Disk wiping or hard drive clearing can be necessary for a number of reasons such as to install a new operating system or to simply maintain your privacy.

Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer is an ultra effective solution which helps you remove every last shred of data on your hard drive. The reason is that many deletion tools only delete the file structure from your hard drive so you can't see it anymore but in effect, it still exists. Data recovery software can therefore often recover it if needed which is why it's not a particularly safe way of deleting data. Note that Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer aims to eliminate any risk of file recovery so use it with care.

Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer eliminates data files at the heart of directories and shreds data beyond recovery. Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer offers 9 types of disk wiping which include Fast Zero Overwrite (for quick deletes) and Random Overwrite (which scrubs out data repeatedly to ensure it's gone). Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer also offers a series of ultra secure deletions such as "US Navy" and "US Department of Defense" deletion methods which basically emulate those used by such organizations.

Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer is a very secure way to delete data from your drive and ensure that data recovery software doesn't discover anything.

Download Disk Doctors Data Sanitizer 1.0.0 in Softonic

KeyPass is a versatile password manager that types your passwords for you. Unlike other password managers that require tedious cut-and-paste or drag-and-drop operations to enter your passwords, KeyPass types the passwords for you when a user-defined "hot key" is pressed. As such, it works with any browser or application, including web browsers, terminal emulators and corporate services.

The information is encrypted using 448-bit blowfish algorithm and a master password is required to unlock the information in the database. This means that only you can access secret information such as passwords, credit card details, PIN numbers and any sensitive documents you have.

Unlike other password managers that write configuration information to the Windows registry, KeyPass stores everything in the encrypted database so that it can be run without prior installation. This allows you to carry all your sensitive information with you wherever you go. Simply plug the device into any PC and immediately access all your information and passwords.

Download KeyPass 4.7.4 in Softonic

CRT is a robust, configurable 32-bit terminal emulator designed for Internet and intranet use with support for Telnet, rlogin, serial, and other protocols. CRT is ideal for connecting to remote systems running UNIX and VMS as well as the many BBSs and databases that are now available via the Internet.

CRT's Windows interface is easy to use and offers pinpoint control of session behavior with extensive customization options. The Quick Connect feature connects to UNIX, VMS, and Windows servers by entering only a hostname. Emulation support includes VT100, VT102, VT220, basic Wyse 50/60, ANSI and SCO ANSI, Linux console, and Xterm.

All of CRT's emulations support ANSI color. Other features include support for SOCKS and generic firewalls, transparent printing, and ZModem file transfers. With the Activator utility, manage sessions from the system tray instead of the taskbar.

Or use session folders to manage hundreds of sessions. Dialer support for Windows 95/98 and NT through Windows TAPI allows saving dialup connections in session information. CRT's ActiveX scripting support lets you automate remote tasks with VBScript, JScript, PerlScript, or other Windows scripting engines.

Download CRT 6.0.3 in Softonic

Some anti-virus programs cause more problems than they solve. Avast! Home Edition anti-virus is thankfully not one of those as it exceeds expectations while remaining free. Lightweight, vigilant and most importantly, effective, this could be the answer to your prayers if you’ve had no luck finding a virus checker you like.

The developers make a point of stressing that this program is strictly not for institutional use – it is designed specifically for the threats most home users face daily. Their philosophy is that efficient home virus protection is essential in preventing users one day being struck by a serious global virus. What impresses you immediately with Avast! is its vigilance. It’s likely that within minutes of installation, you’ll receive a pop up alert due to a Trojan or virus that had been incubating on your PC. If not, rest assured that it won’t be long before Avast! sets off its trademark siren and alerts you that something has been detected. The latest version of

Avast’s antivirus kernel promises 100% detection of ‘In-the-Wild’ viruses (viruses already spreading between users) and excellent detection of Trojan horses. Avast! provides 24 hour protection via its ‘On-Access’ scanner but you can initiate manual scans via the fairly simple user interface. You can start additional modules from here, such as the Virus Chest, Updater or Log Viewer. Another great feature of Avast! is the option to change the skin of this interface. The developer website features practically hundreds of distinctive designs made by aficionados and even offers a guide to designing your own.

Something often overlooked by major virus checking packages is P2P applications installed on your PC but Avast! covers this with a P2P and Instant Messenger shield. Whilst chat applications themselves do not impose any serious security risks in terms of viruses, their less sophisticated file sharing methods can easily lead to virus infections if not properly monitored. With so many infected files on P2P networks such as Kazaa and eMule too, it’s also good to know that Avast! won’t let you open them without quietly checking them first.

