Browsing and installing all of the free software we offer at Download.com can potentially bog down your computer over time. It can be hard to resist installing something just because it is new, looks useful, or simply, is free. It is a good idea to do a house cleanup and getting rid of junk that you don't need once in a while to improve the performance of your computer. But how do you know what to remove?

It can be easy to forget which program does what and why you have it installed, making PC cleanup a nightmare. Fret no more as Should I Remove It?, the new kid on the uninstallers block, will help you identify what is worthwhile to keep and what needs to be trashed.

How does it work? Simply install Should I Remove It? and the software will scan your computer and show a list of installed programs. What you see immediately is the ratings of each program, the higher the better. You can also view the Removal Percentage which is based on how many users chose the removal option. The higher the number, the more people chose not to keep it on their computer.

Clicking on a particular entry will display the options "Unin... [Read more]

A look at the app launcher.

Google's Chrome OS app launcher is now available to Windows users, the search giant announced today.

Available through the Chrome dev channel -- which means it's not a final build -- the application houses all of a user's Web-based apps in one space and allows the user to open them outside of the browser. The apps that work with Chrome's app launcher are written in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS but can be opened while a person is offline.

According to Google, the app launcher icon will show up on the Windows taskbar. However, in order to get it working, users must install a Chrome packaged app. Such apps are not yet searchable on Google's Chrome Web Store, so users will need to have a direct link to add them to the launcher. Developers can also build their own packaged apps and upload them to the Chrome Web Store.

Google is for now offering its app launcher only to Windows users. The company plans to bring it to OS X and Linux "soon."