Clean up and optimize your computer using automatic and manual tools
There are few people who would not like their computers to operate faster, more smoothly, and more reliably. As such there are countless programs available which claim to be able to speed up Windows and fix problems, and many of these have hefty price tags attached to them. Of course, there is always the option of manually editing the registry, tweaking system settings and running various tools, but this is not something that everyone is comfortable with.
If you would prefer to have one utility rather than several to work with, and like the idea of automating the process of cleaning up and optimizing your computer for free, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 2012 could be for you. The initial overview screen that is displayed gives you access to quick optimization options such as deleting old backups, removing unwanted startup items and tweaking services, but there’s more to discover.
There are a massive number of modules divided up into six sections, and you can pick and choose which you would like to use. Common options such as registry optimization, file wiping and encryption, along with drive cleanup and network optimization are supplemented by a general Windows tweaking component, a handy benchmarking tool and the one-click optimizer which should be the first prt of call for anyone looking to get a quick fix.
It’s a shame to find that while there are scheduling options available, they are not so obvious - but cleanup is made so easy this does not detract from the program. Boot-time defrag is a useful option, but it would have been nice to be able to better automate more of the modules in the same easy fashion.
We're giving you the full version of Ashampoo WinOptimizer 2012, worth £29.99. Download from this page and activate within the software.
Review by Mark Wilson.