The recent closure of Megaupload highlights the risks of using a cloud based service to backup and store data. Of course, backing-up your data to an external hard drive isn't without risks but there is one that's significantly reduced - the threat of losing access to your data due to sites being shutdown.

We've already compiled and compared a list of other cloud backup solutions so here are five of the best desktop backup alternatives for Windows and Mac:

TimeMachine

(Mac):

Apple's easy to use discreet backup solution. Constantly backsup your data without slowing down your Mac so that you can effectively "go back in time" and restore files and data. Note however that some people have found it unreliable at times - it may start-off well but may become erratic over time.

SuperDuper!

(Mac):

SuperDuper! creates exact clones of your Mac's hard drive so you have a full backup of all your data, including permissions, user profiles and private settings. Simply select the target and destination drives and start backing up. You can specify exactly which files you want to transfer and which you'd like to omit.

Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC)

(Mac):

Carbon Copy Cloner is free, simple to use and backsup only those files and folders that you want it to. Just connect your external hard drive to your Mac, CCC will automatically detect it and off you go. You can also schedule automatic backups at specific times and create disk images with it.

Norton Ghost

(PC)

Norton's Anti-Virus is a nightmare but its backup solution is a much better package. Norton Ghost is probably the closest thing to Time Machine on a PC and backs-up your entire hard drive – or just selected folders – to another partition, networked drive or an external storage device. Norton Ghost can also create an exact copy of your hard drive with all the existing files, programs and settings and provides restoration points.

USB Image Tool

(PC)

USB Image Tool is one of the simplest PC backup solutions you'll find. It's free, straightforward and automatically detects USB devices connected to your computer and scans them before asking you whether you'd like to create an image backup or restore a previously backed-up image. USB Image Tool can create images of USB memory sticks and MP3 players that are mounted as USB drives.

[Image courtesy of OnSoftware ES]

Hiding your IP address while you're browsing the internet is a good move for anyone wanting an additional level of privacy online.

UltraSurf is a simple tool that's perfect for doing this when you're using Internet Explorer. It will help ensure security while you're shopping or banking by encrypting your personal information - your IP address gives information about you to third parties. UltraSurf is a great portable tool for people who don't want third parties to be able to view this information, as well as those who want to access websites that are blocked in their locale.

If you prefer Firefox to Internet Explorer, though, there's an add-on just for you. It's called UltraSurf Firefox Tool.

All you have to do to use UltraSurf on Firefox is download both UltraSurf and the add-on for Firefox. If you're currently running Firefox, you may need to restart befure UltraSurf will work.

Besides being able to hide your IP from third parties, UltraSurf can also automatically delete cookies and browser history every time you close it, an extra level of security that users are sure to appreciate.

If you've read Jon's review of McAfee Total Protection, you'll know that it's an all-in-one anti-virus suite that's packed with tools and scan options. This makes it a really flexible piece of weaponry to have in your malware armor. To get the weekend off on the right foot, we've get 10 fabulous free licenses for McAfee Total Protection to give away.

How to win a free license

It's the weekend. You're probably tired after a long week, or you've eaten so much turkey and pumpkin pie that you simply can't get off the sofa. We're not going to make this difficult for you. In order to win one of our free McAfee licences, simply tell us:

How many computers can you install McAfee Total Protection on?

You can find the answer here. Just send the correct answer to ask@onsoftware.com, and Softonic will contact you to give you your free license. Good luck!

Many couples these days meet through the internet, but I’ll bet that for every love match made online, another couple splits up because of computers. Here are some of the common examples of computer-induced relationship meltdown, together with some advice on how to prevent them:

Too much time on your PC

No one can say that harvesting your tomatoes in Farmville, grooming your dog in Pet Society, and looking at videos of kittens on YouTube aren’t vitally important tasks. However, you should remember that your partner probably needs a little attention too.

Don’t worry, the worlds of Mordor or the plains of Lordaeron will not cease to exist if you decide to take a romantic trip to McDonalds with your loved one. If you need a bit of encouragement to get off the computer, then install some breakout software, such as WorkRave, which will force you to get off your PC at scheduled times.

The curse of the ‘Away’ status

Status indicators in programs such as Windows Live Messenger, Facebook Chat, or Yahoo! Messenger can be a relationship killer. In particular the ‘Away’ state is a big protagonist, causing breakdowns in communications that can lead to bust-ups. Here are some common scenarios:

* Your messenger program is set to Idle, showing your partner that you left your computer in mid-conversation.

* The same app puts your status back to Available when you move your mouse, and your beloved sees that you’re back at your PC and you still haven’t responded.

