WinEmPower

WinEmPower is a Windows tweaker that lets you enable, disable and optimize a few OS features. For example, you can unlock God Mode or deactivate Windows Defender. It offers support for Windows 7 and Server 2008.

There is no setup pack involved, so you can save the downloaded executable file anywhere on the hard drive or on a removable storage unit, in order to directly launch WinEmPower on on any computer without previous installers.

It adopts a user-friendly interface made from a single window that lists all possible Windows tweaks, so all you have to do is make a custom selection and click a button to apply modifications. Recommended settings are available for Windows 7 and Server 2008. These can be just as easily restored to their default configuration.

Activating GodMode creates a desktop shortcut leading you to a list with all Windows built-in features, including hidden ones. You can integrate new entries into the context menu of folders to launch PowerShell and Command Prompt instances, as well as to take ownership. Similarly, a right-click menu entry can be added to files to open them with Notepad, regardless of the file type.

Processes can automatically end when sending a shutdown, log off or restart signal to the machine. You can enable the Windows Aero interface via desktop composition even when Windows Experience Index cannot be started or completed, as well as activate the OS sidebar even if User Account Control is disabled.

It's possible to disable auto reboot on system crash to continue with work, as long as the issue doesn't affect Windows. You can deactivate remote access to the Windows registry to protect it, along with Task Scheduler, Windows Defender and UAC. These last four options require system restart.

As far as optimization options are concerned, you can increase the shutdown and restart speed of applications and services by modifying the timeout values, speed up the low-level hooks timeout and application hung timeout when it's no longer responding to commands, as well as remove delay from opening menus to boost navigation.

The tool worked smoothly in our tests, without triggering the OS to hang, crash or prompt error messages. It applied changes swiftly while remaining light on system resources usage.

To sum it up, WinEmPower provides you with practical and easy-to-activate options for unlocking, locking or optimizing a few Windows features, and it can be seamlessly handled by anyone. Too bad it doesn't offer support for newer Windows editions.