With Excel Viewer 2003, you can open, view, and print Excel workbooks, even if you don't have Excel installed. You can also copy data from Excel Viewer 2003 to another program. However, you cannot edit data, save a workbook, or create a new workbook. This download is a replacement for Excel Viewer 97 and all previous Excel Viewer versions.

Download Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003 1.0 in Softonic

Postbox is based on Thunderbird, and this is visually obvious the moment you run the program. Installation and setup is easy, and as you'd expect you can set up multiple email accounts. There is an excellent search engine which requires your inbox to be indexed for rapid results. If you have thousands of emails, the first indexing might take a little while, but after that it's not something you'll notice.

One unusual feature in Postbox is the tabs. There are contacts, images and attachments tags. The images tag, for example, will show you all the images from your email, and this works for contacts and attachments too. These can then easily be accessed and added when composing email, which turns your inbox into a useful active database. They are also fully searchable, so finding that picture of the cute kitten that so and so sent you becomes much easier.

Highlighting any text and right clicking gives you a range of useful tools, from Google and Amazon searches to listing on social media sites. The former is useful, but the latter feels tacked on and not fully implemented yet. You can, for example, post highlighted text to Twitter and Facebook (as a status update), if you allow Postbox to login to those services. However, these are currently very basic, and unlike some social media clients, there is no way to add your Facebook news feeds etc. You can also add RSS feeds, although as a reader Postbox is still a little basic.

While a little beta-rough around the edges, Postbox is still a very able email client with some promising new features.

Download Postbox 1.1.3 in Softonic

This full featured DVD player enables you to enjoy your favorite DVD movies and video files right on your computer, with all the extra functionality you would expect from a high-quality player. PowerDVD features a sleek interface you can customize with skins and includes direct access to MoovieLive, an online movie database that helps you categorize all the titles in your collection and access movie reviews online.

PowerDVD is generally very easy to use. Most of the program's functions can be performed with the mouse or their corresponding keyboard hotkey, and there's also a comprehensive context menu that gives you access to even more options by just right-clicking anywhere on the image.

Regarding playback, the movie flows very smoothly even when you move PowerDVD's window around or play it in fullscreen mode. Image quality has been improved thanks to the special TrueTheater filters which provide pixel-perfect images and make the most out of your HD visual equipment. This new version ALSO includes the innovative TrueTheater 3D, a special filter that can transform your DVDs into 3D movies like the ones in cinemas everywhere. The 3D effect obviously only works if you have a 3D-capable display.

Sound in PowerDVD can be configured in different ways, depending on your hardware (from headphones to a full stereo surround system) in order to obtain the best possible sound quality. TrueTheater Noise Reduction also makes sure you get the clearest sound possible.

During our tests we found some outstanding features in PowerDVD: you can change playing speed, take snapshots of your favorite scenes in the movie and have a particular scene or sentence repeated over and over again with the "Say it again" and the "AB Repeat" tools. This may be useful for foreign language students who watch movies to improve their listening skills. Other interesting features in PowerDVD are the possibility to share video files on YouTube and support for video bookmarks.

PowerDVD is then a perfect solution for your all DVD playing needs: a powerful video player with interesting features, yet easy enough for everyone to use.

Download PowerDVD 10 in Softonic

Now, before you all stop reading to go and hit the Download button, be aware: this is not a standard web browser. Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview is just a very early version which allows developers and web designers to test their apps and websites within the new browser's environment.

That said, the new Internet Explorer 9 looks very promising. It features a much faster JavaScript engine (using multiple cores simultaneously), works with HTML5 for a lighter and richer web experience and makes a giant leap in standards compliance with support for CSS3. The Acid3 test results, however, fell a bit short of expectations at 55/100, though they're still better than Internet Explorer 8.

Technical details aside, Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview is more of a playground to test new features rather than a real IE9 demo. After installing it, you're taken to a test drive webpage where you can try out the new capabilities of Internet Explorer 9 with demos, animations, online maps, games and other testing material especially prepared by Microsoft. Some of them are really fun, like the T-Shirt Designer or the SVG-oids (Asteroids clone).

In short, Internet Explorer 9 is still at a very early stage of development. However, it's nice to be able to have a peek at the new features and follow all the changes and updates. According to Microsoft, there's going to be a new preview every two months, so keep tuned!

Though not exactly a standard web browser, Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview enables you to check out the new features and capabilities in Internet Explorer 9.

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The SphereXP is a 3D desktop replacement for Microsoft Windows. Taking the known concept of three-dimensional desktops to its own level. It offers a new way to organize objects on the desktop such as icons and applications. It has been tried out by millions worldwide.

Download SphereXP 1.4.10 in Softonic

Ideal for netbooks, or anyone who doesn't want Microsoft Word installed. Not everyone uses word processors, after all. You can't edit documents at all, but Word Reader opens files mostly without problems, and opens faster than a big word processor too. There are few options, like background color and font size, but little else.

