RemoveIT is a free trojan, adware and spyware scanner that searches and destroys dangerous viruses, trojans and spyware.

However, the effectiveness of it is open to debate. The developers claim that it's so good, it "locates and removes many new dangerous files including spyware, malware, virus, worms, trojans and adware that other popular AV programs do not find." This program therefore is NOT a real-time scanner - it's based on cleaning-up after something has installed itself on your PC rather than real-time protection which I always think is a dangerous approach.

There's nothing flashy about this program - the interface is based on Windows Explorer shell which also includes a slightly more advanced and expanded version of Windows Task Manager (to stop and block illegal processes) and the same with a Service Manager which gives you an overview of the services and program currently running on your PC. With these tools, you have more control over what runs on your PC both during startup and day-to-day operation. The Services Manager is recommended for beginners as you can see clearly the actual names of the programs running while the Process Manager only shows those files that are running as parts of programs and as a result, you may shut something down that you didn't mean to.

For a free and light malware scanner, this is a solid program although it does not seem to detect anything that other scanners (such as Ad-Aware) can't so it's maybe not as effective as the developers claim.

Download RemoveIT Pro 4 SE 25.9.2008 in Softonic

Sometimes I prefer watching movies and TV series on the computer rather than doing it on the couch. The image quality in my PC monitor is better and I can handle more formats than just DVD.

Of course, I need a good video player in order to enjoy my favorite movies at their most, and my choice is no other than BSPlayer. This great video player features anything you need to watch movies or any other kind of video on your PC. It supports all popular video formats (and audio as well, in case you were wondering) and though its basic interface is not really the nicest one I've seen, you can easily customize it with skins.

BSPlayer supports video subtitles, takes screenshots of movie currently playing, lets you create bookmarks and chapters to move along videos more easily and has also support for plug-ins. I especially liked the way you can control playback, either by using keyboard shortcuts or simply your mouse: one click to stop the video, two clicks to go full screen, mouse wheel to raise or low the volume…

The only thing I didn't like was the fact that, being a free version, you're obliged to install an adware element on your PC that displays ads from time to time while you're browsing the way. It's a safe app that doesn't compromise your privacy, but still it's not my cup of tea. I guess it's just the price you have to pay for having such a great video player for free.

BSPlayer lets you enjoy your favorite movies on the PC with a wide range of features (subtitles, screenshots, bookmarks and more) provided you're willing to accept some ads on your desktop.

Download BS.Player Free 2.31.974 in Softonic

Wizz RSS News Reader, is a very simple RSS and Atom news aggregator that helps you keep up to date with your favourite RSS feeds.

Wizz RSS News Reader is an XUL application which means that it integrates into Firefox meaning you never even have to leave your browser. Although Wizz RSS News Reader doesn't contain any adware, it does put quite a strain on the amount of RAM that Firefox uses which aggravtes the memory leak that Firefox already suffers from.

Wizz RSS News Reader features a useful Drag and drop Quick View function for viewing feeds without having to add them and it you van choose whether to store lists centrally to make them easily available from any PC. Adding feeds is a pleasure simply requiring a drag and dropping action into the Wizz RSS News Reader interface. The program can also automatically check for specific news items that you can define by typing specific search terms.

If you rely on Firefox for everything and don't want to leave it to check RSS feeds, Wizz RSS News Reader is a quick and easy solution.

Download Wizz RSS News Reader 3.0.0.1 in Softonic

StaxRip allows you to easily convert your DVD's, DVB or DV captures, or almost any other source format. As a open source application StaxRip is completely free. The program supports the most popular video formats (DivX, XviD, x264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4), audio formats (MP3, AC3, MP2/MPA, AAC, DTS, WAV) and container formats (AVI, MP4, MPG, MKV, DivX).

