Free software is useful, but also unreliable. Freeware from a trusted vendor is safe for your computer, however there are a lot of malware on the market. It could be spyware (gathering information without your consent), advertisements (bombarding your computer with pop-ups) or even viruses (corrupting data in your PC).

Avoiding websites that host copyrighted or pirated software is among the most effective ways to avoid becoming infected by these harmful software. Also, you should keep your anti-virus and anti-malware programs up to date.

FileHippo: A listing of the most current versions of popular apps and games along with instructions for installing and opinion articles. The site has a huge archive of older versions of the app.

PortableAppz A collection of apps that you can run from either a cloud drive or from your desktop. The site includes everything from editing photos to office applications.

Cleanup http://www.isohuntpro.org/heres-how-to-make-sure-your-virtual-data-storage-is-bulletproof is a freeware program that lets you clean Windows and browser histories, as well as those of third-party apps. It will help you empty the recycle bin, remove search history, clean URLs typed and erase system log files.

Open-source software There are a number of the most reliable open source software on community-driven websites such as Github and SourceForge. Linux and LibreOffice are two well-known examples. This kind of software may not be free, but is typically cheaper than proprietary software. It also allows you to modify or improve the code.