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Running WinCleaner Complete PC
Care gives you the same kind of refreshed feeling that
comes after spring
cleaning—minus the exhaustion of exertion. This
software suite offers a variety of utilities in one package that will
help keep your computer running faster and more smoothly,
and it's a virtually effortless task.
The
package's single CD-ROM includes such useful utilities as a
one-click cleaner (with options to customize the
"sweep"), a file and folder "undelete",
StartUp optimizer, memory (RAM) optimizer, registry
optimizwer, disk alert, pop-up (and pop-under) stopper, and
more. Users have the option to install an anti-virus package that
requires any current anti-virus utility to be uninstalled.
A
general options screen is available, where users can
customize the program's default settings. It is recommended
that novices keep the program defaults.
AutoUpdate
allows users to get regular, automatic updates that keep
their program current by connecting to the
publisher's web site. This option is available until a new
version of the product is released.
The
WinCleaner One-Click utility (which is also available as a
separate stand-alone product, Ultra WinCleaner One-Click)
clears accumulated clutter, including temporary and junk
files, broken shortcuts, Internet clutter, cookies (users
can select cookies they want to keep—the helpful ones,
for example), privacy items (including typed URLs in history
and other such items), invalid Registry items, startup
errors, and the recycle bin. By default, the program backs
up the temporary and junk files so that users can undo
deletion if
necessary.
Destroy
It! is a utility that allows users to erase private
documents and items from their computer permanently.
Emptying one's recycle bin does not, in reality, do the job.
After deleting a file, its contents still remain on your
hard drive, and may be recovered by disk utilities. The
Destroy It! utility renders files unrecoverable, although
the names of the files (not the contents) may be
recoverable. This utility can be useful to run before selling your old
computer, or simply if you never want a file to be
recovered.
There are some files you'd rather never see again,
but there are others that you might delete and wish you
hadn't. The suite includes a "File and Folder
Undelete" utility for recovering files and folders
you've deleted but want to restore.
WinCleaner
Disk Alert is a disk status analyzer and failure prediction
software for hard drives. Essentially, it monitors the
status and health of your hard drive and alerts you to
potential problems that could lead to hard drive failure.
The
suite also includes a pop-up (and pop-under) stopper that
can be customized as desired. Pop-ups are blocked
automatically, and users can press a pre-designated key to
temporarily disable the stopper when pop-ups are desired.
Users can also add web sites to "Allow" and
"Block" lists. An
Anti-Virus utility is also available in the suite, and is
optional. This utility is designed to protect against
viruses and spyware, scans files, memory, and emails, and
includes free updates for one year (updates are automatic
and live).
Your computer's registry needs a clean-up once in
a while, and this suite has a Registry Optimizer utility
that reports and fixes registry problems. It is recommended
that users make a back-up before running registry fixes. The
suite's Memory Optimizer optimizes and maximizes your
computer RAM. The WinDisk
Check checks computer disks for errors and corrects
them, and the WinFile Defragmentor keeps system files and/or
selected files and folders defragmented.
The
suite also fixes those annoying startup errors, and it
provides a tool for managing applications that load at
startup. Some applications load without your knowledge, and
others load but they can be difficult to remove. This
utility is very handy and easy to use—you decide which
programs you want to load at startup. The utility provides a
list of the applications, some of which are explained, and
shows which applications are known to be harmful or
unnecessary.
The
suite includes a zip utility for both zipping and unzipping
files, Ultra Zip, which is easy to use and handy.
Some
of the utilities included in the suite are available in
Windows XP, for example, and can be done manually, but this
package includes more powerful cleaners and offers users an
easy, all-in-one solution to a variety of problems that
undermine a computer's performance.
We
installed this program on one of our kids' computers that
had been running slowly. I have some knowledge with regards
to manually cleaning up a computer, but have had problems
getting rid of some annoying adware and was stumped by this
particular computer's sluggish performance. We ran WinCleaner
Complete PC Care on the computer. After restarting it,
the improvement in performance was immediately apparent and
dramatic.
One
of the test computers we ran the suite on, a family PC that
is two years old and used rather heavily, showed the most
dramatic results. The first step we took was the WinCleaner
One-Click, which freed up over 300 MB of space effortlessly.
A number of parasites and other undesirable applications
were found to be loading at startup, and were disabled. We
ran most of the utilities in the suite on this particular
computer, and the improved performance was considered to be
very significant.
Our Bottom
Line This is a helpful, easy-to-use
program for families looking to optimize the performance of
their computer. It works.
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