Software : There could soon be far fewer apps in the App Store

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• There could soon be far fewer apps in the App Store
• Facebook Messenger takes on Snapchat with Instant Video
• Round up: The best free accounting software 2016
• Round up: The best free firewall 2016
• Round up: The best free email client 2016
• Round up: The best free audio editor 2016
• Round up: The best free anti-spyware and anti-malware software 2016
• Round up: The best free media player 2016
• Round up: The best free file recovery software 2016
• Round up: The best free VPN service 2016
• Round up: The best free website builder 2016
• Round up: The best free parental control software 2016
• Round up: The best free system utilities 2016

There could soon be far fewer apps in the App Store Posted: There's a huge number of high quality apps available for iOS devices, but there's also a huge number of rubbish, broken or outdated ones, and Apple is set to address this by performing a cull of those that don't meet the company's exacting standards. In an FAQ page Apple has revealed that it will begin reviewing and removing apps on September 7. Quality, up to date content will be safe, but any apps that crash on launch will be removed from the store immediately, while for other issues developers will be given 30 days to make any necessary changes. Problem apps include those which no longer function as intended or which haven't been updated in a long time. Another potential issue is with naming, as long app names full of descriptions and search terms have been used for some apps in an attempt to push them to the top of search lists. These are spammy names, usually attached to spammy apps, and they simply clutter up the search, so Apple is requiring new and updated apps to have names of 50 characters or less. These changes should be good for users. Apple's App Store is already generally known for quality over quantity (at least in comparison to Google Play, which often feels like a free-for-all), but with over 2 million apps available on iOS it's no surprise that there's still a quality issue with many of them. There's not an app for that While the change will probably mostly remove worthless apps and spur developers of higher quality abandoned apps into finally updating them, it does raise a couple of interesting questions. Firstly, will the number of available apps significantly drop? The figure is largely irrelevant to most users, but has been a point of pride for Apple and makes for an easy way to compare app stores, so Apple may not want to see it drop below the 2 million mark. Secondly, will any popular or useful apps get swept away? By the sounds of things, the changes shouldn't affect quality apps that function on iOS 9, but a quick trip to the store shows that many apps haven't been updated in years, and these may be targeted. The good news is that if your favorite app is removed you'll still be able to use it, it just won't be available on the App Store any more, but hopefully that will push the developers to submit a new and improved version. Looking for something new? These are the best iPhone apps

Facebook Messenger takes on Snapchat with Instant Video Posted: Facebook Messenger is getting yet another feature today, now allowing you to share live video instantly with a friend. The new feature is called Instant Video and works, unsurprisingly, much like Snapchat's own video messaging offering. Facebook Messenger does already have a video chat feature, but Instant Video aims to get users to share tidbits of their lives instead of having a full conversation. "Instant Video is a reflection of the ubiquity of video — we simply expect to have that ability in real-time, all the time," writes Facebook in a blog post. "With Instant Video, you can bring your conversations to life in the most authentic way — seamlessly and instantly." Facebook imagines Instant Video will be used in situations where you want to quickly get your friend's opinion on a pair of shoes or need to ask a friend what ice cream flavor he or she would like. Short and sweet, and possibly actually helpful. How it works To use Instant Video, you and a friend need to have your chat open in the Facebook Messenger app. Only then will the video button pulse, letting you know you can start an Instant Video. By default, videos show up in a window without sound, but can be enabled with a tap. Users can choose to enable their camera to show their reaction. Both Snapchat and Facebook Messenger support sending video notes as well if you don't need an immediate response. Both services also support traditional video calling for longer conversations. Instant Video is just one of the many features Facebook hopes will keep its users from going to another chat app besides WhatsApp (Facebook owns WhatsApp). Collectively, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have about 2 billion active users, showing Facebook's dominance in the segment. For comparison, Snapchat has 150 million active users. Although Instant Video may not end up being a popular feature, it doesn't have to be. Facebook just has to match its competitors and leverage the massive popularity of its social network to get users talking to one another. How to stop WhatsApp from sharing your data with Facebook

Round up: The best free accounting software 2016 Posted: The best free accounting software Free accounting for home businesses Whether you're a freelancer or a flautist, a graphic designer or a greengrocer, if you're running any kind of business you really need some kind of accounting software to stay on top of things - as we discovered, the age-old system of chucking everything into a drawer and panicking at tax return time isn't the best. But that doesn't mean you need to invest huge sums or learn something hopelessly complicated. The best free accounting software is easy to use and enables you to see how well you're doing and who owes you money. 1. GnuCash A simple approach to bookkeeping - the best free accounting software around GnuCash is accounting software designed for individuals and small businesses, and was initially conceived as an open source alternative to apps such as Intuit's Quicken. It's available for Linux, GNU, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Android, OS X and Windows, and it's been kicking around since the late 1990s - but the most recent update was just last month. It handles invoicing and credit notes, accounts payable and receivable, employee expenses and some payroll features too, and it's quite happy with multiple currencies, cards and accounts. Its sheer flexibility makes it our top choice when it comes to accounting software for kitchen table businesses. 2. Money Manager Ex Straightforward enough for home use, as well as small businesses Another superb open source tool, Money Manager Ex is well designed and packed with enough features to rival premium software. It's easy to understand, and you'll have your accounts and transactions set up in no time. Money Manager Ex's simplicity makes it a particularly good choice for sole traders or your own home finances. This free accounting software is a portable app, so you can save and use it straight from a USB stick without installing it. There's even an Android app for updating your accounts on the move. 3. TurboCASH A heftier accounting tool that will suit owners of SMBs TurboCASH is free accounting software that's been in continuous development since April 1985, and it's hugely popular in Europe, the US, Canada and Australia. It's available in 23 languages and boasts an online community of more than 100,000 users. Designed for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), it's probably a bit much for freelancers or sole traders, but if you need something a bit more useful than a cash book TurboCASH can handle VAT, debtors and creditors, purchase orders, multiple companies and multiple users. 4. Wave Slick, cloud-based free accounting that works well for freelancers With more than two million users, Wave is one of the most successful online accounting services - and it's completely free for accounting, invoicing and receipts, although if you want personal technical support you'll need to pay for it. Payroll isn't included in the free service either, and you do get the odd advert - just as you do with pretty much any free online service. It's a very well designed and carefully thought out application, and while it's probably a little basic for medium sized businesses it's a good option for sole traders, freelancers and small firms. 5. NCH Express Invoice Generate forms, invoices, quotes and orders in moments With versions for PC, Mac, iPad and Android, NCH Express Invoice caters for most kinds of businesses - and if you have fewer than five members of staff, you can have it for free without time limits or other restrictions. It's designed to create invoices, quotes and orders easily, to automate recurring ones and to send them by email or fax, and there's a decent range of reports to pore over. The free accounting software is really just a front-end for a web-based service, but that's no bad thing unless your business struggles to get a decent internet connection. 6. VT Cash Book Minimalist bookkeeping that uses Excel for the grunt work It's not going to win any awards for aesthetics, but VT Cash Book isn't there to look good: its priority is to record day to day cash transactions with the least amount of fuss. It uses Autocomplete to speed up data entry, supports multiple bank accounts and bank reconciliation, can be used to prepare VAT returns and enables you to create profit and loss, balance sheets and ledgers. The free accounting software installs alongside its companion program, the paid-for VT Transaction+, but you don't need to buy the latter to use the former. 7. Invoice Expert A good option for anyone selling physical products The free version of Invoice Expert is limited to 100 customers/products, but it retains the features of its US$69.95 (about £50, AU$90) sibling including inventory and customer management, invoicing and quoting, purchase orders and inventory management. This free accounting software is a little bit intimidating at first glance, especially in the template-editing screens, but it's straightforward enough. It's an American program but it uses your Windows location to set the currency, so it should adjust itself accordingly. 8. Adminsoft Accounts A complete money-management toolkit for small business owners These days genuine freeware - that is, software that's given away for free without adverts, bundled software or ulterior motives - is a rare thing, but it describes AdminSoft Accounts: more than 300,000 people have taken advantage of what is a surprisingly thorough free accounting system (and an unusually honest set of terms and conditions). It can handle not just invoicing and statements but remittance advices, stock control, purchase orders, budgeting and some HR functions too. It's a UK program so the default is pounds sterling, but it works happily in other currencies too. 9. QuickFile Free small business accounting in the cloud - no software needed Designed specifically for non-accountants, QuickFile offers free tiers for small businesses while still delivering automatic invoicing, purchase receipt management, quotations and multi-currency support. It's a cloud-based free accounting tool rather than a software download, and if you like the free version you can upgrade to an ad-free, more advanced version with bulk invoicing, revision history and a host of power user features for £45 (about US$60, AU$80) plus tax per year. 10. Apache OpenOffice Make your own accounting sheets using the free office suite You don't necessarily need a dedicated free accounting program, especially if your requirements are pretty straightforward. For many businesses and sole traders, all you really need is a simple spreadsheet - and with a price tag of zero, OpenOffice fits the bill nicely. It's well worth browsing the library of templates once you've downloaded the main app, as there are plenty of user-created templates that you can easily tweak to suit your own specific requirements - not just for accounting, but for other common business tasks too.

