removal

A-Squared Free 4 is one of the better free malware removers, but it's not flawless and some users question its efficacy.

The program starts off with a sluggish detection file update that also requires a program restart. This took about 10 minutes. Normally, though, it opens to the Security Status page. From there, you can run scans, update the program, access the A-Squared knowledge base, and choose from among 20 display languages. Program options are arranged on the left nav, and they are Security Status, Scan PC, Quarantine, Logs, and Configuration tabs. Scan PC contains four scanning options: Quick, … Read more

AnVir Task Manager Free offers users a one-stop shop for managing your system's running processes and applications. While it certainly delivers the information it promises, it could really benefit from a more streamlined interface design.

Users will need to spend a little time taking in AnVir's user interface, because at first glance it's a bit overwhelming. It uses tabs to distinguish system categories, such as startup, applications, processes, and services. Command buttons at the top of the window give you the ability to kill processes, block processes, free memory, and select a parent process. The bottom of … Read more

An indoor grill is a great option for whipping up a quick and easy meal. Ever since a certain boxer started hawking them, their popularity has exploded, and rightfully so. They are easy to use, easy to clean, and produce excellent results.

The Calphalon Removable Plate Grill has two separate dials on the front panel for temperature and time control, and it has a temperature range from 150-450 degrees. The bronze, nonstick interior keeps food from sticking, while excess fat is drained away into an internal drip tray. The grill height is adjustable, which is important in allowing for consistent … Read more

Thanks to an apparent lack of clean-up on iTunes' part, many users have oodles of disk space that is being unnecessarily occupied by old iPhone and/or iPod touch software updates.

As described reader Doug Eldred:

"I have 10 files, ranging from 150 MB to 250 MB for my iPod touch, and much smaller files for two other iPods, one of which I no longer own. They total well over 2 GB! Now, if I really need to keep restore files back to version 1.0, I will, but I'd be happy to pitch the older ones." … Read more

With a great premise and above-average looks, 1 Click Add n Remove falls flat with a sluggish feel and broken functionality. The interface itself goes beyond the norm with an entirely custom look, but the menus are annoyingly slow to deploy, and the window cannot be resized. There's also no way to filter the program list to hide things like Windows updates, and though there is a search option, it doesn't seem to work.

Particularly interesting is an option to hide items within your Start Menu, without deleting them. This function seems to work well, but unfortunately the … Read more

If you're worried that potentially pornographic images are lurking in your system's drives, this program promised to scan and find them. Although we encountered several false hits, the bigger problem was how many features are disabled in the demo version.

This install for this app is a 175MB file. It is made to be portable for thumbdrive use, and carries all fonts and such files for that purpose. It also carries files to run the app on Linux and Mac. It would have been nice for the publisher to separate the operating system packages.

On each run the … Read more

Although its name might hint at broader functionality, Icon Remover performs the single function of removing the Safely Remove Hardware icon from the taskbar.

Icon Remover sports a very basic interface suited to its very basic functionality. Two command buttons--one for showing the taskbar icon and one for removing the same icon--are all it holds. You don't even have to close the program to see your actions take place. The Safely Remove Hardware icon was removed and restored as soon as the appropriate button was clicked.

The program is simple, to the point, and performs as promised. It also … Read more

Even though we could have done without the nag screen, this free disk cleaning utility performed very well during our tests. Even beginners will appreciate how easy it is to use.

When you first install Wise Disk Cleaner 3 Free, you're taken to the publisher's Web site for more information about the program. Each time we accessed Wise Disk Cleaner 3 Free, we received a nag screen asking if we wanted to upgrade to the paid professional version. It was easily bypassed, but became something of a nuisance. A helpful wizard appeared at start-up, and walked us through … Read more

It requires care when using, but this freeware executable eliminates unwanted Registry keys. RegAssassin business-like interface sports only a text entry box, a pair of check boxes, and a function button. Using it requires experience editing the Registry. The program does display warning messages, but inexperienced users could easily crash their system by deleting an important Registry key.

Operating RegAssassin is simple and quick. Users merely enter a Registry key name and delete the key with a single button click. The application includes simple check box-enabled options to reset the key permissions and delete all subkeys. The utility recommends using … Read more