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WinUtilities Pro 9.95 Giveaway
$29.99
EXPIRED

Giveaway of the day — WinUtilities Pro 9.95

WinUtilities is an award winning collection of tools to optimize and speedup your system performance.
$29.99 EXPIRED
User rating: 721 63 comments

WinUtilities Pro 9.95 was available as a giveaway on January 10, 2011!

Today Giveaway of the Day
$49.95
free today
Helps you get back all kinds of lost or deleted data on Android devices.

WinUtilities is an award winning collection of tools to optimize and speedup your system performance. This suite contains utilities to clean registry, temporary files on your disks, erase your application and internet browser history, cache and cookies.

You can control startup programs that load automatically with windows, find duplicate files, fix broken shortcuts and uninstall unneeded software. Other features include secure file deletion, recycle bin shredding, cleaning tasks scheduling and undelete deleted files.

System Requirements:

Windows 7/ Vista/ 95/ NT4/ 98/ Me/ 2000/ XP/ 2003 Server

Publisher:

YL Computing

Homepage:

http://www.ylcomputing.com/content/view/9/27/

File Size:

9.24 MB

Price:

$29.99

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Developed by Informer Technologies, Inc.
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Developed by Baidu, Inc.

Comments on WinUtilities Pro 9.95

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#63

#51,53, mike, not only is your donut analogy flawed, but you make exactly the opposite argument when it comes to files. Unused files and registry keys don't do anything and don't impact performance, changed or deleted files and registry keys can. Actually, unused files are a bigger problem than unused registry keys because the files can impact performance by increasing seek times and increasing the probability that slower areas of the disk will be accessed (inner tracks).

Reply   |   Comment by Fubar  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#62

Installed and ran all modules with no problems. Program does allow you to analyze the hard drive first, if you go to the options menu and select analyze only. Thanks WinUtilities this computer runs three times as fast now. It removed hundreds of errors.

Reply   |   Comment by Tex Jay  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#61

Using 1 Click Maintenance there should be a working cancelation button. I checked only 1 box "find junk files". After it started I couldn't stop it.

Reply   |   Comment by Zen  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#60

A_ Thank you for the software. Quite nice.

B) Odd. Hoping one of the visitors might help with this.
When using the BHO remover, the program insists (with exclamation point) that you select an object first. Whether all are selected, none are selected, or just one at a time, such as the ASK toolbar that you have to accept in order to "sign" the license agreement, SAME ISSUE.

Anyone else have this experience? XP3, if that helps.

Thanks again, and, as always, Ashraf is the man, perfect for GOTD

Reply   |   Comment by Dean Sanders  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)
#59

I have the same problem as I had with the free version. When I run the Registry Cleaner It runs and finds a bunch of errors then goes back to the Modules Tab. I never get a chance to accept or clean the invalid entry's and they are still there if I run it again.

Reply   |   Comment by Phil  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#58

Sorry I will pass on this I like System Mechanic 10 better :) No issue. I been using Iolo for few years now. But does this program come with backup registry?

Reply   |   Comment by robertmc8  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#57

Decent program I run it in a virtual os of xp. Nowadays with free offerings of ccleaner and numerous suites it is a very competitive niche to occupy.

I have installed numerous of these suites in the past some I paid for and feel this is only good if your lazy and is good for portables in which the average user like me does not tweak their systems.

I used this program in the past and it is very good but seriously I feel like its just a waste of space now.

Reply   |   Comment by Sajid Mulla  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#56

Humm ... Let me figure how this works:

*WinUtilites Pro Ver 9.95 is Offered For Free Through GiveAwayOfTheDay

*About the same time WinUtilities Pro's price is cut from $49.95 to $29.95.
Conclusion: WinUtilities Pro Version 10 Will Be Announced Any Day Now.

Reply   |   Comment by Software Cynic  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)
#55

Worked great, Installed, Unchecked the "do you want the Toolbar" thingy and 1click clean up..have used an older version before and this still works...(Windows XP and Windows Vista)-No Problems

Reply   |   Comment by Dondodge  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#54

Be careful of updates offered by the program.

Based on a previous GAOTD offering of WinUtilities, it would safely accept some updates then subsequent updates would break it.
Have a backup or restore point before updating.

Reply   |   Comment by wombat  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+13)
#53

#2: "why is it these programs always add on a tool bar.."

Because some company or other pays $. It's generally no different, though it is more annoying than an on-line store packing the box with ads for some other company.

* * *

#31: "... Adding keys to the registry generally isn’t harmful..."

