"Good" is always what you want to see when it comes to the state of your system, isn't it?
(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)You get a new computer and it runs great. However, after a while, things start to get more and more sluggish. This is true for all operating systems, including those running the all new and shiny Windows 7.
That is because, other than user errors (such as misuse, viruses, spyware, accidental file deletion, harmful changes to the Registry and system settings, and so on), the OS doesn't take good care of itself. It collects and store junks from the Internet. It doesn't completely remove remnants of unwanted applications. Its Registry keeps getting more and more bloated with residual settings, and so on and so forth. All of these result in system clutter that over time slows down the machine.
This is when a cleanup software, like System Mechanic from Iolo, comes in handy.
I tried version 9.0.3 of the software recently, as it's the first I found that works with Windows 7 64-bit (the software itself is 32-bit, however) and it seemed to work well, though not perfectly.
... Read moreIf you missed out on Ashampoo's special deal last week, here is your second chance! In celebration of their 10th year Anniversary, Ashampoo is offering CNET users an exclusive deal on all of their software (except for CAD software) for just $10 USD.
Ashampoo makes a number of popular software titles including, but not limited to, Ashampoo AntiSpyWare 2, Ashampoo Music Studio 3, Ashampoo Office 2008, Ashampoo Magical Defrag 2, Ashampoo Burning Studio 9, Ashampoo Movie Shrink & Burn 3, Ashampoo HDD Control, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6, Ashampoo UnInstaller 4, Ashampoo PowerUp 3, Ashampoo Slideshow Studio HD, Ashampoo Photo Commander 7, Ashampoo Snap 3, and Ashampoo Cover Studio 2.
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Rflygd)
Pastie is a new iPhone app that makes it possible to send ready-made text messages or e-mails to people on your contact list. This feature has been around on other phones for ages, but the iPhone has long gone without one.
Pastie's method for improving the sending of e-mail or SMS messages is to let the user create a directory of pre-written messages. These can be set up to be copied to the clipboard, or sent to the SMS or e-mail applications. As a user you can decide this at the time you click on it, or when you're building the preset.
If you frequently find yourself sending an e-mail or a text message to a particular contact, this app can be immensely helpful since there's the option to assign it to a specific number of e-mail address. For instance, several times a day I send out group e-mails telling my colleagues at work what story I'm currently working on. With Pastie you can create a preset that fills in the recipient and subject lines for you, which can save much keyboard pecking.
Each Pastie has an icon to let you know what will happen when you click on it, and if it's assigned to one of your contacts, you can see who it is with a little thumbnail.
(Credit: CNET)A few things that are on the way in a future version of the app is a way to send e-mails to multiple contacts at once, as well as being able to add text to the body of the e-mail (currently you can only fill out the subject). There will also be a Coverflow-like way to browse through your items, besides the current list form. One thing that's not in the cards--and that I hope is added, is a text countdown meter so that you know if you're reaching the limit of a text message, or a reoccurring Twitter update template you've created.
There are two flavors of Pastie--the lite which is free, and the full version which costs $1.99. The free version is just as capable as the full, but limited to just three presets at a time. You can make as many as you want, but you'll have to get rid of one anytime you want to make a new one.
The enormous demo video of how it works is after the break.
... Read more
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CNET)
Anyone who has posted images to a Web site or blog knows that making the image "Internet-friendly" is crucial to fast page-loading times. Similarly, optimizing images for e-mail is important because sending enormous image files through your e-mail client can cause problems for those with slower connection speeds. There are several software tools available to reformat and optimize your images, but I found one recently that's free, easy, and effective.
RIOT (Radical Image Optimization Tool) (Free) for Windows takes the side-by-side interface approach for painless image optimization. Those who have used Adobe ImageReady will immediately recognize the layout of the interface, with the original image on the left and the optimized image on the right. The file size is listed above both the before and after images, so you can tell how your tweaks will affect the end result. You also can zoom in to see how much your changes effect image details.
Use the quality slider to check the optimized image for changes.
