Software : Round up: Speed up Windows with the best free PC optimization software 2016

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• Round up: Speed up Windows with the best free PC optimization software 2016
• Round up: The best free file compression software 2016
• Spotify joins basically every other app maker in selling your data to advertisers

Round up: Speed up Windows with the best free PC optimization software 2016 Posted: Speed up your PC Remove junk files and tune up your PC A PC or Mac is rather like a car. That showroom-fresh saloon doesn't seem so sleek and shiny once road film, suicidal insects and evil supermarket car park users start ruining it, and that speedy new computer soon begins to sag under the stress of unnecessary apps, unwanted add-ons and other irritations. Thank crikey, then, for system utilities and tools: the right ones make your PC or Mac feel brand new, or at least an awful lot faster and a lot less crashy. There are thousands of system utilities out there, but these are our favourites - although as with any freeware, be very careful when you're installing any of them. Many free apps' installers are awfully keen on giving you extra software, toolbars or changes to your search engine that you might not want - see our guide to avoiding potentially unwanted programs. 1. CCleaner Remove unneeded files for a quick and easy speed boost CCleaner has been around for a long time, and part of the reason for its ongoing popularity is that it cleans the parts of your PC that many other free apps don't. There are paid-for versions that add real time protection and cleanup scheduling, but the free edition covers the important stuff such as removing temporary files, getting rid of browser caches, removing unwanted cookies while keeping the useful ones and so on. If your PC feels slow or sluggish then this is the app to try first, and is our favorite free system tool. Have we missed a program you rely on to keep your PC in top shape? Let us know in the comments below. 2. PC Decrapifier Uninstall the junk programs that come with a new PC Like CCleaner, PC Decrapifier's job is to remove unnecessary files and programs for your PC. It's particularly useful on brand new PCs, which are often either full of exciting opportunities to discover new apps or stuffed to the gills with a load of preinstalled junk, depending on your point of view. PC Decrapifier analyses your system, shows you the apps it thinks you should get rid of - based not just on its developers' opinions but on other users' feedback - and then removes the ones you choose. It's so focused on cleaning PCs it doesn't even install itself. 3. Autoruns Stop unnecessary startup processes to speed up boot times We don't normally quote former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but when he said "There are known knowns. These are things that we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know," he could have been describing the apps you know you're running - the known knowns - and the ones you don't. Those apps run when you boot Windows, or login, or launch certain system apps. You can find and get rid of the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns with the superb Autoruns. 4. Recuva An essential tool for recovering lost or accidentally deleted data There are lots of data recovery tools out there, but Recuva is our favorite. Not only can it recover files that have been deleted but not overwritten, but it can recover files from removable media such as USB drives and memory cards. It can even get data off damaged discs, although naturally the success rate depends on the kind and extent of the damage. The paid-for Pro version adds support for virtual hard disks and offers technical support too, but the free one is worth sticking on a thumb drive as part of your emergency toolkit. 5. 3DP Chip A convenient tool to keep your hardware drivers up to date The near-infinite variety of possible Windows PC configurations is a great thing, but it can also lead to a great big pain in the backside: ensuring that the device drivers, the bits of software that Windows uses to communicate with your various bits of hardware, remain up to date. It's worth doing because driver updates banish bugs, vanquish vulnerabilities and fix flaws, but it's not remotely quick or fun. Enter 3DP Chip, which can do the dirty work for you - and unlike some other driver update programs, it doesn't try to install a whole bunch of nonsense on your PC either. 6. SpaceSniffer Find out what's taking up so much space on your hard drive or SSD You're running out of space but you've no idea why. Does that sound familiar? Then you need SpaceSniffer, which enables you to see what's taking up space via a format known as a Treemap. It's a very immediate way to understand where the space hogs are on your system, and the filtering means you can limit the visualisation to certain kinds of files or to exclude certain kinds of files. You can also combine filters to look for space hogs of a particular kind or vintage. 7. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder Delete redundant files to free up space on your hard drive or SSD One of the downsides of digital media is that it's very easy to end up with multiple copies of the same thing taking up valuable storage space. That's bad enough on a hard disk, but on the more limited space of an SSD it's even more of a problem - or at least, it is if you don't have Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. It scans your PC for duplicate files and enables you to restrict the search to specific file types or sizes, and you can specify whether duplicates should be binned or placed in a holding area for you to check them out. This is a great and genuinely useful app for Windows users of all kinds. 8. Revo Uninstaller Free Remove all traces of uninstalled programs to avoid junk buildup If you like trying new apps you'll be horribly familiar with the joys of the Windows Uninstaller, where all too often uninstalling a program leaves bits and pieces everywhere. It's a particular pain when an app installs other apps such as browser toolbars and unwanted helper apps. Revo Uninstaller Free can solve that problem by scanning for the bits the standard uninstaller often leaves behind, and its multiple uninstall option means it's a big time saver too. The free version can't uninstall apps that were on your PC before you installed it, but it does a good job of getting shot of anything added since. 9. Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) Keep your software up to date with the latest bug fixes and security patches Secunia PSI solves one of the biggest headaches for Windows users: keeping software up to date in order to keep your system secure. The app knows about thousands of different programs and can scan your system to identify whether you have the most up to date versions. And here's the best bit: if you don't, it can usually download and install the necessary updates and/or patches without any further intervention from you. The combination of PSI and Windows Update should ensure that malware can't exploit any vulnerabilities in unpatched software. 10. OnyX A system cleanup tool to keep Macs running quickly and smoothly The majority of system tune-up and cleaning apps are for Windows, but Macs get messy too - and on OS X, the evergreen OnyX is often the solution. It can get shot of bulging system logs and clean up files that are no longer needed, it can turn on hidden features in OS X itself and you can use it to schedule dull but useful maintenance tasks. It has two companion apps, both also free: Deeper is purely for personalisation while Maintenance covers - yep - maintenance. For most people OnyX offers the best of both.