Word reader's only big problem seems to be a bug with the full screen view - it often crashes when you try to exit. Printing is as simple as it could be, and clicking the highlight button means you can save anything in the document to your clipboard, to use however you want. Most documents open fine in Word Reader, but there are occasional formatting problems, which aren't a problem if you only want to read something, though if you want to print it is annoying.

Word Reader isn't perfect, but works well as a quick way to open up Word documents

Download Word Reader 5.6 in Softonic

Pdf995 is a very easy and affordable way to create professional-quality documents in PDF format. There's little more to it other than selecting "print" from any application that you may be working on (such as MS Word) and then creating a PDF file which can be used on any computer with a PDF reader. The program supports network file saving, shared printing, custom page sizing and large format printing which means that its a suitable for making posters and promotional material. Pdf995 works by creating a virtual printer device from any application so the good thing is that it's accessible from any program you may be working in. It is the sheer number of features in Pdf995 that really impresses though including automatic insertion of embedded links, creation of hierarchical bookmarks, support for Digital Signatures (making it a secure option too) and you can even combine several PDF's into one PDF for really big documents. As you go through your PDF document editing it, you can also leave sticky notes to illustrate what you've changed or what you'd like changing to other users which provides a very visible and easy to use editing system.

An incredibly versatile and powerful PDF maker, Pdf995 is one of the most comprehensive solutions out there although it's editing options are a bit limited.

Download Pdf995 9.2 in Softonic

VDownloader is a really simple tool to use. Simply paste a video URL into the into the interface and click the download button. There are a number of output profiles, so you can make the downloaded videos compatible with your portable device or media player, alternatively you can download the files in original format.

VDownloader is fairly slow compared to dedicated converters, and is not always successful. Conversion to audio, like MP3 is very reliable, and can make VDownloader a useful source of music. To save you time, VDownloader will batch download up to ten videos at once, and features a scheduler so it can be set to download files at whenever most convenient to you.

Obviously, the poor converter is a shame, and there are a couple of other irritants. These are all to do with features that don't work. While we have no problem with Pro versions of applications, it is annoying when an app has lots of buttons that when pressed show a nag screen about upgrades. VDownloader has too many of these.

For simple downloads from popular video sites, VDownloader works great, but it has too many nag screens and the integrated video converter is unreliable.

Download VDownloader 2.4.241 in Softonic

Tomahawk Gold has all the features you would expect, from text formatting and spellcheckers to print preview and the ability to export and import images, graphs and other content. The layout is very similar to programs like Microsoft Word, so you shouldn't have a problem finding your way around.

Where Tomahawk Gold starts to differentiate itself from the competition is in those extra features. The app has excellent PDF conversion capabilities, allowing you to turn any document into a PDF with protection options, authoring info and a mail merge option. It also has a separate spreadsheet function and a basic file converter that will allow you to turn RTF and TXT documents into more advanced formats.

In all, Tomahawk Gold is a very worthy contender. Even so, there were a few problems during tests. The Help function didn't work at all, and the program didn't recognize the language my document was written in (English) and marked everything as a spelling mistake. I couldn't even find an option to change this. I think most people would agree that this is a fairly major issue, which is a pity, because in all other respects, using Tomahawk Gold was an enjoyable experience.

Tomahawk Gold is an application worth taking a look at - as long as not everyone has a problem with the language selection.

Download Tomahawk Gold 4.2 in Softonic

Once downloaded and added on, the YouTube Video Downloader 'keep' logo sits discreetly in your status bar. Clicking on it when there is no video on the page, or right-clicking at any time, will take you to the YouTube Video Downloader program homepage, where you can find a short how-to guide and help.

Clicking on the YouTube Video Downloader icon while in YouTube will open a new tab where you can view the details of the video you want to download. You will choose from FLV, 3GP or MP4 format - FLV for most viewing purposes, 3GP for 3G mobile phones and MP4 for higher quality and iPod viewing. Once you have done that, you give the video a name and hit download - it's that simple!

As there are absolutely no configuration options and a minimum of download steps, YouTube Video Downloader is one of the easiest download managers out there. It adds neatly onto your browser and means that there are no extra applications to open.

Unfortunately, this also means that it is a bit short on flexibility - it only works on YouTube, you can't give videos a name before you download them (the name you enter on the page is only copied to the clipboard for you to change later) and you can't control where it downloads to without reconfiguring Firefox's options.

Totally pared-down but entirely effective, YouTube video downloader does exactly what it says it will.

Download YouTube Video Downloader 1.0.4 in Softonic

The idea of SpreadsheetConverter to HTML is that you can create a form in Microsoft Excel, which can be converted into HTML and then inserted into your site.

