Are you looking for a better way to keep your files safe and private, to protect your¬self against baddies, or to customize your system for more efficiency? There's no end of free tools available to help you out. Here are a few.

Encrypt easily at no charge:

Androsa FileProtector (Find it on the April issue OVO) lets you password-protect your sensitive files with up to 256-bit AES encryption. Just drag the files (or whole fold¬ers) into the FileProtector window, assign a password, and specify other settings¬and you're all set. FilePro¬tector can compress files as it encrypts them and can create self-extracting archives, too.

You can also scramble the names of the encrypted files for added privacy. This useful tool comes from AndrosaSoft, which also makes a portable version that can run from USB flash drives. Put your shields up with Hazard Shield: Looking for an antimalware tool with a little something extra? Orbitech describes its Hazard Shield (Find it on the April issue OVO) as a fast antimalware program that performs manual scans and real-time monitoring for ongOing protection.

Hazard Shield definitely completed its scan faster than my regular antispyware program, Webroot Spy Sweeper, did. And it found several items that Spy Sweeper seemed to have missed. Hazard Shield has a few other nifty features, too, such as an un installer and the ability to delete pesky, hard-to-remove files that are locked or in use. Hazard Shield can scan both local and network drives.