System Mechanic Free

CNET Editors' review

System Mechanic Free from Iolo Systems is a stripped-down version of much more comprehensive premium tool. However, it offers good basic cleaning and optimizing for Windows systems with seven primary tools: PC Cleanup, Registry Tuner, Startup Optimizer, Memory Mechanic, Drive Accelerator, Shortcut Repair, and Internet Connection Repair. It can back up and save Registry settings and Undo changes with its SafetyNet feature.

When you install System Mechanic, you have the option to install the full or free version; we chose the freeware. But we still had to provide our e-mail address to receive an activation key for the free version. The installation process also involved selecting our Internet connection and an optional PC health desktop gadget. System Mechanic's dashboard-style user interface is slick and up-to-date yet includes some features that require upgrading to the full version, which can be a bit confusing. As always with such tools, the place to start is with a system scan. System Mechanic found problems in three areas, with three additional recommendations. We opened the detailed information, which included some Registry junk, plus a Registry backup. The recommendations involved cleaning up the startup menu and two more options that required upgrading to the paid version. We could repair all problems or selected problems at once, or run each tool individually; we chose the latter option for our first run. The Startup Organizer tool stood out as offering more information than similar tools for helping users decide which programs don't need to run on startup. Once we'd updated the Tune-Up definitions, we ran the Deep Scan (skipping the hard drive error check) and also the clutter remover. The program's IntelliStatus Report feature showed our drives and RAM with optimization choices.

System Mechanic Free delivers on its promise of good, basic system maintenance. Whether you run the one-click feature or individual tools, it can safely clean, tune, and tweak your PC. The full version offers quite a lot more than the freeware, so if you like System Mechanic Free but need more tools, it's certainly worth checking out. But the free version will be a welcome addition to many systems.

System Mechanic - Clean, optimize, and speed up your PC - Download Video Previews:

Publisher's Description

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All User Reviews
  • All versions:

    3.3 stars

    out of 893 votes

    • 5 star: 360
    • 4 star: 134
    • 3 star: 66
    • 2 star: 62
    • 1 star: 270
  • Current version:

    3.8 stars

    out of 4 votes

    • 5 star: 2
    • 4 star: 0
    • 3 star: 1
    • 2 star: 1
    • 1 star: 0
  • My rating:

    0 stars

    Write review

Results 1-4 of 4

  • 5.0 stars

    "Worth every penny"

    May 20, 2013  |   By mizdoc

    Version: System Mechanic Free 11.7.0.15

    Pros

    I've use System Mechanic for several years; it keeps my computer running smoothly. I've tried others, but they don't compare. I especially like the Gadget on my desktop for quick access.

    Cons

    Had to make changes to the settings because every time I booted up, it started going thru all sorts of checks. But contacted Iolo who told me what settings to change. BONUS...a company who actually answers your emails!

    Reply to this review

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  • 5.0 stars

    "Very Good Product."

    May 9, 2013  |   By cgajjar2009

    Version: System Mechanic Free 11.7.0.15

    Pros

    Very Good Product.

    Cons

    Very Good Product.

    Summary

    Very Good product, I have Optimized My PC's Performance with this.

    Reply to this review

    Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

  • 3.0 stars

    "Looks okay..."

    May 7, 2013  |   By Mervic17

    Version: System Mechanic Free 11.7.0.15

    Pros

    Never had any trouble loading, nice layout,seems to be working,easy to use,you get some few detailed info on what to disable at start up and whats ok to run. And free...

    Cons

    you have to upgrade for some functions of improving the system to work(limitations).

    Summary

    Its good for a second option cleaner/optimizer.

    Reply to this review

    Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

  • 2.0 stars

    "Mostly useful - though not for the expert systems"

    May 5, 2013  |   By dragynx

    Version: System Mechanic Free 11.7.0.15

    Pros

    Great at finding/fixing common problems. Easy to use.

    Cons

    Does not identify SSDs that are in a RAID, so it will defrag them - this will actually slow down SSDs. If you try to disable disk defragmenting, it doesn't work. In a day or two it will want to defrag your disk again. Contacted Iolo support (which is terrible) and they offer no solution, other than it will be fixed. After a year, still not fixed.

    Summary

    If you have a high end system, not for you.

    Reply to this review

    Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

Results 1-4 of 4

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