Features of StaxRip:

• No spyware, adware or any other form of malware
• No registry bloat, settings are saved in files within the application's directory
• No lost settings after a fresh windows installation
• No awkward setup/installer, no system changes, system bloat and trash
• Easy to use and highly customizable
• Reasonable default values for filters, codecs etc.
• Rich help system including, online help, context sensitive help and forum support
• Rich and convenient cutting facilities e.g. to remove ads
• Batch processing (jobs)
• Rich feature set to manage, integrate and download required third party application
• AviSynth powered to achieve excellent video quality and support of virtually any source format

Download StaxRip 1.1.1.0 in Softonic

WinMX Turbo Booster is a powerful plug-in for the WinMX P2P application. The hottest technology is applied to boost up downloads speed and increase the amount of download sources. The program's interface is designed to be attractive and easy to use. WinMX Turbo Booster is free and there are no ads, no adware, no spyware, and no trojans included in the program.

Features of the app:

• Interface is easy to use and good-looking
• Automatically resumes paused downloads
• Finished and wrong files are cleaned automatically
• Finds more sources at user-specified intervals
• Interface is easy operable by a system tray icon
• Clean and free, without any adware or spyware
• Configuration from last run is saved and auto loads on start-up

Download WinMX Turbo Booster 4.8.3 in Softonic

Even though eMule is by far our most popular P2P app, BearShare is still going strong and continues to follow closely behind it on Softonic. Like LimeWire, this P2P sharing app is based on the Gnutella network but unlike LimeWire, it comes with adware so be warned. You will be subjected at various intervals to advertising pop-ups and it seems even if you tell it not to install the ad bundle, it still gets turns up on your PC somehow.

Bearshare's basic interface is functional but very plain. It's got a very similar feel to eMule and it's not difficult to use with a simple search box and file type field, although beginners might be thrown off by the amount of technical information relating to servers, which are best ignored.

So most importantly, what results does it throw up and what's the speed like?. In a nutshell, not half as many or as fast as eMule. We found that the connection speed was quite long and the speeds on the whole slower than you would generally get on eMule. The search times are also rather long sometimes taking up to 10 or 15 seconds to bring up a result. It is also limited to MP3, MPEG, AVI, ASF, MOV, JPEG, GIF and OGG files which is somewhat limited compared to eMule.

BearShare has some pretty basic functions although it does contains a few original tools such as the adult content filter to block or keep adult or X X-rated material from ever touching your hard-drive. This still doesn't stop fake files getting through but offers you a decent level of protection. The bandwidth throttle is also particularly useful and offers options for enhanced connection management and improved downloading.

One of the better features is an option which allows you to connect directly to other friends’ PC's connected to BearShare which and enables you to get considerably faster downloads. Of course, all the other standard functions in a P2P app are there - including automatic resume feature, chat, and media player with full-screen preview mode.

If you're looking for a wide choice of downloadable files, you're definitely better off trying eMule or even LimeWire but if you are a beginner to P2P file sharing, BearShare is a fairly simple and user friendly initiation into the world.

Download BearShare 6.2 in Softonic

eDonkey Acceleration Patch is a powerful accelerator designed to speed up your eDonkey file sharing program. You will download MP3s, movies and other desired files faster than ever. The add-on will ensure that your bandwidth is used to its highest capability. Also the booster will help you find more sources to download. It is free and do not include ads, adware, spyware, Trojans or any other malware – 100% clean!

Features:

• Finds more sources at user-specified intervals
• Configuration from last run is saved and auto loads on start-up
• Clean and free, without any adware or spyware
• Finished and wrong files are cleaned automatically
• Automatically resumes paused downloads
• Interface is easy to use and good-looking
• Interface is easy operable by a system tray icon

Download eDonkey Acceleration Patch 4.7 in Softonic

AmazonWatcher alerts you of price changes on Amazon products, so you can get hold of holiday deals or be alerted of price falls on products you bought.

The application supports the six international Amazon sites and you can search for items by entering their URL, ISBN or ASIN. A preview image of the product, title and price will appear in AmazonWatcher's interface and the item will be added in your list. You can then choose whether to be alert by a sound, a pop up or by mail and manually set a price from which you want to be notified. The sound alert is horrendous though and it can only be set in seconds and minutes.