Round up: The best free file compression software 2016 Posted: The best free file compression software Why use file compression software? The most common use of file compression is to reduce the size of files before sending them as a single attachment (via email or a tool like WeTransfer). Compression also lets you save drive space by reducing the size of files you only use occasionally, and enables you to encrypt or password-protect many files at once Compression tools use a variety of methods to reduce file size. Some file types, such as JPG and MPG, are already compressed, so adding them to an archive won't reduce their size much - if at all. Windows (from XP onwards) has a built-in compression tool, accessed by right-clicking one or more folders/files, and selecting 'Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder'. This is fine for very occasional use, but is very limited. It can only read and create ZIP files (there are dozens of other formats), it doesn't let you create multiple volumes of a particular size, can't repair damaged archives, and can't encrypt files. In fact, if you use it to compress an encrypted file, it will be decrypted when extracted. It's therefore a good idea to have a third-party compression tool on hand, and with some available completely free and weighing in at just a few megabytes, there's no reason not to. These are our recommendations. Have we missed your preferred tool? Let us know in the comments below. 1. 7-Zip The ultimate lightweight compression tool - no frills and no strings attached 7-Zip is open source, meaning it's completely free, even for commercial use. It's only 1MB in size, and is available as a portable version that can be run directly from a USB stick. 7-Zip isn't the most attractive program around, but it's so well designed that you won't miss the slick interfaces of its paid-for equivalents. You can locate files to be archived using a simple Explorer-style file tree, or drag and drop them into the main window. It can pack and unpack 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM archives, and unpack AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VMDK, WIM, XAR and Z. Its own 7z format is designed for high compression, and is supported by almost all file achiving tools - both paid-for and free - making it an ideal choice for sharing. You can apply password protection to packaged archives and split them into volumes, which is handy for sharing particularly large archives. The only key feature it's missing is the ability to repair damaged archives. 2. PeaZip Another excellent open source archiver. Larger than 7-Zip, but with more features PeaZip is another open source file compressor, but with a few more features in a considerably larger package (around 10MB compared to 7-Zip's 1MB). PeaZip's standard installation will make file associations and add context menu options automatically, which you might not want if you're trying it for the first time. Select 'Custom' if you want to make your own choices. Alternatively, you can use the 1.8MB portable version, which runs without being installed and won't make changes to your PC. PeaZip can pack and unpack to 7z, ARC/WRC, SFX, BZ2, GZ, PAQ/LPAQ/ZPAQ, PEA, QUAD/BALZ/BCM, SPLIT, TAR, UPX, WIM and ZIP. It can also unpack ACE, ARJ, CAB, CHM, compound files (eg MSI, DOC, PPT, XLS), CPIO, DEB, EAR, ISO, JAR, LZMA, LZH, NSIS installers, OpenOffice's OpenDocument, PET/PUP, PAK/PK3/PK4, RAR, RPM, SMZIP, U3P, WAR, XPI, Z and ZIPX. PEA, its own format, prioritises security over compression, with optional integrity check and authenticated encryption. Unlike 7-Zip, it can repair damaged archives. Its handy extra features include the ability to convert archive formats and test archives for errors. It can't batch compress or watermark images as some of the other tools here can, but can rotate and crop them for you. A portable version of PeaZip is also available. 3. Zipware Incredibly user-friendly. An excellent choice if you're new to file compression Zipware is wonderfully simple to use - simply choose 'New' or 'Open', choose your source file or archive, tweak a few optional settings and you're done. It's free to use, but if you decide to stick with it, the website invites you to make a donation to support its development. The software itself doesn't nag you for money. Its standout feature is integrated virus-scanning: if an archive is under 32GB, you can check it for threats with VirusTotal. This is unlikely to be of interest to power users, but is a helpful addition for anyone who's unsure about extracting downloaded archives (or who knows someone with a tendency to accidentally open such things). Zipware can read ZIP, ZIPX, 7Z, RAR, RAR5, ISO, VHD, MSI, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, CPIO, DEB, DMG, LZH, LZMA, LZMA2, PPMd, NSIS, RPM, UDF, WIM, XAR, XPI, CBR, CBZ, XZ and Z archives. It can create ZIP, 7Z and EXE archives. 4. Ashampoo Zip Free Optimized for touch, but promotion of paid-for features can be overbearing Before you can install Ashampoo Zip Free (or any of the company's software), you must register for a free account using your email address. You'll be sent a free activation key, then prompted to create a profile including your name and date of birth, but you can skip this step. Watch out for potentially unwanted programs when running the installer; we ended up with an unwanted price comparison tool on our test PC, which wasn't picked up by Unchecky. Ashampoo Zip Free's main features are presented as Windows-style tiles, but here the free program's limitations start to show, with paid-for features like encryption and archive format conversion (which are included with open source tools) locked out until you open your wallet. Ashampoo Zip Free redeems itself with a very clear interface, which has an optional touch mode with larger, tap-friendly icons. All of the key features are immediately obvious rather than hidden behind ribbons and menus. Interestingly, it also gives previews of files before you extract an archive. This happens automatically, so don't be alarmed if a music file begins playing on mouseover. You aren't given many choices when creating archives; most of the interesting features come into play when you're unpacking and sharing. 5. WinZip (trial) The original file compressor - updated for the Windows 10 generation WinZip has been around since 1991, and although it isn't free after the 21-day trial period (and therefore isn't ranked here) its ubiquity in the early days of file archiving - before the feature was incorporated into Windows itself - make it worth including in the interest of comparison. The full standard version of Winzip costs £31.14 (US$35.95, AU$47.94), with automatic upgrades available for an additional fee. It supports ZIP, TAR, GZIP, Compress, CAB, RAR, BZ2, LHA/LZH, 7Z, IMG, ISO, XZ, VHD and VMDK. The interface is a clear drag-and-drop affair, with additional options including encryption, PDF conversion and image resizing. The latter is labelled 'image compression', but doesn't perform the same job as specialist tools like JPEGmini or PNGOptimizer. Once you've set your preferences, you can save them as a preset for future use. The latest version of WinZip includes social media and cloud integration, making it a great choice if you often need to share multiple files. Mobile apps are also available for iOS and Android. WinZip is a classic that's evolved with the times, but unless file-sharing forms part of your everyday work, open source alternatives PeaZip and 7-Zip provide all the functionality you need minus the price tag. 6. WinRAR (trial) The only way to create RAR archives, WinRAR is designed for power users WinRAR is another premium tool with a history extending back to the early 90s, making it a useful point of comparison for today's free alternatives. After the 40-day free trial period, a single-user WinRAR licence costs €29.95 (about £23.24, US$33.54, AU$46.52). The proprietary RAR format can only be created using WinRAR, but can be extracted by almost any other program. As with 7z, this makes it a good choice for file-sharing. RAR archives are also typically smaller than their ZIP equivalents. WInRAR can unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ/TAR.GZ, BZ2/TAR.BZ2, ACE, UUE, JAR, ISO, 7Z, XZ and Z archives, and compress in RAR and ZIP formats. WinRAR's appearance has remained largely unchanged over the years, with command line and simple graphical interfaces (custom themes are available, with an equally old-school feel). That doesn't matter though; this is a tool designed for power users. Its efficiency is particularly apparent when faced with larger tasks, which it handles with aplomb. You can even set it to turn off your PC once it's finished creating mammoth archives (or dozens of smaller ones).

