To [ Lesley Brown ],

The point of GOTD is that YOU download the offering of the day and try it and YOU then tell us.

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

In response to [ TK ],

Um ... was that cut-and-paste boilerplate about disk file defragmenters?

Game Fire is not a disk file defragmenter.

Your other comments about properly designed programs being better than 3rd-party fixes for improperly designed programs is perfect ... in a perfect world ... where there would be no imperfect programs.

But imagine a world where the rules are written -- and broken -- by Microsoft themselves ...

Scary, right?

After reading #7 from Lee Foster who experienced improved smooth responsiveness from the active on-screen program, I concur, in spite of #3 from me where I excoriate the awkwardness of this particular program's controls.

TK, man, I love ya to bits, but please, download and use the program of the day and report on it, or move on, but boilerplate lectures about the philosophy of "they called it snake oil in my day" are well past becoming scrollable ignorable gray fuzz on screen, interrupting the useful dialog.

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

Peter Blaise, please at least read the description before declaring what a program is or is not or does and does not do!

"Game Fire also provides a wide range of powerful optimization tools that can squeeze every bit of performance out of your computer like a disk defragment utility, settings tweaking tool, applications optimizer and many more."

And no I did not copy and paste any "boiler plate" text, just typed out a general warning that is based in simple logic from experience.

To [ TK ] regarding the promise of a disk defragment utility in Smart PC Utilities Game Fire,

My bad, in not seeing the line in the GOTD description "... Game Fire also provides a wide range of powerful optimization tools that can squeeze every bit of performance out of your computer like a disk defragment utility, settings tweaking tool, applications optimizer and many more ..."

Your bad, in not downloading and running the program before commenting, and experiencing first hand that it does not include a disk fragmentation utility.

My point, and I do have one, is for us all to download and run the offerings here at GOTD before commenting.

- - - - - - - - - -

The word "like" is ambiguous, as Madonna sings in "like a virgin", when we know better.

They could have written "... Game Fire also provides a wide range of powerful optimization tools that can squeeze every bit of performance out of your computer like a Harry Potter potion, settings tweaking tool, applications optimizer and many more ..."

... uh, no, it does not provide a Harry Potter potion.

Avoid cliches like the plague ... and no, the plague is not being described as a cliche, if you see what I did there.

And avoid boilerplate unrelated to actually downloading, installing, and running each day's GOTD offering.

However, based on experience of GOTD offerings, some boilerplate is appropriate, such as "... no malware please, offer resizable windows, offer high contrast presentations with readable-size fonts, do not insert anything in auto runs, services, drivers, or scheduler, without explicit controls from the user, let us control the installation destination, make it portable, do not expire as if you are really only offering an extended trial, clearly declare when offering something not really available from the vendor's web page, or when offering an old deprecated version, please backup all system changes with undo ..." and so on.

Also boilerplate like "... IObit programs, and many other utilities from many vendors, run fine in the non-pro version, and are available direct from the vendor's web sites if we miss the GOTD special pro version, and even the pro version simply reverts to the free version when the pro features expire, so it's not like the extended trial compromises much when it expires ...".

And boilerplate like "... read the readme.txt file, doh! ..."

- - - - - - - - - -

File defragment wise, do you believe that Windows defaults to moving non-fragmented files, such that it would relocate an already defragmented file just because it prefers a different scheme than left by, say, IObit Smart Defrag?

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

Peter Blaise, I interpret the "like" to be a synonym for "e.g." or "for example" if the program really has no defragmentation utility or scheduler then the description is clearly deceptive but as you say I did NOT subject any of my systems to this clearly invasive product because I have no basis to trust this developers opinion on what is good or safe to mess around with, also since I am not a gamer, even if this really worked on any of my systems better than the optimisations I have already applied the potential improvement would be negligable on all but the most underpowered systems and those would probably become unstable when hacked around by a one size fits all product like this. In addition certainly not for rentalware 1 year trial!

BTW in the products user manual they call the disk defragmenter the "Game Defragmenter"
https://www.smartpcutilities.com/product-manuals/gamefire/6.4/files-defragment.html?ms=AA%3D%3D&st=MA%3D%3D&sct=MA%3D%3D&mw=MjQw

Presumably they do not like microsofts built in defragmenters default behaviour of not defragmenting files greater than 64Mbytes long so impliment their own utility that overrides that default restriction to save maybe 0.1% of the game map data load time.

