Image burning is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to save large amounts of data to DVD or CD.

Images are increasingly popular on torrent sites and other download portals because they allow users to download high volumes of data in a relatively small file. What's more, it's instantly ready for DVD or disk burning. ImgBurn is an ultra-lightweight CD/DVD/HD/DVD and Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit. It has several 'Modes', with each one performing a different task.

These include "Read" which reads a disc to an image file; "Build" which creates an image file from files on your computer or network; "Write" which writes an image file to a disc and "Verify" which checks whether a disk is 100% readable. With this last option, you can also ensure that the data is correct by asking ImgBurn to compare your disk against an image file. Finally, you have "Discovery" which puts your drive to the test to find just what kind of speeds and disk types it can support.

If you are experiencing any burning problems, it may be that your drive is not fast enough to handle the settings you have configured or that you are using the wrong kind of disks.

A very lightweight an powerful image burner that requires little experience but will ensure all your images are burned in a flash.

Download ImgBurn 2.4.2.0 in Softonic

There are literally hundreds of utilities out there designed to download videos from the Net, mainly aimed at YouTube.

By it's name alone, DownUtube doesn't pretend to do anything else (although it does work with a few other sites too) but at least it does the job well. DownUtube allows you to download embedded videos and multimedia from Google Video, YouTube, Apple.com Movie Trailers and IMDB.

Like most good video downloaders, DownUtube features an integrated search facility to help you find videos on the various sites which means you don't even have to open a browser. It can also follow RSS feeds for your favourite users on YouTube. If you can't wait for your clip to download, then you can also play them because they download thanks to an integrated player called MPlayer. There are various bugs that need ironing out however - sometimes downloads will stop for no apprent reason even if your connection is fine and some videos can cause DownUtube to simply crash.

As a simple solution to your video downloading needs, DownUtube is a great search utility and downloader that eliminates the need for a browser.

Download DownUtube 3.0 Beta 3 in Softonic

Download managers are one of the most important component of any PC users' tool kit since so many e-mails contains attachments that need to be downloaded on a daily basis.

That's not forgetting files and music and anything else that your hard drive accumulates during the day as you click away. Most people have a browser integrated download manager but sometimes, its nice to have a separate application to do the job in case your browser crashes and your downloads disappear with it.

Orbit Downloader is a fast, lightweight and easy-to-use free download manager which is usually based on P2P and multi-source downloading technology. This means that downloading with Orbit Downloader is usually super fast. Orbit Downloader supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, MMS and RTSP protocols although its developers claim that it can increase speeds by up to 500% are a bit far fetched. However, you may experience increases in speed of up to two or even three times as much using Orbit Downloader depending on the file and host.

What's also impressive is that Orbit Downloader is super lightweight occupying a very minuscule amount of RAM which is important if you've got multiple downloads running at once. Orbit Downloader has also got a handy Flash capture tool which allows you to save Flash video files from YouTube and DailyMotion etc without the need to use a separate video downloader.

Fast, easy to use and very lightweight, Orbit Downloader is a competitive alternative to any browser-integrated download manager.

Download Orbit Downloader 2.7.5 in Softonic

The Windows Registry is one of the key system elements of the OS, meaning you should always try to keep it in perfect shape with tools like Argente Registry Cleaner.

Argente Registry Cleaner analyzes the whole Registry in just a few seconds and finds all the invalid entries that programs usually leave behind after an incomplete uninstallation process. These entries can end up collapsing the Windows Registry and causing serious performance issues, but with Argente Registry Cleaner you have nothing to fear: the program will scan all the Registry areas, create a list with all found errors and provide you with the necessary tools to erase them. And for those of you who don't like messing up with the Registry, Argente Registry Cleaner also includes a backup option to be on the safe side.

Argente Registry Cleaner includes some interesting configuration options with which you can select which areas in the Windows Registry you want to scan, but unfortunately there's no option to set automatic scans according to a user defined schedule.

With Argente Registry Cleaner you can keep the Windows Registry fully clean, optimized and functional in just a couple of clicks.

Download Argente Registry Cleaner 1.4.3.6 in Softonic

Playing cute puzzles and thorough RPG adventures is all right, but sometimes you yearn for a bit more action.

Action, loads of it, is what you're going to find in S4 League, a frenetic online multiplayer game you can play and enjoy absolutely for free – that is, after creating a user account on the developer's website.

S4 League is very similar to Gunz and follows the same scheme as other multiplayer action games. You find yourself in a complex playing area, with corridors, stairs and platforms to run and jump, and your aim is basically to wipe out all members of the enemy team. Bear in mind though that battles in S4 League are so hectic and fast-paced that you better be wide awake if you want to last for more than five minutes.

