

If your PC isn’t behaving as it should then System Restore could help, quickly restoring your system files and settings to a more trouble-free time. Unless, that is, you don’t have a suitable restore point available (oops).

Restore Point Creator is a handy tool which can automatically create restore points when you log on, or on some daily, weekly or interval-based schedule.

Syncplay is a free tool which syncs media players over the web, allowing a scattered group of friends to watch videos together.

To get started you must specify a server and choose a room name, something unique which represents your group.

The Windows Club has released Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.0 for Windows 10 users. The lightweight, portable freeware tool makes it easy to tweak various aspects of Windows that usually hidden away or require access to Registry editor or Group Policy Editor.

The new release sits alongside the previous versions, Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.1.2 for Windows 8/8/1 and Ultimate Windows Tweaker 2.2, which requires Windows Vista or 7.

Managing one computer can be difficult, but connect a few systems in a network and your problems rapidly multiply.

Network Inventory Advisor is a professional tool which can help by providing detailed reports on all Windows, Mac and Linux computers, along with other network devices. It’s free for small networks of up to 10 nodes, and licenses for larger setups start from $89.

ColorVeil is a free Windows app with a single purpose: to place a color filter over your screen, reducing brightness and cutting eye strain.

The program is a tiny download -- 21.8KB, really? -- and immediately applies a default filter on launch. Right-click its system tray icon and a settings dialog appears when you can choose your preferred shade and opacity.

McAfee has released the first public beta of McAfee Free Antivirus.

The package is very basic, and just includes real-time protection, and -- optionally -- McAfee WebAdvisor to keep you safe online. There’s not even on-demand scanning, although a grayed-out "Scan Now" button suggests it’s on the way.