Spotify joins basically every other app maker in selling your data to advertisers Posted: Streaming music service Spotify announced today that it's begun selling user data to advertisers, though this move doesn't exactly make it an anomaly in the ad-heavy streaming landscape. Spotify actually joins Pandora, Google and SoundCloud in offering up valuable user information to advertisers so they can create ads targeted to a user's interests. Even Twitter shells out user data to help advertisers tailor ads to you. Spotify is selling user data for its 70 million users on the Spotify Free tier. Paid subscribers don't have to worry about ads since the subscription service doesn't have them. However, if you're a free user, expect Spotify to share info about your gender, age and music tastes with ad purveyors. It's all about ads, man By looking at what songs you listen to, advertisers can better predict what products and services you're more likely to buy. These targeted ads will last between 15 to 30 seconds, and will play every few songs. While targeted ads do require companies to share your data with advertisers, it also can help users find products and services that are relevant to their interests. It is, however, still creepy. The simple solution to protect your data is to sign up for a Spotify subscription, but that may not be affordable for everyone. Now's a good time to brush up on exactly what information you're giving to advertisers by using free services. If a service is free, it's usually safe to assume your data is being sold as a source of revenue for the company. However, even if you paid for a product, like a Samsung TV, firms still try every way to make more money from advertisers, including putting ads in your TV menus. As a result, these companies are collecting data about you to sell to advertisers. It pays to stay vigilant about your personal data. Look through a company's terms of service to see what type of data they're collecting about you and selling. This way, you can decide if sharing your data is worth the service you're getting. 10 tips to keep your phone safe and secure

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