CNET Editors' review
In the sea of PC optimization software, it can be hard to find the right set of tools to keep your computer in tip-top shape. Luckily, TuneUp Utilities is here. A 16-year veteran in the field of Computer Cleanup, TuneUp offers the latest revision of their famous TuneUp Utilities 2013, with some new tools and major fixes that promise to improve the performance of any PC. The best part is that TU gives you full functionality with the 15-day trial.
TuneUp Utilities installation is relatively painless while taking up no more than 80MB of disk space. The program does require you to consent to sharing information about your machine in order to install. This is so TU can send system information to their server and check if there are any recent updates to the software or OS of your computer. Upon installation, 1-Click Maintenance will ask to run. This is the core of the utility. 1-Click will check everything including the registry, registry fragmentation, application shortcuts, Windows and program files, and hard disk fragmentation to find things that could use tidying up. These are some pretty standard protocols. Regular users will be satisfied with the 1-Click Maintenance tool as it is the main tool of TuneUp. After a successful scan, 1-Click will list all of the issues and subsequently list solutions. For my main machine, it was mostly registry errors and shortcuts from software testing. Clicking on the issue count will bring up a report of what TU found. From there you'll have an option to choose what to ignore or fix. Looking at 500 registry errors and 345 browser items, I got the feeling that TuneUp is not very discriminating about what it labels as a problem. "Anything that can be removed in exchange for performance must go" is the philosophy here. With a click of a button TuneUp will solve all of your problems. Additionally, the utility makes backups just in case something goes horribly wrong -- good practice for whenever you stick your hands in the registry jar.
Aside from 1-Click Maintenance, TuneUp Utilities 2013 also boasts a variety of tools to speed up overall performance. TU can help with optimizing your display/animation settings, removing software, and disabling startup programs. TU also includes a new tool called "Live Optimization." Live Optimization claims to prioritize programs that run in the background and will only dedicate processing power to those applications when they are being used. I saw it running on Adobe Acrobat and IrfanView when those programs were minimized. However, the differences may not be noticeable at first. The majority of the optimizing tools require some effort on your part to customize the settings to your personal usage. Luckily, TuneUp gives you 2 extra modes: "Economy" and "Turbo" to set your optimization to your specific need. "Economy" is nice for laptop users looking to maximize their battery life with options similar to the power-saving mode built into Windows. "Turbo" allows you to schedule optimization and cleanup frequency as to not interrupt important moments when you need to squeeze the most power out of your machine. These modes can be switched on the fly. Uninstallation was simple and tidy. TU left few traces on both my Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines after removal, although it did require me to go through Windows' Control Panel to uninstall.
Overall, I felt that the utility did what it claims to do and did it well. The test PCs booted up faster with the recommended optimization, which also improved overall responsiveness when launching applications and running programs. It might not make your computer feel brand new but it should improve performance enough to hold the format monster at bay. There are some powerful optimizing tools in TuneUp Utilities that I barely scratched in this review. Intermediate users will enjoy its full functionality but novice users should still be able to get most benefits that TU offers. Take advantage of the 15-day trial and discover how TuneUp Utilities 2013 is a serious contender in the optimizing market.
TuneUp Utilities 2013 - Clean and optimize your PC for better performance - Download Video Previews:Publisher's Description
From TuneUp:
With a robust set of new features, TuneUp Utilities 2013 now has powerful weapons on the market to fight data clutter. The brand new TuneUp Disk Cleaner is one of the most comprehensive and safest PC cleaners available. It quickly and thoroughly deletes program residue and data clutter to give your PC air to breathe, run faster and more reliably. The improved TuneUp Registry cleans registry entries better than ever, while the enhanced TuneUp Shortcut Cleaner remains unmatched in removing orphaned shortcuts. Plus, the new TuneUp Process Manager helps you identify all those resource-hungry applications that hinder PC speed and performance.
The TuneUp Browser Cleaner quickly and easily protects your privacy by deleting traces left by Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Firefox, and other browsers, while also optimizing browser databases. The improved TuneUp Live Optimization provides performance boosts when you need them by recalling which programs and processes slow down your PC and allowing you switch these to "Standby" mode, with the help of TuneUp Program Deactivator. In addition, TuneUp Process Manager helps you detect resource-hungry applications even faster. The easy-to-understand information on all background processes shows you exactly what's running on your PC. And last, but not least, the new cleaning features raise 1-Click-Maintenance and Automatic Maintenance to a completely new level in PC optimization.
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All versions:
4.1 starsout of 1,406 votes
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Current version:
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"Not Compatible with Win8"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3020.7
Pros
None I can find.
Cons
Slowed down system performance dramatically, then refused to uninstall. I was forced to use system restore to return my system to normal, and I'm still experiencing problems.
Summary
Forget tuneup, this is actually worse than any malware I've come across. Terrible. Just terrible.
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"More Chinese Crap"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3020.7
Pros
Nothing I hate it
Cons
Slowed my laptop down and damaged my reg. making it difficult to uninstall. Don't install it's crapware ....Windows 7
Summary
You've been warned
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"Don't do it!"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3020.7
Pros
Registry cleaner
Cons
The system optimization actually slows your computer down. I had to turn optimization off before I figured out TuneUP was the culprit.