Round up: The best free firewall 2016 Posted: The best free firewall 2016 The best free firewall In the 1990s, Microsoft had a problem: Windows seemed to suffer from endless security problems that hackers and other online villains were quick to exploit. One way to fight back was to install a firewall - an app that blocked malicious and/or unwanted network traffic and that could ensure that dodgy software couldn't sneak onto your PC. Microsoft began building its own firewall into Windows and that's still the case today, but attacks still happen and additional software can make your system even more secure. These are the firewall apps we think you should consider using no matter which version of Windows you're running. If we've missed your favorite free firewall - whether it's a standalone program or built into a full online security suite - let us know in the comments below. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 2016 A free firewall with real-time protection and special features for wireless connections For many of us, ZoneAlarm was the app that introduced us to firewalls in the first place, and it was a must-have app in the days when Windows effectively told the internet "Hack me! I'm easy!" The current version hides open ports, identifies potentially dodgy traffic, disables malicious programs and connects to DefenseNet, which provides real-time security updates as new threats are detected. It also protects your computer on public Wi-Fi networks. The only downside is that it doesn't play nice with anti-malware software other than Windows Defender, and warns of potential stability and performance problems if you don't uninstall other anti-malware software. If that isn't an issue for you, ZoneAlarm is the most effective and convenient free firewall you can download. Comodo Firewall Blocks over two million known threats, with more added every day If you don't like firewalls with lots of pop-up notifications then Comodo Firewall probably isn't for you: it's one of the more vocal free firewall apps we tested, but that's because it's also one of the most comprehensive. It runs on Windows 7 or later, monitors your network, system and apps, and it has a blocklist of more than two million bad apps that it won't let anywhere near your PC. It also connects to a cloud-based system that's updated instantly as new threats arrive, and that offers a whitelist of reputable files and vendors too. PeerBlock Protection designed specifically for regular filesharers Many free firewalls use multiple forms of protection, but PeerBlock is designed to protect just one kind of problem: traffic from IP addresses that you don't trust. That narrow focus means it does its one job very well without requiring much in the way of system resources or intervention from you. When you install it it asks you to choose the kind of websites you want to block - such as adware networks, spyware, known villains and organizations such as anti-P2P groups - and it automatically updates its block lists every day to keep those IP addresses away from your PC. TinyWall Prefer to use Windows' own firewall? TinyWall will give you full control TinyWall is better known for what it doesn't do than what it does: unlike some free firewalls it doesn't interrupt you with pop-up warnings about what seems to be every second bit of data. It's designed to improve Windows' own firewall features without requiring any expert knowledge, and while it offers the same whitelisting features as other packages - to ensure that the apps you use can get online without any difficulty - it does it through hotkeys or lists rather than pop-ups. TinyWall only takes up about 1MB on your hard drive, and is a very useful addition if you decide to stick with Windows' built-in security tool. OpenDNS Customizable filters to protect your most personal data at router level OpenDNS isn't a downloadable free firewall; it's a change you can make to your router's settings so it connects to the internet via OpenDNS's servers. That means the protection applies to any device on your network, which is useful in today's hyper-connected homes and businesses. OpenDNS Home automatically blocks known offenders and offers a range of content filtering options to keep the kids away from filth too. The service is free, and there are full set-up instructions for every kind of device. Anti NetCut3 A firewall designed to secure your connection on risky public networks If you've ever wondered "who spoof my connection", Anti NetCut3 has the answer. Ropey interface translations aside, this free firewall is designed to block attempts to cut or manipulate your internet connection when you're using potentially compromised networks such as public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are relatively easy to mess with. All you need to do is specify the network adapter it should be monitoring - your wireless adapter or your ethernet adapter if you're connecting to a wired network - and it'll take care of the rest.