To [ TK ], who challenges software without using it ...

OMG, thank you, yes, I found [ Game Defragment ] in the Smart PC Utilities Game Fire - from the front page, one has to load/register/link any program as a "game" first ( which I never did, like you, I aint no gamer ), then right-click on that "game" and it offers to [ Defrag Game Files ] - and for me, it defragged 1 file of 2,096 files in free Adobe Photoshop, so, as you suggest, it will now load much much quicker, doh!

So, no, I do not see Game Fire's Game Defragment as a conflict or competitor to any other defragmenter, especially since it's not automatic, for some reason.

In spite of my happening on Game Fire, I like it and use it, and find it especially helpful on my ageing collection of found-object computers around the data farm here.

Yes, every day, folks toss out old computers, with hard drives, and they work just fine, especially with a fresh reinstall of WIndows 7 64 Pro.

I keep any x2 processor computers, and donate any x1 processor computers to homeless shelters, or to local mom-and-pop computer repair stores to use as spare parts.

Considering the recent trash, I may move up to keeping x4 processors now, and donate x2 processors.

One person's trash is another person treasure.

Anyway, even on x4 computers with 16 GB RAM, arguments between programs, and with WIndows, and arguments inside Windows itself, oftem bog down a computer's responsiveness, and I have found many alternatives that help:

- free Bitsum Process Lasso
- free Reason Software Boost
- free Wise Game Booster
- free IObit Smart Game Booster

After much struggling, and reformatting and reinstalling one crashed computer, I think I have found a safe way to take advantage of Game Fire's features and benefits with no deleterious effects:

1 - make copious restore points, and reboot between changes,

2 - In the [ System Optimizer ] tab, select all tweaks we understand and select [ Apply ], select [ Yes ] to make a backup, change the backup name to not overwrite previous backups, select [ OK ],

3 - in [ Settings ], again, select all that we understand, select [ Apply ] and select [ OK ],

4 - [ Turn On Game Mode ]

5 - [ Change advanced power settings ] in Windows control panel to your informed preferences ( for me, going to sleep in 60 minutes defeated the purpose of a network resource, so I turn off sleep or hibernate ).

6 - make copious restore points, and reboot between changes, and of course, reboot for all effects to initiate.

It shouldn't be this hard.

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

Peter Blaise, I notice you talk of windows 7 a lot... while it's still possible to patch vista I was unable to massage windows 7 into accepting the latest patches in any similar manner... So if the hardware has sufficient RAM and adequate speed storage it is still possible to update from widnows 7 or 8.x to windows 10 for free. Just run the latest windows 10 setup from within the qualifying version of windows and it will install without asking for a key and be activated. Understandably some are vermently opposed to the entire windows 10 design ethos and are avoiding it at all costs... but if you are willing to migrate suitable win7 and above devices you can still do it for free quite easily.

-W-a-y- off topic, [ TK ] seems enamoured of Microsoft Windows 10 POS Phone Operating System,

... what it's periodic update crashes,

... and warnings from national security agencies to not use it under any circumstances,

... and arbitrary incompatibilities between various Windows 10 versions,

... and arbitrary and cyclical user interface miasma.

I routinely - and happily - remove Windows 10, and install Windows 7, for customers at their request, because they do not want to have to learn how to do something new to do the same old thing they've been doing fine for years.

Windows 10 is like buying a new car and no longer being able to drive the same route to your familiar locations, but having to learn completely new ways of doing things.

And Microsoft is proud - proud - to be occasionally redesigning Windows 10 to incorporate a Windows 7 or earlier feature that Microsoft had dumped from Windows 10 ... only to compromise and ruin the revision.

[ TK ], anyone can get used to anything ... except endless crashing and incompatibility with each forced update and upgrade, where even Windows 7 receives Microsoft Edge browser and attendant invasive TSR Terminate and Stay Resident programs, not because Microsoft is apologizing for Internet Explorer 11 ( Microsoft would re-issue Internet Explorer 5 for Mac if that were their true and honest goal ), but because Microsoft is trying to reclaim browser users from Firefox and Chrome.

No, there is absolutely no problem securing OS Operating System core updates for Windows 7, plus non-OS-specific updates for all versions of Windows that have any number of modern modules, and these updates are also commonly available outside Microsoft's own avenues, too, often available to add to installation media so they go in during initial installation ( yeah, 250+ patches ! ).

