Just as remarkable, you don't have to pay a pretty penny for this program--it's donationware. You can pay what it's worth to you, from zero dollars on up.

Another useful freebie is , which cleans the Registry, removes junk files, and defragments your hard disk. It's not as comprehensive as CCleaner, and it tends to overreport problems, but it's still worth a look.

The very first time you start up a new PC, you might expect it to be free of gunk and unnecessary software, such as trialware. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Even on a PC's maiden voyage, you'll typically find it loaded down with "craplets"--unwanted demos, trialware, and the like that the software makers have paid the PC manufacturer to install. These craplets junk up your hard disk, and can slow down its performance.

What to do? Download and run the free . It seeks out and removes dozens of craplets to help make your PC a smooth-running machine. It won't clean out every piece of unneeded software; instead it looks for a list of known craplets, demos, and trialware. Regardless, even if you have an older PC, this tool is worth using, because that unneeded software may still be hiding on your computer.