Free Download For All

Probably the most popular freeware cleaner globally with over 1 billion downloads since its launch in 2003. Piriform’s CCleaner is a quick and easy to use program which makes your computer faster, more secure and more reliable. CCleaner removes cookies, temporary files and various other unused data that clogs up your operating system. This frees up valuable hard disk space allowing your system to run faster. Removing this data also protects your anonymity meaning you can browse online more securely. The built in Registry Cleaner fixes errors and broken settings to make your computer more stable. The simple, intuitive UI and rapid but powerful cleaning make CCleaner a favourite among novices and techies alike. Professional, Network, Business and Technician Editions of CCleaner are also available for serious users.

Browsing the internet your computer picks up a whole host of unnecessary files, cookies and history. The same thing happens when you run most programs on your computer – lots of temporary files and settings are saved. CCleaner removes these unused files and settings to free up valuable hard drive space, enabling your system to run faster. The default settings only focus on typical junk files and locations so you’re unlikely to lose important information unless you alter these. A Startup Cleaner also helps you to identify and remove unused programs running in the background when you start your computer. This makes the startup time shorter and puts less strain on your hard drive throughout use. You can read more about startup support here.

If you notice lots of system freezes, error messages and often experience crashes, the chances are your registry become cluttered with unused files and broken settings. CCleaner’s fully featured Registry Cleaner identifies these issues and fixes them. The registry analysis takes seconds and cleaning just a little bit longer. Prompts advise you when to save backups to avoid losing important data.

Advertisers and websites track your behaviour online with cookies. Saved passwords, cached data and internet histories make your identity less secure. CCleaner removes these files to make your browsing experience confidential, meaning you are less likely to suffer from identity theft and/or online fraud. The military grade Drive Wiper ensures any data you want to be permanently deleted, stays deleted.

CCleaner Tools and Options tabs allow you to customise cleaning options to fit your needs. If you are not a savvy user, you might want to stick with the safe default settings. Advanced users can uninstall unwanted programs, select which cookies to save, customise cleaning settings and setup system monitoring.

CCleaner has earned its position at the top of the freeware cleaners offering the sort of features premium programs struggle to compete with. The clean, intuitive UI makes it one of the easiest programs to use, but don’t let its size and simplicity fool you. This is a powerful utility for improving your computers performance. Piriform’s regular update process means CCleaner is constantly improving and its popularity will continue to grow.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a premium anti-malware utility designed to detect and eliminate viruses, worms, Trojans, adware, auto-dialers, suspicious packed and multi-packed files, along with other web-based threats that may harm or steal data from the computer. It is backed by a real-time safeguard and other security utilities made to ensure round-the-clock PC protection against malicious software.

Hassle-free setup and clean UI

The installation procedure is speedy and does not require customization, unlike other popular antivirus products. Its interface has a pleasant look and well-organized structure with four large and flat buttons providing fast access to scans, virus definition updates, reports and the quarantine. Expanding this section reveals two extra buttons for tools and software upgrades.

Multiple scan modes and in-depth configuration

Depending on the user's file priorities and time willing to spend looking for malware, Kaspersky puts at their disposal four scan types, namely full, quick, custom and removable drive mode, in addition to the contextual scan that permits users to rapidly verify any file, folder or drive via Windows Explorer's right-click menu.

Those who are not satisfied with the app's factory settings are free to make modifications when it comes to the security level, automatic action on threat detection, removable drives scan mode on connection, scan scope, administrative or other user accounts, and task scheduling if necessary.

Additional options focus on types of detected objects, exclusion rules, trusted applications, self-defense mechanism (block any attempts to modify or delete Kaspersky Anti-Virus files, memory processes and registry entries), software compatibility (to run Kaspersky smoothly alongside other apps and avoid conflicts), monitored ports, and encrypted connections.

Extra security tools and settings

The app can become non-intrusive by disabling notifications on events, audio, news and promotional materials. Furthermore, users may examine all program activity in reports and manage suspicious items in the quarantine, as well as limit the size and duration of logs and contained objects.

Kaspersky can be optimized to preserve battery life, play video games without any intrusions, and reduce system resources consumption at startup, as well as to perform idle and rootkit scans. Ongoing tasks can be monitored and modified from a task manager.

Additional utilities are designed to scan the OS and third-party apps for vulnerabilities, create a bootable disc with the Windows files in case of severe malware infections, scan the system and fix issues caused by viruses or OS crashes, clean up the HDD by eliminating unnecessary files, as well as evaluate the security status of Internet Explorer settings.

Evaluation and conclusion

Kaspersky has always been viewed as a top-grade security program and this edition makes no exception. It provides very good virus detection results and scan speed, while generally remaining light on system resources. Plus, its presence is barely noticeable when deactivating all notifications.

To sum it up, users who are on the market for an approachable, feature-rich, customizable and fast anti-malware application cannot go wrong with Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Those looking for additional features may resort to Kaspersky Internet Security.