This is not a program for novices because you need excellent knowledge of Excel to create forms, as well as at least a working knowledge of how to add features to a web page. The advantage of SpreadsheetConverter to HTML is that it is only as difficult as Excel to create forms, so you can create complex forms with inbuilt calculations without any programming knowledge. It also provides the same range of charts and graphs that you can get from an Excel sheet.

SpreadsheetConverter to HTML does exactly what it says, but it doesn't make the process of creating web forms as easy as it could be.

Download SpreadsheetConverter to HTML / JavaScript 5.1.24 in Softonic

This easy tool features everything you need to record both CD and DVD. It supports data and audio burning, dual-layer DVD and also disc images. It works with rewritable discs and can burn copies on the fly as well. Results are very satisfying, with just one small complaint: I'd like to have a sound normalizer for song compilations.

But the best thing about InfraRecorder is undoubtedly its simplicity, in every sense. It launches in a few seconds, enables you to drag and drop files, features very intuitive menus and even includes a reduced version (InfraExpress) for last-minute recordings. However, if you want to record MP3 files into audio CDs you'll need to download the decoder by yourself and copy it to the Program files – InfraRecorder – Codecs folder.

InfraRecorder is a simple and efficient tool for quick CD and DVD recording.

Download InfraRecorder 0.50 in Softonic

Notepad++ works with tabs, so it's very easy to work with multiple files open at the same time. Comparing texts is therefore very easy, and every line is numbered. Font size can be increased simply by holding CTRL and the mouse wheel used to zoom in. Pressing F12 makes the current tab float above everything else in Windows.

For coding, Notepad++ recognizes many programming languages, and will automatically make something like HTML much easier to view by color coding the text. It also has an excellent find and replace tool. As a replacement for Window's Notepad, NotePad++ is incredible, because it has so many more features and abilities, while still being incredibly lightweight and stable.

NotePad++ is a functional application, but it won't win any prizes for looks, and many of the functions are only useful to programmers. However, anyone who writes text will find this a useful tool, and much better than Windows Notepad.

NotePad++ has more features than you're ever likely to use, but is one of the best and most complete text editors available.

Download Notepad++ 5.6.8 in Softonic

In the case of Rapidshare the most annoying thing is that you have to wait before you can click on a file to download it. FreeRapid Downloader offers a more holistic way to manage your downloads and uploads in one convenient application. It lets you download files hosted on Megaupload, Rapidshare, Netload or FileFactory without needing to click a single thing.

FreeRapid Downloader basically works by allowing you to add several links at the same time until they're queued up waiting to go. It can even monitor your clipboard for links that are cut to it and automatically add them to your queue. While this definitely makes managing your downloads easier, it still only downloads files one by one meaning if you've got several files from several file sharing sites, it can be painfully slow.

FreeRapìd Downloader will make your file sharing site downloads easier to manage although not speed them up in any significant way.

Download FreeRapid Downloader 0.83 in Softonic

Personal Finances has a clean, clear user interface and is very simple to use, something that makes it a great option for people who aren't used to personal finance programs. Personal Finances comes with a demo database already loaded, so you can see exactly how the program works from the very moment you open it.

When it comes to setting up your own Personal Finances database, you'll need to specify Accounts, Categories and Family. All of these are clearly indicated on the top bar, and you add new instances (for example, Mom's credit card, Dad's mortgage payment) by clicking the Add button. You then fill in payments, transfers and income on a regular basis so that you can keep track of your spending.

Personal Finances is not a complicated program, and it doesn't have many advanced functions. If you are looking for an attractive and clear graphical representation of your main outgoings and incomings, however, it's perfect, as it is simple to use and even easier to monitor your finances.

Personal Finances is a very simple program that's ideal for users who want to keep their money matters as uncomplicated as possible.

Download Personal Finances Free 3.7 in Softonic

With Recuva (pronounced as "recover") you can restore files that have been accidentally deleted from the computer, a USB drive, an MP3 player or even a memory card from your photo camera.

All you have to do is select the drive you want to recover files from and let the program do a full scan. As soon as it's finished, you'll see a list with all the recoverable files, which you can sort in several ways and also search with a customizable filter tool. Then simply select the files you want to recover and you're ready to go.

Obviously Recuva is just a software tool and can't perform miracles. The sooner you use the program after deleting those files, the more chance you have of recovering them. Also, try saving them to a different drive: it improves the percentage of success.

If you've just accidentally deleted some important files, don't freak out: try using Recuva and you'll probably be able to restore them.

Download Recuva 1.36.479 in Softonic

In most cases when Windows is running slower, faulty driver installations are to blame. The problem is that Windows automatically stores versions of older drivers just in case you want to roll back but sometimes it these conflict with the new ones.