I have OEM volume licensed installations for all versions of Windows, and universally Windows 7 is the default go to in demand choice, with XP a second for those with dedicated custom legacy programs and anchiend sub-1 GHz computers with 4 MB of RAM, yes, that's 4 MB, not even 4 GB.

I've yet to experience anyone ask for Windows 10 as an upgrade or on a new computer, and, again, universally, users who buy their own computers, and it has Windows 10 on it, look at me and ask "what is this?" and then ask "can you get it out of here?".

Yes, I can, and do.

While I appreciate the promise of Windows 10 offering a speedy and secure undercarriage, the reality is that Microsoft marketing, and 400 programmers who never met or spoke with each other, compromise Windows 10 beyond any usable benefit for anyone I have ever met.

My favorite was one person who used the touch-screen of the Windows 10 POS Phone Operating System, and eventually pushed their monitor off the back of their desk, crashing down on the floor - no, we do not hold PCs in one hand and swipe at "tiles" with our other hand, as if all the world were a phone, and every user was a teenager with lightning thumbs.

I live by supporting others, and if ComboFix and SpinRite don't run, I'm not interested ( yeah, Steve Gibson is working on UEFI ... for 6 years now, hahahahaha ).

Thanks for the ... what were you offering there?

On topic, do you think Windows 10 says "hey, I'm a gaming computer" or for those of us who don't game but just want a responsive computer, do you think Windows 10 says "hey, this computer is all yours, I, Microsoft, will stand back and not interfere"?
.

Peter Blaise, just to refute the fake news that I am or seem to be enamoured with windows 10 or ANY MS operating system... I prefer Vista which I am able to keep patched every patch tuesday so far... I know some people prefer windows 7 over Vista and Win 8.x and 10 but since 7 cannot be patched with the published patches for either Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 patches I thought I'd mention that Microsoft still supports upgrading windows 7 to windows 10, even though that seems to be ended by past press releases, thus still allowing those many built in vulnerabilities to be patched when they are either exposed or threatened to be exposed publically. Which then leaves unpatchable previous versions even more vulnerable than usual. I have had to get used to "using" windows 10 as I use my newest laptop as a thin client to RDP into my Vista Home Premium laptop that runs 24/7 as file and DLNA media server as well as my prefered machine for email and other use.

In my experience EVERY consumer version of Windows NT (XP and above) always required some form tweaking of settings and modification of services and default MS prefered reporting settings and generally speaking as each sucessive version of windows tries to add more and more extra bells and whistles, those of us that either do not want those bells and whistles or consider the privacy cost of enabling those bells and whistles too high... we have to spend time trimming down the added ancillary functions down and curtailing unnecesary and undesired reporting statistics and private data back to Microsoft for whatever reason. That is just a chore one inherits when one initialises any version of consumer Microsoft Windows.

Now IF I could inherit a free WIndows Vista licenses to install Vista on old Windows 7 or eventually Windows 8 machines that become unsupported for critical security patches I would do it and manually patch them each month they are in use but there is no such free Vista license on offer but there is an unlimited number of free Windows 10 licenses on offer and I do know how to tame Windows 10 as well as customise it for my prefernces. But no version of windows is perfect out of the box not even Windows 7 Pro.

I noticed that some of the system optimsations are very badly named and are in fact ancient tweaks we may have done back in XP days that likely have no bearing on modern versions of Windows at all!

Off topic, to [ TK ], using Windows 10 to remote-in to Windows Vista...

It's amazing where each of us gets comfortable.

I have one remaining Vista that I support, and it's running, so I leave it alone.

Yes, all user interfaces are tweakable to some extent in order to best support the preferences of the user, regardless of the randomness of Microsoft's OBE Out of the Box Experience.

I have no idea why you cannot keep Windows 7 patched, I have no problem, daily, and I frequently install Windows 7 from scratch, needing the suite of patches over and over with each re-installation, and in they come, no problem, and afterwards, I periodically run a patch-uninstall batch file to remove patches that engage Microsoft telemetry.

