removal

The bottom line: One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation has been well-justified. The latest version adroitly addresses some user concerns, yet performance-based annoyances remain.

Review:

Editors' note: Portions of this review are based on CNET's review for Ad-Aware 9.5 Free.

Ad-Aware 9.5 Pro Internet Security continues the development progress that publisher Lavasoft began in the previous version. No longer content with offering only malware protection, Ad-Aware now includes antivirus protections licensed from Sunbelt, the makers of Vipre, as well as interesting in-house improvements.

Lavasoft first started changing … Read more

The bottom line: One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation has been well-justified. The latest version adroitly addresses some user concerns, yet performance-based annoyances remain.

Review:

Ad-Aware 9.5 continues the development progress that publisher Lavasoft began in version 8. No longer content with offering only malware protection, Ad-Aware now includes antivirus protections licensed from Sunbelt, the makers of Vipre, as well as interesting in-house improvements.

Lavasoft first started changing Ad-Aware's protection engine more than a year ago in version 8.1, when it introduced Genotype. This heuristics-based technology identified … Read more

We are constantly installing and uninstalling software, and as we're sure you can imagine, that leaves us with a whole lot of empty folders and other junk on our computer. For that reason, we were quite excited about trying FMS Empty Folder Remover. This utility promises to scan your machine for empty folders and then delete them, tidying up your hard drive after multiple installations and uninstallations.

The program's interface is bare bones and not entirely intuitive. We clicked the Open Folder button since it seemed like the most logical starting place, and an Explorer window opened that … Read more

Uninstalling apps you don't use is a great way to keep some free space for new apps and can sometimes lead to improved battery life or even a faster device. If you've followed the guide for uninstalling apps without the Android Market, you may have noticed that most of the preloaded apps are resistant to being removed. For help removing these apps once and for all, follow this guide:

Note: Removing these apps requires root access. For help rooting your Android device follow this guide, courtesy of CNET's Seth Rosenblatt. … Read more

PC Decrapifier is a compact application designed to remove unneeded programs from brand-new and used PCs. It's portable freeware that can run on any Windows XP, Vista, or 7 machine without having to be installed. It scans your PC for junk programs and other applications and removes them all at once when you're ready.

PC Decrapifier's simple wizard-based interface opened as soon as we clicked the program's executable file. After checking for updates, we clicked through the EULA and a warning page that noted the difficulty in distinguishing between trial and paid versions of software and … Read more

As the name suggests, Any File Remover claims to be able to remove any file from your system, overwriting the file in question using one of several methods to ensure it's gone. As with any tool capable of securely and thoroughly deleting any file, it should be used with great care.

This free tool's interface is extremely simple, with two buttons--Select File(s) and Clear Grid--and three Expert Options for choosing a file overwriting method: Random Data, ASCII, and blanks. We could also set the number of delete passes from 1 to 100. File and Help menus only … Read more

Some Web sites have lots of ads, pictures, and other distracting things on their pages. If you're on a slower Internet connection, loading pages like these can be a real hassle. However, with the use of some quick Web tools, you can strip these sites down to their bare bones--just the text. BareSite, TinyRead, and TextMirror are some of the more popular free services that can help you clear the clutter.

BareSite This server doesn't ask for any of your personal information, or request that you sign up for an account. You can view all of your most … Read more

The caps lock key is a blessing and a curse built into the same button. More often than not, it finds itself active in situations it shouldn't be. If you're looking for a permanent solution to eliminating thiS KIND OF PROBLEM, follow these five steps:

Editors' note: This How To involves editing your computer's registry. The registry plays an important role in how your computer operates, and messing around haphazardly can lead to severe problems in the future. Tread carefully.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor from the Start Menu by typing "regedit" from the … Read more

Windows 7 provides users with several libraries that consolidate different types of files, such as music or video, into one easily accessible location. But what if you want to add your own folders to these libraries or remove them? Follow these four steps to find out how!

Step 1: Launch Computer from the Start menu.

Step 2: In the pane to the left, expand the Libraries folder by clicking the small triangle next to it if the list is not already visible.

Step 3: Right-click on the Library you want to modify and select "Properties" from the menu … Read more