Round up: The best free email client 2016 Posted: Download the best free email clients The best free email client With webmail services like Gmail and Outlook offering easy email access and mobile apps for all your devices, does the humble email client still warrant a place on you desktop? If you use more than one email account, we say yes - particularly if they're with different providers, which would otherwise require you to have several browser tabs open at once. As well as aggregating all your messages in one convenient place, a good email client can add features like encryption and integration with calendars, RSS feeds and VoIP apps. Desktop clients can also store your mail locally, giving you access to archived messages when you're offline and providing a valuable backup. Here's our nomination for the best email client of 2016. Have we missed your favorite? What makes it stand out? Let us know in the comments below. 1. eM Client The best email client with support for a wide range of email providers and integrated chat eM Client has been kicking around for nearly 10 years now, and its long development has enabled it to develop into the best email client for Windows. The free version is limited to non-commercial use and two email accounts, but otherwise it's identical to the paid-for edition. eM Client includes support for Gmail, Exchange, iCloud and Outlook.com, touch controls, fast searching and integrated calendaring and contacts. There's an integrated chat app too, with support for common standards such as Jabber and Google Chat, and it's a good alternative to heavyweight apps like Outlook. 2. Mailbird Lite A great-looking email client packed with features to supplement your messages Mailbird Lite isn't just an email app - it's a whole communication platform to which you can add apps for scheduling, chatting, file syncing and teamworking. After downloading Mailbird you'll be treated to a 30-day trial of the Pro version, which is downgraded to the more limited Lite edition if you choose not to upgrade at the end of the month. There are no time restrictions on the free client. Free users miss out on features such as speed reading, email snoozing and quick previews of attachments, but Mailbird Lite is still an excellent choice. It supports up to three email accounts, is optimized for speed, and looks great to boot. Setup is simple; enter your email details and Mailbird Lite will find the necessary POP or IMAP settings automatically, then get to work importing your messages. It offers to connect with your Facebook account, so it can liven up your inbox with your contacts' profile photos, and can also link with Whatsapp, Google Calendar, free task manager Moo.do, and teamworking app Asana. 3. Claws Mail A basic interface belies a powerful email tool for confident users Claws isn't hard to use, but is best suited to more experienced users who want to get stuck into its custom mail filtering and support for an unlimited number of email accounts. Unlike the other clients here, Claws requires users to set up their POP3/IMAP settings manually. If you use Gmail, you may also need to adjust your Google account settings and grant access for potentially less safe applications - something you might well prefer to avoid. Unusually for a modern email client there's no option to send HTML messages - Claws is plaintext-only - but by omitting potentially unnecessary features, Claws can run at lightning speeds. Its search function is particularly good, and it's expandable via plugins too. It isn't the prettiest email app, but Claws is a great free choice if you value substance over style. It's also updated regularly, so bugs are stamped out quickly. 4. Inky A free email client with one-time setup for all your devices Inky's free edition is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Android, and its one-time setup makes it the perfect email client for use across all three platforms. After downloading and installing the email client, you'll be asked to create an Inky account. This links all your email addresses together, enabling you to access them from any device with Inky installed without the hassle of setting up POP and IMAP settings. Once you've registered, setup is simple; enter the username and password for each account, and Inky takes care of the rest. In everyday use, Inky is excellent, with a clever auto-tagging feature, intelligent filtering of message types (personal, subscriptions, social, notes and so on), very fast searching and cloud syncing between devices. If you're running Windows 7 or later and spend lots of time trying to find particular messages or threads, Inky could save you an enormous amount of time. 5. Opera Mail A flexible open source email client from the makers of the Opera browser The developers of Opera have always considered email to be a key feature of any good browser, and have poured a great deal of effort into developing free email client Opera Mail. Its features include message templates - particularly handy for business use - message filtering and sorting, message sorting by type and a wide range of customisation options. The client also imports RSS feeds, making it a good alternative to web apps like Feedly and the much-missed Google Reader. 6. Thunderbird Plenty of features, and even more available with free extensions Like Firefox, free email client Thunderbird was created by the Mozilla Foundation (though development of the two has since been uncoupled). Like the web browser, its features can be extended and enhanced with a huge range of third-party add-ons. Some of its excellent built-in features include the ability to link files that are too big to email and the ability to read RSS news feeds alongside your email. Setup is straightforward; as with most modern email clients, all you need are your usernames and passwords, and Thunderbird takes care of the rest. 7. Windows Live Mail A venerable email client that's stood the test of time Windows Live Mail was last updated in 2012, having been superseded by the Mail app in Windows 8 and 10. However, despite Live Mail's comparatively old-fashioned appearance, the two programs are largely the same. Windows Live Mail delivers the three-pane layout that many email users, including us, prefer to more modern but more minimal designs. It supports RSS and cloud-based email as well as POP3, and makes it easy to send attachments and work with multiple accounts. If you like Microsoft's way of doing things but find ultra-streamlined Windows 10 apps too limiting, the classic Windows Live Mail remains a sensible choice.