Eating a donut isn't generally harmful -- it's when you eat lots & lots of donuts the extra pounds accumulate. ;-)

When it comes to installing apps, thinking in terms of a healthy diet I think works well... as a person, overindulge eating too much food with loads of *empty* calories & eventually you'll get bigger, not be able to run as well, or as quickly, & likely have health problems.

Uninstalling an app normally doesn't remove every added entry, so when you try most any app out, whether you keep it or not it's *added calories*. They add up. How much is too much is both opinion & relative -- given 2, evenly matched apps that do the very same thing, I think some people prefer the app that adds a sole uninstall key when the alternative adds 2000. It changes Windows less so it has less impact, & in some cases it's also coded to run more efficiently.

Donuts aren't healthy -- you'd have to live in a cave to not know that -- but they still sell plenty of donuts... it's your choice whether you indulge or not [I LOVE donuts & wouldn't tell you not to eat them, even *if* you'd listen]. Choice is yours. :-)

* * *

#42: "... as was taught in all of the computer classes and my MCSE classes – 95% of all computer problems are user related… ;)"

SUPERCOMPUTER: what it sounded like before you bought it. :-)

Unfortunately the same sort of false expectations vs. cold, hard reality keeps users awake at night. Folks that develop hardware &/or software frankly often don't do their job properly, & then there are the accidental bugs when/if they do it right. Yes, people do screw up their PCs/laptops, no question, but last I read the majority of users doesn't even bother to report defects, bugs etc. because they have zero faith that it would be more than an aggravating waste of time. Classes teaching techs that the customer is at fault is one very prominent reason why. Personally I think one reason they moved call centers off shore was employees fearing their neighbors would find out what they did for a living, & the job would become physically hazardous. :-)

* * *

#44: "Registry Cleaner does make a backup before cleaning, you can always use this backup,to return back to the situation before cleaning."

Remember though that as with other reg cleaning apps, that makes the assumption that Windows will start so you can run the app to restore your backup. You can restore an ERUNT reg backup from the command line or while running another copy of Windows [e.g. dual boot or WinPE].

Reply   |   Comment by mike  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+11)
#52

@AnAceBuyer – I’ve used JKDefrag (now called “MyDefrag”) for years w/out any serious complaints, though some still encounter bugs and glitches. It moved a massive disk image around on a new hard drive when several competitors couldn’t budge the large chunks. BTW, have you paired it with MyDefragGUI? Makes MyDefrag a lot more intuitive and user-friendly.

One concern with defraggers – none that I recall include a disk error check step or even display a “has this drive been error checked first?” reminder. Error checking is a time-consuming step but I was taught that should be done to blacklist bad hard drive sectors that could corrupt/lose data. For those who may not know the how to, right click a drive. Choose properties > tool tab > check now > select ‘Scan and attempt recovery of bad sectors’ > start. The windows file integrity check fixes/flags bad sectors.

Another concern – do any defraggers display a warning about not defragging flash drives? My understanding is that you don’t want to defrag a flash drive because their solid state read/write lifespan is often measured in tens or hundreds of thousands vs millions for a magnetic hard drive. Might be an old wives tale but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Reply   |   Comment by Merlin's Mentor  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#51

WinUtilities is a collection of easy to use, mostly wizard-type apps that can be run individually or from the launcher in the Start Menu. Basic utilities to help managing Windows, there's likely one or a few you'll think might come in handy, bundled with the rest you could care less about. I didn't/don't see anything you can't do without, but apps like ToolSafeUninstall.exe can be more convenient than drilling down into Control Panel for Windows' Add/Remove Program dialog. Likewise while it's no match for Autoruns, ToolStartupCleaner.exe opens faster than starting regedit & clicking one of the run keys you saved in the Favorites menu, & for simple stuff like that you'll be done before Autoruns finishes it's initial scan. OTOH tools like the File Splitter pretty much died out long ago [unless you're using it to help secure a file or files, removing a piece of encrypted archive(s) to use as an additional key].

Installation is self-registering -- no added step to input a key -- & that's why you'll want to install today's GOTD 1st rather then skipping a step & just downloading the updated version. 9 files got added to XP Pro's system folder out of a possible 22 included in the setup file -- nothing current was replaced, though I don't like the addition of gdiplus.dll [per SysInternals' Process Explorer WinUtilities uses a copy of the file already installed to Windows\ WinSxS, so it's un-used & un-needed -- I can't say some other app won't use the new copy, & if it does, work without problems]. 890 registry entries were added, & the program's folder holds ~25 MB with 494 files, 17 folders. The update includes 35 newer files.

