Making sure that your system runs as fast as on the first day is one of the things that computer users need to actively take care of. It is also one of the least favorable activities and therefore best automated as much as possible.
System Mechanic 11.5 is a system maintenance program for Windows that can automatically take care of a lot of related tasks for you, if you want. First thing that you may want to do after installation is to run a system check to get an assessment of the system?s overall status. The scan should not take longer than a couple of minutes, usually less than that.
A rating is displayed in the end that is informing you about the status. The result for my test system was? a poor status with six problems lowering the overall score. You can hit the repair all button right away, or if you prefer to know what the program suggests to repair and improve, click on the view problems button instead which displays the problems the program has found on the computer.
Here you are again presented with options to have the program fix the issues for you automatically or to take matters into your own hand. I?d recommend to at least look at each problem the program has found to make sure it is something that needs fixing. Sometimes you may receive problem notifications that you do not consider issues. This is for instance the case for the ?your Internet connection is not optimized for maximum speed? problem that was listed as an issue on the PC. Since I can max out my connection and do not experience any issues related to it, I decided to ignore the message and hide it instead.
The six problems that the program found on the PC where:
- Your computer has a repairable security vulnerability
- Your computer has Registry problems
- Your computer has x GB of system clutter
- Your memory level is low
- The Registry has never been backed up
- Your Tune-up definitions are out of date
Some are easy to fix, like the missing Tune-up definition update or the Registry backup the application can perform for you. Some may require that you spend time going through the suggested actions before you hit the repair button. I would not for instance recommend to use the automatic repair option for Registry related problems. It is better to go through the list to make sure everything on the list can be removed.
The program in addition displays options to turn off programs that start with the operating system. The program displays each start up item that may be unwanted in list form in the interface. Each program is listed with detailed information including its name, publisher, file name and path, startup type, recommendation and classification, and measured performance impact if available.
Next to that are community information that highlight how the System Mechanic community dealt with the startup item.
What I particularly like about this is that you get a description for each start up item that explains its purpose, and that you can use the community decisions in case you are not certain about the best course of action for a program listed here by the software.
Resolving issues listed by System Mechanic, or selecting to hide them, may improve the PC?s overall status score. It appears that items are weighted, which makes sense, as it is more important to remove potential security vulnerabilities than it is to make sure the Tune Up module is up to date.
You can configure the program to automate some tasks for you. The ActiveCare module enables you to automate tasks like recovering unused system memory, optimizing drives, or repairing broken Internet connections or hard drive errors. Each task can be enabled separately which gives you a great deal of flexibility in this regard. Options that I have enabled are:
- Back up the Windows Registry every 14 days
- Automatically defragment and compact Registry
- Automatically clean up system clutter
The program offers a couple of other features that I find interesting. The IntelliStatus report for instance displays information about hard drive space and system memory usage, but also a rating for each startup program and running program. The rating system groups the programs into categories like necessary, system, dangerous or optional with options to manage the programs using built-in tools.
The toolbox is a collection of system tools that you can make use of for specific tasks. One interesting feature here is the option to search for redundant programs, that is at least two programs that serve a similar purpose on the system. The impact on performance and stability is displayed for each group with the highest impact ones displayed on top.
Other tools let you search for updated hardware drivers, fix and remove Windows security vulnerabilities, securely delete files or tweak over one hundred features of the Windows operating system.
What?s new in System Mechanic 11.5
If you have used System Mechanic before you may want to know what is new in the latest version.
- Guided recommendations are community ratings that System Mechanic now displays
- Optimized for Windows 8
- Improved tune-up database to cover new issues
- Whole Home License to install and use on all home PCs
Verdict
The program gets better with every version refresh. I particularly like the community based rating system that the developers have integrated into this version of the program. The information System Mechanic displays for each item are also excellent so that you can make an educated decision directly and usually do not have to go on the Internet to find out more about it first.
System Meachnic is available as a ? limited ? free version and a Pro version. Both versions are available for download on the Iolo website.
Giveaway
We have ten licenses of System Mechanic 11.5 for you. For a chance to win a license, leave a comment below and let us know what you do to maintain your system.
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ using the icons below.About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.
Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2012/12/07/system-mechanic-11-5-review-giveaway/
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