Round up: The best free audio editor 2016 Posted: The best free audio editor The best free audio editor When you want to edit a sound file – whether it's to create a custom ringtone for your phone, make your own podcasts or record music – the prospect of choosing the right audio editor for the job can be a daunting one. The complexity of some audio-editing tools might be enough to scare you away, but it's more likely to be the price tag attached to such software that sends you running. Never fear, though – there are free options packed with professional-quality features. Whether you're looking for a tool to help create a soundtrack for your home movies, or you need something to help you convert your old record and cassette collection into MP3 format while removing background static, there's a free software download out there for you. Before you begin, it's worth noting that most audio editors use the LAME codec. It's probably already installed on your system, but if you receive a warning that you need to install it, you can download a free codec pack containing it. 1. Audacity The very best free audio editor, Audacity has all the tools you could possibly need Available for any desktop platform you care to mention, Audacity is our first choice audio editor. It has a huge following, and it's one that is entirely justified. It's a powerful tool that would put some paid-for product to shame, and although the interface might initially seem slightly intimidating, it's actually surprisingly approachable even for beginners. Audacity is equipped with an extensive suite of built-in tools, enabling you to edit pre-recorded files, capture sound through an attached microphone, or even stream music and podcasts. There's support for a wide range of audio formats for both importing and exporting, and the range of built-in effect is impressive. There's also a great selection of third-party plug-ins to make it even more versatile (one of our favourites is autotune add-on Gsnap, for that T-Pain effect), and a comprehensive manual is available to help you to get to grips with the more complicated aspects of the program. 2. Free Audio Editor Ideal for recording and editing your own songs and podcasts Free Audio Editor's name tells you everything you need to know here. You have to deselect a few checkboxes to avoid installing unwanted software, but the tool itself is worth the effort. It can be used to record audio via line-in, work with existing audio files, or to rip CDs. One thing that makes Free Audio Editor stand out from the competition is the way the interface has been designed. Rather than hiding option deep in confusing menus, everything you need to right at your fingertips. A neat effects sidebar makes it simple to get to the tools you need, and you can even bookmark those you use most to make your life even easier. You can get as hands on as you like, but many of the readymade filters such as breath reduction (particularly handy for podcasts) and background noise reduction mean that you'll be able to perform many audio clean-up tasks in just a few clicks. 3. Free MP3 Cutter and Editor If you don't want advanced functions, this little audio editor is just what you need Free MP3 Cutter and Editor is a simple program designed with a very specific type of audio editing in mind. Audacity would be a better choice if you want fine control of your tracks, but if you're looking for nothing more than a quick and dirty program for trimming the fat from your MP3s, this is perfect. Open your MP3 file and you can cut out unwanted sections, add a fade-in or fade-out, adjust the volume, and convert between stereo and mono. That's it. It might sound limited, but it's extremely good at what it does (for example, if you have saved a live recording as one large MP3 and then want to divide it up into a number of individual tracks). It's not the sort of task you would need a professional audio editor for, and Free MP3 Cutter and Editor fits the bill nicely. 4. WavePad Audio Editor Free Easy sound editing for Windows, Android and Apple devices The iPad has, over the years, become recognised as a value tool for music creation, but not so much for editing tracks. WavePad Audio Editor Free is an interesting app for a couple of reasons: not only is it a free audio editing app, but it's also available for iOS and Android as well as Windows. The mobile apps are surprisingly powerful - helped, perhaps, by the fact that the iOS and Android versions are designed like the desktop software. There are a number of filters and editing options available such as trimming, a high pass filter, normalization and merging files, and you can add more tools via in-app purchases. There are some nice extra touches too, including voice-activated recording, and an auto-trim editing function. 5. ocenaudio A good choice for small tasks, like creating ringtones Like Audacity, ocenaudio is available for multiple platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac). While not bursting with features, it's a great tool for everyday audio editing. Real-time effect previewing should help to speed up your work as there's no need to apply a change just to try it out, and a highly precise selection tool makes it easy to apply the same effect to multiple section of a files. You can work with locally stored files, or even open those hosted online. This audio editor's somewhat sparse interface quickly becomes a joy to use, and if you spend a little time familiarizing yourself with the keyboard shortcuts, you should fly through common tasks in next to no time. There's a decent range of effects to choose from, and there's even the option of exporting your creations as a ringtone for your iPhone. 6. mp3DirectCut Trim and normalize recorded audio files Despite its name, mp3DirectCut does more than just slicing up MP3s (although it does that very well). You can record directly into the program or work with existing audio files, and although there are no fancy options, all of the basics are covered. As well as simple track splitting, this compact audio editor also contains tools for normalising audio, increasing volume, and fading. Automatic pause detection is available to help make it easier to decided where to split a track, and if you have created cue files to automate file processing, there's support for those here. mp3DirectCut also features a batching processing option that can be used to quickly apply the same settings and effects to entire folders full of files, which is handy for normalising a series of tracks, or increasing the volume of a set that were recorded at the same time. 7. Acoustica Basic Edition A more advanced mastering audio editor, with effect layering Acoustica Basic Edition is a superb audio editor, and is particularly good at cleaning up old audio recordings from vinyl or cassettes by removing unwanted noise. Opting for the free version means missing out on options such as a multi-track editor and support for 7.1 surround sound, but you still get a lot to play with. It has a very professional look and feel, and the Effect Chain - an area where you can build up and play with a layered series of filters - is a particular highlight. There's support for DirectX and VST plug-ins, so you can easily expand the program's repertoire. If you want to get a taste for audio editing with the freedom to move beyond the basics when you feel ready, Acoustica Basic Edition is an excellent starting point. 8. Wavosaur A portable app for simple editing on any PC Wavosaur differs from the rest of the audio editors we're looking at because it's a portable app. You can therefore save it to a USB stick, ready for use on any PC without installation. Despite its tiny size, Wavosaur packs a punch. It's designed with MP3 editing in mind, but supports other key formats as well. It also boasts features like pitch shifting and vocal removal (ideal for making DIY karaoke tracks, and as with Audacity, its feature set can be expanded with VST plug-ins. The basic program hasn't been updated in quite some time, but don't let that put you off - it's an absolute gem of an audio editor.