Besides these basic rules, S4 League presents some variations according to the gaming mode you choose (Touchdown, Death match or personal missions). The game also differs from other action titles in its design – chiefly based on Japanese-style drawings – and an extensive social component that includes real-time chat, community services and other goodies. Plus S4 League features a shop where you'll be able to buy new stuff for your character, not only to customize it but also to make it more deadly and powerful.

Generally speaking S4 League is a great game. It combines nice graphics with an excellent soundtrack, and it's fun to play. The only drawback is that it takes ages to start.

Download S4 League in Softonic

OpenOffice 3.0 is already here, at least in beta version. The most popular alternative to the almighty Microsoft suite has released its first public beta to allow users to provide feedback and help fine-tune the final product. So here's our two cents.

First, though the OpenOffice site displays a warning about possible instability issues in this beta, fear them not. The complete suite was perfectly stable during our tests, with all its applications running as smoothly as expected. This new OpenOffice is compatible with all file formats from Microsoft Office, including the latest docx, xlsx, pptx and so on from Office 2008.

All OpenOffice tools, along with your more recent documents, are easily accessible from a launcher ("Start Centre") with freshly designed icons, which is one of the main new features in this version. The launcher includes a handy template manager as well, though it's quite empty at the moment.

The suite's applications met our expectations in every aspect: they're easy to use (especially if you're used to working with Microsoft's suite) and feature all the necessary tools to create complete documents, spreadsheets, presentations and databases. I particularly liked the wizard-style interface in Impress (the "Power-Point" app) which enables you to create presentations in no time.

OpenOffice 3.0 left a very good taste in our mouths. In spite of being labeled as Beta, the whole suite works perfectly fine and enables you to enjoy all of its new features right now.

Download OpenOffice.org 3.0 Beta 2 in Softonic

The major developers might not agree with us but the rise of open source equivalents to large, expensive packages has arguably been the most exciting development in the software industry in the last few years. The GIMP and Mozilla Thunderbird are two leading lights of the open source phenomenon and have collectively saved users millions as alternatives to their big-budget rivals.

Artweaver certainly has the credentials to take on the big players and comes stacked with an ample range of brushes, which can be tweaked and customized easily to suit your designs. Just like its more illustrious rivals, the brush selection can be beefed up through plug-ins, although the range of available brushes is pitiful compared with those you can download for Adobe Illustrator. Nevertheless, it's promising to see freeware products embracing extendability in this way.

Other welcome features include a mighty effects selection, layers and transparency functionality, plus support for a range of file formats. You can also add text layers, making it great for creating logos or promotional material. However, it's when you put pen to paper that Artweaver stumbles somewhat. The fact is that the app renders certain brush strokes much slower than its major rivals, and unless you're packing heat processor-wise you're likely to be frustrated by the lag time waiting for the strokes to appear on the page. For such a polished program otherwise, this drawback threatens to stifle its attempts to win over the graphic design market. This said, for a pre-release version ArtWeaver is an impressive piece of kit.

Download Artweaver 0.5.3 in Softonic

Although web-based e-mail has meant that many desktop based clients are redundant, there's nothing that beats your own personal client. Koma-mail is the sort of client you can take anywhere on a USB stick which makes it ideal for those that are worried about the security of web based mail.

Best of all, it requires absolutely no installation and supports the all important SSL and APOP protocols. It also features support, as you would expect, for POP3 and IMAP plus it includes some other extra security add-ons such as ActiveX script blocking. From an aesthetic perspective, it's not the best looking e-mail client you'll ever use but it's very easy to find your way around, much simpler than something like Outlook and has everything you need. If you share the client amongst colleagues and employees, you can

You can define multiple user profiles so that each of them have their own settings and it supports multiple accounts, use of templates and both a simple spam filter and RSS reader.

If you're looking for a portable e-mail client to use between various people, then you'll find this helps you easily configure multiple profiles and does a simple but effective job.

Download Koma-Mail 3.75 in Softonic

Firefox already features a password manager, but if that's not enough for you, then you may want to give Sxipper a try.

Sxipper is a Firefox add-on that managers all the usernames and passwords you enter on many different websites on a daily basis. Every time you enter a username and password, Sxipper will offer to remember the data - just like Firefox does – so that next time you visit that site, you don't have to type the same information again.

The difference is that Sxipper is able to fill in complete forms (not just the username-password couple) and can also store different data for different users. I especially liked the way stored data is presented, as an overlay window in which you only have to click on your username to log in to the website.

The only drawback in Sxipper is that it doesn't work with websites you have previously told Firefox not to save passwords for. In that case you'll have to go to the browser's settings to delete them from the list.

Sxipper is a useful add-on that makes user authentication easier and faster on any website you visit.

