PC Tools Performance Toolkit

By Jeffrey L. Wilson

Does your PC have that not-so-fresh feeling? If it's over a year old, there's a good chance that it isn't running as smoothly as it did when it was fresh from the box. Over time, the Windows registry goes awry, programs leave behind junk even when they're uninstalled, and other miscellaneous performance-draining scenarios have a negative impact on the system. PC Tools Performance Toolkit aims to de-clutter and streamline your PC by repairing invalid registry entries, removing orphaned registry entries, and turning off non-essential startup programs. This utility suite also offers real-time system monitoring, system optimization, file restoration, and browser-history deletion. The program, which is priced at $39.95 per year for three installs, works as advertised, but the three PC limit may turn off some, especially when Comodo System Cleaner (the new Editors' Choice utility among free tune-up apps) lets you install software on any number of personal computers and offers similar performance.

System Requirements and Interface
Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP PCs, PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011 requires 100MB of disk space and an internet connection for registering the software and receiving updates. Once installed, the software immediately performs a scan?it discovered over 100 registry problems on my Windows 7 testbed (that's about what Comodo System Utilities found). The system health meter, which displays information via a color-coded meter, returned poor results that saw the needle dip into the red. If I hadn't previously known that my testbed packed a load of problems, I would've known then.

The Dashboard, and the interface overall, is easy to read and features descriptions in everyday language. It's been revamped to consolidate and streamline areas, which means there are fewer screens to click through?a welcome change. I like that you can view computer hard-drive capacity information (both internal and external), as well as the programs that automatically launch at start up. The latter you can tweak to improve a computer's boot time by lessening the program load at boot up.

The Clean-Up Process and Performance Enhancement
Clicking the large "1-Click" button began the cleanup process, which took just seconds to complete. Afterward, there were zero registry problems found. PC Tools Performance Toolkit gives you the option to perform more targeted repairs instead of only broad, overarching cleanups; there are utilities to "Clean Your Registry," "Defragment Disks," "Boost Your Windows Startup," "Shred Your Files," "Duplicate File Finder," and more?I like the flexibility granted here. You can also create custom scans, set automatic scan times, use the Performance Slider to find the balance between slick Windows appearance and performance, and use the backup and robust recovery features to dig up deleted files (even ones that have been purged from the Recycle Bin). There's a lot to like here.

I tested PC Tools Performance Toolkit's ability to clean up a PC by performing two tests?running the Geekbench system performance tool and measuring boot times. I performed both tests three times and averaged the results, both before and after using the suite to clean the PC. Before PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011 scrubbed the system, the 2-GHz Intel Core i7 X990 Style-Note notebook with 4GB of RAM, and 80GB Intel SSD booted achieved a 5,914 Geekbench score, and booted in 50.2 seconds. After using PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011, the GeekBench score rose to 6,002 (a bit lower than Comodo System Utilities' 6,010). The notebook boot time decreased to 40.1 seconds, a time that outpaced Comodo's 42.7 seconds.

After running the tests, I also used the computer extensively to get a sense of how the app has changed the responsiveness of the machine. PC Tools delivered a noticeable performance improvement?iTunes and Steam opened a bit faster in the fresh environment.

Should You Use PC Tools?
PC Tools Performance Toolkit did a satisfactory job of degunking and increasing our testbed's overall performance, but in the age of the multi-computer household, the installation limitations seem outdated; if you want to install it on more than three PCs, you have to buy two licenses, which will cost nearly $80. Contrast that with Iolo System Mechanic, which has no install limits. Still, PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011 is a solid tune-up utilities suite that gets the job done, especially if you're concerned with losing files (its recovery features are deeper than Comodo's). If you want to turn back the clock on your PC, PC Tools Performance Toolkit is a very good choice.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/CMoubt3uIaI/0,2817,2370712,00.asp

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