Years ago I liked/used Nortorn Utilities, & before that an app called Nuts & Bolts, but now a lot of good tools are included in Windows & there's a lot more 3rd party software -- better yet, often like the Nirsoft & SysInternals' apps they're free. I tend to use those sorts of individual apps [I *might* use something out of one of these utility suites once a year], but that's me... I didn't see any reason Not to add WinUtilities if you like the apps' GUI, provided of course you aren't after the more powerful [& potentially more lethal ;-)] single purpose apps available.

* * *

In case it's of any help...

Disk Defrag... Most apps use Windows' api, & differentiate themselves with their optimization strategies, moving certain types of files to the faster part of the hard drive. Alternative = MyDefrag http://goo.gl/kmla

Disk Cleaner... Despite claims, removing junk &/or old files logically can only improve performance when/if you don't have enough free space for new temp files & caches [e.g. Windows' pagefile.sys]. Windows' logs & your web browser cache recycle space, not exceeding the max you set. Firefox can be set to delete it's cache & history when closed, while Internet Explorer can delete everything but history the same way. In win7 to delete history you have to go to Control Panel -> Internet Options [I put a shortcut to it at the top of the Start Menu], so for that along with things like duplicate mp3 files & emptying Windows' temp folders WinUtilities might come in handy. For Temp folders, old System Restore points, & files generated by Windows, an alternative = Windows built-in Disk Cleanup.

Registry Cleaner... Use these at your own risk. For registry backup/restore use ERUNT [ http://goo.gl/ydVO ] in XP, where System Restore is less complete -- you can use it in Vista/7 as well, but *might* run into [normally minor] issues as those Windows versions store complementary records in more places than the registry. You can use ERUNT to restore a registry backup when/if Windows won't start, which is AFAIK a unique feature, so to be safest I create a Restore Point + an ERUNT backup. Note that restoring a registry backup or Restore Point can cause problems with AV software like McAfee if/when it's been updated since the backup was created, so run an update check manually *before* creating a registry backup &/or Restore Point. Registry Cleaners can't *know* what's good or bad, so besides some known tweaks & problem keys/values they look for references to nothing, similar in concept to removing broken shortcuts -- the idea is that after you remove an app you can get rid of registry entries pointing to now missing files, as well as those pointing to registry keys/values deleted by uninstall. Problem 1) not every left over registry value points to a missing file or registry entry, so some garbage gets left behind. Problem 2) much more serious [& with the potential for disaster] you might get *false positives* -- just like Anti-virus software can flag &/or delete a good file, all registry cleaners can get rid of keys/values that an app (or Windows) needs in order to run. From a geek standpoint better registry cleaners give you the final say on what stays & what goes, but practically speaking if you don't know what keys/values you need, &/or don't want to bother going through sometimes hundreds (or thousands) of found entries, listing everything provides little or no benefit at all. Long story short it becomes a gamble, but you can hedge your bet by backing up 1st -- just check *every* app & feature afterwards, while that registry backup/restore point is still new. As far as fixing anything goes, unless your problem has a very common cause in the registry [& thus might be included in one of these apps], logically it's either a matter of uncommonly good luck (where the registry deleted the right key by accident), or the registry just needed re-written, accomplishing the same thing as defragging the registry with NTREGOPT [bundled with ERUNT]... e.g. if any registry value pointing to a non-existent file will or would cause problems, you'd have them the very 1st time you installed an app, since temp file names & locations are recorded in the registry, before the temp files are deleted. That said, in *Theory* if you had a hidden key inserted that was connected with mal-ware, *if* the registry cleaning or backup app couldn't read that key, it *might* not be passed on to a new copy of the registry. [If you don't mind the command line, it's sometimes an eye opener running SysInternals' RegDelNull http://goo.gl/GxrqQ -- note that the argument is required, as if/when left out you won't get true results [see example on the page where downloaded].

Startup Cleaner... Programmers/Developers want their apps to start quickly thinking that will impress you, so apps like Apple's Quicktime player & Adobe's Reader have helper apps start with Windows. PowerDVD has its RichVideo service start with Windows instead of when you actually start/use the software. All that stuff takes resources from your PC/laptop to run, may conflict with other software, & the list of offenders can seem almost without end. You can control how/when most services start by going to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. Apps start in 1 of 2 places -- the Start Menu Startup folder or the registry [there are 2 Run keys in 32 bit Windows, 3 in 64 bit versions]. You can do it manually, use Windows' msconfig, or use a separate app to maybe make it easier. SysInternals' Autoruns [ http://goo.gl/qVB4I ] is the king of the hill in that last category, but for many users may provide too much info & make it too easy to screw up -- you can prevent all sorts of things from starting, including drivers & services you need.

