Even though it's an old app, Google Talk continues to be a really popular app. It's no wonder - it's reliable, easy to use and much simpler than some of the more flashy IMs out there. If you're just getting started with the app, or you have a few doubts, we've answered the top questions about Google Talk below. Take a look...

How to sign up

This couldn't be easier. You need a Google Account, which you can get here. If you have an email address that ends with gmail.com, googlemail.com or you've got a personalized Google domain, then you don't need to do anything - your login details are also your Google Talk login information.

Then, download and install the Google Talk desktop client. The installation process is very easy, and when you see the login screen appear, just enter the login details mentioned above. That's it! As soon as you see the main interface appear, you're free to start chatting!

A while back, we showed you how to uninstall Windows Live Messenger 2011. However, if you are are still having problems uninstalling it or finding that components are left behind, there is another solution.

Here is a very simple step-by-step guide about how to completely uninstall Windows Live Messenger 2011 using Revo Uninstaller. Note that this method works for any version of Windows Live Messenger although older versions may not be listed on your system as "Windows Live Essentials".

There are three simple ways to check and control uTorrent remotely: two browser-based, and a little Android app that is just as easy to use as the uTorrent desktop client.

First of all, you need to open Preferences in uTorrent, click on 'Remote', then enable remote access. Give your computer a name and associated password and you're ready to go:

To connect remotely, use one of the following three methods:

There are now thousands of apps and extensions for Google Chrome. I've selected ten of the most interesting and useful to get you started. As you'll see, browser customization is no longer a Firefox-only affair, and Chrome makes installing apps and extensions incredibly easy, so try them out!

Evernote Web Clipper

Much easier than searching your history, and much more flexible, Evernote is an excellent way of keeping pages, links and articles you like. Evernote is like a well-organized web scrapbook, and can quickly become something you rely on. Download here.

M86 Security Secure Browsing

Have you or any of your friends ever been caught out by clicking a scam link on Facebook or elsewhere? This extension checks links on a page and tells you what is genuine and safe. Download here.

Awesome Screenshot

There are many reasons you might want to take a screenshot of a webpage, and Awesome Screenshot makes it really easy. It also features an annotate and edit function, so you can highlight or point to the important areas of the page. Download here.

So you've been making masterpieces on your camera phone...but when you get your hands on the video, everything's upside down! If you're using super-app VLC media player, you'll be really pleased to hear that rotating it back so you can watch it comfortably is really easy. Even better, VLC lets you rotate freely, so even if your video is at a funny angle, you're guaranteed to be able to watch it perfectly straight.

Rotating video in VLC;

1. Open your video in VLC and pause it so you can fix it without missing anything
2. In the menu, go to Effects and Filters > Geometry and enable the Rotate checkbox
3. You'll then be able to rotate your video in real time, so you'll be able to spot exactly when you've managed to turn it back to where it's supposed to be!

Bear in mind that this is a temporary solution. If you want to rotate your video and save it with the correct orientation, your best bet is to use a video editor like VirtualDub or Avidemux. If you'd like a tutorial on this, let us know in the comments!

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]

iTunes is the main app for controlling iOS devices on your computer.  But when you're not near the computer that contains all your music and need to copy music from that device, iTunes can't help. Even manually managing an iOS device on another computer doesn't allow for exporting files.

The solution is very simple - use Sharepod: a free program that can access any iOS device. I recently replaced my iPod 3 Gen and used Sharepod to export my entire library off my old iPod to reload through a new computer. Here's a step by step guide:

1. Connect the device to your computer with the USB cable. Sharepod will load the device.

2.Select the files you want to export and click "Copy to computer."

Sharepod gives you options of where to save and the formatting of the folders for music.

3. After completing your options, click "Ok" and Sharepod will begin exporting the files. Export times vary on the size of the library, but with patience you will have your entire library available on your computer.

Sharepod is a great free tool for music and video backups and much simpler than iTunes! I tested it with my iPod Touch 3rd Generation, iPad 1, iPad 2, and iPhone 4S and after the computer installs the initial driver, music and video files are accessible.  Sharepod can't export apps, but it can export a selection of files or backup entire music libraries.

Ever tried to watch AVI movies on your iPhone? Then you’ve probably already worked out that the Apple device sadly doesn’t support playback of AVI video.

Thankfully, there is a way around this issue and there are at least two ways to play AVI files on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Here I’ll explain how it’s done, first by converting your video file and prepping it for your iOS device, or alternatively by using an app called Air Video to stream video files from your computer to your iPhone.

Do this…

Use a conversion tool to convert AVI movies to iPhone format. I recommend Format Factory because it’s free and it has built-in output settings for converting to particular mobile devices, including the iPhone.