(Credit: CNET)If you've ever optimized images before, you know that there are many ways to lower image size without degrading the quality of the image to the human eye. RIOT lets you output to Internet-friendly formats like JPEG, GIF, or PNG, and lets you tweak different settings for each format. For a JPEG image, you are given a slider you can adjust to tweak the quality or you can adjust between four levels of Chroma subsampling (Wikipedia link) to reduce size. GIF and PNG formats allow for color reduction (often the most effective method), which you can choose from a dropdown menu or use a slider. Alternatively, RIOT also lets you choose between two predetermined color quantization algorithms to take the guesswork out of optimizing. Our favorite feature is the "Compress to size" button, which lets you pick your optimal size and RIOT gives you the result. Obviously, you'll need to experiment with this option to get your desired results.
Along with the handy side-by-side optimization features, RIOT offers basic image editing tools like rotation and flip horizontal and vertical. We should point out that RIOT is still in beta, but in all of our tests the software performed without a hitch. One thing we would like to see in future versions is the capability to batch optimize, but as a standalone, free image optimization tool, RIOT is definitely worth checking out.
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TuneUp)
Often, asking Windows do your bidding is like disciplining a two-year-old child. You'll get your way in the end, but only after some resistance.
These six top-rated Windows applications optimize XP and Vista--everything from managing the programs that launch on start-up to freeing up your RAM cycles, to plucking out broken links in your Registry.
Since its early days, WinOptimizer has folded a ton of PC-optimizing tools into an attractive, compact, and easily navigable interface. WinOptimizer 6, released on Wednesday exclusively on CNET Download.com, adds some new tweaks to keep things interesting and efficient. We've got the summary and pros and cons below.
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CNET)
What's new
AntiSpy module: This tool claims to "deactivate potential spy functions." Upon closer inspection, the module really goes after apps and services that send data back to Microsoft. That's ideal for privacy nuts, but sensationalistic if that kind of app behavior doesn't bother you. Either way, you'll be able to manually or automatically configure settings, or can ignore them completely.
Favorites tab: The freshly added tab monitors your five most-used modules alongside a list of statistics tracking your use of the program.
Context Menu Manager: A negligible addition, it nevertheless gives you control over the contents of the context menu, which you see whenever you click the right mouse key.
What's different
Disk Defrag: This updated version of the disk defragmenter runs in the background while your computer idles, and also runs on boot-up to speed Windows' loading time.
Registry Optimizer and Drive Cleaner: Both have received beefier options and back-end algorithm work to speed up the scanning process.
What's coming
One-Click optimizer: The first version 6 update will add a scheduler to the one-click function, where you'll be able to trigger shutdown after the schedule cleanup.
What's wrong
Our biggest gripe is semantic: that the AntiSpy module is misleading--it is not an antispyware tool.
We also recommend reviewing the app's recommendations before accepting them. We wanted to keep several "unnecessary" items around that WinOptimizer was ready to yank.
The verdict
Even if you're not already using WinOptimizer, you'll want to test this generous trial (40 days with registration) for its efficacy and its ability to quickly get you access to deeper Windows settings.
More: Compare editors' and users' ratings on several system utilities.
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CNET Networks)
One of the remedies I often recommend for a sluggish system is to defrag the hard drive. For those unfamiliar with the term, defragging involves reorganizing your hard disk by placing files closer together so your operating system can find them more quickly. Your Windows operating system comes with a disk defrag utility of its own, but anyone who has ever used it knows it takes an unbearably long time to do the job. Fortunately there are excellent free defrag utilities you can download to make your system run better immediately.
An intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to defrag a hard drive.
(Credit: CNET Networks)One of my most recommended free defrag apps is Auslogics Disk Defrag, but another program which was recently released might be even better. IOBit's Smart Defrag quickly analyzes your hard drive for fragments and sets to work piecing them back together. It can defrag several drives including partitions simultaneously. It can also optimize file locations and free space to get the best performance out of your hard drive, though this process takes a bit longer. The full scan time for my test machine's 75GB hard drive (without optimization) took just over 4 minutes. While Auslogics Disk Defrag runs in about the same amount of time, it's the added options of Smart Defrag that might make it your No. 1 defrag utility.