AmazonWatcher allows you to automatically place orders, for which you'll naturally need to have an Amazon account setup with your credit card details and 1-Click setup. We were a bit surprised to see items we hadn't picked appear in our lists. When selecting Amazon US, a Wii had already been selected (a trick to incite me to buy? who knows).

Despite a few limitations, AmazonWatcher can be a useful tool if you're the kind of person that likes to pounce on deals.

Download AmazonWatcher 0.3.3 in Softonic

SpywareBlaster takes the approach that prevention is the best way to deal with Spyware attacks and in the main, it accomplishes this aim.

Most importantly, this program is completely free, simple to setup and and very straight-forward to use. It works by preventing the installation of adware and spyware by blocking them at source. In this way, you prevent attacks rather than having to scan for installed diallers, trojans and bots later with something like Ad-Aware. Of course, this is no easy task. One annoying aspect used to be that there was no auto update function but this has thankfully been solved in this latest version. Via these updates, the program is constantly updated with a blacklist of potential threats that the program monitors for. However, you do get the slight impression that nothing much is going on when it's installed. It doesn't seem to issue any update messages or warnings although it seems to be doing it's job properly. As a result, for many people, this program may seem a bit too flimsy to trust 100% but if run alongside something like Ad-Aware as a backup tool, you don't have much to lose by trying it.

A valient effort although I still wouldn't change it for the trio of Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and Spyware Terminator.

Download SpywareBlaster 4.0 in Softonic

The best way to stop malware infecting your system is to catch it before it strikes. Yes, if George Bush has spyware or adware protection installed on his PC, you can bet it will be pre-emptive like STOPzilla. STOPzilla provides real-time protection, detects, blocks and removes spyware and adware, stops pop-ups, and erases cookies and history. It's constantly updated against the latest threats so you're guaranteed round the clock protection as long as you are connected to the net.

The thing I most appreciate about this program is that it's really easy to configure. The cartoon logo may give the impression that it's not a serious piece of software but it is actually very easy to use yet pretty solid. Although Firefox, and even IE, now have pretty good pop-up blockers, it's particularly effective in this area blocking almost everything that has not been assigned to your safe list.

STOPzilla is easy to use, powerful and requires little configuration - what more can you ask for from an anti-malware program.

Download STOPzilla 4.4.4.16 in Softonic

They don't come much more comprehensive than VBA 32 Antivirus. The program consists of an on-access scanner, on-demand scanner, auto-update system, Windows Explorer context menu extension plus a host of plug-ins for e-mail clients such as The Bat!, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange Client.

It also features a mail filter to scan incoming e-mail messages received by POP3 or IMAPv4 protocols independently of your e-mail client, a script-filter to protect users from execution of malicious scripts in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook Express and for that matter, any other applications that use the Microsoft Windows Scripting Host technology.

In terms of reliability however, the ability of this virus checker has to be questioned. In a scan, it did not pick up several pieces of malware that Ad aware had detected although they were pretty minor. However, it does work discreetly and is worth trying if your dissatisfied with your current ant virus package

Download VBA32 Antivirus 3.12.2.4 in Softonic

Free for home users, ALPass is the best and easiest way to securely store logins and passwords for all your online memberships and subscriptions.

Try ALPass and see for yourself:

Automatic

Login to websites in 1 click

Unlimited Logins

Add login IDs and passwords for unlimited sites

Consolidated

Add, edit, delete and manage logins in 1 easy centralized place

Safe & Secure

Strong encryption (3DES) keeps your information safe

Intuitive

Clean and easy to use intuitive interface

Backups

Backup and restore encrypted login databases

Portable

Export encrypted databases to use on other computers

Customizable

Set browser integration preferences

Unlimited Users

Secure for unlimited users on the same computer, even with the same login

Show or Hide Passwords

Mask passwords with asterisks (*) or display them in plain text

Intelligent

Auto prompts you to add new sites with configurable settings

Auto log out

Set auto log out time limits for added security

100% Free

Free from adware, free from spyware, and free for personal and commercial use

Download ALPass 2.74 in Softonic

If you’re not impressed by P2P heavyweights such as eMule and Limewire, you might find Warez worth a try. Warez is a P2P file-sharing network based on the Ares network and offers a service similar to that of Kazaa. In fact, up to version 1.6, Warez was an exact clone of Ares Galaxy but since then has branched out to offer some interesting features of its own. As a result, Warez claims to be the third largest decentralized P2P filesharing network in the world with over 1.5 million users.