The program also features both a Web and Network shield that constantly monitors traffic. The Web Shield acts as a transparent HTTP proxy and is compatible with all major web browsers. One of the truly outstanding features of Avast! is that unlike heavyweights such as Kaspersky or Norton, you hardly notice it working in the background. This is because of a unique feature the developers call ‘Intelligent Stream Scan’ that scans objects on-the-fly, without needing to cache them locally. Even the virus updates are unobtrusive. Avast! downloads the updates gradually and only those that are absolutely essential instead of the whole database. You receive a ‘Virus database has been updated’ voice message every time this has been completed along with a small popup which you can turn off if it annoys you.

There really is little to fault Avast! on in a market that is saturated with too many ineffective virus checkers. Although it doesn’t guzzle resources, if you’re running it on an older machine, you might find it slows you down. Some new users also complain that conducting a simple manual scan is more complicated than it should be but if you’ve spent anytime with virus checkers, you’ll realise that its more than worth your while getting to know this excellent program.

Download Avast! Home 4.8.1229 in Softonic

Shareaza started out life as the legendary Gnutella network but today is one of the most realistic competitors to eMule.

Shareaza is a completely free P2P file sharing system. The program features Multi-Network Support which basically means it can connect up to 4 separate Peer-to-Peer networks at the same time meaning more hits and faster downloads. You can download and upload from the EDonkey2000, Gnutella, BitTorrent and Gnutella2 (G2) networks. The latest release features something called "Collections" too. Collections basically group previews of album covers, descriptions, and song lists all in one complete package. It's designed to help you discover similar music to that you already like although in reality, it's not that useful. The interface is very simple to use - very much like eMule. All the search results are displayed clearly including file type, size and estimated download time. You can also choose to filter searches by file type such as picture, video or software.

Shareaza is one of the best P2P networks out there although it still pales in comparison to eMule in terms of results and download speeds.

Download Shareaza 4.0 in Softonic

DreaMule is a nicely designed file sharing program which follows the format of eMule, the famous P2P application. The structure of the two applications is basically the same: the way you search and download files and also how you prioritize them. The plus of DreaMule is an easier searching tool and a more pleasant, user friendly interface, together with a hidden, vital enhancement which puts many people off file sharing programs.

DreaMule resolves the issue of having a ‘low ID’, which is the Achilles' heel of all eMule users and causes very slow downloads or very long waiting lists before a download can start. Usually this happens when users use a firewall or a protected router. They are still able to upload and download files but need the help of servers to be reached by other clients. Their IP/ports are not exchanged between other peers, limiting their possibilities for finding sources. You will have to decide for yourself whether this major issue is definitely solved or not, meanwhile I can say the programs had no problem in finding and connecting immediately to many sources to download copyright-free materials.

It’s an open source, ad-free application which improves eMule’s main features making file sharing friendlier and faster. It’s your turn now to give the last word.

Download DreaMule 3.2 in Softonic

eMule Morph is a modification of eMule with some interesting functionalities and cool graphics. Be aware though that if you are happy with the performance of your eMule you should think it through before downloading this version.

Download eMule MorphXT 0.49a in Softonic

Drive emulation has many advantages. You can use it to check the integrity of your disk image (e.g. ISO) files; you can avoid burning images to CDs loading them directly from your storage device; and by and large, loading times are slashed from what you could expect to get from your CD drive. DAEMON Tools has enjoyed a lot of support, being the number one choice for several years thanks to its light system footprint and distinct lack of strings attached. Unfortunately for the loyal DAEMON Tools users, things have changed a little in recent releases and more and more people are turning to Alcohol 120% as an alternative.

The problem lies in a small program called SaveNow, bundled with the DAEMON Tools Searchbar as an optional add-on for Internet Explorer. This spyware program has only become part of the most recent versions and can be avoided during the install process by de-selecting the option to include the Searchbar.

Controls for DAEMON Tools are dictated from the task bar, with a handy context menu that pops up when you click. Being a specific CD/DVD drive emulator, the options consist of choosing the number of virtual drives you want, where the image files for each virtual disk are located so that they can be mounted, and of course you can dismount images when you’ve finished with them.

