winoptimizer

Clean and tweak your system with Ashampoo WinOptimizer Free

A decent system cleaner and optimizer can make a big difference in your PC's performance by tossing out junk files and tightening the Registry. A really good tool would also help you tune and tweak your system by disabling unnecessary features and settings. Ashampoo's WinOptimizer Free is one of the best such tools we've tried.

We started WinOptimizer with a Full Scan, which completed quickly. WinOptimizer made 15 recommendations over five categories, including three unnecessary startup entries in the StartUp-Tuner, seven superfluous system settings in the Tweaking tool, and 97MB of junk files flagged by the Drive … Read more

CNET Exclusives brings you 95 percent off on Ashampoo WinOptimizer 7

Have you checked out today's CNET Exclusives offer? For 24 hours only, Ashampoo WinOptimzer 7 can be yours at 95 percent off the MSRP price at just $2.49 (regularly $49.99). Rated 5 stars on CNET Download.com, Ashampoo WinOptimizer's all-in-one interface is designed for novice and advanced users alike for intuitive operation and efficient workflow, making it easy for you to clean and optimize your Windows system with just one click. As a bonus, you'll also receive a 60 percent discount offer if you choose to upgrade to version 8 (upgrade is not required).

Here … Read more

Consolidated Vista tools

Advanced Vista Optimizer consolidates into one dashboard numerous system-tweaking and configuration tools, from the basic to the advanced. The features cover the bases, including disk and Registry defragging, program prefetching and the proprietary Superfetching, start-up and shutdown tweaks, optimization adjustments for performance, memory, and hardware, an uninstaller, and a file splitter and joiner.

Designed to resemble Vista's Windows Explorer layout, the interface makes clever use of a breadcrumb trail at the top to make it easier to navigate back to any previously-visited level. Below the breadcrumb bar, the main window has been split into two levels. The top pane … Read more

Hands-on: WinOptimizer 6

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.

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. … Read more

PC tune-up

Keeping your PC running like a champ requires a bit of maintenance now and again. For your money, you could do much worse than Ashampoo WinOptimizer, a clean, fast, and professional-looking application with a robust tool set.

The fastest route to optimization is from the One-Click Optimization feature, accessible from your desktop or from a tab on the program interface. The second fastest lets you run a quick or a full scan from the Overview tab. Either option starts diagnosing your system using common, customizable settings. For spot-checking or to oversee your own changes, you can click the Modules tab … Read more