Hit the scheduling button to set up when you want Smart Defrag to do its dirty work.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Smart Defrag lets you set up a schedule for defragging your hard drive so you'll never forget to run it. You can set it up to defrag at a certain time every day, every week, every two weeks, or at any interval you want. You also can have it defrag your hard drive every time you log in to your system or even have it set to autodefrag when your computer is otherwise idle. While it remains active in your system tray (unlike Auslogics), the footprint is small and doesn't significantly interfere with other processes.
Enable autodefrag to make sure your computer is always running at peak performance.
(Credit: CNET Networks)One option, which seems small but has long been on my wish list for Auslogics Disk Defrag, is the ability to have Smart Defrag shut down my computer when it's finished. My favorite time to turn on a defrag utility on my home gaming machine is right before going to sleep, and with the autoshutdown feature, I don't have to worry about leaving my system running over night.
Smart Defrag is a free program, but the developer asks for donations if you like the software. My guess is, once you try it out, you might think a few bucks is worth your time for this excellent utility.
For fans of Auslogics Disk Defrag--and who isn't?--Auslogics offers up BoostSpeed, a utility suite that'll set you back 30 clams in your quest for a computer that runs like a cheetah.
BoostSpeed rounds up all the Auslogics utilities under one roof.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Disk Defrag is a massively popular piece of freeware, and with good reason. It runs faster and provides more information both during the defrag process and afterwards than the native Windows defragger, and it's free. Effective and providing an essential function, there's no question that your computer runs better for it.
BoostSpeed, while effective, isn't necessarily what every user needs. It bundles Disk Defrag with all the other Auslogics utilities. These include a Registry cleaner, an uninstall manager, a startup manager for boot cycle customizations, RAM and browser optimizers, file shredder, DirectX diagnostic, Windows tweak manager, and several mini apps to manage Windows settings. It also comes with a rescue center that can back up any settings before you change them. No doubt, BoostSpeed gives you your money's worth, at least in terms of services provided. Upgrading also only costs $10, for those who own older versions.
Are they all worth paying for? That depends on what kind of user you are. Most if not all of these features are available as freeware from one vendor or another, and generally one in each category is top-notch or nearly so. Some of the lesser tools, like the tweaks manager and the security feature, didn't live up to my expectations. Tweaks focused on basic functions and wouldn't serve as a replacement for TweakUI, while the security feature merely let me know that I had up-to-date security apps installed. Still, the convenience of having all these tools located under one umbrella is hard to argue with, and even the tools that didn't impress did their jobs free of hitches.
Scan speeds for the other features included here are comparable with those in Disk Defrag. Users also get the convenience of optionally setting the program to run at startup and live in the system tray, making most of the program's functionality no more than a context-menu click away.
The most useful tools are the Disk Defrag, the RAM optimizer, the Registry Optimizer--if you believe that "optimizing" the Registry is more than snake oil--the file shredder, and the performance monitor. The 15-day trial comes unfettered, allowing you to thoroughly judge if BoostSpeed is a program you need.
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CNET Networks)
Power Downloader uses several types of software throughout his day including word processors, mapping programs, database apps, and even a few games during break time to let off some steam. In his endless hunt for top-notch applications, Power also ends up using a few programs that aren't all they were cracked up to be. With all the software Power sifts through, it should come as no surprise that some apps even have memory leaks that end up slowing down his system to a crawl. As a software superhero, a slow system simply will not suffice.... Read more
CNET Editor Tom Merritt has a goal. He needs to squeeze more usable RAM from his memory. Good thing there are RAM-releasing apps like Free Ram Optimizer XP and RAMBooster to unblock clogged space.
In this Insider Secrets video, Tom explains the ins and outs of RAM, and how RAMBooster can work its magic to relinquish trapped memory.
Dont' forget to check out other great Insider Secrets videos on CNET Download.com, as well, including iTunes tricks and tweaking search in Avant browser.
