Ultimate PC System Utilities Guide (cleanup and tune up softwares)

[RoadRashWolfenstein]

PC System Utilities Ultimate Guide
TIPS AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ON CLEANUP AND TUNE UP SOFTWARES​

I've tried a lot of PC system utilites on different machines and read a lot of reviews, comments and tips, so here's my ultimate guide on the basics you need to know.

If i have made any mistakes, forgot to mention something, or if you have any suggestion please let met know so that i'll update my post.

1: Make your own opinion
Opinions on system utilities will vary a lot, like for antivirus softwares. A person will tell you that this software is the best and the next post will describe how this same soft destroyed his PC. Though it's subject to personal experiences and opinions, there are utilities that have a better reputation than others.

2: You could do it manually
Most of the cleaning or changes made by these utilites can be done manually if you know your way on Windows, although it is less convenient.

3: Not a must but not necessarily junk
Some will say that system utilities are useless and just have a "placebo" effect, some that it will cause more problems that it solves, while other users will explain you how you can't live without it. To some point they are both right and wrong.

These softwares are an easy and convenient way to clean your PC. After saving files, Windows updates, installs and uninstalls and browsing websites you do have useless temporary files that can take up to dozens of gigabits of space. And cleaning these files can help keep your PC to run smoothly.

The problem is that the paid version of these softwares are either doing something you could have done manually, or sometimes causing problems you didn't had in the first place by trying to "fix" or "improve" something. You just need to find the system utility that will fit you the best.

4: There is cleaning... and system tweaking.

There are two kinds of utilities.

- The cleaning tools, such as CCleaner, which are only cleaning temporary files and registry and are not making any changes to your system settings. These tools tend to cause very few problems and i think there are great if you want an easy solution to clean your computer.

- The more complete "tune up" utilities, in addition of the cleanup mentioned above, are also trying to improve your computer performance by changing or switching off system settings. It's more likely you'll improve your PC performance with these softwares, but there's also a higher risk of encountering problems. These tools sometimes include some features that could wreck your PC, like trying to update your drivers.

On another note, you can use a more complete system utility and disable the functionalities that you don't like or trust.

6: It's unlikely to turn your PC into a rocker or a toaster. Unlikely...
Improvements done to your PC by cleaning the registry is way over rated, except on old computers that haven't been cleaned for years or intensely used. Also the damage it can do to your PC is, in my opinion, slightly overstated. But problems can happen, to the point of needing to reinstall Windows.

7: Backup, backup... and don't forget to backup !
Whatever is the system utility you want to try or use, i highly recommend you to make a back up of your files, just in case. In fact, i would recommend backing up your files on a regular basis whatever you use a system utility or no. It's been said many times but it's the best thing you can do to protect your personal data.

9: Try before you buy.
For most users, free system utilities are enough. But if you plan on buying one, as with any software, i recommend you try it first.

10: Take your pick
All links below are to official websites. If you have any suggestion, i'll be glad to add it to the list.

Most popular system utilities on MalwareTips forums (based on what I've read):
- CCleaner (by Piriform)
- Wise Care 365 (by WiseCleaner)
- Kerish Doctor (by Kerish)
- PrivaZer (by Goversoft)

Most popular system utilities on the web:
- CCleaner (by Piriform)
- Advanced SystemCare (by Iobit)
- Glary Utilities (by Glarysoft)
- AVG PC TuneUp (by AVG, formerly TuneUp Utilities)
- System Mechanic (by iolo)
- WinOptimizer (by Ashampoo)
- BoostSpeed (by Auslogics)
- SlimCleaner (by SlimWare)
- WinUtilities (by YL Software)
- Advanced System Optimizer (by Systweak)
- Norton Utilities (by Norton)
- Clean Master (by Cheetah)
- PrivaZer (by Goversoft)

I hope this guide has helped you

Please forgive me if i made any rookie mistakes as i'm not fully aware of all the rules of the forum

 

[tim one]

Your post is well balanced and I agree on many things you say.
Personally I am not a fan of the tuning apps but I have to admit that I like to test them in VM or in shadow mode for evaluating their features.
Currently I use just CCleaner, mainly to delete temp files and manage startup entries.
I think that really few apps can speed up the operating system: above all working on disabling unnecessary services, and by defrag the disk.
Registry cleaner do not bring any advantage in terms of speed and even in terms of stability, except in rare cases, because Windows just ignores the invalid keys.
Registry compactors the same, the access speed to the registry is the same.
The cleaning of unnecessary files just reduces the disk load and makes the defragmentation faster.

I've used for a long time Kerish Doctor, and in my opinion it can be considered a good software. It constantly update modules and algorithms for a reliable optimization: never a problem with it and actually the system is more stable and perhaps a little faster.

I conclude by saying that unfortunately people are attracted by ads like: "your system will be 300% faster with X software", just a marketing technique used very often to sell paid applications, but 1-click solutions are not the magic wand for us, but perhaps yes, it is for vendors.