[gumboman1]

I was having a few problems with my computer and Dell recommended installing
System Mechanic to resolve.

Is anyone using the software - System Mechanic - to cleanup and speed
up your computer? If so, what do you think of it and how do you have
it running on your system? I am running WinXP-SP3 on my Dell computer
and was/am having some performance problems and Dell recommended this
software.

It seems to take control of my system and slows it down a bit. Is there a way to disable
it to see if it is really causing my problems?

I'm not sure about this program and am looing for input to determine whether to keep
it or not.

Thanks for any insights.
Charlie

[compnovo]

gumboman1, on 12 August 2012 - 01:24 PM, said:

I was having a few problems with my computer and Dell recommended installing
System Mechanic to resolve.

Is anyone using the software - System Mechanic - to cleanup and speed
up your computer? If so, what do you think of it and how do you have
it running on your system? I am running WinXP-SP3 on my Dell computer
and was/am having some performance problems and Dell recommended this
software.

It seems to take control of my system and slows it down a bit. Is there a way to disable
it to see if it is really causing my problems?

I'm not sure about this program and am looing for input to determine whether to keep
it or not.

Thanks for any insights.
Charlie

Hi Charlie, and welcome to the forums.
I personally am leery of any of the so-called "system mechanic" tools because I don't believe they can do any more than we can do ourselves with the tools built into Windows, AND there is a performance hit on top of it because they constantly run in the background.

You can do your own disk cleanup by clicking on My Computer, then right-clicking on your C drive, then select Properties where you will see Disk Cleanup under the General tab. After running this click the Tools tab and you will see prompts to defrag XP. Just follow the prompts and XP will do its thing.

You can also download CCleaner from Piriform and clean the registry BUT the value of doing so is hotly debated and the risks are great --- proceed with caution.

[Flashorn]

Hey Charlie !

I would uninstall this software as soon as possible. It will eventually destroy your OS. You and IT cannot know which items in the registry are there for a reason or just junk.

As compnovo mentioned, you should take advantage of the tools provided by XP.

You can safely use CCleaner if you ask how to use it. we will explain how to work it. It will not run in the background and waste resources. You can have it starting on boot-up or Not.

The tools incorporated in the latest version are very useful, more so than what System Mechanic can offer and CCleaner is free.

Are you still having problems with your PC??

If so, ask and we will help as much as we can to get you back up to speed.


FLASHORN.

[compnovo]

I made an assumption that you do not have an SSD when I recommended defragging. If you have one you probably already know that is not recommended. Just thought I'd check...

[gumboman1]

compnovo, on 12 August 2012 - 07:03 PM, said:

I made an assumption that you do not have an SSD when I recommended defragging. If you have one you probably already know that is not recommended. Just thought I'd check...

I'm not sure what SSD is, but I have used XP's defrag. So, let me know any other suggestions you might have. I think, tomorrow I will uninstall System Mechanic and see if my system improves any.
gumboman

[compnovo]

gumboman1, on 12 August 2012 - 08:10 PM, said:

I'm not sure what SSD is, but I have used XP's defrag. So, let me know any other suggestions you might have. I think, tomorrow I will uninstall System Mechanic and see if my system improves any.
gumboman

SSD = Solid State Drive. I think your plan is a good one.

[gumboman1]

compnovo, on 12 August 2012 - 08:41 PM, said:

gumboman1, on 12 August 2012 - 08:10 PM, said:

I'm not sure what SSD is, but I have used XP's defrag. So, let me know any other suggestions you might have. I think, tomorrow I will uninstall System Mechanic and see if my system improves any.
gumboman

SSD = Solid State Drive. I think your plan is a good one.

Thanks all. I uninstalled System Mechanic today, restarted everything and the system is working a heck of a lot better. Thanks all for the insites. Currently I have Norton Antivirus running on my machine in real mode (the current version - have been using the software for years), and Malwarebytes installed also, but not running it in real mode, just manually when I want to check things out. Is there anything else I should be doing on WinXP-SP3 installation system?
Thanks again all!