History Cleaner... Run them If you wish, but be aware that they usually don't get everything [e.g. Google/Bing UserAssist]. And remember that when Windows &/or any app records history that's often a good, useful feature. If you do something you don't want someone finding out about there are better, much more foolproof ways, like using a portable browser that leaves no files or registry entries behind [portableapps.com]. Or run whatever app in a smaller VM [Virtual Machine] & replace the virtual disk with a backup copy [file] when you're done -- optionally after you erase the one you were using. You can also use Truecrypt. FWIW there's a free *Starter* app that creates a portable version of the free VirtualBox VM hosting software, & it leaves few traces in the registry & no remaining files after the portable VBox is run & shut down -- those traces at most only show Portable VBox was run, & nothing about whatever was done in the VM itself. And if you're really paranoid [or just want/need to work on a rig without starting the installed OS (because for example Windows won't start)], Portable VirtualBox will run from a LiveXP or other WinPE-type boot disk or USB stick without touching the PC's/laptop's drives if you don't want to.

Memory Optimizer... Google/Bing & you can find [usually older] serious discussions pointing out their *Snake Oil* nature -- for quite a while since it's just been accepted. BUT, they can help sometimes if your system &/or software doesn't work properly, if/when something's broke. If you have a problem it usually can't hurt to try running a memory optimizer, & every once in a while it might even help [Be sure to eliminate or discount any placebo effects in deciding if it helps or not]. A memory optimizer won't really fix anything, but if for example a must-use app has a memory leak problem, you may not have many alternatives until a newer, fixed version is available.

Reply   |   Comment by mike  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+22)
#50

i have used free winutilities for over a year and have found that it is a very useful program keeps my system running smooth . last year when it was offered i downloaded it and used it but after a couple of updates my licence was revoked and was told that the updates are not free so i went back to the free version . so thanks giveawayoftheday and YL for offering it again this really is a handful of great resources and i use them daily. and when you are offered the update today from v.9.95 to 9.96 it does not effect your licence but updates in the future will so update at your own expense . and i do not under stand all these cautions and warnings about ask tool bar if its offered than just uncheck it i was not even offered it and as far as reboot goes that did not happen either so i really dont under stand where that is coming from . but i can say with confidence that winutilites is a great programme .in my opinionthis is much better that the free alternatives such as 10bit or any other system utilities .just my opinion

Reply   |   Comment by shaine  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#49

This is just an irritant, but I tried to use RegistryDefrag and a "Warning" pops up informing you that all programs running must be shut down during the analysis. The popup also tells you to disable your antivirus for the duration of the analysis. "After you have closed all other programs, click OK to continue." Problem is you can do NOTHING until you cancel out of the popup window, then you can perform the requested actions and start over again with the RegistryDefrag program. Plus does "all running programs" include Taskbar programs such as WinPatrol, Zentimo, DisplayFusion or Paragon's System Backup? If so, then a little clearer definition of what you are asking the user to do is in order.

Reply   |   Comment by Writeon  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#48

I have ASHAMPOO WinOptimizer 7, CA PC Tune-up, other utimities, Smart Defrag (FREE), Revo Unistaller (FREE), WinUtilities (free eddition) -- what more do I need? How about FileRenamer (Free.. has paid edition too), Configure FileMenu Tools (Also, free).. I have lots of utilities, but do I need this paid (free) edition? All of these work fine. Running a file drfragger resident is a life saver and keeps me out of trouble. I need s bit more convincing I need the Pro version. Comments?

Reply   |   Comment by Charlene G  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)
#47

If people would pay attention when installing software, all the negative comments about asktoolbar wouldn't have been posted here.

installing software is never a "no brainer", the Ask option has a very clear and easy to understand own window in the setup but appearantly ppl insist on clicking ok, ok, ok without even looking.

ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY WINDOW IN A SETUP.

Program is a keeper for me.

Reply   |   Comment by Whizzy  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)
#46

I like certain features of this program such as the history cleanter as it is simple to use. Between the endless updates from MS and the other programs on my pc I am grateful for simple. Not a programmer and acutally use the pc for other tasks so again simple is nice. I have been using V 7.0 from an earlier GoTD and found it to work smoothly. Should I uninstall V7.0 before installing V9.95 or can I keep both of them?

