Software : Round up: The best free software to speed up your PC

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Round up: The best free software to speed up your PC Posted: The best free software to speed up Windows The best free software to speed up your PC Is your Windows PC running a little slowly? It's not your imagination: over time hard drives accumulate all kinds of things that slow things down. Software can't solve obsolescence - if your computer is struggling to meet the system requirements for your OS or apps that's a job for more RAM or the addition of an SSD - but if the slowdown is software-related, it can really help. It's worth noting that you can do much of what these apps do yourself using Windows' built-in system maintenance tools, but that's time consuming; what's really being sold here is convenience. 1. Iolo System Mechanic Enjoy a cleaner, faster PC with greatly improved startup times Iolo System Mechanic removes junk files and unwanted apps, blocks bloatware and unwanted auto-run settings, clears out RAM and wipes various logs, browser histories and caches. Not only does this free up key system resources, it also eliminates traces of your browsing activity to protect your privacy. It really does make a difference; whenever we've tested System Mechanic we've found a significant speed improvement, especially at startup. The free edition is excellent, but the premium version is well worth considering if you find yourself using it regularly: it also includes a file recovery tool, and for US$40 (about £30, AU$50) you're entitled to use it on as many home PCs as you like. The genuine performance boost we saw after running System Mechanic made it our favorite system optimization tool. Read on for four more of the best apps around for speeding up your Windows PC. Have we missed your preferred speed-boosting tool? Let us know in the comments below. 2. IObit Advanced SystemCare Effective cleaning and maintenance that's ideal for novice users IObit Advanced SystemCare comes in two forms: a free version that covers basic house cleaning, and a Pro version that adds internet speed-boosting, real-time optimization, privacy protection, deep registry cleaning and 24/7 technical support. That's currently US$20 (about £15, AU$25) for a year, and the license covers three PCs. Whichever edition you choose, the interface is well designed, easy to use and unlikely to frighten even the newest PC user. We'd deduct points for an installer that wants to add additional programs - that's hardly in keeping with the philosophy of keeping unwanted stuff off your computer - but they're easy to avoid if you choose a custom installation. Like most of the tools here, it cleans up files and folders you don't need, neatens up the Windows registry and corrects errors on your hard drive - all via a simple, slick dashboard. 3. Piriform CCleaner Eliminate unnecessary files, registry entries and tracking cookies Piriform 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's a paid-for version that adds real time protection and cleanup scheduling, but the free version 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 just feels sluggish then this is the app to try first. It doesn't have all the advanced features of apps like System Mechanic, but the stuff it does clear is famous for slowing down PCs. 4. PC Decrapifier Just bought a new PC? Clear out the bloatware for improved performance PC Decrapifier is 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 useless junk, depending on your point of view. If you tend to the latter then then this free app is well worth a look. It 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. 5. Razer Cortex: Boost Performance enhancement specifically designed for gamers If your system struggles when you're trying to get your game on, Razer Cortex: Boost could well be the answer. The free app suspends unnecessary system processes, clears out memory and defrags your system to get the very best games performance possible. It's available for Windows 7, 8 and 10, and while the differences won't make you jump up and down in astonishment - for most people the results will mean slightly smoother visuals rather than astonishing performance improvements - it does automate the fiddly process of turning off unnecessary software and services when it's time to play.