With support for a wide range of formats, DAEMON Tools makes a good choice for users who travel frequently and would prefer to do so without lugging their CD and DVD library everywhere they go. It also makes a lot of sense for those who tend to scratch their CDs, because an initial backup will see them through unlimited uses without the danger of rendering the image unusable. Alternatively though, if you’re after a complete package with burning and ripping capabilities on top of the emulation, Alcohol 120% will be right up your street.

Download DAEMON Tools 4.30.0 in Softonic

eMule stands out from most of its rival P2P clients in the fact that it is open source. The great thing about this is that you’re free of pesky spyware and adware, leaving you free to get on with your downloading in peace. What’s more, eMule doesn’t rely on one central server like many older clients. By using a multitude of different servers, eMule's network is virtually impossible to shut down, and proves very robust and secure.

A simple user interface goes a long way to making eMule a cinch to use. This doesn’t mean it lacks depth though, and its features are some of the most advanced we’ve seen in a P2P client. For instance, eMule lets you view all manner of information on machines you’re downloading from, call up charts outlining downloading stats and check download status through an advanced progress bar.

The fact that eMule uses a large network of servers means the search results are abundant, but there’s one major annoyance with the client – it’s very slow at downloading files. This is largely because of the way it handles download priority, which takes into account the number of servers you’re connected to, the connection speed, and size of the file. eMule also relies heavily on a ‘credit scoring’ system, whereby people who use the service a lot are rewarded with faster downloads. While some may champion this as being in the true spirit of file sharing, the system makes it awfully frustrating for users new to eMule who are penalized with ultra slow downloads.

Having said this, it’s not difficult to see why eMule has become the most popular P2P app, and if you’re prepared to break the law and download music over a network it makes for the perfect accomplice. If you love downloading, you'll love eMule.

Download eMule 0.49b Beta 1 in Softonic

Given the number of once-mighty file sharing clients and networks that have been forced to shut down following action by the RIAA, the developers of iMesh have decided to go legit. Well, sort of. It seems the remit of the P2P client is now to distribute content that is “100% legal,” deliver a thriving online music community, and offer users premium music downloads.

On the surface, the client and service looks highly polished. Complete with a colourful, GUI drawing more than a little inspiration from iTunes, it’s easy to find your way around. If you’ve never slapped your eyes on a P2P client before then you’ll almost certainly be impressed by the speed ease in which you can search for music and video, manage playlists and enjoy your downloads through a slick media player. You’ll also likely be impressed by the fact that you can join a community of users in making friends, exchanging messages and sharing media libraries. There’s also an online music download centre where you can pay to download tracks from some of your favourite artists.

Although these features may look great to the uninitiated user, more seasoned download freaks will quickly realize that iMesh is now suffering from a severe identity crisis. Is it a musical media player and premium download store like iTunes? Is it a place to hang out with fellow audiophile music fans like MySpace? Is it a client for getting hold of free music and video like Limewire and eMule? Actually, it’s all three, but the trouble is it doesn’t come close to any of the aforementioned apps in terms of performance.

If you want the benefit of having all of these services under one interface then it’s fine. The fact is though, that iTunes offers a far more comprehensive selection of pay-for music and MySpace has an infinitely larger user base. As for downloading tracks for free with iMesh, the boundaries are blurred even further. While it claims to offer nothing but legal files, it’s still possible to obtain copyrighted material using the clients albeit just a handful of results from a search – so renegade file hunters wouldn’t dream of giving up their eMules of Limewires and switching to iMesh.

There’s no disputing the fact that iMesh is a neatly-packaged app which has a noble stab at embracing the world of legal media downloads. It’s simple to operate and has some great features for connecting to an enthusiastic community of users. However, it’s hard to see this community staying loyal to iMesh as the bigger purveyors of legal and illegal music services continue to offer access to a much greater selection of content.

Download iMesh 7.2 in Softonic

The target of this mod is to combine the powerful NAFC system and all the other Xtreme features with all the good features from MorphXT/ StulleMule and other mods.

The developers have added a lot (like WebCache) but still there is much to do. Some features you may find in the StulleMule mod were originally coded for and in this mod before being added to StulleMule.

Download eMule ScarAngel 0.49a 3.0 in Softonic

If you miss those good ol' arcade titles you used to play in your Nintendo Entertainment System, whine no more: NES is back on your favorite web browser!