Round up: The best free anti-spyware and anti-malware software 2016 Posted: The best anti-spyware and anti-malware software The best free protection for your PC Using an internet-connected PC without anti-spyware and anti-malware protection is rather like walking through the bad bit of town covered in bling, waving big wads of notes around and shouting "I am very bad at fighting!" Luckily you don't need to have big wads of notes to ensure that you don't get ripped off through your router or mugged via modem: as we'll discover in our feature, there are plenty of seriously good PC protection apps that you can get for absolutely nothing. As with any free software, pay close attention to the installers: some apps really want you to install bundled software, and they often do so by making installer screens really misleading in the hope that you'll just merrily click okay to everything. Given that the whole point of these apps is to remove unwanted software from your system, trying to stuff unwanted apps into your PC is a bit off. For more information, see our guide to avoiding potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Have we missed an anti-spyware program that's saved your system? Let us know in the comments below. 1. BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition Discreet protection from malware, spyware and online security threats BitDefender is the strong, silent type. It doesn't even ask questions when you install it. What it does instead is use a range of tactics to identify bad things. It has B-Have, which looks for apps behaving badly; link scanning to identify cons; proactive virus scanning that can detect threats nobody has encountered before; and boot scanning every time you start your PC. Ad-free, nag-free and hassle-free, it's a great product that runs quickly and silently while you get on with something more interesting. Its comprehensive suite of tools to protect your PC makes BitDefender our top pick. Read on to discover nine more of the best free anti-spyware and anti-malware programs. 2. Panda Free Anti-Virus 2016 Cloud-based security that takes the pressure off your PC We're big fans of Panda's security products, and Panda Free Anti-Virus 2016 is smarter than ever before. It's cloud-based, with all the heavy lifting happening on Panda's servers - so the load on your PC is lessened considerably. As ever there are paid products that offer more features - Wi-Fi scanning, password management, encryption, parental controls and so on - but Panda offers excellent real-time protection and is ridiculously simple to use. 3. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2016 A simple interface and effective scanning with remote activation If you prefer software that keeps quiet, AVG Anti-Virus Free 2016 might not be the app for you: it's quite vocal with its notifications, and irks us from time to time with irrelevant pop-ups telling us we've done something fantastic. As a security app, though, it's very good. The dashboard is user-friendly, there's protection not just from downloadable threats, but from dodgy links too, and you can use your mobile to scan your PC remotely, which is pretty clever. The paid-for Pro model has more security options - it has more robust download protection, offers data encryption includes a firewall - but the free version offers decent protection for most PC users. 4. Ad-Aware Free Anti-Virus+ All the anti-malware essentials, but lacks phishing protection Like many security software firms, Lavasoft offers its Ad-Aware Free Anti-Virus+ software in a free version in the hope you'll upgrade to its paid-for products - so it doesn't have some of the more advanced features you'd pay money for, such as phishing protection, parental controls and a digital file shredder. What it does have, however, more than covers the essentials: it scans downloads, checks for spyware, offers safe browsing via a list of known malicious websites and has a game mode so security notifications don't interrupt your frag-fests. Not bad for no money. 5. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware An excellent tool, but the free edition lacks real-time protection You can use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware free for as long as you like, but there's an important caveat: real-time protection, the fast 'hyper scan' mode and malicious website blocking features all expire after 14 days - and that means you're missing out on some of the program's best features. MalwareBytes has a deserved reputation for destroying malware that other programs miss, and its chameleon technology - which once again expires after a fortnight in the free version - means it's less susceptible to attacks that deliberately target security software. Think of the free version as a short-term savior or a test drive; the Premium version costs £19.95 (about US$29.15, AU$38.32) per year. 6. SpyBot Search and Destroy A security stalwart that's ideal for diagnosing existing infections SpyBot Search and Destroy is a veteran of the malware wars, dating back to the first adware in 2000, and while it doesn't scan for viruses - that's in the Home version, which is $13.99 (about £9.58, AU$18.39) - the free version does a decent job of finding and fixing adware, malware and spyware. It's more of a system repair tool than a system protection tool, however, and you need to be careful where you get it from: there are fake versions in circulation which are designed to cause damage, not fix it. 7. Avast Free Anti-Virus 2016 A comprehensive package with built-in password management Avast is another old-timer, and has been protecting Windows since PCs were made of wood. Avast Free Anti-Virus 2016 is the lightest, fastest version the company has ever shipped (the bad old days of security software slowing your PC to a crawl are thankfully long gone) and it supplements the anti-malware protection with a nifty password manager and home network monitoring, which can identify weak points in your Wi-Fi. As with most free products, not all the goodies are available for nothing, so for example if you want anti-phishing protection or spam filtering you'll need the paid-for version, but the free edition is still a very comprehensive security package. 8. Emsisoft Emergency Kit A lifesaver if your PC is already infected, but not a preventative tool Most security software tries to stop malware and spyware getting onto your system. Emsisoft Emergency Kit doesn't: it's the 911 call of security software, the app you use when your PC's been poked by something unpleasant. It's designed to be portable, an app you carry around with you on a USB stick, and its system requirements are tiny: just 200MB of RAM, so it'll run quite happily on any PC with 1GB or more system memory. With 2 million malware signatures, Emisoft Emergency Kit can restore almost any infected PC to rude health. 9. HijackThis For experts only - get detailed reports on a misbehaving PC Originally developed by Trend Micro and now available via SourceForge, HijackThis isn't an app for the faint of heart or tech-phobic: it generates an exceptionally detailed report on your system, enabling you to spot potential problems and malicious software. It's very fast and very thorough, but it's about malware methods rather than specific products. It tells you what's going on and it's your job to interpret it and take action. In the wrong hands, that power could be disastrous. This is one for experienced users only. 10. SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition An outdated interface belies a solid manual malware scanner Not just anti-spyware - SUPER anti-spyware. Does it live up to the name? Yes and no. SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition lacks real-time protection and scheduled scanning, so it's a tool you need to remember to run manually, and the interface appears to have been designed in the dark by maniacs. The core product is a solid one though, with lots of scanning options, registry repair, behavioural scanning and daily threat updates. It's not super, but it's pretty good.

Round up: The best free media player 2016 Posted: Download the best free media player The best free media player 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 your media player 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 media player designed specifically for audio. It's 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 be the prettiest media player, but once you start using it, it soon 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 this free media player's basics in a few minutes. There's 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 and 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 media player's 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.

Round up: The best free file recovery software 2016 Posted: Download the best free recovery software Restore lost or deleted files File recovery can be an expensive business, which is why it's no substitute for backing up your key documents, photos and other data on a regular basis. But that's of little comfort to anyone – even those with good backup regimens – who suddenly find themselves confronted by the stomach-churning feeling of data loss. As soon as you've become aware of data loss, it's critical you stop using the drive affected immediately. Whether the drive itself is failing or you've simply deleted a file accidentally, this is the golden moment when you may be able to get your data back without an expensive purchase or trip to a data recovery specialist. We've cherry-picked five of the best free data recovery tools in the business. Just pick the one closest to your requirements and with a bit of luck (and no small measure of help from the app involved), you could yet save your files. 1. DMDE Free Edition The most effective way to recover files from a dead hard drive Our favourite free file recovery tool is often overlooked. DMDE Free Edition scores major points because it's capable of recovering data from a wide array of drives, including 2TB+ drives rescued from a fried external drive enclosure with proprietary formatting (it's a long story). DMDE may not be the simplest tool to use, but it's one of the most effective, and our step-by-step file recovery guide will help you with the basics. DMDE works by letting you select a drive and then identifies all mountable partitions, with the most obvious choices highlighted. If successful, you're then shown a File Explorer-like view to browse the drive and recover what data you need from it. There are restrictions on the way you can recover data from the free version, but there's no limit to how much you recover. If you want a simpler and faster recovery process, just upgrade to the Express or Standard edition. Read on to discover four more of our favourite tools for recovering lost data in an emergency. Have we missed a program that's saved your skin in a near-disaster? Let us know in the comments below! 2. Recuva Recover files accidentally deleted from your Recycle Bin, quickly and easily Recuva is purely concerned with helping you get accidentally deleted files back, but to this end it makes things as easy and stress-free as possible. It opens by default to a file recovery wizard, which advanced users can subsequently skip: from here, choose the type of file you're trying to recover (picture, documents, compressed, emails and all files are among those on offer) and it'll focus its search accordingly. You can target your search to a specific location or search all your drives, and you can opt to choose a quick or deep scan. The latter takes much longer, but flushes out more results. Then click 'Start' and wait for the scan to complete. Once done, your results are presented, with each recovered file given a rating depending on its condition. You can recover files direct from here or switch to Advanced Mode for a frankly better view, offering file preview, information and a peek at the file's header. Recuva is also available as a portable app - essential for any emergency toolkit. 3. PhotoRec Recover lost files from any media, with support for hundreds of file formats Don't be fooled by the name, PhotoRec recovers far more than just photos. It works with a wide range of file systems and media, from hard drives to CD/DVD, USB flash drives and memory cards, and there are builds for Mac and Linux, giving you flexibility to recover data from a different computer if necessary. It also has deep knowledge of over 200 file formats, which helps with reconstructing lost files, and comes packaged with TestDisk, which can be used to recover partitions. The main complication is the user interface – it's a command line affair, with no mouse support. At first glance this appears complicated, but the program steps you through the process via a series of menu screens, and because it mounts the target drive in read-only mode, there's no danger of data being lost if you take a wrong turn – you can't write data to the drive you're recovering from, for example. 4. MiniTool Partition Recovery Free Lost a whole partition? MiniTool's excellent recovery software can help One of the most frightening data loss experiences is when an entire drive or partition goes missing. Often this can be traced to an accidentally deleted partition or one where the partition header has corrupted. If the issue is this simple, getting the partition back can be done quickly and easily without leaving Windows using MiniTool Partition Recovery Free. Just fire it up, select the drive containing your lost partition, then choose whether to scan the entire disk or just a portion of it (say the part where your missing partition should be). Choose between full and quick scans, then sit back and let the program do its work. Don't panic if it appears to become non-responsive, just be patient and eventually it'll list all detected partitions on the drive. Select all of them – including your missing partition – and click 'Finish' to restore it. You can also double-click a partition to view its file contents – perfect for verifying it's the one you're after. 5. Paragon Rescue Kit 14 Free Edition Can't boot into Windows? All is not lost with Paragon Rescue Kit All of the recovery tools we've covered so far assume you're able to boot into Windows to use them. But what happens if Windows won't boot at all? This is where Paragon Rescue Kit comes into play. The best time to install it is now while your PC is running, otherwise you'll need to do so on a working Windows PC. Once done, you'll need a blank CD/DVD or flash drive (512MB or larger – if you're planning to recover data to this drive, go for the biggest drive you can) – the setup wizard does the hard work. Now insert the disc or flash media into your non-booting PC and restart, selecting said media from the boot menu. You'll find yourself at a menu offering a multitude of options from recovering lost partitions, fixing boot issues and – crucially – a file-transfer wizard for getting data off a target drive. If all else fails, this could be a lifesaver.

