Software

Bloated but happy

For a torrent-downloading app, Azureus is chock-a-block full of features that set it apart from the rest of the pack.

From XML torrent options to IP filters, firewall tests to UPnP plug-ins, Azureus leads the way in making the torrent experience as customizable as possible. When you install the program, it gives you three levels of option settings, for beginner, intermediate, and advanced controls. There's a configuration wizard, an easy-to-use torrent maker, and dozens of ways to set your statistics logs so you can track download speed and performance.

The layout could benefit from larger buttons. Nevertheless, it's … Read more

Pummel pop-ups and other pests

This fine pop-up blocker won us over with its effective performance and unexpected extra features. Since Super Ad Blocker sits in your system tray and can be added to your Internet Explorer toolbar, it's convenient to access no matter what you're doing. The application's logically organized main window is split into tabs for ad blocking, history cleaning, cookies, statistics, notification, and options. In our tests, the program did an excellent job of quashing all types of pop-ups, banner ads,Flash ads, and Google ads when using both Internet Explorer and Firefox. You can add allowed sites to … Read more

Pummel pop-ups and other pests

This fine pop-up blocker won us over with its effective performance and unexpected extra features. Since Super Ad Blocker sits in your system tray and can be added to your Internet Explorer toolbar, it's convenient to access no matter what you're doing. The application's logically organized main window is split into tabs for ad blocking, history cleaning, cookies, statistics, notification, and options. In our tests, the program did an excellent job of quashing all types of pop-ups, banner ads, and Flash ads when using both Internet Explorer and Firefox. You can add allowed sites to a whitelist. … Read more

Pummel pop-ups and other pests

This fine pop-up blocker won us over with its effective performance and unexpected extra features. Since Super Ad Blocker sits in your system tray and can be added to your Internet Explorer toolbar, it's convenient to access no matter what you're doing. The application's logically organized main window is split into tabs for ad blocking, history cleaning, cookies, statistics, notification, and options. In our tests, the program did an excellent job of quashing all types of pop-ups, banners, and Flash ads. You can add allowed sites to a whitelist, although we wish you could do so via … Read more

Bloated but happy

Formerly the feature-rich Azureus, Vuze takes Azureus' BitTorrent foundation and builds on top of it a network for video discovery and user-created video publishing tied together by social networking.

From XML torrent options to IP filters, firewall tests to UPnP plug-ins to baked-in social networking, Vuze isn't breaking new ground--the original BitTorrent client has gone this path, too--but it is doing it in an innovative and attractive way. When you install the program, you're faced with an interface that will be instantly familiar to iTunes users. In providing a general overview of their torrents and media playback controls, … Read more

Malware remedy

The latest release of PCTools Spyware Doctor 5.5 addresses a number of nettlesome software glitches we experienced with version 5.0. However, the free trial version is not fully functional--a fact you will discover only after downloading, installing, and then running a complete system scan.

In our trial scans, Spyware Doctor repeatedly flagged several dozen harmless cookies as potential threats, more than any other antispyware product we tested. We were also unable to learn more about each threat or why Spyware Doctor flagged each. Clicking each threat opened our default browser to a generic threat page on the PCTools … Read more

Malware remedy

The trial version of Spyware Doctor offers solid real-time protection for your system, but without removal capabilities. Users with infected computers will need to purchase a registration code or look elsewhere.

With quick scanning and multiple tools for stopping malware before it infects your computer, the paid version is a solid spyware remover. The well-designed interface makes getting started a breeze. The program can perform a number of scans, including Quick Scan, which blazes through common trouble spots such as Internet Explorer cache files. We found scan times to be fast; even the Full System Scan took under five minutes … Read more

Malware remedy

Real-time protection

Editors note: This review was modified from the original to reflect changes in the publishers description of the product as a complementary rather than standalone package.

Called CyberHawk under its previous owners, PC Tools' ThreatFire is a useful program but only in limited situations. It offers real-time prevention of virus and malware infections by identifying suspicious behaviors ("zero-day" events) as they happen, before malicious code installs itself on your PC. However, ThreatFire does not offer an on-demand scan for viruses already on your computer, though it will perform an on-demand scan for other malware. The name says "… Read more

A different kind of hawk

From the get-go, this virus protection program impresses, but some functions are available only to registered users.

Cyberhawk opens with an orientation to educate users on virus behavior and program functionality. This software operates differently than traditional antivirus programs. Rather than downloading virus signatures to identify threats, it uses a combination of factors to gauge whether a virus is attacking your PC. The demo program operates as the pro version for 15 days before shedding functions to operate as the free version. This means one of the prime functions--malware quarantine and removal--disappears after the trial.

During an attack, this application … Read more