FireNes is a Firefox add-on that lets you play more than 2,500 NES titles of all times, covering all sorts of interests and styles. Games appear listed in alphabetic order on a sidebar to the left of your screen (if you don't see it, open it with Tools > FireNes), from which this list you can choose the one you want to play and run it with a double click. The sidebar also includes two other tabs (Top and Favorites) to manage games in a different way. It would have been great to have some kind of search tool to quickly locate certain games though.

When launched, games appear on a small-sized window that runs independently from Firefox. Controls are limited to arrow keys, Enter, Ctrl, Z and X, though sometimes the game does take a while to react to them. Also, I noticed that some games are a bit buggy, but you can always let the author know by filling in a small form. In any case, FireNes features such a huge collection of games that you'll surely find that one title you were hooked on a few years ago.

With FireNes you can use Firefox for more than browsing webpages: play more than 2,5000 NES games and remember gaming prehistory!

Download FireNes 1.1 in Softonic

SoftDisc is an image file creating/editing/managing tool. It also lets you emulate a virtual CD or directly burn a CD image file which is handy when, for example, you need a CD in use when playing a game.

The program lets you store disk information in ISO format. It allows you to record info on disk from local and network hard disk drives as well as removable media. What's more, once you have created an image file, you can modify it in any way you like.

SoftDisc integrates UltraISO, Daemon Tools and Nero in one making it an all-in-one solution for your CD/DVD images. It is capable of handling up to four virtual CD-ROM drives and is able to simulate various protected game CDs. The interface is nice, XP-ish and Explorer-like.

Download SoftDisc 3.02.320 in Softonic

If you've ever played the guitar classic Guitar Hero then you'll see immediately that this game is a tame imitation both in name, graphics and just about everything else.

The game employs the same scoring meters and song listings right down to the font and layout. At the moment, the game only supports a guitar controller so you'll need a PS2 to USB adapter to play it which is a major downside for most people for a start. It's also very similar to Frets on Fire but the music is nowhere near as good or original. That said, despite the distinct lack of originality, this is one of the few Guitar Hero style games available on PC and has a definite appeal for those that have never played Guitar Hero or Frets on Fire. For those users, the game will seem like a revelation and once you've got your USB adaptor, you should have hours of fun on it.

For prospective Van Halens or those that really love to rock out but can't play the guitar, this is a great if heavily copied Guitar Game.

Download Guitar Zero Alpha in Softonic

This has to be one of the most comprehensive programs I've ever laid eyes on. It's pretty much an entire entertainment solution ranging from gaming to a home entertainment centre. It features multiple emulators for gaming fans, music playlists, a fully functional Jukebox, Picture and Slide show viewer, Ebook and Comic Book reader, CD Player and CD Ripper with Automatic lookup of CD information and even a News Reader.

In addition, GameEx features a DVD Player with support for FFDSHOW which can also be controlled with a Gamepad, The Video module can also play DVR-MS using FFDSHOW (on Windows XP). Registered users can also use GameExtender which is like a networked LCD display for GameEx but for a real PC Display or TV, it can also be viewed through a web browser according to the developers.

For anyone that wants an all-in-one package, GameEx is certainly impressive although it packs a bit too much into one entertainment centre for my liking.

Download GameEx 9.37 in Softonic

The N64 certainly wasn't the most successful games console, but it still generated a certain following, hence why emulators like Mupen64 can be found.

Thanks to Mupen64 you'll be able to load and play any N64 ROM on your Mac. The emulator is relatively easy to use and you'll find a readme file that comes with the download indicating the button configuration.

From the preferences you'll be able to choose from one of four resolutions, which is a good thing as Mupen64 first launches at a resolution of only 320*240. The application offers three texture cache size and you'll be able to activate fog, fullscreen, and both 2xSal and Bilinear filtering. From the options menu Mupen64 also allows you to limit the speed of games, set the audio and choose from three emulation cores. You'll have to restart the emulator for changes to come into effect though.

Mupen64 is said to work with plugins, but we could not find any sign of them anywhere in the program.

The configurations are a little counter-intuitive, yet if you stick to launching ROMs you'll find Mupen64 is a good emulator for enjoying N64 games.