* If you’ve disabled status indicators and are always listed as ‘Available’, this can cause even more problems. Get up from your computer for a few minutes and your partner may start talking to you with no response, appearing that you’re ignoring them.

I'm going to be controversial here - Chrome is hands-down the best browser around. If you agree, then you'll want to use Google's browser wherever you can. whether at home or in work. If you have a business, or manage a company network, then you'll need Google Chrome for Business, the version of Chrome specifically tailored to networked organizations.

Apple recently announced that from March, apps submitted to the Mac App Store will have to employ 'sandboxing' to be accepted. But what does this mean for you, the end user?

Sandboxing basically puts a safeguard between the applications you've installed and OS X. It should ensure Mac apps are less likely to damage OS X because it limits the amount of interaction they can do with it. This means that the most critical parts of OS X are protected from infection by apps you install - hopefully meaning less major crashes or fatal errors in OS X itself.

This is an understandable move by Apple. Although Macs are still much more resilient to infection than PC's, as the number of Mac users grow, so will the number of Trojans and viruses aimed at it. Also, the fact that OS X has to use vulnerable plugins such as Java and Flash via browsers such as Firefox and Chrome means that certain backdoor vulnerabilities need to be closed.

There are some potential complications for end users however. For example, if an application  needs to establish a connection to the internet or interact with another program, the fact that it's been sandboxed may prevent or complicate this. Of course, if the developer has done their job properly and Apple implement sandboxing correctly within the App Store, it shouldn't be a problem and you should notice no major difference in the functionality of your apps.

For developer's, it's more of a headache. It means more work in specifying exactly what their applications can and can't access. There is also a concern that it will lock both developers and users into the App Store: will OS X eventually only accept apps that have been sandbox approved in the App Store first for security reasons?

But initially at least, it should mean a safer OS X experience, better performing apps and less application conflict issues.

Have you been accused of sending spam to your friends? In this post I'll try to explain why that might be, and what you can do about it.

Before we start, if you are accused of spamming your friends because you are forwarding 'send this message to 20 of your friends if you want eternal happiness' emails… you ARE spamming, so stop it!

But back to real spamming problems...

Case 1: You can see spam in your own Sent Mail folder.

This is the worst case scenario! The security of your email account has been compromised, and possibly even your computer too. There are a number of explanations:

• Phishing: someone has caught your email password through a fake website where you have entered it.

• Local theft: someone has accessed your computer in person, or you may have left your account signed in on a public computer

• Virus or key-logger: malware is always getting cleverer when it comes to stealing your information.

• Server hacked: if someone hacks your email server, they could retrieve passwords.

Whatever the reason, here is the solution:

Protecting your private information on your computer is important, especially if you share it with someone else. The best option is to have separate password-protected user accounts on the system, so that each person can only access their own documents and files. But if you share the same account, there are other ways to keep your data safe from prying eyes!

One of them is using Windows' own built-in protection system to block access to certain folders. In Windows XP, all you need to do is right click on the folder you want to protect, select Properties and in the Sharing tab, tick the Make this folder private option. If your Windows account doesn't have a password, the system will automatically ask you to create one.

In Windows 7, go to that same folder menu (Properties) and click the Sharing tab. The options under Advanced Sharing and Password Protection will let you configure exactly how you want to share your data, in terms of who can access what.

Protecting your computer from malicious software is the first step that users should take. Norton is a long running producer of security software and has now released the 2012 versions of Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security. Both programs feature substantial changes and improvements from their predecessors.

Norton Internet Security 2012 is an overall system protection program featuring more comprehensive defense than Norton AntiVirus 2012 on its own. With Norton Antivirus 2012, users will protect themselves from viruses and spyware, but not their online identity. Users who are are only concerned about virus and malware protection should look at Norton Antivirus rather than Norton Internet Security 2012.

Kaspersky Antivirus 2012 is one of the most powerful virus prevention suites on the market. As with many antivirus solutions, though, there is a temptation to set it up as quickly as possible, never exploring the more advanced options available.

It's worth delving into the settings menu in Kaspersky Antivirus 2012: it has lots of different options for managing the way the application runs and what it does to your system.

I’ll explain some of the useful features in Kaspersky's Advanced Settings. This menu can be accessed by clicking the  Settings tab at the top-right of the user interface, then clicking the Advanced Settings tab, which is the fourth and final in the row of icons (it looks like a box).

Detect Threats and Exclusion Rules

The first option in the settings menu allows you to define the type of threat you want Kaspersky to look for. Besides viruses and Trojans, the software can scan for adware, auto-dialers, and strangely created compressed files.

