Application: Tune Up Utilities 2011

Reviewed by: Jeffrey L. Wilson (Junior Analyst, Software)

A lethargic PC is oftentimes the result of a fragmented hard drive, junk files, and a Windows registry in disarray. If you'd like to put some pep in the step of your sluggish machine, then check out TuneUp Utilities 2011, an application that improves computer performance. It builds on the effective 2010 edition by adding the new TuneUp Program Deactivator with TuneUp Programs-On-Demand. It also includes the Overview of All Functions interface, and Tuning Status, and an enhanced Turbo Mode and a Start Center, which were included in the previous iteration. Overall, the software does a fine job of revitalizing a worn PC. But the license limitations and its scores in tests keeps it away from taking the TuneUp utility crown.

System Requirements and Interface
Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP PCs, PC TuneUp Utilities 2011 requires just 80MB of disk space (300 if you're downloading it from the Web), 256MB of RAM, and an Internet connection for activating the license and receiving updates. Unlike the Editors' Choice, the award-winning Iolo System Mechanic 10 ($49.95, 4.5 stars), which lets you install the software on any number of computers—a welcome feature in the age of the multi-PC household—TuneUp Utilities 2011 limits you to three installs only.

When you first fire up the program, you encounter mostly a blue-and-white screen that features a large "System Analysis" button at its center. Clicking it launches the system cleaner, which displays a number of registry problems, broken shortcuts, and other PC problems. Clicking the "Show Details" link next to each registry problem takes you to a new screen that describes a particular problem in everyday language.

The Clean Up Process
Clicking "Start Center" took me to the redesigned main screen. But before I could get a good look at it, a window opened asking for information about my PC's Internet connection type, its connection speed, and if I desired Windows' visual effects to be tweaked for optimization. After confirming that I wanted all of these changes by selecting the answers from the drop-down boxes, I was taken to the main screen.

There I found tabs for "Status & Recommendations", "Optimize System", "Gain Disk Space", "Fix Problems", and "Customize Windows". You can tackle each section individually, or click the "1-Click Maintenance" button to perform the clean up and repair action. It took over an hour for the process to finish; the time was mainly due to hard drive defragmentation. The visual effects tweaks that I approved nixed the translucent Aero interface. The intuitive, effective TuneUp Program Deactivator with TuneUp Programs-On-Demand is also included here. I used it to turn off unused programs, reducing the number of running processes. This is also where you find the enhanced Turbo Mode, which analyzes and shuts down the currently running unnecessary programs, such as visual effect, Windows Search, and more.

In Start Center's upper-right corner there's the "Overview of All Functions," which gives you at-a-glance access to all of TuneUp Utilities 2011's features. From here I could activate 1-Click Maintenance, configure live optimization (which constantly optimizes your PC while you are flying), optimize startup and shutdown times, and more. At the bottom of the Start Center screen is the "Tuning Status" bar which fills to completion as you tune the PC; the blue section represents the amount of optimization that has been carried out, while the black section represents the remaining problems that need to be taken care of. I found this Tuning Status bar a great way to trace your progress, and encourage users to continue the cleaning process.

To the right of the Tuning Status bar are clickable links that display the number of problems remaining. One of the links led me to the TuneUp Startup Manager, which suggested that I disable certain programs in order to improve performance, and rated them based on importance. For example, the installed RealPlayer Online Update program was labeled as "unnecessary" and carried an accompanying zero stars, while Windows Problem Reporting was deemed "optional" and was given a two star usefulness rating. Overall, TuneUp Startup Manager is an extremely useful tool, especially for the novices who may be a bit hesitant to disable or uninstall unfamiliar software.

Performance Improvements
I tested PC TuneUp Utilities 2011's ability to whip a PC back into shape by performing three tests—running the Geekbench system performance tool, measuring boot times, and transferring a 1.1GB folder of mixed media to external storage—before and after running the software to compare the computer's potency. Each test was run three times and averaged. Before TuneUp Utilities 2011 scrubbed the system, the 2GHz Intel Core i7 X990 Style-Note notebook with 4GB of RAM, and an 80GB Intel SSD drive achieved a 5,903 Geekbench score, booted in 50.3 seconds, and transferred the 1.1GB folder in 40.5 seconds.

However, after using TuneUp Utilities 2011, the system saw improved performance. The GeekBench performance score rose slightly from 5,924—lower than Iolo System Mechanic 10's 6,033, AVG PC TuneUp 2011's 6,009, Comodo System Cleaner's 5,991, and PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011's 5969. The boot time decreased to just 42 seconds, which tied with Iolo System Mechanic for fastest among competing products—swifter than AVG PC TuneUp 2011's 43.1 seconds, Norton Utilities' 45 seconds, PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011's 46 seconds, and Comodo System Cleaner's 48.7 seconds. The file transfer speed dropped to 40.2 seconds—a few seconds faster than AVG PC TuneUp 2011's 43.3 second, and Comodo System Cleaner's 44.2 seconds. But, it is slower than PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011's 39.3 seconds, and is at par with Iolo System Mechanic 10's 40.1 seconds. The overall system performance was quite snappy, despite the low GeekBench score; this may be attributed to the fact that the Aero interface had been deactivated, reducing some processing overhead.

Extras
TuneUp Utilities 2011 not only lets you tweak Windows' Aero interface, but also enables you to search for themes within the application and download them. I downloaded a theme that gave Windows 7 red highlights; fortunately, it didn't appear to greatly impact performance. The TuneUp Rescue Center lets you restore backed up copies of your PC's system that assists you to roll back the clock if needed

Download Link:

http://www.tune-up.com/download/?EMail=&1=adgjdet

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Tuneup Utilities