Stepping away from your PC? Don't let it stop working for you--or for a lofty purpose. These eight freebies do everything from backup to scientific research, all while you're not looking.

The computer's network adapter ultimately determines the maximum potential download speed, but the network and ISPs create download bottleneck when slower than the adapter.

Many programs, including Microsoft products and most browsers, use the default Downloads folder on your computer. This folder is accessible via Windows Explorer by clicking the top "Downloads ...