Download Sxipper 2.2 in Softonic

Sometimes having just one single desktop image is not enough. This is the right moment to use Desktop Takeover.

Desktop Takeover enables you to display several photos on your desktop, embedding them right onto your current wallpaper. Simply select the images from any folder on your PC and drag and drop them on the program's interface.

You can then arrange and resize them as you like, though I must say the resizing tool doesn't work very well. The final result obviously looks better when displayed over a neutral image, rather than a highly detailed wallpaper.

The images used in Desktop Takeover can be either static or turned into channels, which means they rotate according to a user-defined period of time. It's a nice way to show off your best shots, don't you think? Also, whenever you grow tired of your multiple-photo desktop background, you can go back to the regular wallpaper from the program itself. Strangely enough, the wallpaper appears then as tiled.

If you ever wanted to be able to use more than one wallpaper on your desktop, you should definitely give Desktop Takeover a try.

Download Desktop Takeover 1.0 in Softonic

Fresh UI is a fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows. Loaded with hundreds of useful hidden settings in Windows XP/2000/NT/ 98/95/Me, this software covers the customizing and optimizing techniques that you'll be glad to know, such as:

• Customizing Windows User Interface (UI)
• Optimizing system settings
• Optimizing hardware settings
• Customizing Windows application settings
• Controlling user environment with policies

Fresh UI is organized by section for easy navigation and is complete with detailed descriptions for easy reference.

Download Fresh UI 8.14 in Softonic

StationRipper is an application designed to let you record Internet Radio broadcasts. Users on broadband connections regularly report 3,000-6,000 new songs can be downloaded every 24 hours with the registered version. It allows you to do the following:

• Record shoutcast audio, video streams, and podcasts
• Records up to 600 streams at one time
• Buy the music you are ripping
• Integrate with iTunes - auto-generate iTunes playlists of songs recorded
• Lets you easily find stations to record
• Keeps a list of the music and stations you've recorded
• Listen to any station being recorded with a single mouse click
• Ignore songs under a certain size
• Auto-record whatever was being recorded the last time you ran StationRipper

Download StationRipper 2.90 in Softonic

Freebie Notes is an easy-to-use reminder for Windows. With Freebie Notes you can create notes displaying on your desktop. Your notes can be displayed immediately after creation or in the certain moments of time. You can create notes of custom sizes and colors and set different types for your notes.

Freebie Notes features: unlimited number of notes, notes autosaving, notes database editor, fast notes displaying time setting (Quick alarm settings). Note displaying can be accompanied by standard windows sound alarms or users' sounds in wav format. The most important note can be declared as VIP-note displaying with a blink and sound accompaniment. The application has a nice convenient interface.

Download Freebie Notes 3.21 in Softonic

aMSN is an alternative to the classic MSN Messenger, with more features yet a much weaker interface. The chat client looks very similar to Microsoft's product yet differs on a number of points. aMSN developers have delved into the preferences menu, adding extra little features like event alerts and sounds, conferencing support or autoaway messages. Like with MSN Messenger you'll be able to transfer files and organize all your contacts into groups.

Audio/Video support is the number one function that users look for in IM clients nowadays, yet an area which aMSN doesn't particularly focus on. Webcam support is fairly weak and unstable, and instead of integrating into your chat window will open up in a new Quicktime window.

One of the biggest pet peeves of users with aMSN is the interface. It simply doesn't compare with more sleeker, more recent IM clients. To the developer's defense though you can download all sorts of skins from the program's website. Similarly it offers up a range of plugins, to customize your client to your liking. Chat addicts will also appreciate the animated emoticons on hand.

In terms of performance, you have to keep in mind that aMSN is still a Beta product, so still liable to some crashes and bugs. We did have some trouble when opening up new chat window and noticed that the client tended to use a lot of CPU.

In a few words, aMSN is a good alternative to MSN for users looking to add more plugins, skins and delve into the preferences menu.

Download aMSN Messenger 0.97.2 in Softonic

Have you ever seen those movie computers that could be controlled with single command
lines? Now you can make those fictional images come true with Ubiquity.

Ubiquity is an awesome Firefox add-on that opens a semi-transparent bar on top of your
screen every time you press its associated keyboard shortcut. From there you can run a
wide array of commands, from searching a selected text fragment in Wikipedia to checking
the weather on any city in the world.

The good thing about Ubiquity is that besides supporting quite a good amount of built-in
commands perfectly integrated with the browser, it also allows you to create new ones.
The command creation process though may be a little too difficult for non-techie users, as
it involves coding.

Ubiquity surprised us for its quick response, smart suggestions and nice interface. Taking
into account that this is only a prototype version, things can only get better.

Ubiquity lets you control a wide selection of commands and web tools with just a
single text of line.