Reply   |   Comment by Wrm  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)
#45

Great Program, but ONE big complaint. Every time I run it my search search index has to start over and be modified. The Free Version, which does everything this does, does not do that. A big pain in the rear when I have over 230,000 music and doc files indexed. Takes all day to re-index. Going back to Free Version. Never any problems.

Reply   |   Comment by Mark Bean  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)
#44

@11 Bataa

Registry Cleaner does make a backup before
cleaning, you can always use this backup,to
return back to the situation before cleaning.

Reply   |   Comment by Misty  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-4)
#43

I have downloaded and installed winutilities ver.9.66 from giveawayof theday a few months ago. Should I uninstall the old version 9.66 before I download and install the new version 9.95?. Thanks!

Reply   |   Comment by Chris  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-3)
#42

Sorry #23 - You're living in a dreamland if you think that all optimization programs are fine and that there isn't one that hasn't ever damaged a system!
You say you've been using them a long time - and not seen a problem from one of these programs? - You've been exceptionally lucky!
I've been working on systems for almost 20 years and have seen systems damaged beyond simple repair from "easy", "Simple" or "One-Step" System Maintenance programs. (To count - would be over 10 systems that had to go to complete re-install of OS.)
I used to think the way you do, but I have learned from experience that is not the case.
Unfortunately, most problems are from users that use these programs without 1, making a backup, or making sure their backup works. 2, understanding the changes that they're telling the software to make, or 3, even paying attention to the software as it goes through their steps and just clicking on "Ok" everytime a button comes up without reading what those changes are.

It doesn't help to push "it's harmless" or "they're all good" out there, because 1 - I know that's not the truth and 2, not everyone (very few) know(s) how to safely maintain their systems - to the point of not even having a backup! Also, very few people understand the kind of changes these programs make to the registry - even I would be hard pressed to know what every registry key/value means.. (you'd have to be a programmer or understand the coding to do that)

I always think it's best to be very conservative when it comes to system tools - use them sparingly and only if you are familiar enough to know what changes are being made and what effect it will create. (and also only if you have a working backup!)

This one I would have to go with Ashraf's recommendations... doesn't really sound like anything special and always caution be the key word when running any kind of registry cleaner!
I'm sorry if this sounds a little harsh, but it's dangerous to just irresponsible to say that "They're all good". Maybe the programmers who wrote the programs don't have bad intentions, but some aren't as skilled as others, and you can't really take into account all the possible actions of every user out there... They will get into trouble - as was taught in all of the computer classes and my MCSE classes - 95% of all computer problems are user related... ;)

Reply   |   Comment by Ward  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+23)
#41

I have tried to use the free version of WinUtilities in the past. I think it is a useful tool, but then while loading the program the request to load ASK is included and it is an opt-out feature. Which by the way doesn't really work, because unless you have a tool like WinPatrol already loaded on your machine you will end up with ASK loaded anyway.

Reply   |   Comment by Writeon  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-5)
#40

Thank you Gotd and today's contributor for a wonderful software.

Thank you Ashraf for your detail and helpful review and recommendation for some free softwares on you website. :)

Reply   |   Comment by Juli  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-5)
#39

This is an excellent product well worth downloading.

Reply   |   Comment by Joe  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-7)
#38

When a toolbar will be installed unless you deselect the option (if you are quick enough to catch it), that's a negative option. In my view negative options are close to trickery which is close to dishonesty and I avoid companies that use it. For that reason and that reason alone, I am passing on this one.

Reply   |   Comment by Bernie  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#37

I've been using an ancient version of their free app for years now. It still works like a charm and is a no-brainer for people who want to keep their systems working and move on.

Very happy to upgrade to the latest Pro version. Thanks GOTD! Will be passing your email along to friends as soon as I finish writing this.

Reply   |   Comment by DK  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)
#36

While overall the program is solid I will not keep this program for several reasons:-

1.) As most programs insist on long winded license agreements being accepted which most people don't read in detail, the “I accept the license agreement and want to install the free Ask Toolbar”
implies that accepting the license and the toolbar are integrated in some way which is not the case as If you don't tick the box you can still install the program. The license agreement and the Ask toolbar should have different boxes to tick and accept. It is understandable because of the wording that different posters feel that they have to install the toolbar. I wish Companies would stop doing this!!!!

