Your most popular programs of 2016
We recommended dozens of programs in 2016, but which were the most popular with you and your fellow readers? Here’s your top 10
As you will have noticed, every issue of Computeractive (including this page) is peppered with URLS that begin ‘www.snipca.com’. This lets us simplify long, convoluted website addresses to make it easier for you to access the online content you want – just type the snipca into your browser’s address bar to go directly to that website.
The other advantage of using ‘Snipca’ is that we can keep track of how many people click each link, so that we can continue covering the sorts of things that most interest you. Here are your top 10 most popular programs of 2016, based on those Snipca clicks. Adwcleaner www.snipca.com/21594 Adcleaner is our readers’ most-used program for the third year in a row, proving that adware remains one of the biggest concerns around. We use it all the time to make sure any program we recommend won’t install junk during its installation process. See Best Free Software, Issue 484, for information on the latest version (6.0). Privazer www.snipca.com/20645 Junk is the scourge of all modern-day PC users, which explains why another cleaning program has proved so popular with you. Privazer removes over 100 types of junk files, including broken shortcuts, files left behind by uninstalled programs, and remnants of Windows upgrade files. See our Workshop in Issue 477 (page 35). Bootracer www.snipca.com/21437 Waiting for a PC to boot is infuriating, so anything that speeds up the process is a godsend. Bootracer lets you set the order that startup items boot in and measure how much time you’ve saved. See our Workshop, Issue 483, page 35. 10Appsmanager www.snipca.com/19259 This year Windows 10 became the operating system of choice for hundreds of millions of people, including many of you. Of course, Microsoft doesn’t always get it right, so it’s a good thing that programs like 10Appsmanager can remove those countless apps none of us will ever use. See our ‘Uninstall Windows 10 Apps’ cover feature, Issue 468, page 53. Windows Repair Toolbox www.snipca.com/20768 Swiss army knives aren’t popular because of any one tool, but because they are a useful collection of tools. Windows Repair Toolbox is very much the same and proved popular with our readers precisely because it bundles all kinds of solutions into one handy interface. See our Workshop in Issue 478, page 35. Ultradefrag www.snipca.com/19324 It would seem that many of you made a New Year resolution last January to speed up your PCS, because our Ultradefrag Workshop (Issue 468, page 40) proved very popular. Ultradefrag not only restores order to your hard drive’s filing system, but does it faster than any other similar program. Don’t use it if your PC has an SSD – it’ll do more harm than good. Auslogics Browser Care www.snipca.com/19847 We all know that too many extensions will slow and even stall your browser. But some extensions can become so integrated with your browser they end up being difficult to shift. Auslogics Browser Care takes the pain out of removing unwanted extensions. However, it now comes stuffed with more PUPS than Battersea Dogs’ Home (see page 10). 8 Easeus Todo Backup Free www.snipca.com/21134 With ransomware and other kinds of malware an ever-present threat, use this program to back up your documents, photos, music files and videos with minimum fuss, so that you can restore them should hackers target you. It will also get you out of trouble should your PC suddenly break down. See our Workshop, Issue 480, page 38. 4K Video Downloader www.snipca.com/21942 One of our most popular pieces in 2016 was our ‘Download for free’ Cover Feature in Issue 486 (page 50). 4K Video Downloader proved to be the most popular program we recommended in that feature. It lets you download high-quality video, audio and subtitles from Youtube so you can enjoy its content when you’re offline. Tdsskiller www.snipca.com/19854 Rootkits are a particularly nasty type of malware that hide deep inside your computer. Antivirus software will often overlook them, but not Kaspersky’s Tdsskiller. It specialises in removing rootkits and should be run at least once a month. See Issue 471, page 56, to read more, and turn to page 50 of this issue to read about the security threats you need to know about in 2017.