My multi-points, and I do have many, were that
- Windows 7 was the most sophisticated operating system before Windows POS Phone Operating System,
- responds to SpinRite and ComboFix, so they are repairable ( ComboFix works on XP through Vista too, and SpinRite even works back to pre-Windows DOS ),
- Windows 7 generally has the greatest support for drivers and programs and work-arounds for any modern hardware it lands on ( I generally have moved on from less-than 1 GHz and single processor computers ),
- I have volume-licensed legitimate official OEM Windows 7 64 Pro re-installers from the major PC makers,
- whereas prior Windows OS are becoming less well supported,
- and later POS operating systems, well, they are POS.

There are readily available Windows Vista OEM ISOs, and also activators for Windows Vista for a non-OEM installation, and a thorough anti malware scan afterwards will confirm their safety.

- - - - -

On topic ... so you do NOT have a report of Game Fire on Vista?

;-)

.

In response to [ TK ] who is shocked - SHOCKED - that anyone would use a non-Microsoft defragger on top of Microsoft's own defragger ...

Here from my long term experience inspecting how this programs works ( or doesn't work ) I discovered that Ahmed Fathi's Smart PC Utilities Game Fire Pro not only does NOT automatically defrag anything, but when the user MANUALLY selects to defrag any selected program from within the Game Fire interface, it calls none other than ... wait for it ...

... Microsoft's own ( acquired ) SysInternals [ Contig ] defrag program, executing it on the selected program's directories and subdirectories with the [ Contig -s ] command.

Using it, I notice anywhere from 0 to hundreds of files are found to be discontiguous, and are made contiguous, on demand, for any selected program - this is nice on-demand feature, I like it, considering that the [ Contig ] program itself has no other graphical user interface, so the one provided within Game Fire is welcome.

Note that they also credit Open Source elements that they use in Game Fire Pro, see:

C:\Program Files\Smart PC Utilities\Game Fire\Open Source\Open Source Software.rtf

More on the [ Contig ] program for those curious:

- - - - -

C:\Program Files (x86)\Contig
Contig v1.7 - Makes files contiguous
Copyright (C) 1998-2012 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com

Contig is a utility that defragments a specified file or files.
Use it to optimize execution of your frequently used files.

Usage:
contig [-a] [-s] [-q] [-v] [existing file]
or contig [-f] [-q] [-v] [drive:]
or contig [-v] [-l] -n [new file] [new file length]

-a: Analyze fragmentation
-f: Analyze free space fragmentation
-l: Set valid data length for quick file creation
(requires administrator rights)
-q: Quiet mode
-s: Recurse subdirectories
-v: Verbose

Contig can also analyze and defragment the following NTFS metadata files:
$Mft
$LogFile
$Volume
$AttrDef
$Bitmap
$Boot
$BadClus
$Secure
$UpCase
$Extend

- - - - -

I see a boot batch file in the making ...

Note that [ Contig ] defragments, but does not relocate a file for optimum performance relative to disk placement of placement with related files, and does not search for and defragment files that may be called by a program that are outside that program's directory tree.

Thanks for provoking me to keep investigating the offers here at GOTD - I always learn so much no matter how hard I try.

;-)
.

Peter Blaise, been aware of sysinternals contig utility for many years but never found a use for it since one cannot choose where to place to contiguated file or files. Some classes of files do not get accessed often and do not need hundreds of megabytes per second sustained access rate. So certain classes of file types I prefer to move and make contiguous at the slow end of a given partition leaving the faster (transfer rate and reduced number of seeks per gigabyte) portion of the partition free for more frequently accessed and changed files. I use defraggler for this as one can automate the entire process and move all video, archives, MSI and large installer executables and music files to the slow end of the drive or one can find the files or folders of interest on the drive map and right click on the selected "blocks" files and folders list and choose to move individual files or folder contents to end of drive and if they are fragmented one can move them the other way by choosing defrag selected. It's not the perfect UI but it works. Note I've ceased to depend on restore points since it is far to simple for volumeshadowcopy snapshots to become inconsistent and they either fail to restore previous state when needed or they can claim to have succeded and leave the filesystems inconsistent.

In my limited experience I find it safer to disable VSS system protection before doing any major movement of files with any 3rd party defragmenter. Then after finished, moving files about, re-enable VSS system protection just for individual file level previous versions level protection.