2.) While the program is solid and reliable and always has been, there are many free alternatives that in my opinion are better in specific areas. Revo Uninstaller I feel is far better re uninstalling. While I am not in general a fan of most memory optimizers, Process Lasso is one that works better then others for me then this one. Re the Start up Manager I will stick with the one offered with with Win Patrol which offers delayed start ups and in advanced mode secret a display of start up locations. Re defrag there are many similar offerings. Personally I prefer Auslogics which can defrag automatically and is very fast!

Reply   |   Comment by Howie  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+7)
#35

I realize that this is not a beneficial reply to the average reader, but I'm not really writing this to you. Rather, I wanted to make sure the Developers know that I have an older version of WinUtilities, which I am replacing with this version. I absolutely love it. Great job.

Reply   |   Comment by Tony  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-7)
#34

overall, good but not great. "Jack of all trades, master of none" (as stated in a previous comment) fits well here.

The program is quick and intuitive. If you don't already have a good utility program, grab this.

Unfortunately, one of the reasons this program is quick is because the feature set is pretty rudimentary. There is nothing new or groundbreaking here... but a worthy download.

dev: the file shredder does not accept drag and drop as it says. This feature also should be available via right click menu.

Reply   |   Comment by friendinme  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)
#33

Is it better than 360amigo system sspeedup pro, which was on GOTD few days back?

Reply   |   Comment by jazzynoni  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-7)
#32

I always download this as I repair clients computers. It helps users with things they do not think of to do. Yes, there are better programs. But as this is easily used by even the most non-computer smart person, I highly reccommend it. The last version offered here was v9.44.

Reply   |   Comment by PyxienTX  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)
#31

I'm not a big fan of all-in-one suites, and as I've said before, I have no use for "optimizers" outside of a good disk defragmenter. I prefer specialized tools, like SysInternals Autoruns.

I think that people have covered the issues with WinUtilities. As for installation impact, many people think that they understand what installation statistics mean when they really don't. Adding keys to the registry generally isn't harmful, and the number of keys is generally irrelevant. Total sizes of files may be relevant, number of files and folders isn't. The registry exists because Microsoft made a decision that a single database was more efficient and secure (ha!) than scattered per-program settings files. In recent years, even Microsoft has moved somewhat more toward lower-impact installations. This adds a number of registry keys, but doesn't do too much bad. It writes data to Program Files, which it shouldn't, and that means that it may also change permissions, which it shouldn't.

As for "optimizing" Windows, I've mentioned about the only things which I consider useful previously, a good disk defragmenter, and one which can defragment the pagefile (which should be set to a fixed size for most users). Up to a point, more RAM is helpful, and SSD's (Solid-State Drives) will really make a difference, but you should be using Windows 7, which supports them. The plus side of SSD's is that the performance impact is large and they can be used on most types of computers--notebooks, laptops, and desktops. The downside is that they're low-capacity, pretty much require Windows 7, and are very expensive per unit of storage. RAID is only applicable to desktops, and whether it's practical depends upon your chipset (or slots if you're using a hardware controller), number of drive bays, and power-supply capacity. One thing I learned the hard way, if you're buying drives, buy the highest-quality cables you can find (the price isn't any different). Many of the SATA cables I had were bad, I replaced them all with SATA III cables (my drives are only SATA II, but SATA III cables are higher-quality) with metal clips on each end (surprisingly, my SSD doesn't support clips on connectors--not incompatible, just no benefit). Types of RAID and good and bad points of each are more than I want to get into, many people make wrong decisions in than regard. Intel RAID has many more restrictions than I was aware of, most aren't documented (limit of two volumes per array, limits on what the option ROM can handle, although you can forego using the option ROM, and limits on what types the second volume can be based on the type of the first volume).

Speaking of all-in-one suites and installation impact, I bought CyberLink Media Suite 9 Ultra and PowerDirector 9 Ultra 64 while they're on sale through the 13th. Now that has a very large installation impact (comparable to a large Microsoft application suite). I'm still examining how to work around the codec issues, and PowerDirector installs QuickTime, which also has a large installation impact and I also need to examine the work-around implications. Even though I already had PowerDVD 10 Ultra Mark II (hate the name), it was much cheaper than buying all of the programs separately, even though I was only interested in maybe three (still cheaper), and it makes me eligible for future upgrade discounts. Unlike years past, Media Suite 9 contains the latest versions of their software except PowerDirector, but buying the suite allowed me to get PowerDirector 9 Ultra 64 at the upgrade price, plus on sale with freebies.

