CNET Editors' review
TuneUp Utilities 2012 presents a wide range of useful system maintenance and optimization tools in one interface. Some tools you'll use to regularly clean your system, while others only need to be run only once in a while or if you have a specific Windows problem. The 2012 version of TuneUp Utilities also includes the Program Deactivator, which disables unused programs until you need them, and Economy Mode, which can help laptop users improve battery life. TuneUp Utilities is free to try for 15 days. A nag screen tracks the trial period.
TuneUp Utilities keeps things simple with its 1-Click Maintenance scan feature, which combines tools for deleting temporary files, cleaning and defragmenting the registry, removing broken shortcuts, optimizing system startup and shutdown, and defragmenting hard drives. The scan recommended various actions, but we liked that you could exclude any you didn't want to implement. The program's main interface toggles between a summary overview and a tabbed Category view. Creating a Profile let us save our system maintenance preferences as well as configure the optional Economy Mode and Turbo Mode. The Program Deactivator made specific recommendations for restoring system performance, such as disabling and uninstalling unused programs. TuneUp Utilities also recommended changing our browser and display settings to reduce performance-hogging processes. The Fix Problems tab offers a number useful fixes for common Windows problem like desktop icon errors. Under Settings, we could integrate the Disk Space Explorer and Shredder (secure delete) tools into Windows context menus and the Undelete tool with the Recycle Bin. Some users have reported difficulty uninstalling TuneUp Utilities during or after the trial period, but we had no such troubles, and the product uninstalled cleanly and completely.
We just scratched the surface TuneUp Utilities 2012's features since many are used for specific errors or issues, but we found the program to be a simple way to perform basic but necessary maintenance. While experienced Windows users may prefer separate freeware applications to an all-in-one approach, others will like the recommendations and tweaks packaged together in TuneUp Utilities 2012.
Publisher's Description
From TuneUp:
The easy and complete all-round PC optimization workout. More than 30 tools guarantee PCs maintain peak performance when working, playing, and gaming. Even when not needed, background processes, services, and scheduled tasks will often be running. With the new TuneUp Program Deactivator, you can turn off programs on demand, completely automatically, thus reducing the demands on your PC. The result: that "Windows like it was on the very first day" feeling. The brand-new Economy Mode offers extra mobility--just with the click of a button. It extends battery run-time on notebooks, netbooks and tablet PCs running Windows by up to 30%, while also reducing energy consumption by up to 30%. And it even optimizes power management under Windows.
Forget annoying time spent waiting, slow response times, unstable systems, and frequent crashes. The tuning suite in TuneUp Utilities includes a range of easy-to-use tools to reliably improve the performance of your PC. Turbo Mode, for example, enables you to shut down over 70 applications that bring your PC to a crawl with just a single click. In addition, proven maintenance features allow you to perform a full registry clean-up. A special rating function checks the usefulness of programs at any time. This provides a sound basis for decisions when installing and deactivating programs, or adding and removing autostart entries. Plus there's the Optimization Status feature which enables you to check the effectiveness of tuning steps carried out. The classic features of TuneUp Utilities at a glance: 1-Click Maintenance and Automatic Maintenance for all-around maintenance of your PC; Reliable hard disk defragmentation, for even better performance; TuneUp Registry Cleaner for intensive Windows registry cleaning; Live Optimization to bring your active programs and games up to top speed; Gain hard disk space by removing unnecessary data.
What's new in this version: Version 12.0.3010.5 updates:
- The Economy Mode automatic start and stop settings have been improved.
- TuneUp Program Deactivator has been made more user friendly. Improvements were made to the 1-Click Maintenance.
- The Economy Mode configuration dialog can now be opened from the main TuneUp Utilities settings.
- The display of programs in TuneUp StartUp Manager has been optimized.
- For ease of use, TuneUp Utilities can now be pinned to the Windows 7 task... See all new features
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All versions:
4.2 starsout of 1,372 votes
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Current version:
2.4 starsout of 7 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-7 of 7
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"worth your money"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
best Maintenance & Optimization product on the market
Cons
just that the product isn't free
Summary
For the early posts i the trial expires and you can't pay for it or that it's no good, just uninstall it.
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"Annoying pop-ups after 1 hour"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
Seemed to help until annoying pop-ups
Cons
Hours after install 15 day period was expired. At random pop-ups created a nuisance of the program.
Summary
If you want a person to try your program, make it easy to try. Nobody wants to be annoyed while they are doing other tasks.
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"a wonderful product, why do some people despise it?"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
If some people knows how to use it correctly, yo computer should work just fine and faster.
Cons
Its not free.
Summary
It really does improve system performances. Disabling things does make your computer faster. Just use it wisely...
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"Awful program to use"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
yes it contains much more facilities and cleans very effective
Cons
it is not free
Summary
there is many better free products i prefre another product
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"No good! Google it to see how many people condemn it!"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
Nothing positive! Deserves NO stars!
Cons
Can't uninstall it; can't even get it to quit popping up!
Summary
Worse than useless!
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"awfull stay well away"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
none avoid at all cost
Cons
to many to mention and you will never be able to get rid of it.
The only way to get rid of this program is if you download
Perfect uninstaler. Its not a free program but its the only way
to save yourself hours or days of pulling your hair out or ultimatly
reformating your hard driveSummary
you dont have to take this advice but i spent 6 hours solid trying
to get rid of this program so please either dont install until
they have sorted this issue out or good luck trying to sort it
yourself -
"Awful piece of junk.I would rate it minus 1 if I could."
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2012 12.0.3500.14
Pros
none at all.
Cons
After running it to clean up my computer I had constant script errors. My computer would not recognise or play dvd's on my Windows Media Player.As soon as the trial run ended, the script errors stopped and my Windows Media Player worked perfectly again..
Results 1-7 of 7
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