PC World Picks

These nine tools, selected by PC World’s editors, many of them free, will help you edit, capture and convert video. Here are five:

VideoThang

This free, friendly utility makes video editing as painless as it can be, but the workflow’s a bit restrictive.

TurboDemo Standard

Easily create Flash and GIF demos, even if you have no programming knowledge.

muvee Reveal

Creating [...]

Get your PC and laptop into tip top shape with these nine applications selected by PC World’s editors. Here, we share five of them:

WinBubble
Tweak Windows Vista in many different ways.

Performance Monitor
Monitor your CPU, RAM, disk, and network use.

ViceVersa Pro
Synchronize files, copy folders, and do backups and folder comparisons on a PC or between PCs.

Hoverdesk
Customize Windows [...]

PC World editors selected these nine free products that can save you from malicious software and eavesdroppers. Don’t leave your PC exposed and vulnerable. Here, we share five:

Tor
Protect your anonymity as you surf and use the Internet with this free privacy tool.

KeePass Password Safe
Track all of your passwords and keep them safe.

F-Secure Blacklight Rootkit Eliminator
Detect [...]

These were the most popular, and useful, downloads on PCWorld.com in July 2008

WinRAR
WinRAR is a powerful archive-creation utility that remains the only way to create .rar files.

Windows Movie Maker
Use your PC to create, edit, and share home movies.

Windows XP Service Pack 2
It’s an unsafe world out there for Windows-based computers. Microsoft wants to address the [...]

PC World editors tested five new apps that make saving — and restoring — your vital data a lot easier than tools you’ve tried in the past.

Titan Backup
This backup utility has a marvelous interface and just about everything else — except the ability to back up open files.

NovaBackup Professional
The most complete backup solution on the [...]

These nine downloads selected by PC World’s editors can help you improve and correct what you put down in writing, be it on a document or on the Web. Here are five of ‘em:

WordWeb Dictionary-Thesaurus
Use this powerful tool to quickly find definitions, synonyms, and even pronunciations.

TextPad
This streamlined text editor will appeal to programmers and anyone [...]

When all hope seems lost, it usually isn’t. These 9 tools chosen by PC World’s editors can help you restore your PC back to health. Here are five of ‘em:

Vista Recovery Disc
Recover data from a damaged Vista system with this little-known Microsoft utility.

Drive Image XML
Free, reliable imaging software that covers all the basics.

Smart NTFS Recovery
Smart [...]

With larger hard drives, your files are probably multiplying rapidly. Get control over them with these 9 tools selected by PC World’s editors. Here are just five of ‘em:

FlexTk Professional
Catalog files, analyze disks, and perform data migration with this powerful utility.

Horodruin
Synchronize multiple folder with this handy, but occasionally unintuitive, utility.

Ant Commander 46
Manage files and directories [...]

PC World’s editors selected these 10 downloads, mostly free, which do the job of very expensive image editing software. Here are five of ‘em:

GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
Retouch photos and create images with this freebie.

Photoshop Elements
Enhance your digital images without the feature-overhead of other photo-editing programs.

Photo Resizer Pro
Quickly resize a photo without waiting forever for [...]

PC World’s editors suggest these 13 downloads, mostly free, to help you optimize your communications with others, improve security, and generally improve your online life. Here, we share five of ‘em:

Digsby
Communicate with multiple instant messengers and social networking sites.

SMTP Diagnostics
Troubleshoot problematic SMTP connections.

Ad-Aware 2008 Free
Remove spyware and protect your privacy with this popular free anti-spyware [...]