I sure wish that Microsoft hadn't messed up multimedia support, it's always a nightmare. By the way, Windows 7, at least the Ultimate version (I learned that you have to fork over the bucks for the pricey package to get anything), has much better multimedia support than earlier versions of Windows, but as usual, installing just about any multimedia application breaks it. Working around that problem is very difficult. Every version of Windows carries over bugs from the previous versions plus adds new ones. Just as Vista carried over XP bugs, Windows 7 carries over Vista bugs, plus adds some, like pretty buggy Library support.

Reply   |   Comment by Fubar  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+20)
#30

@21 while the installation gos on ,you wil get the opportunity to choose if you will instal the ask toolbar ... :just set off the 3marks beforre the installation starts...
when you see afther the installation the ask toolbar in your explorer ,you can remove it in your software configuration ....
even when you upgrade to the newer version and you instal this in the same directory on C...
you will get the 9.96 whit expiration date: NEVER

Reply   |   Comment by ronny  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)
#29

Handy for the slightly less informed Computer user, And the autoshutdown tool is very usefull. although I would prefer TuneUp Utilities 2011 for more advanced system tuneups. Has this ever been given away free.? But I guess if youe system is in bad shape then anything is better than nothing ;-)

Reply   |   Comment by Chris  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-8)
#28

Separate free tools like JKDefrag and WinPatrol seem to do a better job than this jack of all trades. I've used WinUtilities before, and, yes, found it easy and convenient, but I've migrated back to more specialized products. Just my 2 cents, and, as always, thanks to GOTD for so many great software tools!

Reply   |   Comment by AnAceBuyer  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+11)
#27

are u sure it's not going to mess up windows 7 system files?

Reply   |   Comment by LeeV  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-14)
#26

Question: Happily using WinUtilities9.4 so why should I update to 9.95?

Reply   |   Comment by SeniorCitizen  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-27)
#25

Before downloading and trying this out, what does this software have that is different to CCleaner, that I've been using for ages and am very happy with?

Reply   |   Comment by Angie  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-7)
#24

This just annoys me - cramming in more information than will fit in a dialog and then making the dialog non-resizable.

It tells me even the developer doesn't even look at this dialog

Why reinvent the layout? Just use the format as would be seen in a reg file. That would be much better.

Reply   |   Comment by BuBBy  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+32)
#23

Hello,

Just a simple word of advice; I have downloaded, installed, analyzed & tested many maintenance & optimization suites over a long period of time. I have not found 1 yet that has ever really damaged my system.

Of course there are some better than others. Some are definitely more proficient & efficient in specific modular domains. But, they all have their "PRO's & CON's"!

If you want to get the upper hand and advantage over all the negative responses to this software, please just do not be so gullible as to listen to everyone.

I have the software. No problem with the initial download or installation. Just read the verbage.

When you see things like this on "GAOTD", grab it. Give it a run for the money. If you do not like it; trash it!

For me, it is not necessarily my primary optimization tool; but, since it is a giveaway and for the price, inclusive of my research on the company; it will be a grabber.

I have already used the software this a.m., and I am already tickled to death on some of the more modified options and modules from previous versions. To be more specific; that "Registry Search" option is something to behold. Try it out! I think it is quite a piece of work; especially after you may have already deleted & unistalled previous programs and/or software and show left-over traces in the registry.

Program is a grabber for me; make your choice!

Guardianx

Reply   |   Comment by William  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)
#22

@11 Bataa, many thanks for sharing your personal experience of serious problems caused by the registry cleaner in this toolkit. Since I said myself that the registry cleaner is widely reported as being fairly safe and problem-free, I'd just like to make it clear that I was merely stating the impression I had received from reading comments on several review sites.

It would have been more responsible of me to have said that registry cleaners should ALWAYS be approached with care, and that people should never use them unless they have the time to review all their recommendations, and apply them selectively.

Reply   |   Comment by Julia  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+18)
#21

I'm sorry, but if it comes "bundled" with anything other then the program itself, I won't even give the program a chance. I've been online since 1997 and since then most of my worst computer memories are due to some "toolbars". Granted, Ask.com is a reliable place so I doubt they'll provide a pop-ups distracting me from what I'm doing... But even so, I don't appreciate crapware (junk software) and 99.99% of all toolbars fall into this category.

Thanks but no thanks GoTD. And thanks Ashraf for letting us know!