Round up: The best free VPN service 2016 Posted: Protect your privacy online The best free VPN tools With the eyes of ISPs growing ever more suspicious and government monitoring fast becoming something tangible and terrifying, the 'private' part of Virtual Private Network has never been more important. But hiding your internet traffic inside an encrypted tunnel isn't the only reason you might want to run a VPN on your machine. Perhaps you want your network traffic to appear to emanate from elsewhere in the world in order to use region-locked services (presuming, of course, you can do so legally). Maybe you're looking to seamlessly access your home network while on the road, or don't trust the security of public Wi-Fi access points. The VPN tag covers a lot of potential uses. Looking for paid VPN? Check out our round-up of the best VPN services Bear in mind that using a VPN does come with certain disadvantages, primarily that you'll experience slower internet speed as your traffic is encrypted and routed through the servers of your chosen provider. Free options usually end up throttled compared to their paid-for siblings and might also serve up ads or, in some cases, track your browsing habits to sell on to third parties. 1. CyberGhost 5 The best VPN tool to keep your browsing activity private CyberGhost is a VPN that truly has its users' ideals in mind: the company proudly declares that it doesn't track your activity, and publishes a transparency report to back up its claims. You can even use its interface to restrict the amount of information you're passing on to the sites you visit, shutting down tracking cookies, malicious websites, and more. If you want your traffic private and protected, this is our number one choice. It's also supremely easy to use, with a simple interface which allows you to select the location of your new IP address, and good visual indication of what's going on. That said, CyberGhost does run a reasonably limited number of servers, with selections mainly focused in Europe – at the time of writing, the free version offers no location option for Canada or any servers located in Asia. You're also restricted to three hours per session, with a moderate delay and a few ads before you're able to connect – a small price to pay for privacy. 2. Tunnelbear Tunneling made simple - but watch out for the data limit Tunnelbear is, as its dev crows, 'really really simple' to use. It's probably the most friendly VPN you'll find, with straightforward apps available for for Windows, MacOS and mobile devices. It's also one of the most well-travelled, with a truly worldwide network of tunnels to connect to, routing your data everywhere from Hong Kong to Norway – only its Australia and India nodes are restricted in the free edition. Much like CyberGhost, Tunnelbear promises high-end encryption and a complete absence of traffic logging. There's a pretty big kicker: the free version only offers 500MB of data transfer per month, so it's going to be reasonably useless if you're using it as a location-spoofing tool to watch geo-restricted video. For those moments when you're doing light browsing in a coffee shop, though, Tunnelbear's simplicity – and mobile compatibility – may come in very handy as long as you can cope with its slightly twee collection of bear puns. 3. VPNBook VNPBook is a simple, convenient way to protect your privacy If you're a confident computer user or want to protect more than just a Windows device, VPNBook is a great option. It doesn't even require any specific software – you just plug the appropriate info into your machine's system settings and you're connected. It uses your choice of point-to-point-tunneling (PPTP) or OpenVPN to encrypt your traffic and fire it out of one of six servers, three in Europe and three in North America. Being rough-and-ready, though, VPNBook does have its issues. We can't vouch for the specific encryption used, for a start, and its open nature (and potential for abuse) means it uses a password which changes frequently. If your ISP blocks PPTP connections, you'll need to use OpenVPN's client software – which pretty much nullifies the benefit of its compatibility with phones and games consoles. But for an ad-free, no-nonsense VPN connection it's a great choice. 4. OpenVPN Server Setting up your own VPN server is an enterprise-level option While the OpenVPN team produces a more user-friendly VPN option in the form of PrivateTunnel – which offers only limited data transfer in its free form – and many of the other options here use OpenVPN tech to get the job done, it's worth putting in the (considerable) effort to install an OpenVPN server on a home machine. You'll need to stump up some cash if you want to make use of more than the two client connections included with the server installation, but this is a proper VPN. Set up its server properly, connect to it with the OpenVPN client software, and you'll not only encrypt your network traffic but gain access to your home network as if you were connected locally -- all your shares, files and machines at your fingertips. Make no mistake, though: building your own OpenVPN server is enterprise-level stuff, certainly not for the faint-hearted given the amount of configuration required, and its absolute overkill for most purposes. But if you're in this for the 'network' side of VPN, look no further. 5. Hotspot Shield Free A promising VPN tool, but the ads and toolbars are overbearing It's been around for a while and has something of a mixed reputation: Hotspot Shield is a cracking VPN, but suffers some pretty heavy drawbacks that are required to contribute to its upkeep. However, Hotspot Shield dev Anchorfree has recently made steps to improve its service to free users. While you'll have to put up with a decent number of ads and frequent pleading to upgrade to its Elite version, some of the more insidious aspects – browser toolbars, page-injected advertising – are on the outs. While it's quick, easy to install and available in a neat Chrome extension version, we still struggle to recommend Hotspot Shield Free fully. There's a 750MB data cap per day, a single USA output locale, and access to many video streaming sites is hidden behind the paid Elite subscription. You might also be interested in How to set up and maintain a VPN How to make your VPN more secure How to build a dedicated VPN router

