jv16 PowerTools will tell you all you ever wanted to know about Windows Registry, but you probably won't need all of its tools.

Registry Mechanic does what it claims to do — clean up your registry — but don't expect your PC to go faster because of it.

These criticisms aside, the heart of Ergo represents some exciting developments for the next stage in searching and organising documents. Potential OEM deals could mean that PC manufacturers will start including the program on new machines, and this will provide a new approach for collating data from a number of sources.

The extra desktop space that 360desktop offers will be welcomed by most users, and panning through it is easy, but it's no competitor to Apple's Spaces just yet. A promised WebSticker management system would go a long way to change that, especially if it makes any widget work. However, advertising on people's desktops may prove to be a sticky issue.

The software isn’t completely bug-free, as most recorded sequences will require some tweaking to get them to run exactly as you expect. But this tool is handy, for example you could use it for data migration — I used it to migrate my e-mails. It’s not an elegant solution, but it will speed up many tasks that require timely repetition. Priced at $41, it is bound to pay itself off quite quickly.

We liked the idea of being able to buy a cheaper package that gives you all the useful tools found in SystemWorks without forcing you to opt for Norton AntiVirus. There are lots of other virus protection suites on the market, some of which cost nothing. However, it's a good idea to opt for a package such as this that fills in the gaps left by free products.

It’s not the best in its category, but Fix-It Utilities is a substantial improvement on previous releases and is packed with plenty of features.

System Mechanic 6 is a fine addition to any PC optimisation arsenal

Despite the presence of a Windows defrag tool, we found this program extremely useful. If you are willing to pay its asking price then it won’t let you down.

It’s worth waiting for file storage and instant messaging functions to be added. Only then will it be a powerful productivity tool and allow for safe backups of your work that you can access and edit from anywhere.

A useful little program that makes accessing information a whole lot easier