As Jon already pointed out, today is Clean Out Your Computer Day, which makes it the perfect time to review some useful applications and routines for spring cleaning your Windows computer. That said, I hope you don’t limit these routines to one single day every year; all computers can benefit largely from frequent cleaning sessions, in terms of drive space, speed and performance. Here we go!

1. If you install new software apps quite often, you should probably check the list of installed programs on your system and start cleaning there. Ask yourself whether you still need that 500 MB program you haven’t used lately, and don’t be afraid to uninstall anything you don’t need anymore.

2. After months browsing the web, your browser history files and cache memory will have surely reached a huge size. Trim those down the easy way by using the browser’s own history manager (Tools > Clear Recent History in Firefox) or using a third-party app such as Free Windows Sweeper.

3. Check the folder where you save all the files you download from the web, and make sure you clean them up. Keeping a program’s executable file after it’s been installed is just a waste of space!

4. Use disk analysis tools like SpaceSniffer to locate the largest files and folders on your system, and decide whether you need to keep them or not. Maybe it would be a good idea to store those gigabytes of old photos somewhere else…

5. Last but not least, use your favorite cleaning tool to get rid of any other additional junk data your computer has been storing in the background, such as Windows temporary files, recent document lists, log files and more.

These are by no means the only tips we’ve we’ve got about computer spring cleaning. If all this isn’t enough for you, check our previous posts about how to recover hard drive space, five tools to clean up your computer, cleaning tips for a faster PC, how to free up disk space with Scanner, how to use a USB memory device to clean your PC and how to configure advanced options in CCleaner.

What about you? Do you have any other personal routines for computer maintenance?

Because they’re amazing, you might think you never have to think about spring cleaning your Mac, but it’s still a good idea to keep things in order. The second Tuesday of February is Clean Out Your Computer Day, so today’s a good day to start!

There are some myths about optimizing your system, and perhaps the most damaging is that of cache cleaning. Tools like Cache Out X will find and ‘clean’ your various caches, some of which may look pretty big. While that may save you disk space for a few moments, it’s a bad idea. Cache files in OSX are created precisely to speed up performance, so if you delete them, the system will have to recreate them, actually slowing you down!

That’s not to say there aren’t things you can do, so here’s some good advice:

1: If your browser is slow, perhaps it’s time to delete its history, cache and cookies? A year’s worth of browsing with a saved history and cache will seriously decrease efficiency. Instead of relying on the history, bookmark your favorite sites, then hit clean (File>Delete Cache in Safari, Tools>Clear Recent History in Firefox).

2: If you’re running any OSX up to 10.5 (Leopard), and you turn off your Mac at night, there are some scripts that perform clean up tasks automatically in the early hour of the morning - they clear up any unnecessary log files and system cache. Left in sleep mode, they’ll run when you wake up the computer but if you turn off your Mac they won’t. You can’t do any harm by running these scripts anyway, and doing so is really simple:

Open Terminal (look in Applications>Utilities) and enter the following text exactly: sudo periodic daily weekly monthly. You’ll then be asked for your system password - enter it, and hit return. You won’t see anything happening, but it will finish when the blinking prompt reappears.

3: Run Disk Utility. Found in Applications>Utilities again, this will just make sure your directories are in order, and keep things running smoothly. It’s easy to use - click on your Hard drive in the Disk Utility window, then click Verify Disk, wait for the process to finish the click Repair. Repeat for Verify Disk Permissions. It may not speed your system up, but it won’t do any harm.

4: Clean out your folders. Over time it’s easy to let your pictures, documents and downloads folders get messy. Take time every month to clear them out. It makes finding things easier, and will free up some hard drive space. Go through your applications folder and delete apps you never use - they’re a waste of space!

Do you have any other cleaning routines?

Last night I was reviewing messages in my Gmail account, trying to get them all sorted out and reach the much-coveted inbox zero. I needed Gmail to display only my unread emails so that I could process them one by one, when I realized Gmail didn’t have that option anywhere. Sure you can select all unread messages, but that’s of little use if they’re all scattered over a dozen pages. So I started searching for a solution, and only a few minutes after I found Gmail Advanced Search.

The advanced search options in Gmail let you use special words or symbols – called operators - to filter the messages displayed on your web browsers. It’s a quicker, more accurate way to find certain messages. You can filter you inbox to display only unread emails, only starred emails or only emails that came from a specific sender. What’s more, you can combine different operators and create super-refined filters like “messages from Peter with the word ‘dinner’ in the subject”.