Reply   |   Comment by Duncan  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-16)
#20

@13 there is no expiration date ...open status and you see expiration :never

Reply   |   Comment by ronny  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)
#19

Thanks to Ashraf for post #1
:-)

Reply   |   Comment by Karsten  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-20)
#18

Installed without a problem WinXP-PRO-SP3, Thanks!
Did look for but did not see an option to not install the toolbar, I hope it did not get installed. Maybe because it was an update of a previous version I had installed?
Eldad

Reply   |   Comment by Eldad  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-7)
#17

If like me you choose to uninstall the program (it lasted 5 minutes on my computer). I suggest you take the time to give your feedback on the webpage that is loaded, so that the devlopers can improve the software.

Reply   |   Comment by Roger  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+10)
#16

Please use thise with extreme cation as the registry cleaner is very badly written and wants to delete valid and needed registry keys.

So it is best not to avoid this, rather than supporting software devleopers who product second rate software.

However if you do decide to keep this I suggest you disable the check for updates in the programs options. When I ran WinUtilities I was informed about an update I could download. But, accodring to terms of the giveaway I presume downloading any updates will revert this back to a trial version.

Reply   |   Comment by Roger  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)
#15

One of the problems with registry fixing programs is the developer assumes why registry keys exist.

In the event of "Missing or Invalid Path" - the developer works on the principle that anything that looks like a pathname or a filename that doesn't already exist - should be deleted as it is obviously invalid. Of course not all programs agree on what data should be stored in the registry and how it should be used.

But what of a program that has options like "The path where temporary workfiles should be created" - when the registry gets deleted - the option is then "broken" and the program may crash.

The registry cleaner cannot know why the file or path doesn't exist - and the fact the file isn't present may not be an error at all.

When hundreds of these registry keys are deleted, that is when the behaviour of your computer "changes" and previously working programs now crash, freeze, or may appear to work but the errors might be more subtle.

But developers of some registry cleaners (or registry key "mass deleters") work under the assumption that users will believe that the more keys they delete - the better their tool is.
Don't forget there is no rulebook on what is valid or invalid for all registry keys. Certainly some of the core registry keys that Windows relies on are expected to be present and in a certain format - but outside of these core areas, when you start to scan inside areas that are "private" or specific to applications written by other third parties, the registry rulebook no longer applies. A developer can use registry keys for whatever purpose, and if a registry key refers to a file or pathname that doesn't exist - this is usually handled by the application itself. When a registry cleaner comes in and starts wiping data it clearly has no idea about you have the potential for a very sick system.

Unfortunately these problems don't always appear straight away - for example maybe you have a payroll system and you won't see the results of your "cleaning" until you try to do end of quarter reporting - or maybe it might be something as simple as losing the ability to print documents in Microsoft Office - and you manage for three weeks because you don't have to print - but three weeks later when Office no longer works properly - you have forgotten about that "cleaning" you did - and the automatic backup you made is useless to you now (too much time has passed to go back three weeks) - your PC is broken and you have no idea why... Damn you Microsoft... It was their fault, right?

Don't run Registry Cleaners unless you are already experiencing a problem that you can identify by reading the output of a registry scan. If you cannot identify the registry keys that are causing your problem (ie. you actually know what you are doing and you are comfortable working with the registry) - don't just select all the items and hit clean. The developer doesn't know what "your problem" is. He/She isn't sitting at your keyboard - all he can give you is a general set of (sometimes flawed) rules that might suggest some possible problems. The developer cannot forsee all the problems you may face by deleting those keys.

If your PC is running OK - don't treat a registry clean as a "spring clean" - it is not a general tidy up it is a destructive operation deleting data from a critical database that windows and almost all applications rely upon. I know having said this, there will be users who will have problems after doing a registry clean. It happens every single time we have a registry cleaner as a giveaway. If GOTD gave away guns, the following day there would be reports that computer users were found dead "just trying them out".

Reply   |   Comment by BuBBy  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+128)
#14

Thanks to GOTD and YL Computing for the giveaway. However sometimes I think that installing the freeware version of a product is a better bet than installing a non-updateable pro version from GOTD, and this is one of those occasions. YL Computing released 48 updates for WinUtilities in 2010. From the look of that changelog, I am inclined to guess that the key tools in today's pro version will trail the free version in a few months' time.

Also, I prefer to use more specialised tools for most tasks, e.g. Auslogics for disk defrag and WinPatrol for startup management. So what is for me the most attractive tool in this suite - registry cleaning, for which WinUtilities is widely reported as being fairly safe and problem-free - is included in the freeware version, along with regular updates.

For people who prefer more specialised tools, it's also worth noting that YL Computing releases discrete chunks of functionality from this toolkit as standalone WinUtilities freeware tools, like their Free Registry Cleaner for example.

Just sayin'.

Reply   |   Comment by Julia  –  13 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+40)
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