The probable reality of all this type of semi-obsesional optimising of system settings and file systems file allocation is likely only miniscule objective improvement and considering time and effort invested probably ends up in a net loss in overall productivity... It probably really comes down to psychological sense of satisfaction that we are in control of something in this uncontrolable universe ;-)

Ahh, [ TK ], someday we will look back and shake our heads and and ask, "... are you still using ancient SSD technology? ..." the way we now think of HDD as needing so much tweaking, and I remember the transition from MFM to RLL, let alone the transition from FD to HD!

Where will our generational institutional experience and hard-wrought knowledge go when we are gone?

These GOTD archives are a gold-mine of historical documents!

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

mike, 400$ for new graphics card? LOL 160$ will get you a good mid range gpu.

SSD, not make much if any difference gaming???? I stopped reading right there, clearly you know nothing about computers, I would stop posting wrong incorrect information.

Are those the same "mike"?

It would be really really funny if they are.

Anyway,

-- an SSD replacing an HDD in a 3Gb/s or even 6Gb/s SATA interface will not change ENTIRE computer performance on on-screen program responsiveness much,

-- and folks can't download a GOTD physical replacement video card hardware free today for testing.

We've got what we've got.

Suggesting that buying more hardware is better than testing free offerings at GOTD just begs the question as to why the reviewer is here instead of over at [ UserBenchmark. com ] where is is all about the hardware, not the software.

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

Peter Blaise, the spaces in your hyperlink make it untraceable.

Note, of course when copying and pasting my shared web link, remove the spaces in the link before trying to go there:

Read their dialog with Smart PC Utilities at
[ https :// sharewareonsale. com/discuss/topic/game-fire-pro-jul-16-2020 ]

FYI For Your Information, I put spaces in links so they do not cause the post to get rejected or delayed, and so that GOTD does not become a traceable advertisement for other web pages they do not intend to go on record as referring people to.

Peter Blaise, with google chrome you may have noticed they install a process that runs often when no chrome browser is open supposedly to regularly scan the chrome addin extensions for malicious addins... On more than one system I have seen that process go rogue and scan every folder on every drive on a system and max out at least a single core reducing systems efficiency.

I forget the exact process name but if you look in task manger frequently you'll see it eventually it lives in the nonstandard %APPDATA%\google\ hierachy and it's replaced with each update installation so mutilating the executable will not resolve the resource hog and survelance activities perminantly... one needs to step up the heirachy beyond the folder named after the version number to the parent and add some deny FULL control to the ACL's for the install ACL's on the folder and then the executable cannot be executed written or new folders created for new updates. You could ask process lasso to reduce the pririty of ALL chrome.exe instances to below normal and if you do and one or more of the tabs scripts are CPU eaters you will not lose system responsiveness in other programms. Hope that helps.

In response to [ TK ], who wrote in response to my comment "... no, I will not close any one of my 60+ Google Chrome tabs ..." and gracefully ignored the other 1,500+ words in my diatribe:

Yea, I also have noticed non-tab Google programs running, and I toggle them off using free Microsoft SysInternals [ AutoRuns ], though telling free Bitsum [ Process Lasso ] to deny them is a fall-back alternative, kill these:

c:\program files (x86)\google\chrome\application\...[Chrome version number ] ...\elevation_service.exe

c:\program files (x86)\google\update\googleupdate.exe ( 2 instances )

All Chrome-based browsers are now using the elevation service, which I presume is a mini-Process-Lasso tweaker dedicated to boosting the one Chrome program itself - free Microsoft Edge now inserts their own elevation service, for example.

Sadly, I find Google to be Microsoft Jr in their bone-headed resistance to customer-centric programming.

For example, why can't Google Chrome print a web page properly formatted as PDF for paper or later screen review, when free Firefox, and especially free Opera, have figured out so much better style sheets for printing to PDF, Opera even offering to save as one long scrollable PDF page, great for comments web pages, and free [ PrintFriendly. com ] even strips out unrelated web-page-noise and marginalia, and resizes all fonts for consistent reading ( though it strips out comments ! )?

Google Chrome has recently reduced their heavy, overwhelming dominance of memory and CPU, and there are tuning tips and tricks out there, such that my 45+ tabs on an i5 2600 MHz x4 with 8 GB Windows 7 64 Pro seems responsive, even though the tab bar gives up and no longer shows new tabs once they get too small, and the gods forbid Google use 2 rows, apparently.

Remember how sweet was free [ Tab Mix Plus ] for Firefox?