These are some of the most useful operators you can use in Gmail:

• from: - displays messages received from a certain sender: from:peter
• to: - displays messages sent to a specific recipient: to:john 
• subject: - displays messages with certain words in the subject: subject:bbq
• label: - displays messages filed under specific labels: label:work
• in:(inbox, trash, spam) - displays all messages stored in any of those locations: in:trash
• is:(starred, unread) - displays messages you’ve starred or haven’t read yet: is:unread
• filename: - displays messages with a specific attachment: filename:softonic.pdf

Windows: Tumblr is a cool micro blogging site, where you can quickly and easily share all sorts of content, from simple text to rich media like video and audio. Tumblr Post is a fantastic Firefox add-on that sticks a little icon in the system tray of your browser. All you have to do to post blogs in Tumblr is drag things over the icon. Text, YouTube links, image and audio files can all just be dropped in and blogged automatically. It’s a great way to get into Tumblr!

Mac: NeoOffice is a welcome open source alternative to the pricier Microsoft Office and iWork’08 office suites. The application carries with it all the applications that you’d expect: word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, database and drawing. You’ll find the interface of NeoOffice and the range of tools in the office suite very similar to what you’d find in Microsoft Office but without the price tag.

The context menu is usually a shorter and quicker way to access specific system tasks, like copying and pasting, deleting, renaming or checking the file’s properties. It’s also used by many programs to insert shortcuts to their main functions, and while this comes handy for most people, it may also end up turning Windows context menu into a real mess.

If your context menu is already so long that it takes you a few seconds to show it up, it’s time to jump into action. Here’s a list of apps that will help you clean messy context menus by removing obsolete entries, and also make them more useful with new functionality.

• JDContextMenu - This app adds twelve handy new features to your context menu, and lets you freely arrange them to suit your needs.
• Mmm Free - Easily get rid of all the options in the context menu you rarely or never use. It’ll make context menus faster to load and easier to use.
• Context Magic - Adds new commands to the context menu in Windows that make file management more comfortable. Perfect for heavy mouse users!
• Context Menu Editor - Remove all context menu entries you don’t need in just two clicks. Bear in mind you’re just deleting the menu entry, not the program it links to.
• FileMenu Tools - Create a sub-list to the context menu with a bunch of handy utilities. You can remove the ones you don’t use, rearrange them and create submenus and separators to adapt the context menu to your neeeds.

If you want to get your personal finances in order, then the good news is there are plenty of options on Macs. Whether it’s sorting it out your own personal debts or just keeping a tighter grip on whats coming in and out, there is plenty of financial software to suit all budgets and experience. With the recent news that Quicken for Mac might well disappoint dedicated users, here are five excellent alternatives:

iBank is probably one of the best finance apps there is for Macs and a serious rival to Quicken. iBank’s Aqua interface not only looks great but it allows you to manage bank accounts, credit cards and investments, analyze income and like Quicken, can directly connect to your bank to download transactions. The latest release has been made even better by the addition of an iPhone app too.

Squirrel is an excellent alternative to iBank if you prefer something that still allows you to connect to your bank account but uses a stunning iTunes or Front Row style interface. Squirrel allows you to preview accounts, reports and budgets and most importantly, supports online bank connections. Reports created in Squirrel can be printed or saved to PDF and you can import files in OFX format.

Moneywell is all about setting targets and simplifying how you manage your personal finances. Your money is displayed in buckets listed down the left side of the program window to give you a clear overview of your finances. You can create buckets for any sort of income and expense such as transportation, education or clothing. The right part of the interface shows details for a specific item while the center shows general info.

iFinance is an elegantly-presented and highly-polished finance application that allows you to monitor your income and outgoings, as well as stocks, in a very easy to use interface. Down the left-hand side you have your Funds, Budgets and Stocks, followed by Diagrams according to the period you want to monitor. Click on each subsection within these categories to display data on the right-hand side, which is the main window.

Debtinator lets you handle all of your debts in one single place. It collates several accounts into one tidy window so that you see where your money is going every day. Adding new entries is simple and fast and you can setup handy transfer rules which prevent you from worrying remembering to move money from one account to another.

So you’ve listened to the warnings and read the horror stories, but you’ve still come back for more. You must be a brave soul, because CCleaner’s advanced options are pretty scary.

I’ll say it again, while CCleaner will positively shout it - don’t use the Advanced options unless you are very, very sure that you know what you are doing. These options are precisely the tools that could do some serious damage to your system if used wrongly. Bearing this in mind, let’s go through what some of these Advanced bits actually do.