Recently I explained how to install mods in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, so you can alter various aspects of what many people are calling the game of 2011. Now, here are five of my favorite mods for Skyrim:

4GB Skyrim

It's a bit boring, but if you have a powerful gaming PC with 64-bit Windows 7, this allows the game to take advantage of the entire 4GB Virtual Memory Address Space. This will reduce instances of slowdown in the game when things get busy. Great! Download here

World Map in full 3D

This mod changes the in game map so you can zoom right in, almost to ground level, easily exploring without having to actually walk around! The file page has instructions for use, with some advice for making some personalizations, like adding clouds. Download here

Realistic Water Textures

I love this - it divides the water in Skyrim into categories: puddles, rivers, oceans. While oceans and rivers are subtly improved, the puddle category really give marshland a more realistic feel. Water in marshes is now much stiller and marsh-like. Download here

No More Blocky Faces

Even though I think 'blocky' is a bit of an exaggeration, this mod does smooth out some features to make faces look more realistic. It's a small thing, but I like the overall effect, and you spend quite a lot of time looking at faces in the game. Download here

Skyrim Sunglare V3

This mod gives the sun a cinematic glare and occasional 'lens flare' effect. No performance improvement, and it's not more realistic. But it's very attractive! Download here

[adapted from OnSoftware Netherlands]

2011 has been another great year for iOS apps. Despite the fact that Apple’s mobile platform fell behind Android in overall popularity this year, innovation in iOS development is better than ever.

The Apple operating system is still where cutting edge applications are born, and this year’s launch of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S device have fueled app developer’s imaginations even more. Here’s our pick of the best iPhone and iPad apps of 2011, based on what impressed us out of the hundreds of new apps we tested this year.

Garageband

For me, Garageband is the most accomplished iOS app of all time. It allows you to create impressive musical compositions without any technical know-how, through an interface that’s effortless to navigate. The software's Smart Instruments, including piano, bass, guitar and drums, serve to help you create music that sounds like it's been played by a pro.

First released alongside the iPad 2 in March as one of the flagship apps for the tablet, this music-making app has since found its way onto the iPhone, too.

Price: $4.99

iMovie

As with Garageband, iMovie is another piece of Mac software that makes the transition from desktop to handheld really well. The app makes smart use of the multi-touch gestures to allow you to add videos, photos, music and sound effects, and piece them together. You can choose to add footage from your camera roll, or capture video directly through iMovie. The results can then be shared via YouTube.

Price: $4.99

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.

Fans of handy app and folder launcher Quicksilver will be pleased to hear that it has now been updated to work with Lion.

Despite the introduction of integrated search Spotlight in OS X, Quicksilver remains a very popular application with Mac users. If you've never used it, Quicksilver allows you to search just about any program, folder or file with a few keystrokes. You don't have to go searching through your files and you don't have to worry about how your folders are arranged.

The new update also features 40 other new feature additions, fixes and changes including automatic plugin updates.

One of the things that Quicksilver users prefer over Spotlight is that it "learns" from your search requests and recalls those items that you search for most frequently. The other bonus is that unlike Spotlight, Quicksilver can be extended with plugins including everything from dialing a phone number to interacting with iTunes.

Check out Quicksilver on Lion by trying it for yourself here.

Is there anything more boring than the progress bar? If you use a Windows PC, you're sure to see it on a fairly regular basis, whether you're copying, moving or deleting files. Moving files around can be a boring job, especially if they're big ones, but one enterprising developer - Ben Stone - has decided to add some fun to the process with two hilarious apps - Nyan Cat Progress Bar and Instant Elevator Music.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that when compared to other, more useful software, you might be thinking that these apps are a bit useless but, goddamit, they're fun! As you can see above, Nyan Cat Progress Bar replaces the normal, boring progress bar with Nyan Cat and its rainbow-colored space trail. It also plays Nyan Cat's signature Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya! song.

If that's all a bit psychedelic for you, try sister app Instant Elevator Music. This one's purely aural, playing tinkly elevator music whenever you're waiting for an app to open or a file to move. You can actually set Instant Elevator Music to play any music while you wait, but the bland, anodyne elevator tune is 90% of the fun! For two such seemingly trivial apps, they actually have a surprising amount of options, including an ignore list and, crucially, the ability to silence the music in one click.

Unfortunately, we don't think you'll want to use both apps at the same time. In fact, if you did, we'd be quite worried about you. Download them one at a time. and lengthy file operations will never be the same again!

If you need to open an Excel document but don't have Microsoft Office installed, then don't fear - you can open them with Microsoft Excel Viewer.

Microsoft Excel Viewer is a simple application which allows you to open Excel sheets without Excel. Once installed, just double-click on the file you want to open and Microsoft Excel Viewer does the rest:

It's just like using the real thing but obviously, there's no editing of any kind allowed but it's ideal for just browsing or viewing Excel documents if you don't have Office or your Excel isn't working.

If you need to edit Excel, you can opt for OpenOffice which is completely free to use and allows you to both open and edit Excel, PowerPoint, Word and many other formats although it's much heavier and requires a longer installation process than Microsoft Excel Viewer. There's also LibreOffice which you can read more about here.

Download Microsoft Excel Viewer.