[compnovo]

gumboman1, on 13 August 2012 - 02:33 PM, said:

compnovo, on 12 August 2012 - 08:41 PM, said:

gumboman1, on 12 August 2012 - 08:10 PM, said:

I'm not sure what SSD is, but I have used XP's defrag. So, let me know any other suggestions you might have. I think, tomorrow I will uninstall System Mechanic and see if my system improves any.
gumboman

SSD = Solid State Drive. I think your plan is a good one.

Thanks all. I uninstalled System Mechanic today, restarted everything and the system is working a heck of a lot better. Thanks all for the insites. Currently I have Norton Antivirus running on my machine in real mode (the current version - have been using the software for years), and Malwarebytes installed also, but not running it in real mode, just manually when I want to check things out. Is there anything else I should be doing on WinXP-SP3 installation system?
Thanks again all!

If you haven't done the disk cleanup yet I would recommend that. Otherwise I think you've got things covered.

[brainout]

Gumboman, you asked: 'System Mechanic -- Any Good?' And you were warned away from it, on the grounds that system utilities programs can't do anything you yourself can't do in Windows. Yeah, if you're an IT professional. But if not -- or you simply want to automate tasks, and have something to check your work -- then you need one of these suites. But picking the right set of utilities, is a pistol. Some of them are good, and many are not.

So I couldn't disagree more with those who claim Windows utilities developed by the likes of Norton System Works (well, before 2010) and TuneUp Utilities, burden your system. Quite the contrary. I don't trust regedit, though it's much better today than five years ago; I want something between me and my tweaks. I've done registry editing (infrequently) for 12 years, but preferably via one of those two programs. I don't know about System Mechanic. But if Dell recommended it -- and most of my machines are Dell -- then it's probably good for your machine.

What I do know, is that if you don't have a suite of utilities for daily and weekly maintenance of your machine, it will soon die from bloat. So then you will HAVE to reinstall Windows within a year or two. Windows needs to be shut down daily, you need to defrag weekly (except for SSDs*, which they don't recommend de-fragging), and above all you have to run a registry checker for program files which programs think they need, but aren't there; or, program files left over from uninstalls, because no uninstaller fully works.

As for corperfmonext.dll, that link might help you. It's a Win7 program, and the error you got, says that file is missing. So maybe do a repair in Win7. That link has a fix tool you can just download. Try it, see what happens.

Maybe your system was slow, because 1) your hardware doesn't like that utilities suite. I've noticed that I can't run the same suite as well across all my machines. 2) you have to set it up first, before it operates well. 3) your system already is bloated, so the first few times you run the utilities, you'll be getting rid of bloat. Since you don't seem too experienced, I'd suggest you use TuneUp Utilities, which will walk you through an 'optimization' process each time it runs. But try what you have, first. Go slowly. Do what you recognize first, and use the HELP provided. Don't do what you don't understand.

Likely causes of slowdown are first, leftover registry entries from programs you deleted; for on boot, Windows searches for lots of drivers and other programs, and the search has to time out before it continues booting. Second, too many fonts. Third, too many programs have logged themselves in Startup. Read the PC World article on how to stop that, or see if System Mechanic can do it for you. Lots of programs have this stupid REGISTRATION program which they log in your startup, as do Adobe, RealPlayer, Google, etc. Really annoying. Your webcam will be on that list, and you don't need it at startup.

Another big cause is disk fragmentation. Comes from trying many programs and going through many uninstalls. Or, a lot of game playing, or a lot of editing of files. Fragmented files scatter all over a disk, and really slow down a machine. Your System Mechanic probably has a 'defragmentation' program, and so does Windows. In XP, the program is in C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc . So the Win7 equivalent, should have a similar name? Query your Help for 'defragment', and you should be given a link taking you to that location.