Advanced

Old Prefetch Data - this is actually a controversial option. Pre-fetch files are basically parts of programs that Windows caches (’pre-fetches’) so they are easily accessible when needed. Some people argue that over time the function becomes overcrowded, hence the need to delete. Others argue that Windows deletes them automatically, so there is no need. Nobody seems to be able to agree, so this one is completely in your own hands.

Menu Order Cache - this is where Windows stores information about the items that appear or have appeared in your Start menu. As CCleaner warns, any custom preferences will be reset, although nothing will actually be removed.

Tray Notifications Cache - again, where Windows stores information about the items that appear or have appeared in the Tray Menu. If you have any special set-up, it will be reset. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re thinking about starting a business from home, congratulations! It’s a great challenge for the new year and could turn into a lucrative venture. You’re brave too, starting out in difficult financial times, which is why we’ve decided to make things a bit easier by gathering together some of the best free, home-business oriented tools around.

First, make sure your clients know you exist. Unfortunately, free business card software is thin on the ground. Luckily it’s easy to order them online cheaply and, in the meantime, you can download a trial version of a program like Business Card Designer Plus or Advanced Business Card Maker and experiment with possible designs and layouts.

Having a website is crucial. If you fancy building your own, take a look at a tool like MoreMotion Web Express. Bear in mind that you can also use a blog as a website; Wordpress is a great place to start. It’s easier than making a website and, if you have little or no experience, the finished product is much more likely to look professional.

Now they know you’re there, make sure your public can get in touch! Skype is the first stop - there’s a professional version, but it’s oriented towards multiple-employee situations. It’s good to aim high, but you’ll have to wait a while for that! If you’ve decided to use Outlook (and many don’t) there are some great tools out there to keep your inbox spam-free and under control.

Once your name is out there and the emails and calls start pouring in, you’ll need tight management to make sure everything’s under control. For a start, don’t even think about spending your hard-earned cash on Microsoft Office. OpenOffice will do a perfect job and is completely free, while Open Workbench will help you keep a close eye on your projects. Sooner or later, the money’s sure to start pouring in. Make sure you’re up to the accounting with a suitable program - GNUCash is sure to do a great job!

CCleaner is one of the most popular apps on Softonic, and with good reason. It’s a great tool to clear garbage from your computer, speeding it up and protecting your privacy. Unfortunately, if you use it carelessly, CCleaner can sometimes do its job a little too well, cleaning away stuff that’s actually pretty important. Looking around the internet for examples, I found this hilarious plea for assistance: “Help, CCleaner’s erased my whole iTunes library”! That’s some pretty careless cleaning!*

The first piece of advice for the safe use of CCleaner is simple, but it’s still something that people forget. If you don’t know what something is, don’t erase it! I thought I’d run through some of the Windows options, briefly describing the less familiar so that you can decide whether or not you want to erase them. Ultimately, the decision to erase is yours, not CCleaner’s, so think carefully before making any decisions!

Internet Explorer

Index .dat Files - these files are related to Temporary Internet Files and, like them, record the websites you have visited. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several ways to share information online: email, IM apps, FTP clients and online file storage services. The latter have recently become quite popular, which means you have a wide choice to select from, each one of them with different features, data plans and fees. But if there’s one online file sharing and syncing tool that stands out of the crowd, that’s Dropbox.

Dropbox is a bit different from the standard file sharing service. It has a desktop client (with versions for Windows, Mac, Linux and iPhone),  it’s seamlessly integrated with Windows Explorer and it’s meant not only to share files with family and friends, but also to sync data among different computers.

Using Dropbox is easy as pie. First of all, download the client and install it on your computer. The installation process will also enable you to create a Dropbox user account and select the data plan that best suits your needs - including a basic 2-GB option for free. Once the installation is finished, the computer will be linked to your online Dropbox account, and you’ll see a new folder on your system called “My Dropbox”.

Whatever you save, create, erase, copy or move into this folder will automatically be synced with Dropbox online, and also with any other computer that you’ve linked to your Dropbox account. This ensures you’ll be able to access the same synced contents from all your computers, and always have the latest versions of your documents at hand.

Now, what about sharing? Dead easy as well. Go to your online Dropbox account, create a new shared folder and send an invitation by email to anyone you want to share the contents of this folder with. The downside is that they’ll need to register as Dropbox users as well, but being such a handy service, they won’t regret it. From that moment on, you’ll be able to share files with those people without any hassle: simply drag and drop any file to your local folder, let Dropbox sync contents in the background and your friends will be able to access them online almost instantly.