The first thing to be aware of is that although the developers claim Warez contains no spyware or adware, many users have reported problems on Softonic of pop-up ads and browser hijacks. The installation itself takes less than a minute and once done, you’re taken through a small configuration wizard similar to that in eMule. The interface is also in classic P2P style – a search bar on the left, with search type below it. If you are searching for music, one nice feature is the three windows across the top which “divide-as-you-search”. So if you search for Judas Priest, the name of the band appears in one pane, the names of all their albums in another and finally the names of all their tracks in the last one.

It's obvious that Warez is very much designed to integrate with the web more than most P2P apps. Along the toolbar at the top is a web button which takes you directly to the Warez site where you can expand your search beyond its P2P network. There’s also a torrent button which, via an easy to use wizard, allows you to post your own torrents on the Warez website. Of course, you can also download torrents using Warez. In addition, there’s also a nice media player (although it does not allow previews of partially-downloaded files) and a convenient CD ripper button to put your favourite files on disc. Of course, the chat facility comes as standard.

However, these cosmetic improvements are hardly a giant leap in the P2P world. Warez claims that its major advantage is an “advanced queuing system” and “multi-sourced swarmed downloads”. It claims particular speed advantages over Kazaa and Gnutella networks. In tests, we didn’t notice any significant difference in either download or search times between Warez and these applications although much depends on your own personal configuration and broadband network.

User opinion is clearly divided on Warez. One disgruntled Softonic user reports it has, “port hopping technology designed to get around your network security” and that “you are a fool to install this software.” Another meanwhile says, “I like that there is no spyware…an easy to use interface.” Be careful that if you do notice spyware, it may be down to other programs you downloaded rather than Warez.

In summary, a very good looking P2P and web integrated program.

Download Warez 3.2.0 in Softonic

If you see that you PC performs abnormal actions, such as adding strange tool bars and many pop-up windows in your browser, or if your homepage changes without notification, then your PC is infected with one or more Spyware programs.

Easy SpywareRemover removes Spyware, Adware and Spybots from your system. It blocks Spyware and Hijackers before they get into your PC and annoying Popup Windows and ads.
It also keeps your internet activities private and features unlimited free updates for 1 year.

Download Easy SpyRemover to get rid of bugs before they cause any more harm to your computer.

Download Easy SpywareRemover 3.2 in Softonic

VirIT eXplorer Lite is an Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware for tool that helps you rid your computer of viruses, spyware, worm, Trojan, backdoor, dialer, BHO (Browser Helper Object), adware, hijacker, malware software.

Features of the program include:

• Intrusion detection system in real time
• Sort start-up programs by date

• Scan and Clean ADS stream
• Fix Internet Explorer
• Process Manager

• Automatic Update via Internet

Download VirIT eXplorer Lite 6.1.57 in Softonic

The scourge of spyware has been well documented for some time now, and the problem isn’t one that will go away in a hurry. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools around that help you detect and remove evil, privacy-raiding code from your machine, with BPS Spyware and Adware Remover being one of the more effective. Unlike many of its peers, the application offers real-time protection to help you ensure that once you’re system is clean, it stays clean.

Scanning for spyware using the app is a doddle thanks to an intuitive interface, which, despite looking a little tacky and garish, allows you to perform a quick scan, full scan or a deep scan with the minimum of fuss. Although the scan takes a little too long compared with many other spyware removers, it makes amends for this by being very thorough, picking up traces of spyware that even apps like AdAware couldn’t touch. However, the application lacks somewhat when it comes to informing you what the malware detected is, and there are no descriptions of the spyware elements included in the database, which is a bit of a shame.