Drivermax basically backs-up and restores driver in a very attractive and well presented interface. It has a powerful export wizard to help you export the drivers you need to backup by copying the required files to a folder or compressed ZIP file. After reinstalling Windows, the program can ensure that all drivers are reinstalled within 5 minutes according to the developers.

While the process is nowhere near this quick - or straightforward because many drivers may not work properly first time round due to the special way they need to be installed - it is on the whole very easy to use and efficient. It certainly saves you the hours of searching and installing that you'd usually have to go through.

The Import Drivers wizard is similarly straightforward and will take up to 10 minutes depending on how much you've got installed on your PC.

A powerful driver installation and restore tool that is easy enough for beginners and does the job in decent time.

Download DriverMax 5.5 in Softonic

The 7-Zip interface is similar to that of its competitors, with a main file manager and a command line to search and select files to extract or compress. The control panel is comprised of the essential buttons like extract, add and test, but also features copy, move and delete functions to allow you to manage your files. 7-Zip extracts and compresses files as fast as WinZip and WinRAR and handles the main archive formats like ZIP, TAR, RAR and ISO.

The archiving process is where 7-Zip differs most from its rivals. Where WinZip only lets you compress to ZIP and WinRAR to RAR or ZIP, 7zip offers you up to 5 different archive formats to choose from. The application lets you choose the update mode, depending on whether you want to add and replace files, refresh the archive or just synchronize files. If you don’t want somebody opening up your archive without your permission, you can set a password to protect your archive.We particularly liked the split tool because it can cut up your archive into equal parts which fit on a floppy, CD or DVD, handy if you need to distribute a particularly large archive.

Security is where 7-Zip lags behind its main rivals. There is no option to scan archives for viruses and you can’t repair damaged or corrupted files. While you can set a password to protect your archive, you can’t choose between different levels of encryption.

7-Zip might not be as secure as WinZip or WinRAR but it is definitely more versatile. It works with more archive formats and offers many useful tools like update mode or splitting. If you feel too limited by WinZip and if you don’t like WinRAR we suggest giving 7-Zip a try and taking advantage of all its possibilities.

Download 7-Zip 9.10 in Softonic

When checking this program out, we were immediately reminded of another quality file previewer, ACDSee. While that has gone on to become a fully featured photo manager, available for $50, XnView will take care of most users� basic needs while boasting a price tag of $0 (for personal use). With its built-in preview engine, the program can display 400 different image file formats as well as play various media formats such as AVI or MP3.

Using the program will already be second nature to most users as it works like Windows Explorer. On the left side of the screen you see all your directories, with the contents of the directories being displayed in the upper half of the right window. Selecting any of these files will then bring up a preview in the lower half of the window. If you�re browsing through some photos you can run them as a slideshow and view in full screen. If you�re browsing through simple TXT or INI files, the opening few lines of text will show up as an icon and you can view the entire contents of the file without needing to open other programs.

There is a good level of support for various formats and the interface zips along without delays, even when displaying large video files. On encountering a file that it doesn�t recognize, XnView displays its hash values, which may or may not be of use. If you run into any difficulty, there is a help file that is sufficient but not overwhelming.

One aspect that wasn�t quite as we would have liked was that it didn�t recognize the native format of files. For example, a simple text file with a LOG extension wasn�t treated as the same file with a TXT extension. It�s a small inconvenience but does stand out because of the general high quality of the software. For anyone with a large number of files that they want to organize, convert or just browse, XnView is certainly worth a look.

Download XnView 1.97.2 in Softonic

The simple search bar, divided by category, makes it a breeze to browse for a file, whether it is a video, image, audio, or program. Frostwire has a “what’s new” button to check out what popular files users have recently exchanged. We also enjoyed the direct connect option. If you know the IP address of one of your friends, type it in the box and Frostwire will browse that user’s files. This is a quick way of sharing files with someone else. It can come in handy when working on a project and exchanging documents. The only little snag we have with direct connect is that it doesn’t let you enter the username, much simpler than looking for your friend’s IP address.

Downloading with Frostwire is very intuitive. After you’ve searched and found the file you are looking for, double-click on it to start the downloading process. The speed of your download depends firstly on the quality of your connection (broadband is a minimum), if you’ve correctly opened your router’s ports and whether you’re downloading a popular file or not. When you’re configuring the application, you can set content filters, to avoid downloading copyright protected material, adult content or Windows Media files.

The best way to check the quality of the audio or video you’re downloading is via Frostwire’s media player. Well integrated into the client it gives you an immediate preview or your file.

Frostwire is a pure version of Limewire, built as a not-for-profit project, and its developers claim it will never support DRM or any type of advertising. With the threatening cloud of lawsuits gobbling up P2P clients one at a time and forcing them to go legit, Frostwire’s future is in the balance. But the ad-free P2P client is still on its feet, and that very fact added to its reliability make it one of the most attractive of the remaining P2P clients.

Download FrostWire 4.20.2 in Softonic