==========
*SSD = 'solid state drive', a really cool alternative to an external hard drive. It's a chip, sometimes no bigger than your pinkie fingernail, sometimes the size of half a matchbook cover, and just about as thin. Often used to add storage to cameras. But also, to computers. I just learned of it a month ago, and bought a bunch of them. Your computer probably already has an SD or microSD slot somewhere in it, because even my 2008 Acer Aspire One from Walmart, has two slots. My old Olympus 702PC is a voice recorder, which accepts these wonderful things. No moving parts, much more stable, often the choice for a boot drive. I'm newly addicted to them. But don't get them over 32GB. Sizes bigger than that are often pirated and not good. Choose SanDisk or AmazonBasics brands. Some like Kingston, but some machines can't read them. I have all three brands, and maybe 12 of these babies.

This post has been edited by brainout: 23 August 2012 - 04:52 PM

[brainout]

brainout, on 23 August 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

Gumboman, you asked: 'System Mechanic -- Any Good?' And you were warned away from it, on the grounds that system utilities programs can't do anything you yourself can't do in Windows. Yeah, if you're an IT professional. But if not -- or you simply want to automate tasks, and have something to check your work -- then you need one of these suites. But picking the right set of utilities, is a pistol. Some of them are good, and many are not.

So I couldn't disagree more with those who claim Windows utilities developed by the likes of Norton System Works (well, before 2010) and TuneUp Utilities, burden your system. Quite the contrary. I don't trust regedit, though it's much better today than five years ago; I want something between me and my tweaks. I've done registry editing (infrequently) for 12 years, but preferably via one of those two programs. I don't know about System Mechanic. But if Dell recommended it -- and most of my machines are Dell -- then it's probably good for your machine.

What I do know, is that if you don't have a suite of utilities for daily and weekly maintenance of your machine, it will soon die from bloat. So then you will HAVE to reinstall Windows within a year or two. Windows needs to be shut down daily, you need to defrag weekly (except for SSDs*, which they don't recommend de-fragging), and above all you have to run a registry checker for program files which programs think they need, but aren't there; or, program files left over from uninstalls, because no uninstaller fully works.

As for corperfmonext.dll, that link might help you. It's a Win7 program, and the error you got, says that file is missing. So maybe do a repair in Win7. That link has a fix tool you can just download. Try it, see what happens.

Maybe your system was slow, because 1) your hardware doesn't like that utilities suite. I've noticed that I can't run the same suite as well across all my machines. 2) you have to set it up first, before it operates well. 3) your system already is bloated, so the first few times you run the utilities, you'll be getting rid of bloat. Since you don't seem too experienced, I'd suggest you use TuneUp Utilities, which will walk you through an 'optimization' process each time it runs. But try what you have, first. Go slowly. Do what you recognize first, and use the HELP provided. Don't do what you don't understand.

Likely causes of slowdown are first, leftover registry entries from programs you deleted; for on boot, Windows searches for lots of drivers and other programs, and the search has to time out before it continues booting. Second, too many fonts. Third, too many programs have logged themselves in Startup. Read the PC World article on how to stop that, or see if System Mechanic can do it for you. Lots of programs have this stupid REGISTRATION program which they log in your startup, as do Adobe, RealPlayer, Google, etc. Really annoying. Your webcam will be on that list, and you don't need it at startup.

Another big cause is disk fragmentation. Comes from trying many programs and going through many uninstalls. Or, a lot of game playing, or a lot of editing of files. Fragmented files scatter all over a disk, and really slow down a machine. Your System Mechanic probably has a 'defragmentation' program, and so does Windows. In XP, the program is in C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc . So the Win7 equivalent, should have a similar name? Query your Help for 'defragment', and you should be given a link taking you to that location.

==========
*SSD = 'solid state drive', a really cool alternative to an external hard drive. It's a chip, sometimes no bigger than your pinkie fingernail, sometimes the size of half a matchbook cover, and just about as thin. Often used to add storage to cameras. But also, to computers. I just learned of it a month ago, and bought a bunch of them. Your computer probably already has an SD or microSD slot somewhere in it, because even my 2008 Acer Aspire One from Walmart, has two slots. My old Olympus 702PC is a voice recorder, which accepts these wonderful things. No moving parts, much more stable, often the choice for a boot drive. I'm newly addicted to them. But don't get them over 32GB. Sizes bigger than that are often pirated and not good. Choose SanDisk or AmazonBasics brands. Some like Kingston, but some machines can't read them. I have all three brands, and maybe 12 of these babies.