The great thing about BPS is that it isn’t just a spyware remover. The utility also includes a system hijack scanner, a Winsock repair tool and a rather neat pop-up blocker which is compatible with any Web browser. As a result, it can help protect you from all the various bugs that lurk on the net without any hassle. You’ll be able to find plenty of tools that can scan faster than this one, but the program still boasts an impressive range of options and is very simple to get to grips with.

Download BPS Spyware and Adware Remover 9.3.0.11 in Softonic

Ads Alert is designed to prevent ad components (spyware, adware, scumware, registry entries, files, cookies, etc) from gathering information about you, your computer, your Web surfing habits. It scans your PC system registry, memory, and hard drives by using the list of known ad components.

Ads Alert provides you with a clear list of everything it's discovered. Simply mouse-over any item on the list, and select the items you'd like to remove from your system or ignore. You can select whether you want to scan whole drives or specified folders.

Download Ads Alert 3.0 in Softonic

If you spend any time online at all, and especially if you download files from the internet, SpyWare is something you really have to look out for. For those not familiar with these unsavory little characters, they really are the bane of all 'Net users lives; the chances are there is some form of spyware lurking on your PC right now.

In a nutshell, they are little files, often remotely executable programs, that enter your system on the back of files you download. Some cause a real threat to your privacy as they steal information from your drive, and upload it to a server where this information can be sold, or used without your knowledge; others will cause pop-up ads and some will hijack your browser to guide you to the sites they want you to visit

Download Malware Scanner 3.0.0.2 in Softonic

Comprehensive protection is priority number one for every computer user connected to the net and no matter what measures one takes, there will eventually be some way for attacks to circumvent them. There is therefore the need for not only a shield from spyware but a permanently up-to-date scanner that will give your system a rigorous once over to weed out any root kits and of course any other kind of malware. Step up Spy Sweeper, an advanced solution that will help you put your mind to rest.

Emphasising the need to stay on top of recent trends, the program will conduct an automatic update when you first open it. Follow that with a “Sweep” and you’ll soon realise that the term “excavation” may better suit the process that follows. There’s no point in holding your breath for it to finish because if our test system is anything to go by you can expect a wait of up to one hour! Thankfully though, a scan won’t gobble up your CPU usage and there will be no noticeable slow-down if you use other applications during the process.

A unique and very practical feature of Spy Sweeper is the running commentary of everything you’ve done since beginning the session. As the scan progresses, issues will appear in red with the type of problem and the name of the offending file. A more detailed log of your session history can be found under the Results tab which also time stamps every event.

While Spy Sweeper tries to keep the user informed, it doesn’t venture so far as to estimate the time remaining for a scan. This is a small feature that should be regarded as standard for this type of software but it’s just not to be the case here. What’s more, within the options tab you find what amounts to nothing more than advertising with links to more Webroots products. We would hope that these disappear once you’ve registered your copy.

Issues aside, Spy Sweeper packs a punch where it counts and certainly justifies its modest price tag. While there are free alternatives to be found in Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, the extra funding may provide more incentive to stay on top of recent threats and should also guarantee the longevity of support for many years to come.

Download Spy Sweeper 5.3 in Softonic

Super Ad Blocker blocks all forms of advertising including Flash, Rich Media, fly-in, slide-in, pop-ups, pop-unders, spyware ads, messenger ads, and much more. The application has the ability to block and removes thousands of major spyware/adware applications.

Super Ad Blocker includes advanced privacy cleaning and automatic updates so the product is never out of date. What's more, it provides detailed statistics for the number and type of ads blocked. You can play a fun sound when an ad is blocked to celebrate your victory over the horrors of the Net. Super Ad Blocker never interferes with e-mailing, banking, surfing, chatting or any other Internet experience.

Download Super Ad Blocker 4.1.1004 in Softonic