It’s also possible to exclude certain applications from these scans by clicking the Settings button in the Exclusions section.

Good news for those that want a hard copy of Lion in the event of catastrophe - Apple have decided to issue a Lion Recovery Disk Assistant which allows you to create a backup partition of Lion on any external hard drive. All you need is a USB stick or external drive with at least 1GB of space on it.

The tool will allow users that suffer total hard drive failure to recover their system. Currently, Lion creates a recovery partition on your hard drive when you install it but that's not much use to you if your entire hard drive fails.

The new Lion Recovery Disk Assistant will allow you to reinstall Lion, repair the hard drive using Disk Utility, restore Lion from Time Machine or just browse the web with Safari. Note however that it does not create a Lion recovery USB stick/DVD - it simply creates a partition onto which you can redownload Lion from the Apple store and restore Lion to your system.

To use it, simply download Lion Recovery Disk Assistant, connect an external drive or USB stick to your Mac, launch the assistant, select the drive where you would like to install, and follow the on screen instructions. Voila, you've got a hard copy of Lion to restore it from in case of hard drive failure.

Note that when the process is complete, the new partition will not be visible in Finder or Disk Utility. To access Lion Recovery, reboot the computer while holding the Option key and then select Recovery HD from the Startup Manager.

Download Lion Recovery Disk Assistant here.

Most of us carry a smartphone or laptop everywhere we go: the office, the coffee shop, the library. And more often than not, we don't pay enough attention to our valuable gadgets - or we just leave them unattended for a moment. While keeping an eye on your belongings at all times is the best way to prevent anyone from stealing them, having an extra layer of security is not a bad idea either. There are apps to track stolen laptops and mobile phones with which you can find your missing gadgets, and also erase their content if necessary. Here are some of the most popular ones:

Track stolen laptops.

The most popular tracking app for stolen or misplaced computers is Prey. Prey is an open-source utility that uses WiFi spots and geolocation to find your laptop. All you need to use it is install the client on the computer and create a user account on the Prey website. If your computer disappears, log in to your Prey user account and mark it as "missing". The program will start sending highly detailed reports with loads of information: active apps, network connections and desktop snapshots - you may even catch the burglar's face with the laptop's built-in camera!

With iOS 5 apparently to be released soon, is it really necessary to update to 4.3.4? Apple would of course say yes, as this update fixes a well-known security flaw in Safari that allowed 'maliciously created PDF files' to potentially corrupt your iOS device.

Most of these malicious PDFs were actually used to pry open iOS 4 for jailbreaking, and it is exactly this that Apple want to stop. In that sense 4.3.4 is a failure, as it has reportedly already been jailbroken!

The 4.3.4 update is compatible with all iOS 4 devices, and weighs in at just over 400MB. Disappointingly, there are no additional improvements other than the security fix. I guess Apple are saving all their practical usability improvements for the iOS 5, which is probably out this September. Better notifications will have to wait...

Google+ may be more than "just" a social network, but it can be used in in a similar way to Facebook, and many people want to join precisely because they want a change. Facebook has suffered a number of privacy scares as it has grown, so how does it compare with new kid Google+? Let's take a look at the  privacy options of both social apps.

Privacy Settings:

Facebook's privacy dashboard has a neat table that shows you who can see what. Click Customize and you can edit these settings. You can choose to share things with just you, friends, friends of friends or specific people. You can also opt to hide certain categories from specific people. Here you can also preview your profile as it appears to any of your friends.

The Google+ privacy settings page is much longer, but every segment is clearly explained. Editing your settings takes you to your profile, letting you see exactly which part of your profile you are altering. Google+'s Circles means you choose who can see your posts and updates as you make them, giving you much greater control.

While their approaches are different, I think both are good attempts at making privacy and sharing settings accessible and user friendly.

Security app extraordinaire, avast! Free Antivirus, has been updated to 6.0.1203, bringing with it a host of new features that definitely improve the performance of the most popular anti-virus on Softonic!

So what's in this version? Well, on a technical level, the app is now more compatible with Windows Vista service packs 0 and 1, and a firewall issue with uTorrent has been solved. Add that to the resolution of a memory-eating problem with Chrome, and bunches of users are going to find using avast! a whole lot more comfortable.

Advanced avast! users are also going to benefit from improvements to the CommunityIQ sample submission process, one of the aspects to the app that make it as powerful as it is. There is also a raft of improvements and stability fixes for avast!'s sandbox module, making your test installs and technical tinkering a whole lot safer!