This link warns against downloading dlls; read its last half. So maybe you aren't missing dll files, but the error is only in the report of files missing. I have this problem daily with supposedly-missing 'msvcr' files of various flavors. The programs run just fine, but routinely the registry is cluttered up with claims that these files are needed. That means the installer program is telling the registry that programs not actually used, are registered. Since those programs aren't there, Window spends more time booting up. That's another reason you need a set of utilities like maybe System Mechanic (which I've not tried), or Norton System Works (which only works through XP), or TuneUp Utilities (which will work on Win7).

[Car54]

+1 for compnovo and Flashorn's sage advice in this thread. I remember when I used to use Norton SystemWorks, where CCleaner would find 10 Registry errors, SystemWorks would find 100, some of those utilities can really mess things up, thus the good advice posted above

[smax013]

brainout, on 23 August 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

So I couldn't disagree more with those who claim Windows utilities developed by the likes of Norton System Works (well, before 2010) and TuneUp Utilities, burden your system. Quite the contrary. I don't trust regedit, though it's much better today than five years ago; I want something between me and my tweaks. I've done registry editing (infrequently) for 12 years, but preferably via one of those two programs. I don't know about System Mechanic. But if Dell recommended it -- and most of my machines are Dell -- then it's probably good for your machine.

And Dell would NEVER recommend anything purely because it might help their bottom line, eh? I am not saying Dell necessarily recommends bad things, but more that I seriously doubt that Dell checks everything that recommend on every system that they sell. Dell (and every other company) is in the business to make money. And if they are selling something along with their computers, then they more than likely make money off that additional sale. So, I take recommendations for "bundled" software from ANY company with a grain of salt.

Now, as to the use of Registry cleaner type programs, I don't necessarily think they are "bad" like some people do. I think that they can help...but they also create problems too. And they can be a waste of money if they don't work. Thus, my attitude is that you feel that it is worth your money to buy and try one, then go for it. Just keep in mind that there are studies out there that show the different Registry cleaners run on the same machine will tend to find way different number of problems and there have been tests that show that some Registry cleaners run on a BRAND installation of Windows only (i.e. no other software installed yet) will still find "Registry errors". In other words, as long as you know the potential "issues" associated with Registry cleaners and are willing to pay the money, then go for it.

I have used one in the past when my system was getting way bogged down. I figure it was worth spending the $30 or $40 that I spend to see if it would help...as otherwise I was gonna be spending a day reinstalling Windows and all my programs. And it actually did make things better.

So, I don't necessarily recommend them, but I also don't think they should never be used.

[brainout]

smax013, on 29 August 2012 - 11:07 AM, said:

brainout, on 23 August 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

So I couldn't disagree more with those who claim Windows utilities developed by the likes of Norton System Works (well, before 2010) and TuneUp Utilities, burden your system. Quite the contrary. I don't trust regedit, though it's much better today than five years ago; I want something between me and my tweaks. I've done registry editing (infrequently) for 12 years, but preferably via one of those two programs. I don't know about System Mechanic. But if Dell recommended it -- and most of my machines are Dell -- then it's probably good for your machine.

And Dell would NEVER recommend anything purely because it might help their bottom line, eh? I am not saying Dell necessarily recommends bad things, but more that I seriously doubt that Dell checks everything that recommend on every system that they sell. Dell (and every other company) is in the business to make money. And if they are selling something along with their computers, then they more than likely make money off that additional sale. So, I take recommendations for "bundled" software from ANY company with a grain of salt.

Now, as to the use of Registry cleaner type programs, I don't necessarily think they are "bad" like some people do. I think that they can help...but they also create problems too. And they can be a waste of money if they don't work. Thus, my attitude is that you feel that it is worth your money to buy and try one, then go for it. Just keep in mind that there are studies out there that show the different Registry cleaners run on the same machine will tend to find way different number of problems and there have been tests that show that some Registry cleaners run on a BRAND installation of Windows only (i.e. no other software installed yet) will still find "Registry errors". In other words, as long as you know the potential "issues" associated with Registry cleaners and are willing to pay the money, then go for it.