Summary
Just don't bother wasting your money. I did and now I wish I hadn't.
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"Poor Quality"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3020.7
Pros
It has been a good program, currently with the constant reminders update makes the program unreliable.
Cons
It has been a good program, currently with the constant reminders update makes the program unreliable.
Summary
I'm happy now to use Advanced System Optimizer.
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"Do not start installing!"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3020.7
Pros
It may have some pros I'm not aware of
Cons
Very difficult to stop the installation process
Summary
I have windows 7 and this product tried to install automatically after installing winamp. I did not granted it administrative privileges but despide that, it was very difficult to stop it. I end up by restoring my system settings to a previous date. I will never try a program which foces me to install it.
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"A B*tch To Uninstall"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3020.7
Pros
Not one thing
Cons
Even after uninstall, leftover files (INCLUDING ATHE Explorer Context menu) CANNOT BE REMOVED on Windows 8
Summary
I **DO NOT** recommend using this on a Windows 8 machine DESPITE the developer's claims that it's safe to do so. KEEP IN MIND - Many parts of Windows 8 are STILL in the EARLY stages of development.
BOTTOM LINE - I put this one in the WAIT UNTIL THE WINDOWS 8 APP IS RELEASED IN THE WINDOWS APP STORE category -
"My preference is a money back guarantee product"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.3000.138
Pros
no risk involved
Cons
none for a guarantee
Summary
Repost if you find this product helpful. Can't hurt to try it first
http://www.ascentive.com/run/click/@1821205472202/products/SP/select_finallyfast_download.html?theme=select_finallyfast_partner_download&plan1id=&orderpackage1id=SSCN1YEAR29&plan1c=&upsell_code=&popuppage=&display=&referredby=@1821205472202&c1=178245-223272&loadlink=&c1=178245-223272 -
"VERY USEFUL, IF YOU KNOW HOW TO CONFIGURE IT PROPERLY.."
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.2020.14
Pros
I like the array of options that comes with Tune-Up Utilities 2013. The interface is user-friendly (though could still use a little work) and the 1-Click Maintenance feature offers real streamlined cleaning capabilities.
Cons
Some of the functions and configurations (even within the "usage-profile" settings could use better mouse-over descriptions to aid the user to make the right choice when deciding whether or not to let the program make the adjustments based on your profile.
It could also use more definitive cleaning options that are also specific in their cleaning descriptions (i.e., when you want to clean out the junk from a recent browser session but don't want to delete your browser's book-mark favicon cache---the currents options are not very clear and most of the time I end up having to reload all my bookmarks because I don't know which option to un-check).
Maybe Tune-up Utilities should recreate the cache cleaners so that they don't touch the favicon cache---seems like that would be a reasonable tweak to apply to this seemingly hefty application.Summary
Although it may seem a bit cumbersome to the average end-user and can use a tremendous amount of system-resources, if you know how to configure the settings correctly, it just may be a useful investment for keeping your computer in decent-running shape.
For those who may have experienced issues with the "Automatic Maintenance" & "Optimizer" functions---they can be disabled from within the settings menu---you just have to know where to look.
Personally, I like to make use of this application on demand rather than to have the maintenance set to automatic but you can create a user profile and still disable the automatic optimizations whilst still getting some good on-demand functionality out of it. And at the same time you'll reduce the amount of system resources this application normally would need if you just simply had everything set to run automatically.
(Just some food for thought for those whom may feel less inclined to tweak an application such as this because of their ineptitude with regard to software in general.)
Overall, I think this application is a great tool for Windows users and boasts an incredible amount of configurations, however the in-experienced should proceed with caution.
Remember an application can be your best friend or your worst enemy. The choice is up to you.
As a general rule, if you don't know what you are doing---then prudence holds that you shouldn't follow through, otherwise you'll be certain to run into issues great & small...
; ) -
"Communications conflicts"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.2020.14
Pros
Improves performance to some extent
cleans junk from internet browsersCons
not specific enough about what it is disabling
causes wireless connection conflict
needs to identify other apps that it might conflict with
disables apps you know work but that it replaces
does not offer options to keep other apps running
requires internet accessSummary
I would first be cautious about using this application because it might replace a good application just because it wants to. It does not fix problems that it causes like wireless connection disruption.
Needs to cover specific areas of computer applications, firewalls, anti-virus, anti-malware, internet connection types, exactly what it is cleaning, disabling or stopping a service. If it must have internet access then it should begin there with possible fixes or changes to network or internet connections. -
"Decent software- Talks/shows more than it does?"
Version: TuneUp Utilities 2013 13.0.2020.14
Pros
-Simple to understand.
-Lots of options for cleaning and fixing your computer.Cons
-Not free forever.(trial version)
-Difficult to remove everything (e.g. shortcuts, registry errors).
-Decent, Not brilliant.
-If anything, puts more junk in the system.Summary
I personally would' nt recommend TuneUp Utilities 2013 to many. It seems good at first but it can be a real hassle! You could consider buying the full version... but I doubt you should. It talks more than it can perform and doesn't make any major changes to your computer performance.
This software is probably best for laptop users who may be interested.