Round up: The best free website builder 2016 Posted: Download the best free website builders Build your own website Web design software transformed web building: if you were a keen coder, software could speed up your coding with auto-completion and macros; if you preferred to design visually, your software would turn your designs into code and stick them online. Although more and more web building platforms are online and based around fairly inflexible templates, web design software still has a key role to play - especially if you like to get things done when you're far from a data connection. So which web design apps are the best? Let's find out. 1. CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor Make your own professional-standard website in minutes CoffeeCup's paid-for products are excellent, and CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor is great too. It combines coding and WYSIWYG design in an app that runs quickly, is easy to learn and can produce some stellar sites. It lacks some of the features of its paid-for siblings - features such as the useful Color Schemer and built-in FTP uploading are reserved for the paid products - but unlike some rivals it's in continual development to keep it current. If you're looking for a do-everything app on Windows then look no further. 2. PSPad A powerful text-based editor packed with extra tools for web developers PSPad might not be pretty, but it's pretty good. Inside the defiantly old-school Windows interface is a powerful programmer's editor that includes an FTP client for on-server editing, templates for common languages such as HTML, PHP, VBScript and many others, multiple document editing and macros that you can use to create and trigger commonly used code. It's not an app for people who prefer a WYSIWYG interface that's more like desktop publishing or word processing, but if you're a keen coder it's an excellent tool. 3. Google Web Designer Create stunning HTML5 animations for your own site Google Web Designer's name is a little misleading, because it's really an advert and animation designer: it's best suited to people who need to create animated, cross-platform elements that they'll then use in another program (or add to their otherwise hand-coded sites). But if you're one of those people there's lots to like including Google Drive integration, 3D objects, layers and events. As Google's showcase of animations created using Web Designer demonstrates, the app is capable of creating some really impressive results. 4. KompoZer An older website builder, but still a favorite We have a soft spot for KompoZer, which is a spin-off from the same Mozilla that created Firefox - but where Firefox has been in constant development from day one, KompoZer hasn't been updated since 2010. That's a problem, because the languages used on the Web haven't stood still: while it's still possible to create sites in KompoZer, we think there are much better and easier ways to do it - such as the BlueGriffon app, which is based on Firefox and offers a more modern approach. Unlike KompoZer, however, BlueGriffon requires a paid licence for its most useful features. 5. SynWrite A text-based editor for more experienced web developers It's overkill for beginners, but if you're a keen coder then SynWrite is well worth a look, and not just because it's small enough to carry around on a modest USB flash drive. It's a fully featured code editor with macro recording, plugins, clipboard history, text clips, stacks of coding helpers, colour pickers and previews, search and replace across multiple files and code templates too. It's been designed for every kind of web work from layout to coding, and it's a good choice for expert users. 6. Mobirise Website Builder Create responsive websites that look great on desktop and mobile devices You've got to love an app whose sales blurb says "creating well-designed websites is a real fun" (sic), especially when it actually is. Mobirise can create good looking, responsive websites with the minimum of fuss. It's all about blocks: you choose the type of block you want, drag it to where you want it and change the default content to suit your own requirements. It's easy to see how your design will work on desktop, smartphone and tablet, and you don't have to use the pre-defined styles if you don't want to. 7. TOWeb Another responsive design tool, but keep its limitations in mind The free version of TOWeb is there to promote the more powerful paid-for versions, so as you'd expect, its features are limited: you can only create one website, the size is limited to 10MB and TOWeb will put ads in the website. It's simple, based on customisable and generally good looking templates, supports multiple languages and enables you to publish automatically to a wide range of web hosts. The results are responsive too, which means they should work just fine on mobiles and tablets. If you can live with the limits TOWeb's free app is a decent option for simpler sites. 8. Weebly Free A simple drag-and-drop editor that's ideal for making your first site We've steered clear of online-only services in our round-up as they tend to be template-based web builders rather than web designers, but Weebly is a little bit different as it enables you to design the content of your pages by dragging and dropping. You get free hosting and unlimited pages, and while you can't remove Weebly's branding - that's £5 per month for the Starter package, which enables you to use your own domain name - it's a great starting point if you want to make something that looks good without taking forever to build. 9. openElement A web-based site builder that's very capable, but intimidating for beginners The dark, dense interface might be a little off-putting for absolute beginners and it isn't as easy to use as some rivals, but there's no doubt that openElement offers a lot of power for more confident designers. It does much more than most other WYSIWYG apps, and in the right hands it's capable of great things, but we think the interface is a little confusing compared to similarly useful apps like CoffeeCup Free. 10. Webflow A stylish online web builder if you don't mind the ads and limited page views Like Weebly, Webflow is an online app that's part of a suite of paid-for services - and like Weebly, that means there are limits on what you can do with it. The free edition won't let you export HTML/CSS code for use outside Webflow's own hosting (although you can prototype your site for free with a webflow.io subdomain), your free site is limited to two pages and tech support is online-only via a busy discussion forum. If those limitations are okay, however, Webflow is a really great app for designing pages that pop. Have we missed your preferred web design software? Share your recommendations in the comments below.

