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SO HERE IT IS: the eagerly awaited release of Firefox 3. Was it worth the wait? If you want advanced security options, plenty of ease-of-use improvements, and a very quick […]

UNLIKE MANY hard drive defragmentation apps, DiskTrix's $39.95 UltimateDefrag 2008 gives you a wealth of choices to get the best drive access speed--based on how you use your computer. The […]

THE NEWEST STANDARD EDITION of WordPerfect Office is a speedy and powerful suite that's particularly handy for dedicated PDF users. But if you own an older version, beware: Office X4 […]

WITH ITS ANTIVIRUS, ANTISPAM, firewall, and Web shield components, this $54.99 AVG Interact Security 8.0 package covers the basics of security, and does it all with good, solid performance. But […]

TO PLAY CUTTING-EDGE DVDS, you need cutting-edge software. Corel pushes the envelope with WinDVD 9 Plus Bluray--not with flashy new features, but with a number of small, solid enhancements that […]

IN TERMS OF FUNCTIONALITY McAfee Internet Security Suite 2008 has a lot going for it. It delivers all the PC protection you would expect from one of the oldest names […]

THE ONE-TIME KING of Web browsers is once again a contender. The latest release of the Netscape Navigator browser loads quickly, runs smoothly, and blends excellent new features with useful […]

ALTHOUGH AVANQUEST'S $59.95 System Suite 8 Professional (SS8P) contains solid core tools befitting a standard security package (antivirus, antispyware, antispam, and firewall), its Windows and hard drive tools are its […]

Plus: Laser-Printed Labels, a Mac Visual Outliner, and a Powerful Utility for MS-DOS Computers Menus and Tutorials Reassure Database Novices Rating: * * * * AT A GLANCE: Easy to […]

HOW DO YOU DISCUSS a perennially strong product that provides only a slim upgrade from last year's release--which, in turn, offered no improvements at all over the 2006 version? You […]

WITH LIGHT MEMORY requirements, considerable configurability, and excellent documentation, the $49.95 EverNote Plus 2.1 lets you take, organize, search, and retrieve notes with ease. You can define two kinds of […]

IOLO'S SYSTEM SHIELD 3 comprises several security modules that you can purchase separately, or as part of the System Mechanic Professional 7 utility package. It provides antivirus and firewall features, […]

FOR THOSE WHO NEED quick views of files throughout the day, Turbo Browser 10.10 is a simple way to get what you want immediately. Business professionals will relish the time […]

COUNTERSPY V2 thoroughly scans for any malware in your system, but it comes at a price beyond its $19.95 cost: time. It can take hours to scan your PC, depending […]

MANY DESKTOP-ENHANCEMENT programs are complex all-in-one packages that require knowledge of a programming language to completely customize the Windows Desktop. But not Winstep Xtreme. This $39.90 program brings two new […]

HAVE YOU EVER watched a great sports match, then wished you could easily excerpt your favorite bits to revisit later? Enter MagicSports 3.5 from CyberLink. This $49.95 software tool analyzes […]

LOOK TO ITS BUNDLED MODULES to find what's substantive in the System Mechanic 7 Professional (SM7P) suite of utilities. Iolo Personal Firewall now employs a much easier-to-use setup, Iolo AntiVirus […]

IF YOU'VE hesitated to try a tax program because you're worried it would miss a money-saving deduction, then Intuit's TurboTax Deluxe Deduction Maximizer (DDM) is for you. It delivers the […]

AVANQUEST HAS RELEASED a new round of its flagship Swiss Army knife products, System Suite 7 and Fix-It Utilities 7 Professional. The two are practically identical, but with one big […]

ROLLBACK RX PROFESSIONAL from Horizon DataSys is an advanced restore utility that goes beyond Windows XP's simple System Restore feature. In our trials, the $59 utility performed exactly as required. […]

POCOMAIL 4 IS A low-cost e-mail app with an impressive raft of features--none more so than its two-pronged antispam technology. The $39.95 software maintains customizable lists of banned senders and […]

ALTIRIS SOFTWARE VIRTUALIZATION SOLUTION (SVS) is a free program that creates virtualized installations of files and Registry entries. Because the changes are virtual, you can instantly delete programs without leaving […]

LOADING AND RUNNING a DVD on your PC is easy, but if you want more control over your video--color, sound configuration, aspect ratios--you'll want a dedicated DVD-viewer program, such as […]

MANY DATA-SECURITY packages focus on breadth, but Dekart's Private Disk focuses on depth. Its combination of top-of-the-line encryption, virtual-disk protection, and unusual features is striking and effective. Security packages from […]

EDITORS' CHOICE WITH ITS 2006 edition, Steganos Security Suite has taken a major leap forward. It no longer lags behind competition such as ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite in providing cookie […]