I use Google Chrome mostly for it's superlative spell check ( which still needs improvement ), and it's automatic in-browser page translation, especially useful in chats where each person responds in a different language, and instantly, it's all in the same language.

I switch to ANY other browser whenever Google Chrome offends me.

And I switch to ANY other computer whenever one computer offends me, hence my suggestion to GameFire to license the USER, not the PC, letting us log in wherever we are, which would automatically log us out of other instances - I have a dozen or more computers, doesn't everyone?

- - - - -

On topic, I find Game Fire to be perhaps the most effective "gaming" program at causing the active on-screen program to be responsive, presumably by tilting the balance of CPU and resources attention.

However, the defaults out of the box, so to speak, are interfering ( such as shutting off the computer after 60 minutes ), but playing with the settings is wildly random and almost uncontrollable, no history, no "return to prior settings", no "return to before Game Fire", hence my extended exploration elsewhere and here at #3.

My suggestion for the program to have 4 live panels across the screen - [ System Settings ], [ Program Settings ], [ Settings Results ], [ Performance Results ], so the user can make adjustments and see results altogether on one presentation did not even garner a "thank you" from the programmer.

Perhaps I was too harsh in my lead in getting there, perhaps I will learn to replace "what you did wrong was ..." with "great start, now where this could go is ...".

Did they or you notice I said I was writing this on a computer I reformatted and reinstalled the operating system on because Game Fire crashed it so irredeemably?

Yeah, that's how safe Game Fire is when trying to learn how to master it's settings, with no fall back within Game Fire if things go awry.

A fresh install of Windows 7 64 Pro feels real responsive ... and responsiveness was the goal, right?

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

Peter Blaise, just curious how to get around chromes inability to usefully handle the tabs of those 60 chrome tabs? Firefox and the orginal EDGE and IE all provided a sliding window on the tabs with arrows on either end to move the sliding window and a drop down list of the undisplayed TABs but new EDGE that is based on open source Chrome also displays ALL the current TABs in one list and shrinks the tabs so they are practically non-useful and if one gets an inadvertant second click from a bad synaptics touchpad and driver it can end up closing the tab one selects. Currently I mostly use Comodo Ice Dragon fork of Firefox in windows 10 simply because it still handles many open TABs with ease.

In response to [ TK ] exploring how to control invisible tabs in Chrome:

[ Ctrl ][ Tab ] to open the next tab to the right

[ Ctrl ][ Shift ][ Tab ] to open to the next tab to the left

This als works in [ F11 ] full screen mode, by the way, as well as when there are fewer tabs than a full row, too.

Once my fingers are on the keyboard, I do not want to switch to the mouse, and back and forth, I prefer to find keyboard solutions, and keep on typing.

Yes, micro precision mouse pointer alignment clicking is a challenge not to close a tiny tab when trying to open it.

I've tried extensions to play with tab groups and offloading tabs and even Chrome's own settings to no avail, it's just a crappy system, and yes, it could be simply resolved by horizontal scrolling, if not multiple rows, or a vertical column called by a [ >> ] icon marker ... but end users are not Google's customers.

I find Comodo products to be invasive in that they seem to install unrelated background stuff, funny, because they claim to be a "Cybersecurity" specialist.

But we may all use whatever browser works at the moment, my hierarchy is Chrome first, then Firefox, then Opera, and then on down to IE for sticky old-fashioned web pages.

I even "browse" in Adobe Acrobat Pro on occasion, as it lets me click on links and add them to the current presentation as just more pages below the current one in a PDF.

Thanks for exploring this and sharing.
.

Peter Blaise, have you tried Tabli chrome extension? It provides an icon (because extensions cannot modifiy the GUI beyond adding an icon) on clicking the icon a pop-up window apears with all the opened tabs on a list similar to how firefox provides a drop down list of open tabs... regarding comodo programs yes generally their OWN products are too invasive but the portable iceDragon and Dragon are not LESS invasive than the original firefox and chrome repectively e.g. Dragon does not install or even contain the software scanner or the elevate_service you pointed out or any of the google update crud or usage reporting... I found Tabli last night after being annoyed by chrome one more time and discussing it... It's not perfect but it is a viable stopgap until some open source developer adds a better UI to the open source chrome project and all users of that code base can then update their derived products.

