Top 20 essential utilities for your PC

Utilities help to keep your computer running at its best. They protect it from internet nasties, keep your secrets safe, organise your photos, tidy up your hard disk and make Windows run faster. And you don't have to fork out a small fortune to ensure that your PC is running smoothly. Freely available utilities do the same job as commercial products, and in many cases they do it even better.

This month we have brought together the top 20 free utilities that no computer user should be without. We've put these applications - or links to them - on our cover disc, and don't forget that the DVD edition also includes our Expert Toolkit, with a further 80 tools aimed at power users.

You can find out how to use our top 20 in the walkthroughs in this feature, on your cover disc and in our Learn section on page 220, so once you have installed a utility, you will be able to get started without any headaches.

So read on, and find out how to get your PC into tip-top condition. - CONTINUED.....