System Mechanic – A One Stop Pit Stop for Computer Maintenance

Life is full of the inevitable – that’s just the way it is. One such inevitable occurrence is – a computer running a Windows based operating system will slow down over time.

Most Windows users, at one time or another, will be faced with this common occurrence – a misbehaving machine which is no longer the speed demon it once was; slow to start up, and operating at less than maximum efficiency.

The net result? Let me give you a couple of quotes from a recent study published by the Customer Experience Board –

“The reality is that numerous, persistent problems are troubling most computer users, creating unnecessary anguish and anxiety as a result.”

“Digitally dependent users are getting fed up and frustrated with the current state of computer related stress, and clearly looking for a better way to address and reduce it.”

But, let’s face facts; PCs don’t slow down without a reason. All computers have characteristic operating patterns that lead to predictable, but preventable, issues.

The key is – proper maintenance. Proper maintenance, practiced regularly, can keep a Windows based PC running smoothly, and at peak performance, for years.

Part of what we do here regularly is: we seek out free, quality applications, that help users identify the most common problems that have impact on a computer’s speed and behavior, and then match the problems with the appropriate free software solution.

So does this type of approach work for an average user? Not according to my friends, it doesn’t. Most of my computing friends, who are typical users, do not read my articles.

The most common reasons I hear are “it’s just too complicated”, “even the free tools you recommend are hard for me to understand”, “I don’t have the time, or the patience, to follow your advice”, and more.

So what have I taken away from this? I’ve come to the conclusion, that in today’s more complex computing age, most average users, like my friends, do not have the skill set required to drill down through complex structures to correct performance issues that negatively impact their computing experience.

Not surprisingly then, most typical users that I meet, including my friends, run computers that underperform in virtually all areas. They could get so much more out of their system, if they only knew how. And that brings me to System Mechanic.

System Mechanic is an overwhelmingly inclusive application that encompasses virtually every tool, and applet, that a computer user is ever likely to need to maintain and tweak a machine.

I kid you not when I tell you System Mechanic has the ability to carry out literally hundreds of tests that have the ability to uncover virtually every possible issue affecting a PC’s performance, and reliability.

Installation is simple, following which you will have the opportunity to run System Mechanic for the first time. On launch you will be presented with the following screen.

(All screen shots are taken from my test machines).

System analysis is extremely fast. The Quick Analysis took under a minute on my Windows 7 machine, and the Deep Analysis took less than 6 minutes on the same machine.

The following screen partially represents the results of a Deep Analysis

Tool, tools, and more tools; each one designed to address specific system issues, are a strong point of System Mechanic – as the following screen capture illustrates.

Additionally, each tool is broken down into sub- categories, giving the user fine control over relative issues. This option is more for power users, in my view.

Fast facts:

ActiveCare – automatically and effortlessly fixes and maintains your PC during idle time, keeping your system running like new.

Optimize your PC for peak performance

Repair problems and errors, and prevent them from recurring

Clean up system clutter

Fix security vulnerabilities

Maintain reliability and speed

Cleans, defrags, & repairs registry

Accelerates PC startup 19 ways

Defrags & recovers orphaned RAM

Defrag

Complete low-level drive defrag

Turns off unused background programs

Perform dozens of performance boosting optimizations in one step

Straightforward actions to fix all problems or only those you want

PC Health Status Gadget for Windows 7 and Vista

Fix:

• Registry errors and fragmentation
• Unnecessary startup programs
• Dangerous startup programs
• Hard drive errors and fragmentation
• Excessive system clutter
• Broken shortcuts
• Unoptimized internet speed settings
• Security vulnerabilities
• Antivirus and firewall issues
• Old or missing registry backups

Conclusion: I have to admit I was astonished by the inclusiveness of this application. If an issue exists that System Mechanic does not have a tool for (either automatic, or manual), I’d be very surprised, and I looked – hard!

Despite the fact I keep my test machines well tuned (not quite as well as my principal machine, though), the two machines I tested System Mechanic on, ran noticeable faster after System Mechanic had its way with them.

If you’re an average user, disappointed with your computer’s performance, or you’re just tired of having to deal with reoccurring unexplained issues, System Mechanic is worth every penny of its $39.95 purchase price.

BTW, one copy of System Mechanic can be installed on up to three machines.

System requirements: Windows 7/Vista/XP (64 or 32-bit).

Download a trial version at: The developer’s site – (Iolo).

Update – May 9, 2010: Reader, Mike, has advised me this morning, Iolo currently has a limited time special offer – both System Mechanic and Search and Recover (combined value $90), for $39.95. For access to this special offer go here.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.