This week has seen a number of exciting releases covering every area of software imaginable. Whether you want to keep your computer running smoothly or have photos you want to edit, there’s something here for everyone. Hard drive maintenance is an essential part of computer ownership and TweakNow HD-Analyzer 1.0 is a handy tool that can be used to free up disk space by identifying large files and folders. Once you have deleted unnecessary files, O&O Defrag 15.5 32-bit is on hand to help you to keep your hard drive defragmented included remote computers on your network. There is also a 64-bit version of the program available – O&O Defrag 15.5 64-bit. If privacy is more of a concern than performance, take a look at Wise Folder Hider 1.14 beta which enables you to hide folders and files from sight, as well as entire USB drives.

WinZip

The need for compressed files is still present, and WinZip 16.5 has been updated to allow for faster archive creation and includes enhanced features such as archive sharing and zip encryption. Whether you are using a compression tool to send file by email, upload to your web space, or for backup purposes, there have been a number of programs released this week that can help you to create files. LibreCAD 1.0.2 is an impressive free 2D CAD tool that can be used to bring your design ideas to life, while Ashampoo Photo Commander 10.0.1 provides you with everything you need to tag, edit, optimize and share your photos. If you’re more interesting in audio and video files, Adapter 1.4 is available for both Mac and PC and it enables you to not only download online videos, but also convert them into one of the many supported formats.

Spotflux

Security is a major concern for users of all platforms, and this weeks has number of important releases in this field for Windows. F-Secure Easy Clean 1.2.18070.17 is a free, although not entirely comprehensive, virus and malware detection and removal tool, but if you’re looking for more thorough protection you may want to look to Norton AntiVirus 19.6.2 for which there is now a trial version available. From the same company comes Norton Internet Security 2012 v19.6.2 which is a fully featured security suite which includes not only virus and malware protection, but also a firewall, password management, and much more. Another useful protection tool exists in the form of Sophos Virus Removal Tool 2.0 which prides itself on its simplicity. IObit Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus 2012 (v5.5) Beta builds on the protection theme providing you with tools to maintain the performance of your computer as well. Spotflux 2.6.6 is a great tool for anyone who is concerned about the security of their internet connection is it makes it possible to not only protect yourself against the threat of viruses, but also encrypt web traffic.

Tell When Done

Tell When Done 1.6.0 is a great utility for anyone who wants to be alerted when their computer finishes a lengthy task – such as performing a virus scan. The utility can be configured to monitor any process or program and will sound an audio alert when it stops. We have already mentioned the importance of a computer’s hard drive, and backing up data is a key use for drives. COMODO BackUp 4.1.2 is a great free tool for safeguarding your data and you can create a number of profiles to backup different types of data quickly and easily. Comodo Cloud Storage 2.1.6 is another free tool from the same company that enables you to store your backups online and you are provided with 5GB of storage free of charge.

Pocket

While we have taken a brief look at the internet in relation to this week’s security releases, the web is primarily used for reading news, performing research and other such tasks. When browsing the web you may well find that you simply do not have time to read everything you stumble across and this is where Pocket (formerly Read It Later) can help. The browser addon can be used to quickly bookmark sites you want to read later, and it is available as Pocket (formerly Read It Later) for Firefox 2.1.4 and Pocket (formerly Read It Later) for Chrome 1.0. There are also versions available for Android, iPhone and iPad owners in the form of Pocket (formerly Read It Later) 4.0.0. Owner of Samsung mobile devices running Android will want to check out Samsung Kies 2.3.0 which can be used to not only keep your firmware up to date but also to download apps and other goodies.

There’ll be another roundup at the same time next week so you can catch up on all of the key releases from the next seven days.