I have used one in the past when my system was getting way bogged down. I figure it was worth spending the $30 or $40 that I spend to see if it would help...as otherwise I was gonna be spending a day reinstalling Windows and all my programs. And it actually did make things better.

So, I don't necessarily recommend them, but I also don't think they should never be used.

Good points, except I'm not aware that Dell makes any money by recommending software of a company it doesn't own, to clean its hardware. It more likely incurs liability for recommending a product that, if it didn't work, would result in Dell being blamed for what is not its fault. I am routinely asked to recommend brokers, accountants, lawyers. I don't get paid for that, it's an add-on service. I don't recommend people whose skills I don't know, lest the customer later becomes unhappy with them, and blames me. So imagine how much more Dell would be reticent to recommend products it cannot control, absent evidence of quality; for Dell itself wants to avoid liability, should things go wrong. Safer not to recommend anything. But instead, as an add-on service to its customers, it does make recommendations.

And things will go wrong. The bigger the company, the more liability is incurred for its recommendations. Greedy unthinking consumers are all too quick to assume that, because a company is big, it's evil and out to make a buck at the expense of the consumer. Fact is, if Dell's products weren't good, people wouldn't buy them. So Dell profits by profiting the customer, be it via products they make.. or products they recommend.

I'm no fan of Dell, really. But it's easy to put myself in their shoes.

Else, you state the case well. So how do we synthesize the matter for a stranger who happens to read this thread? That's the point of public discussion and debate, isn't it? I propose the following. See what you think of it, and amend/add/negate the points as you think fit.

1. Your computer is not magic. It needs housekeeping.
2. It needs cleaning for programs you've put on and taken off,
3. for programs or files you've edited and moved around, and
4. its files and programs need to be backed up.
5. Its programs don't always behave in a manner best suited to the computer's operation or your needs. So these programs need to be managed both ad hoc, and on a regular basis, to keep your machine running. Just like a car.
6. Moreover, given the inherent vulnerability of Windows OS to crash because every function of the machine is controlled by the registry -- you need to clone your root drive, be it sector-by-sector, or at least an exact image of the drive to the extent of the Windows programs you are using. So, if the hard drive goes bad or other problem occurs, you can RESTORE the computer's function.

So the question is, will you do every step of the maintenance yourself, or will you 'subcontract', as it were, some of your labor to third party software, to do it for you? And if the latter, which software? Unfortunately, as with anything else, the third party option means testing and searching among competing products, to see if these can do the job partly or wholly, as well as you can. Or, maybe better.

Which means, you end up having a mix of functions, yourself. Some things you handle directly and in Windows,

• maybe detecting and deleting, files no longer needed;
• then, defragmenting your disks to keep the drives healthy,
• editing the registry for obsolete keys and other entries that cause Windows to slow down at boot or closing.
• Also, backing up your data files, programs and monitoring your 'restore points' as well as cloning your root drive.

All this you must at least do, on a weekly basis. So again, what computer housekeeping products are out there, and do they function as well or better, than you can?

Finally, how much time should YOU spend doing these functions, versus time spent if you 'subcontract' that same labor to a third party vendor's software? Again, sadly this requires some initial effort on your part. You must investigate the third party software sold, for its efficacy. That's the theme of this thread, about System Mechanic. I can't say how good it is. I use TuneUp Utilities and Norton Utilities, as over time I've seen how they do a better job than I can, by hand. But I don't just blindly use them. TuneUp's got to be wrestled to the ground, as I explained in my review of it, within Amazon. Norton also must be monitored, as what it thinks is right registry editing, might not be.

So third party housekeeping software, is but a tool. Not magic. You still must know your computer's innards, to use your 'subcontractors'.

This post has been edited by brainout: 29 August 2012 - 05:26 PM

[Flashorn]

Hey Gumboman !