Round up: The best free parental control software 2016 Posted: The best free parental control software The best free parental control software It's hard to imagine anything less child-friendly than an uncensored internet. A rabid wolf, maybe, or a playground floored with broken glass and razor wire. The more connected we become the more we need everybody online - and that means trying to ensure that our children aren't exposed to the very worst content, ideas and behaviour that exist online. Software can't do everything, of course, but it can help to make parents' lives much easier. These are our picks of the best parental control tools. If you're looking for a tool that will just monitor your kids' activity without blocking them from specific content, consider installing a free keylogger instead. 1. Qustodio A full suite of parental control tools to protect your children from threats Most parental control software is aimed at Windows, but Qustodio (think 'custodian') is also available for OS X, Android, iOS, Kindle and Nook. The free version is limited to one user and one device, but if you want to control multiple devices the paid-for version isn't too steep at US$44.95/£29.95 (about AU$61) per year for up to five devices (higher-end plans are available for larger families). The free version covers the basics, enabling you to set rules and time schedules, block pornography and other unsuitable content; if you go for the paid-for version that adds SMS monitoring, social media features and per-app controls. But even the free version is one of the most comprehensive parental control apps around. Its raft of features and support for a wide range of platforms make Qustodio our top recommended parental control software, but there are many other excellent free programs available, some of which may be better suited to your individual needs.Read on for more of the best tools to keep your kids safe online. 2. FamilyShield Blocks dangerous domains, and can be used on your whole network FamilyShield is a free service from OpenDNS. Its parental control tools automatically block domains that OpenDNS has flagged under the headings "tasteless, proxy/anonymizer, sexuality, or pornography". One of the big pluses here is that while FamilyShield can run on PCs and mobile devices, you can also apply it to your network router and filter all the traffic that passes through it - it's just a matter of changing the DNS server numbers in your control panel, and that has the happy benefit of improving DNS lookup speeds on some ISPs. By filtering everything at the router level, every device on your network benefits from the filters. 3. Norton Family Protection for your kids when they're using social media Its creators would really like you to subscribe to the paid-for Premier version, but the free edition of Norton Family is an excellent tool to support you in protecting your kids online. You can block inappropriate web content and monitor the kids' online activities, see what they've been searching for and how often they've been on Facebook (and whether they're using a fake name or age), ensure they don't accidentally give out personal information, and lock down your internet connection at specific times. The Premier version of Norton's parental control tool adds video supervision, location tracking, Android app and SMS use and time-locks for Android apps. That's US$49.99, £29.99 (about AU$60) per year. 4. Kidlogger A sensible parental control measure or invasion of privacy? It's your decision We're in two minds about using logging software for children and teenagers: tracking every single keystroke, SMS, photo, instant message, Skype call and location feels like an invasion of privacy, but we can see the benefit for parents who suspect their child may be keeping something important private, such as online bullying or grooming. The free version of Kidlogger tracks one device and keeps logs for nine days. Upgrading to the premium package for US$29 (about £20, AU$40) per year lets you monitor five devices, with log history stored for 30 days. The service is available for Windows, Mac and Android, and there's a separate app for non-jailbroken iPhones and iPads. 5. Spyrix Free Keylogger Take a virtual peek over your kid's shoulder as they surf Keyloggers have something of a bad reputation online, as they're often used by villains, but they can be a force for good too, and Spyrix's features enable you to see what your children have been up to. Although it's dubbed parental control software, it's really a monitoring program; it doesn't stop the kids getting up to no good, but it does let you see exactly what they've done. That means it isn't really appropriate for younger children's computers, but it may be appropriate for older children if you suspect online bullying or other unpleasantness. 6. WebFilter Pro A good browser add-on, but quite easy to disable if they know how WebFilter Pro is a cloud-based parental control add-on for Chrome and Firefox that adds filters to web browsing. It can block malware, adult content including drug, guns and other inappropriate content, proxy servers, known spam sources, social networks and media streaming sites. You can add your own sites to the blocklist and to the whitelist, but there's a fairly big Achilles Heel here: while there's password protection to stop the kids from overriding your settings, there's nothing to stop them from simply disabling or uninstalling the extension altogether. That means the add-on does a decent job, but it's not one for older children. 7. Windows Live Family Safety An older program, but handy if you still use Windows 7 or earlier Family Safety is a parental control suite bundled into Windows 8 and 10, but if you're running an older version of Windows you can download it separately. The app offers a range of parental controls including restricting web browsers to specific sites or specific kinds of content; tracking your kids' activities and enabling you to see what websites they've visited You can also lock down search engines so they don't return inappropriate results, and limit what can be done at specific times - handy if you're trying to ensure your kids aren't spending every waking hour in multiplayer gaming or social media. It's particularly good if you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Edge browsers. 8. Zoodles Kid Mode A whole browser designed for younger kids The problem with many parental control apps is that they're most effective for older children: while filtering adult content and other unpleasantness is obviously a good thing, there's plenty of stuff that isn't adult that can still scare younger children silly. Zoodles Kid Mode addresses that by combining filtered browsing and a dedicated web browser to create a walled garden: everything in it is safe for kids and there's no risk of anything awful popping up. In addition to Windows, Zoodles Kid Mode is also available for Macs, Android and iOS, and a brand new version is currently in development. 9. K9 Web Protection Multi-platform protection, but a little outdated Available for PC, Mac, iOS and Android (but not updated in some time: the most recent release notes date from 2014), K9 Web Protection's features include blocking of 70 different website categories (including illegal drugs, dating and racism), time restrictions, mandatory SafeSearch in Google, detection of new and malicious adult websites and custom block/allow lists. Its parental controls don't cover chat programs, unfortunately. We wouldn't rely on its ageing database to block malware either, and there's no support for multiple users (for example, you can't have different settings for a teenager and for a younger child), but K9 is impressively difficult to disable or remove, and it's good at what it does. 10. FoxFilter Available for Firefox and Chrome, but no good if your child installs IE There are plenty of browser add-ons that offer parental control, but there's a big flaw in each and every one of them: if your child downloads or sideloads a different browser, they're useless. That means parental control filters such as FoxFilter are useful only for children who won't do that, or for environments where the filtering is just extra insurance for children who are usually within sight and sound of the grown-ups. In such cases it's simple and effective, with good blocking of suspicious content and the ability to fine-tune the filter so it doesn't block innocent content. It's now also available for Google Chrome. Also see our guide to Family Safety parental controls in Windows 10.

Round up: The best free system utilities 2016 Posted: Speed up your PC The best free system utilities 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 system utilitites 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 system utility to try first, and thanks to its huge array of features and deep scans, it's our favorite free system speed-up tool. Have we missed a system utility you rely on to keep your PC in top shape? Let us know in the comments below. 2. PC Decrapifier Uninstall the junkware that comes 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. Free system utility 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. One of the tidiest system utilities around. 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. The latter category of software runs when you boot Windows, or log in, or launch certain system tools. You can find and get rid of the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns with the superb system utility Autoruns. 4. Recuva An essential system utility 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, this free system utility 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, a free system utility that 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 free system utility 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. This free system utility 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 built-in software uninstallers, which all too often leave bits and pieces everywhere. It's a particular pain when a program comes with additional tools like browser toolbars and unwanted 'helper' apps, which then have to be removed separately. Revo Uninstaller Free is a free system utility that solves the 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 free system utility 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, this free system utility 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 system utilities, both also free: Deeper is purely for personalisation while Maintenance covers - yep - maintenance. For most people OnyX offers the best of both.

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