A few weeks ago I wrote a tutorial about how to use EZ Photo Creations to create a fully customizable calendar with your photos, notes, personal important events and other elements. But for those of you who don’t care that much about design and just need a functional calendar that’s easy to create, here’s Calme 2010.

This simple, intuitive application has been especially developed to create calendars for 2010. It includes a bunch of ready-made templates that you can personalize with your own images, text format and color schemes. The templates include in Calme 2010 are divided into Picture calendars - perfect to show off your best shots - and Planners, which are more oriented to work-related tasks and projects. In both cases, calendars create with Calme 2010 are designed to be printed, as you can’t add personal notes to them within the program.

Calme 2010 however does include a bunch of customization options. You’ll be able to insert your own photo in Picture calendars, select the text font and color scheme, set up the calendar’s format and margins, add a border and more. There’s also a special tool to add official holidays, though the list of supported countries is not very populated yet (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey and the United States). All actions can be conveniently previewed on the program’s interface, so that you can make sure the calendar looks exactly the way you want before printing it. Read the rest of this entry »

Those who have made a new year resolution to keep their finances in check this year will be pleased to hear that Quicken for Mac 2010 is due for release in February. The popular financial app, which allows you to track and monitor your finances, hasn’t been updated since 2007 and a revamp is long overdue. However, the app is likely is receive a frosty reception from disgruntled Mac users.

One problem with Quicken 2007 is that there are very few other financial apps that you can import data into meaning Quicken users have had no choice but to wait for the much delayed update. It is the decision to drop certain features though that may disappoint many.

Annoyingly, major features such as the ability to pay bills, store investment transaction history and export to TurboTax have been dropped in the 2010 version. It will however continue to import data from previous versions of Quicken including Quicken Windows.

If you’re one of those that’s had enough of Quicken or aren’t too happy about some of the changes that have been made, I suggest you try iBank which offers most of Quicken’s features with a much lower price tag. However, it won’t import data from Quicken and if this is a priority for you, try using Fortora Fresh Finance which can although it is a bit limited.

Windows: When it comes to voice chats on the web, Skype is definitely the way to go. This awesome app - chosen by three Softonic editors as top of the decade - keeps on improving with every new version. The latest one, Skype 4.2 Beta, features call quality indicator, Google Chrome extension, enhanced support for the Windows 7 taskbar and the ability to transfer calls.

iPhone: If you’re growing tired of the default Clock feature on your iPhone and want a new way of waking up then check out Alarm Clock Free. This handy app turns your iPod into a stylish digital clock and alarm. The neon green-on-black clock skin bears a striking resemblance to Night Stand, but this is no bad thing, as it looks good and is easy to see from a distance.

Mac: There are few Mac applications that can compete with VLC Player when it comes to playing video but MPlayerOSX is a very decent attempt to do so. MPlayerOSX impresses by playing virtually any video file type. These include MPEG/VOB, AVI, Ogg/OGM, WMA/WMV, QT/MOV/MP4, RealMedia, Matroska, and many many more. It may be a little rough around the edges in places compared to VLC Player but it’s definitely worth a try.

The number thirteen might be unlucky for some, but not for this application, which makes it into our list of 2009’s top software. It’s unlikely you’ll guess this one because the program is relatively unheard of - but have a stab at it anyway!

All writers suffer from writers block from time to time, and xxx is a tool designed specifically to overcome it. xxx consists of a very basic word processing program with absolutely no frills. You set a word target and a time limit and start writing. If you don’t meet the target within the time limit, xxx erases all your work. If that isn’t motivation, I don’t know what is! - Niamh

Windows: A good antivirus doesn’t necessarily have to be a system resources hogger. With Panda Cloud Antivirus your computer will be protected while keeping its performance intact. This popular antivirus has reached version 1.0 and remains a lightweight, easy security tool that does its job without nagging you with constant updates or desktop notifications.

iPhone: Ever hear a song you like on the radio, on TV or at a party but don’t know what it’s called? Install Shazam on your iPhone and you can find out. Whenever you hear a tune you dig, simply hold your iPhone’s microphone to the speaker. Shortly after, as if by magic details of the song will appear in the Shazam interface, including the name of the song, the singer, and the album it appears on.

Mac: You may have already switched from Safari to Mozilla’s Firefox. But are you ready to ditch Mail and try the developer’s Thunderbird mail client? Mozilla Thunderbird is Mozilla’s award winning and free solution to manage your mail more efficiently. And there are many advantages of switching to it too. Unlike Mail, it can handle virtual identities, create on-the-fly addresses and has one of the best spam filters out there.