Quote

Thanks all. I uninstalled System Mechanic today, restarted everything and the system is working a heck of a lot better. Thanks all for the insites. Currently I have Norton Antivirus running on my machine in real mode (the current version - have been using the software for years), and Malwarebytes installed also, but not running it in real mode, just manually when I want to check things out. Is there anything else I should be doing on WinXP-SP3 installation system?
Thanks again all!

You're welcome.

I think that if you use the tools provided by XP along with CCleaner, you won't need to spend any amount of money on other products.
There are allot of free and good apps to supplement your cleaning routine but, with what is provided in CCleaner, you can manage
your PC very well.

The only other app you might want to consider is a defrag app. There's no lack of free apps in this department and most will do a better
job than XP but, again, you will have to be careful which one you choose.
I use Auslogic's Disk Defrag Free. http://www.auslogics...efrag/download/
It's fast , light , and you have the opportunity to Analyze the disk(s) before you defrag.
The only other one I would recommend would be MyDefrag by Jeroen Kessels : http://www.mydefrag....AndInstall.html

So, Make sure your OS and related software (antivirus, antimalware) are up to date along with (if you use) Adobe , Java , Flash Player , Shockwave for Director.
All are vulnerable and need to be updated as soon as a new version comes out.
Firefox (if you use) will help you keep all of your plugins up-to-date by going into the Tools tab and choosing the Plugins tab. From there, you can have your
Plugins analyzed by Firefox for updates.

Use CCleaner to clean out temps files once a week. I do not recommend using the Registry Cleaner even though it is thought to be "safe".
Scan for malware every two or three days with MalwareBytes' (quick scan). It only takes a few minutes and keeps your mind at ease.
Do not over use the Defrag utility as it does have an impact on the longevity of the hard drive.
Analyze first and if more than 6 to 7% fragged then, you might consider defragging.

You do not need to be a Geek to do these simple tasks. Be careful of what sites you visit and use add-ons like AdBlockPlus and Web of Trust to help.



FLASHORN.

This post has been edited by Flashorn: 29 August 2012 - 11:41 PM

[Flashorn]

brainout, on 29 August 2012 - 04:54 PM, said:

smax013, on 29 August 2012 - 11:07 AM, said:

brainout, on 23 August 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

So I couldn't disagree more with those who claim Windows utilities developed by the likes of Norton System Works (well, before 2010) and TuneUp Utilities, burden your system. Quite the contrary. I don't trust regedit, though it's much better today than five years ago; I want something between me and my tweaks. I've done registry editing (infrequently) for 12 years, but preferably via one of those two programs. I don't know about System Mechanic. But if Dell recommended it -- and most of my machines are Dell -- then it's probably good for your machine.

And Dell would NEVER recommend anything purely because it might help their bottom line, eh? I am not saying Dell necessarily recommends bad things, but more that I seriously doubt that Dell checks everything that recommend on every system that they sell. Dell (and every other company) is in the business to make money. And if they are selling something along with their computers, then they more than likely make money off that additional sale. So, I take recommendations for "bundled" software from ANY company with a grain of salt.

Now, as to the use of Registry cleaner type programs, I don't necessarily think they are "bad" like some people do. I think that they can help...but they also create problems too. And they can be a waste of money if they don't work. Thus, my attitude is that you feel that it is worth your money to buy and try one, then go for it. Just keep in mind that there are studies out there that show the different Registry cleaners run on the same machine will tend to find way different number of problems and there have been tests that show that some Registry cleaners run on a BRAND installation of Windows only (i.e. no other software installed yet) will still find "Registry errors". In other words, as long as you know the potential "issues" associated with Registry cleaners and are willing to pay the money, then go for it.

I have used one in the past when my system was getting way bogged down. I figure it was worth spending the $30 or $40 that I spend to see if it would help...as otherwise I was gonna be spending a day reinstalling Windows and all my programs. And it actually did make things better.

So, I don't necessarily recommend them, but I also don't think they should never be used.

