14 DAY TRIAL // Trace elimination
If you want to hide your traces after using the computer or simply delete some data without the possibility to recover its content, this module is up for the task. The Erase Traces section makes available options for clearing all computer browsing history and the most recently used files.
For the web browsing activity, PerfectSpeed can make go away the trails left behind by Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Mind that only the web browsers installed on your system will be available under the Internet Browser box. The elements it can eliminate are cache, cookies and browsing history. For any of these the application requires a computer reboot/user logoff, which is a bit too much for this kind of action, considering that most browser trace elimination software requires a simple restart of the web browser affected.
In our case the process of getting rid of these tracking elements took quite a small amount of time to complete and it seems that PerfectSpeed is perfectly capable of eliminating them without rebooting the entire computer. On the same note, it looks like when you select only the web browser data to be deleted the app does not ask for a reboot.
The file shredder integrated in this module permits deleting files beyond recovery – but files and files alone; you can't add folders or directories. Drag and drop does not work and you have to use the PerfectSpeed console and add them (multiple selection from different locations is possible). Once the secure deletion procedure is over there is no way to recover the data and take a peek inside.
However, the names of the deleted files are not scrambled during the process and the simple use of a file undeleter, like Undelete Plus, will show them to you. It'll even recover them, but there will be no readable data available, so you won't be able to open them.
Drive optimization
Defragmentation is a key component to keeping your PC move at a quicker pace. It improves the read/write speed and every Windows user has to defrag the hard disk(s) sooner or later. PerfectSpeed benefits from the same engine available in PerfectDisk 10, one of the best defragmenting solutions on the market. It moves fast and is thorough in its enterprise of organizing the data together and allowing for huge chunks of free space to be created.
Multiple partitions can be dealt with at once, adding flexibility and comfort to the operation. The same optimization options as in PerfectDisk are available in here as well so you're going to benefit from SMARTPlacement of files or free space consolidation, offline defragmentation or defrag only of the data that needs such optimization.
For each of the selected drives there is some information available regarding the level of fragmentation as well as the scheduled time for optimization or the total size. Statistics of the current state of a partition (fragmentation, performance history and the drive map with the file distribution) are present in the lower half of the screen, in specific tabs.
In the Drive Map you'll find all the files available on the selected partition. If you want to find a particular file in the map, suffice it to use the Find button and select the desired item. The application will make that particular item blink in the map, letting you know its position. All the color coding used for this section is changeable.
Under the Performance tab you'll get details on how well the drive is performing before and after the optimization process. Here, file and free space fragmentation comparison charts are also listed. Unlike in performance, in this case the lower the values are the better the state of the drive is.
Some data cannot be defragmented online (Master File Table, Metadata file) and the matter needs to be addressed offline. MFT and metadata offline defragmentation is enabled by default but if you want to change this, access Properties in the right-click menu of one of the partitions listed. You'll find settings for online defragmentation (maximum percentage of fragmentation, SMARTPlacement options) and offline defrag (unlike PerfectDisk, which can deal with system files, PerfectSpeed lets you enable directory defrag for FAT32 drives, MFT and metadata file defrag). There is also the possibility to build up an exclusion list, a set of data that should be left untouched during the optimization process.
One of the most helpful options available for drive optimization is the possibility to gather in one place only the data that indeed needs to be defragged. The application can show the elements in need of faster access (the total size and the number of fragments for each of them is also displayed) and can perform the defrag procedure only in them.
Registry cleanining and claiming free space Scheduling, tweaking, configuration and final words