To [ TK ], trying various ways to get Google Chrome to respect tons of open tabs,

Free [ Tabli ] sounds promising.

I'm also breaking out groups of Chrome browser tabs into separate browser windows, and then I can [ Alt ][ Tab ] between them, and that let's me at least see the full size tabs titles with fewer tabs in each Chrome window.

Also, there are [ chrome :// flags ] to set to tell Chrome browser to not work on background tabs, even to not load page elements not in view, and that reduces Chrome browser's processor load, even if all that also slows down browsing and scrolling one particular web page once I am in a particular tab, but I'm just reading, so loading words I haven't gotten to yet at the bottom of the web page is really not an interference for my reading speed.

The endless list and descriptions of flags show that Google Chrome programmers are working on a ton of different stuff, way deeper and broader than I need, so why have they missed first addressing such comparatively simple stuff, such as a simple, clean, readable, and reliable printing CSS?

- - - - -

On topic, Game Fire does not seem to be aimed at optimizing the inner workings of specific programs, like Google Chrome, nor optimizing the inner workings of any particular "game", presumably, there are sites dedicated to tweaking any specific game, but on this site, on GOTD today, most of us responding seem to not be gamers, but we just seem to be regular broad-purpose users who want more responsiveness from our existing computers for everything we do.

Game Fire helps accomplish that in 2 ways:

1 - tweaking OS Operating System settings, which anyone can do manually, or with any other Windows tweaker, there are many Windows tweakers, most are free, and they each have their proprietary attitude on what settings produce the most responsiveness, no one agrees on a "perfect" set of configurations,

2 - actively boosting foreground programs while actively suppressing background programs, which, as I initially wrote, is like free Bitsum Process Lasso on steroids.

Once I personally accomplished a sense of controlled discipline over Game Fire, after much struggle, trashing, reformatting, and reinstalling the operating system, I now like it for what it does, and I seem to get greater responsiveness from foreground programs than I get when using any other solution, though I still have free Bitsum Process Lasso running in the background, and I'm comparing their logs, and since I see Process Lasso throttling Game Fire, I'll try Game Fire alone and see if it's even better when it is not throttled by Process Lasso.

The point, if there is one, is that, just as we don't consider Google to be the only controller we can use in Chrome browser, but we also like some [ Extensions ] from other providers ... same with Microsoft Windows, where we also like some enhanced controls from other providers, and Smart PC Utilities Game Fire is definitely in the game there, so to speak.

Nope, my computer bogged down in Chrome with Process Lasso turned off, and only using Game Fire, so I turned Process Lasso back on, and almost instantly got responsiveness back in Chrome.

Every computer is different, and perhaps we also need to first compare benchmarks for our computer to make sure we are getting what we paid for, before trying to supposedly enhance it, such as having the right video drivers, where a video fame rate of 12 can be the result of a bad driver, where the video is capable of supporting a frame of 30 or 40 - Game Fire does not even address whether or not our drivers are appropriate and maximized, doh!

- - - - -

Back to Chrome, I like free [ Tabli ], it seems to have 2 modes:

- simple ... drop down list of open tabs in all Chrome browser windows, requires no learning,

- customizable ... desktop app outside Chrome browser where we can also mark some tabs together as "remember these and return to them on demand", and "kill tabs no in my remember list", which requires some forethought, and I may not use this feature, but it may be a nice idea for routinized people.

More at [ medium. com/@antonycourtney/taming-tab-hell-with-tabli-83f080e32d17 ]

- - - - -

Thanks for exploring all this and sharing.
.

nigel, Thanks Nigel. If you have any ideas or suggestions that would help improve Game Fire, you can send them here:
http://game-fire-2.idea.informer.com/

Mike, This is the easy solution. To improve performance, upgrade your graphics card, CPU, add more RAM, and eventually you will need a powerful cooling system, however the question is what are the costs? SSD is cheap nowadays however it only helps speedup game loading in contrary a good CPU and GPU will cost you fortune. However despite the high-end hardware, this will not prevent hangs, interruptions, Internet slowdown, and battery draining caused by Windows background services and other third party apps like Windows search indexer, Windows update is downloading and installing updates, Microsoft OneDrive and other apps sync and etc.

So in this case Game Fire Pro wont improve your games performance directly but it will help decrease lags and interruptions and conserve your battery by preventing unnecessary services and processes from consuming your system resources.