Round up: The best free media player 2016 Posted: Download the best free media players The best free media players After 25 years of development, you might think Windows Media Player should have the power to handle all your video and audio needs. And yet, as you've probably noticed, it's still extremely limited, and won't even play some common file types without downloading extra components. Downloading an alternative media player can put an end to file compatibility woes; the best packages support just about every format, and some can even convert them to something more widely used. Problems with the video or audio file itself? Good media players can help there too, offering equalizers, compressors, color adjustments, video sharpening and a host of other tricks to improve playback. If you like to customise every element of a program then you'll love a tool like VLC - our top pick - which supports multiple interfaces and allows you to configure all of them, right down to the finest detail, without becoming cumbersome to use. 1. VLC Media Player Flexible, customizable and entirely free - the best media player around VLC Media Player is a classic media player that plays from every source (files, discs, stream, webcams and other devices) and is entirely free. No ads, no spyware, no catches at all. It's all very easy to use. Double-click just about any file and it'll play immediately, with all the core controls where you'd expect them to be. Browsing the menus reveals all kinds of additional goodies that you won't find in Microsoft's player: special effects that enhance your audio and video files, custom bookmarks to save and recall your favorite playback moments, and even a module to batch convert media files into a more convenient format. VLC Media Player is supremely configurable, too. The interface can be entirely redesigned with a host of optional skins (iPhone, PSP, OS X, Nintendo, QuickTime, Winamp, even Star Trek's fictional operating system LCARS), and experts can dig into low level details like video processing options, or customising any of the 100+ hotkeys. VLC Media Player is also a available as a portable app to run from a USB stick. There really is something here for everyone, which makes VLC our favorite free alternative to Windows Media Player. Read on to discover four more of the best media players, and why they're worth your consideration. What's your player of choice? Let us know in the comments below. 2. AIMP A dedicated audio player for managing and controlling your music All the top media players have a capable set of audio features, but opt for a specialist music player like AIMP and you'll get much, much more. With support for over 30 audio formats and a host of internet radio streams, you'll be able to play just about anything, and the 32-bit audio processing and output support delivers the best possible quality for your system. AIMP's configurable sound engine gives you great audio control. There's an 18-band equalizer, an array of effects (including reverb, flanger, chorus, pitch, tempo, echo, speed, bass, enhancer and voice remover), normalization, and support for DSP plug-ins (a format originally designed for Winamp). With so many features, it's closer to an audio editor than a simple media player. AIMP's powerful media management tools also make it easy to keep your songs in order, with smart playlist tools and a tag editor that's better than some stand-alone equivalents. Throw in a pile of extras including internet stream capture, audio conversion and a scheduler that enables you to use the program as an alarm clock, and you've got a truly remarkable player. All this functionality might seem intimidating, but spend an hour exploring and you'll begin to feel at home. 3. foobar2000 An intuitive audio player with plug-in support for extra features Free and feature-packed, foobar2000 is a likeable audio player - simpler and more straightforward than AIMP, but still with plenty of music-playing power. The configurable interface is a major plus. Launch the program and it presents you with a range of layouts, colors and playlist formats. Click an option and the interface updates immediately to show you the results. Basic operations are straightforward, with just about everything working as you would expect. Point the program at your music folder and it'll build your library automatically. Then you can drag and drop files to play them, open individual files or folders, view tags and audio information, manage playlists and more. Right-clicking various objects in foobar2000 reveals many more advanced features, including an 18-band equalizer, DSP plug-in support, automatic freedb-based file tagging, a file format converter, possible fixes for broken MP3s, and lots of low-level configurability for those who need it. 4. GOM Player A very capable media player, but watch out for the adware GOM Player might not make a the best first impression. You need to watch for adware during setup (clear the relevant checkboxes to avoid it), and more ads are displayed in the player window when you open the program. Explore the interface, though, and GOM Player begins to get interesting. As well as the usual playback buttons, there are quick controls to apply video and audio effects, change playback speed, tweak subtitles, take screenshots, create and manage playlists, make the player window transparent, keep it always on top, and more. More unusual (but very welcome) features include the ability to open YouTube URLs and play 360-degree VR videos. A well-designed interface walks you through most of this. Click buttons, explore, and you'll be familiar with the basics in a few minutes. There are also lots of expert-level power; the 'Playback' right-click menu helps you set up bookmarks, looping, voice adjustment, repeat points, frame skipping and more. 5. PotPlayer A great player that sadly hides some of its impressive features After a quick, easy and adware-free installation, PotPlayer opens with a simple, stripped-back interface. Drag and drop a file in just almost any format (there's even 3D video support) and playback starts immediately. It's just as easy to play entire folders, DVDs or Blu-rays (discs or files), FTP/ WebDAV/ HTTP links, and input from webcams and other devices. You can save whatever you're viewing as a Favorite and bookmark the best scenes, making it simple to recall them later. Potplayer gives you remarkably granular control over your media. The Video menu alone has options to sharpen, de-noise, rotate or tweak picture levels, resize, rotate or crop, adjust brightness, contrast, hue and saturation, configure 3D playback, capture and record video, and much, much more. This power does bring some complexity, but most of the advanced features are kept out of the way. Learn the bits you need, like pressing [W] or [E] to increase/ decrease brightness, and you can forget about everything else.

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