Download Ubiquity 0.1.1 in Softonic

GAG allows you to boot up from a choice of 9 different operating systems. It can boot operating systems installed in primary and extended partitions on any available hard disk.

It doesn't need its own partition. It installs itself in the first track of the hard disk, which is reserved for this type of program. It has a timer to boot a default operating system (selectable by the user).

Hides the primary partitions which allows the user to have installed more than one DOS and/or Windows in the same hard disk. Can exchange disk drives, allowing to boot from the second, third... hard disk operating systems such as MS-DOS. Supports a great variety of keyboards (QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ and DVORAK keyboards). Full support for hard disks up to 4 terabytes (4096 gigabytes).

Download GAG 4.10 in Softonic

MessenPass is a password recovery tool that reveals the passwords of the most popular instant messenger applications, such as MSN Messenger, Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Trillian, Gaim and many more.

The application can only be used to recover the passwords for the current logged-on user on your local computer, and it only works if you chose the remember your password in one of the above programs. You cannot use this utility for grabbing the passwords of other users.

Download MessenPass 1.22 in Softonic

FileHamster provides real-time backup and archiving of your files while you work. It enables you to monitor specific files on your hard drive and automatically create incremental backups whenever those files are modified. It also enables you to store notes about the changes that have been made, allowing you to quickly locate a specific revision or provide a detailed account of the work you've done on a project.

First backup tool for artists

Optimized to intelligently handle the varying saving schemes for all applications and includes features focused on helping artists be more efficient while they work.

Real-time backup

Creates revisions as you save without affecting your workflow.

Plugin support

Easily add new features through plugins. See our Downloads page to get them!

Simple

Users of any skill level will be able to back up their files in seconds.

Easy interface

Easiest backup tool on the market.

Comments

Make notations as you go, enabling you to easily know what changes were made in each version.

Download FileHamster 1.5.4.2 in Softonic

The torrent phenomenon is one of the most hyped about in the world of technology among Peer to Peer (P2P) users. It consists of sharing large files, like movies, software, or games anonymously and quickly with other peers. The file you want to download is cut up into small segments shared by users, creating what is called a swarm, and does not go through a central server, significantly reducing the bulk of file transfers, The Bittorrent client is actually the first P2P application to use this technology and became immensely popular when it was released. Torrents are considered by online users as a great way to download recently released movies or tv shows.

Thanks to a straightforward, uncluttered interface Bittorrent appears as a friendly torrent client that beginners will feel comfortable with. We particularly appreciated the integrated search box to look for files on the bittorrent website. Once you’ve found the torrent you want, download it to your PC, open it up inside Bittorrent and let the client do its job. The speed at which you download will depend on the number of seeds, that is people who have the complete file and are sharing it. The more seeds there are the quicker files will download.

You can set multiple torrent downloads and the downloading speed is fairly quick. It’s easy to configure the client and we suggest choosing the right port and setting upload and download rate limits to avoid hogging your bandwidth. It’s also good to set your downloads by priority to monitor more precisely how your torrents are doing.

Compared to the exhaustive Azureus, Bittorrent is very simplistic. It doesn’t provide half as many statistics and doesn’t let you customize the interface. Integrating a search box is a great idea, but it limits searches to the bittorrent website, not considered the most thorough source by torrent aficionados.

If you’re a newbie to the torrent world, Bittorrent is a good bet. It’s safe, stable and sharp. Associated with the huge database of legal torrents that is the bittorrent website, it makes for a very rich P2P experience. Advanced users will probably frown upon its lack of options but others should give it a try.

Download BitTorrent 6.1 in Softonic

All My Movies is a nifty utility for cataloging one's movie collection. It supports all formats, new ones - DVD, Video CD, AVI and MPEG files, and old ones as well - VHS tapes, for example. The program helps easily track films - which movies are loaned, which ones are borrowed, etc. Most importantly, the program is specifically designed for DVDs and works fully automatically with all digital carriers.

Basically, all a user has to do is to insert a DVD or scan a hard-drive. The program will extract all movie information - title, director, actors, description, genre, languages, subtitles, etc. If absent, this information can be imported from online movie databases, like IMDb.com with one mouse click or entered manually.

The best thing about All My Movies is how easy it is to use. Having a tree-like database structure, program owner can quickly sort movies by genre, actor or director. Another great perk is an option to capture movie screens for DVDs and AVI files and attach them to the database. User comments can be added too.

True movie fans with thousands of titles in their collection are certain to like the fact that movie data stored with All My Movies can be exported to HTML, MS Excel or plain text files. In addition, the program comes with password protection options to prevent unauthorized access, and a straightforward loan manager. Another advantage is that the program support third-party plug-ins, including database import from other popular movie cataloguing applications.

Download All My Movies 5.0 in Softonic