REGISTRY MECHANIC 5.2 by PC Tools scans and fixes errors in your Windows Registry the same way features in competing products (such as WinDoctor in Symantec's Norton SystemWorks, and Fix […]

SYMANTEC HAS TRIED, for the past two years, to buttress its outdated hard-drive-tools package, Norton SystemWorks, by bundling it with Norton Ghost, an excellent backup and recovery tool. The inclusion […]

NO TWO USERS organize their Windows desktops in exactly the same way. Why should you be forced to use a desktop that looks and feels exactly like everyone else's? Desktop-enhancement […]

SYSTEMSUITE 6 Professional lets you diagnose problems, recover lost data, and protect your PC from spyware, viruses, and hackers. At $59.95, it's $10 more than the company's Fix-It Utilities 6 […]

VIRUSES, power surges, battery failures, and systems that suddenly become unstable--all good reasons to regularly use an effective backup program. With CyberLink PowerBackup 2's easy-to-use interface, you pick the directories […]

THE MAIN INTERFACE is overly complex, but the $69.95 System Mechanic 6 Professional still remains the best package of utilities for optimizing and protecting your Windows PC. The program launches […]

The article presents commentaries and clarifications from music critics on various issues concerning classical music. Topics include clarification on the invention of the mazurka and palonaise by composer Frédéric Chopin, confusion on the transition at the periodical "Fanfare" from compact discs (CD) to digital streaming, and correction to a writing about composer Chick Corea and deceased clarinetist Tony Scott.

An interview with Winsome Evans, considered as Australia's premier early music specialists, is presented. It notes that Evans is a composer and arranger, aside from her activities as a professional harpsichordist. She is known for her role as director of the Renaissance Players, one of Australia's most highly regarded early music ensembles. It provides information on the British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours List awarded to Evans.

FOR AN OS that has always touted its configurability, Windows comes with a large number of fixed default settings. JerMar Software's $19.99 Tweaki for Power Users provides tools, ranging from […]

AVANQUEST'S Fix-It Utilities continues to improve by offering new and more-creative disk-diagnostic tools in version 6 Professional. With the full install (about 45MB), you get Recovery Commander (a repair tool […]

IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST people, you install and uninstall software or save and delete images, media files, and e-mail many times over the life of your PC. All that activity […]

EDITORS' CHOICE IF YOU HANDLE home or small-business finances, or develop intellectual property worth stealing, you need Steganos' $59.95 Security Suite 7. The package allows you to secure the data […]

LOOKING FOR A SOFTWARE PACKAGE to handle antivirus protection, firewall blocking, and Internet privacy? These are our four leading choices in Internet security suites for 2005. MCAFEE INTERNET SECURITY SUITE […]

c|net Editor's Choice ZONELABS' $69.95 ZONEALARM SECURITY SUITE is one of the best security suites we've seen. Its interface is far easier to use than the competition's, and its feature […]

NORTON SYSTEMWORKS HAD BETTER NOT rest on its laurels. Iolo Technologies' $69.95 System Mechanic 4 Professional is a worthy challenger and offers advanced PC users a lot more value. We […]

WANT TO USE FRANKLINCOVEY'S WELL-known planning system--but hate its giant paper notebook? The company's $99.95 PlanPlus 2.0 attempts to streamline the system by adding several productivity enhancements to Microsoft Outlook. […]

ANONYMIZER PRIVATE SURFING 2.1 IS A SET OF tools that routes all your online activity through Anonymizer's proxy servers to conceal your identity. The $29.95 package is a one year, […]

THE TERMS 'GOOD VALUE' AND 'INEXPENSIVE' are not always synonymous, as thoroughly demonstrated by AG Neovo's 17 inch F-417 TFT LCD monitor. This $399 flat panel is certainly priced low, […]

SYMANTEC'S $69.95 NORTON SYSTEMWORKS 2004 improves its lackluster predecessor with a new password manager, and the antivirus component now sniffs out spyware and adware. But other utilities in the suite […]

STEGANOS SECURITY SUITE 5 IS A HEAVY-DUTY COLLECTION of privacy tools that erases browser cache files and history, shreds personal files, manages passwords, and encrypts hard drive folders and e-mail. […]

LIUTILITIES' WINTASKS 4 PROFESSIONAL ($57 FULL version, $37 download) uncovers Windows' many inner tasks, letting you monitor what's running inside your PC and tweak its performance. This utility provides a […]

GREATIS SOFTWARE'S $29.95 REGRUN III SECURITY Suite 3.5 supplies tools specifically designed to manage the executables Windows runs on startup--many of which never show up in your Startup program group […]

SYSTEM MECHANIC 3.7, A UTILITY-SUITE NEWCOMer, is beginning to look like a genuine contender against Symantec's market-dominating Norton SystemWorks. Although it still lacks some basic tools needed to challenge SystemWorks, […]