Download Mupen64 0.5.1 in Softonic

aMule stands for all-platform Mule. aMule is an eMule-like client for the eD2k and Kademlia networks, supporting multiple platforms. aMule is entirely free, it's sourcecode released under the GPL just like eMule, and includes no adware or spyware as is often found in proprietary P2P applications. aMule is built upon the wxWidgets (formely wxWindows) toolkit, which enables it to support multiple platforms.

aMule specific features:

• Multiplatform
• Proxy support
• Improved checks against aggressive clients
• Complete External Connections protocol from scratch
• Run a bare aMule client with no graphical interface and very low CPU and memory usage
• aMule Remote GUI to control your aMule remotely as if you where in front of it.
• aMuleWeb for browser interface and amulwebDLG is a graphical interface to aMuleWeb.
• Remotely control aMule
• Slot allocation allows you to specify to how many clients you wish to upload to at once
• Other utilities such as CAS, wxCAS, aLC, XAS, AMPS, etc
• Fast eD2k links handler at the bottom of every page (can be disabled on Preferences)
• Save 5 sources on rare files (20 or less sources).
• Filter search results.
• Default file permissions for completed downloads
• Multiple filesystems support
• Version updates checks

Download AMule 2.2.1 in Softonic

In an age of multiple media players all with different codecs and formats, it's nice to know there's at least one out there that can play just about anything.

Haihaisoft Universal Player supports almost all popular digital media formats and can also play digital media files protected by DRM-X. Amongst the players it can emulate are Windows Media Player, Real Player, Adobe Flash Player, Apple QuickTime Player, PowerDVD and Flash Video (FLV) Player. Whatsmore though, this player embeds itself into Internet Explorer meaning that whenever you are presented with a format compatible with any of these file types, you can watch it instantly. The number of formats it can play is mind-boggling, including those protected by DRM such as WMV(Windows Media Video), WMA(Windows Media Audio), ASF, WMS, DVD, VCD, SVCD, MOV, RM, RMVB, AVI, MPEG, WMV, 3GP, FLV, SWF, MP3, AMR, M4A, ACC, OGG, MIDI, GIF and JPEG file format. Best of all, the program is constantly updated with the latest codecs so you don't need to worry about it suddenly not being able to play files.

A completely free player that supports just about any format imaginable and embeds itself into IE perfectly.

Download Haihaisoft Universal Player 1.0.7.1 in Softonic

GChess, before you get confused, is not Google's answer to chess or in anyway connected with Gmail!

It's a simple to use but configurable chess game that aims to offer those hardcore chess players, a much more challenging experience. You can choose the difficulty level in 2 ways - by limiting how many moves ahead the computer can analyze or by limiting the time you have to make a move. For those who are learning to play chess, or do not fall into the same class as Gary Kasparov, limiting the moves ahead is a great way to improve your skills level by level. The developers estimate that chess masters play a staggering 8 moves ahead and world champions around 12! The GUI is simple to use and navigate. Wen you open the game it’s your move so just click on the piece you want to move and click on the square you want to move it to. The game will light the squares as place the piece. You automatically start as the white pieces but if you want the PC to start as white, just click on the "play" options when you originally start a new game. Here, you can also change the difficulty settings to at least give you a decent chance.

A great way to learn to play chess with lots of difficulty settings and a very easy to use graphical interface.

Download GChess 2.0.0.31 in Softonic

I’ve always wanted to dance salsa as it is funand stress-free, but I find excuses all the time for not actually doing it. Surely not knowing any of the dance steps is a valid justification. For all shy people who won’t attend a course because they feel clumsy, Salsaroc Salsa Shines offers some help.

With this application you have several salsa figures and a series of steps, of increasing difficulty. The graphics are rather crude and not really appealing, but in this case it’s the content that matters. What I’ve found extremely useful is the slow motion function, which allows you to see the steps in smooth, slow movements. This is something you wouldn’t even get from a face-to-face class and it’s the real advantage of having a course on your PC.

When attending courses, you might find difficult to understand where exactly to place the feet because teacher does it in front of you at his normal speed. In this application the teacher instead emulates your position, meaning he dances with his back to you, so that if he moves the left foot, you don’t have to think about which foot you have to move. It’s simply the left one! I know this may sound silly, but when figures get complicated I can assure you it eases things a lot. With the slow motion, finally you can see exactly where you have to place your feet, saving you from bad figures and your partner from bruises.

In order to get new lessons you need to go in the main menu and register your program, following the on-screen instructions. A full-screen mode is also available, but it doesn’t add much to the smaller frame view.

Salsaroc Salsa Shines helps you stand out on the dance floor, as it offers slow motion movements to help you clearly understand every position.

Download Salsaroc Salsa Shines 1.08 in Softonic