Good points, except I'm not aware that Dell makes any money by recommending software of a company it doesn't own, to clean its hardware. It more likely incurs liability for recommending a product that, if it didn't work, would result in Dell being blamed for what is not its fault. I am routinely asked to recommend brokers, accountants, lawyers. I don't get paid for that, it's an add-on service. I don't recommend people whose skills I don't know, lest the customer later becomes unhappy with them, and blames me. So imagine how much more Dell would be reticent to recommend products it cannot control, absent evidence of quality; for Dell itself wants to avoid liability, should things go wrong. Safer not to recommend anything. But instead, as an add-on service to its customers, it does make recommendations.

And things will go wrong. The bigger the company, the more liability is incurred for its recommendations. Greedy unthinking consumers are all too quick to assume that, because a company is big, it's evil and out to make a buck at the expense of the consumer. Fact is, if Dell's products weren't good, people wouldn't buy them. So Dell profits by profiting the customer, be it via products they make.. or products they recommend.

I'm no fan of Dell, really. But it's easy to put myself in their shoes.

Else, you state the case well. So how do we synthesize the matter for a stranger who happens to read this thread? That's the point of public discussion and debate, isn't it? I propose the following. See what you think of it, and amend/add/negate the points as you think fit.

1. Your computer is not magic. It needs housekeeping.
2. It needs cleaning for programs you've put on and taken off,
3. for programs or files you've edited and moved around, and
4. its files and programs need to be backed up.
5. Its programs don't always behave in a manner best suited to the computer's operation or your needs. So these programs need to be managed both ad hoc, and on a regular basis, to keep your machine running. Just like a car.
6. Moreover, given the inherent vulnerability of Windows OS to crash because every function of the machine is controlled by the registry -- you need to clone your root drive, be it sector-by-sector, or at least an exact image of the drive to the extent of the Windows programs you are using. So, if the hard drive goes bad or other problem occurs, you can RESTORE the computer's function.

So the question is, will you do every step of the maintenance yourself, or will you 'subcontract', as it were, some of your labor to third party software, to do it for you? And if the latter, which software? Unfortunately, as with anything else, the third party option means testing and searching among competing products, to see if these can do the job partly or wholly, as well as you can. Or, maybe better.

Which means, you end up having a mix of functions, yourself. Some things you handle directly and in Windows,

• maybe detecting and deleting, files no longer needed;
• then, defragmenting your disks to keep the drives healthy,
• editing the registry for obsolete keys and other entries that cause Windows to slow down at boot or closing.
• Also, backing up your data files, programs and monitoring your 'restore points' as well as cloning your root drive.

All this you must at least do, on a weekly basis. So again, what computer housekeeping products are out there, and do they function as well or better, than you can?

Finally, how much time should YOU spend doing these functions, versus time spent if you 'subcontract' that same labor to a third party vendor's software? Again, sadly this requires some initial effort on your part. You must investigate the third party software sold, for its efficacy. That's the theme of this thread, about System Mechanic. I can't say how good it is. I use TuneUp Utilities and Norton Utilities, as over time I've seen how they do a better job than I can, by hand. But I don't just blindly use them. TuneUp's got to be wrestled to the ground, as I explained in my review of it, within Amazon. Norton also must be monitored, as what it thinks is right registry editing, might not be.

So third party housekeeping software, is but a tool. Not magic. You still must know your computer's innards, to use your 'subcontractors'.

Hey brainout!

I don't want to be too picky here but, you are getting off topic.

Maybe start a thread of your own. We could then, have all our say on this subject.



FLASHORN.

[brainout]

Flashorn, on 29 August 2012 - 11:37 PM, said:

Hey brainout!

I don't want to be too picky here but, you are getting off topic.

Maybe start a thread of your own. We could then, have all our say on this subject.

FLASHORN.

Agreed. That's why I wanted to summarize the thread content, and be done with it. The thread started with a specific question, with other members chiming in about the merits and demerits about using automated utilities, and it turned into something of a debate. I wanted to back out, and my prior post was intended to do just that.

This post has been edited by brainout: 30 August 2012 - 04:37 PM