WinUtilities Professional Edition 11 Review

very good
key review info
application features
  • Clean up and repair: Disk and Registry Cleaner, Shortcuts Fixer, Uninstall Manager
  • (5 more, see all...)

Nowadays, there are many software products designed to tweak and optimize Windows settings. Some of them are the recently reviewed AVG PC TuneUp and Ashampoo WinOptimizer.

WinUtilities Professional Edition is a suite that integrates many components specializing in OS upkeep, and some of them can be separately downloaded and installed. It features one-click maintenance that automatically carries out optimization jobs, cleanup tools for the disk and registry, a task scheduler and auto-shutdown support, and more.

The trial can run for 31 days without any limitations. Those who become convinced by WinUtilities' features may purchase the full package for $29.99 / €21.62.

The installation procedure is fast and does not request configuration beyond the standard settings. The interface is not flashy but neatly organized, letting users focus on features instead. There are four separate tabs available: "Modules," "1-Click Maintenance," "Scheduled Tasks" and "Status".

The Modules section shows all components included in WinUtilities. These are grouped by goal types into separate categories, namely cleanup and repair, optimization and improvement, privacy and security, files and folders, registry tools, and system tools. Two viewing modes can be toggled here – classic and full. The latter one organizes all modules in a list view.

Clean Up and Repair

Disk Cleaner is designed to remove all kinds of data that unnecessarily occupies space and clutters the system. It looks into temporary or junk files regarding backups, Internet Explorer, the memory dump, Scan Disk logs and Readme docs (among others), and can scan any selected drives or the entire hard disk.

Apart from applying default settings, users may tweak disk cleaner options by indicating the exact types of files to include and exclude from the search. It is also possible to skip read-only, hidden, system, old and zero-length files, identify and delete invalid shortcuts, as well as exclude any folders from the scanner.

View Disk Cleaner scan results and configure optionsAdvanced cleaning options can be enabled by taking into account Clipboard contents, system temporary files, the trash bin, recent Run history and documents list, and other system area. These settings can be restored to default.

Instead of permanently removing found junk files from the disk, WinUtilities can send them to the Recycle Bin or move them to a user-defined folder. As an extra safety precaution, the app can automatically create a system restore point before proceeding with file deletion, in case Windows starts experiencing stability issues afterward.

Registry Cleaner verifies for any invalid registry items when it comes to user and common software settings, system settings, ActiveX, OLE and COM, the uninstall section, recent applications and Internet Explorer use records, Start Menu and file associations, shared DLLs, unused language and time zone codes, along with the Run area. Once again, these categories can be filtered for scanning, while found registry issues can be added to an ignore list.

Handpick the Registry Cleaner areas and configuration optionsJust like the disk cleaner, this module is capable of creating system restore points before modifying any registry settings. Meanwhile, advanced users may select favorite registry hives or directly enter the registry key path to exclude from the search. Microsoft's Registry Editor can be consulted for the second option without leaving WinUtilities' interface.

Shortcuts Fixers basically scans the disk for any shortcuts whose targets no longer exist, whether they are files, folders, apps or URLs. Instead of picking entire partitions to look into, the search area can be reduced by selecting only common locations, such as the desktop or Start Menu. Invalid shortcuts can be cleaned, excluded from future scans or fixed by changing their target.

Remove invalid shortcuts and uninstall programsUninstall Manager does not stand out in particular when comparing it to Microsoft's default apps uninstaller. It is possible to use a search function, remove entries from the list (like adding them to an ignore list), open their location in Registry Editor, as well as to view app properties.

Optimize and Improve

Registry Defrag has the purpose of reducing registry fragments and ultimately optimizing the registry. It does not feature customization options but lets users review data analysis results (estimated new registry size and size difference) and defrag the registry in a simple wizard. A system reboot is required to finalize the whole process.

Review Registry and Disk Defrag analysis resultsDisk Defrag shares the same goal as the previous module, only that it focuses on reducing fragments for files and folders to boost system performance. It evaluates defragging information on one or more selected drives at once, and shows a cluster map with free and used space, processing areas, the Master File Table (MFT), along with fragmented and defragmented clusters. The computer may be scheduled to turn off automatically on task completion.

Memory Optimizer is designed to free up RAM automatically, although it doesn't actually explain the steps its takes. However, it shows memory and CPU information, and features an auto-optimization mode for RAM that attempts to release memory when dropping below a user-defined level (measured in MB). As for manual optimization, users may define the minimum amount of RAM to try and free.

Configure RAM optimization settings and manage autostart entriesAs the name says, BHO Remover clears Internet Explorer of Browser Helper Objects (BHOs), which are basically unwanted toolbars. Startup Cleaner lets users delete registry entries and services which automatically run at system startup, add new ones or edit existing items.

Privacy and Security

History Cleaner protects user activity by getting rid of all tracks in web browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari), Windows and third-party applications. These include cookies, autocomplete form and password data, typed URLs, Internet cache and entire browsing sessions, as well as Clipboard contents, auto dial-up history, Recycle Bin, Windows updates and log files, Windows XP Prefetch files, and Skype call history, among many others. Specific cookies and typed URLs in Internet Explorer can be disregarded from deletion.

Clean web browser traces and monitor active processesProcess Security acts like a Task Manager with more options (it can even replace Task Manager). It monitors CPU, memory, page file, and virtual address space usage, along with processes, startup entries, system services and scheduled tasks, showing their security level based on community rating. A process' priority level can be set to any level between low and real-time. Users may also be interested to find out the modules which depend on a particular process, terminate active processes and services, run new processes and scheduled tasks, as well as to look up modules online.

EXE Protector comes in handy when the computer is shared between multiple users. It can password-protect applications to restrict user access, optionally create EXE backups, and remove the security status at any later time.

Password-protect apps and shred files beyond recoveryFile Shredder securely deletes files and folders from the hard disk, in order to prevent third parties from recovering private data using specialized tools (like Recuva). The shredder may also shift its attention to Recycle Bin contents, as well as to free space that was previously occupied by items deleted under regular circumstances, in order to make already deleted data unrecoverable (otherwise known as free space washing). As for the overwrite method, users may opt for a single pass (quickest but least effective), three passes (DOD 5223-22M), seven passes (NSA), or Gutmann's 35 passes (slowest but most effective).
Recover accidentally deleted filesWinUtilities also integrates a function for recovering accidentally deleted files and folders, called File Undelete, as long as they were not wiped with tools like File Shredder. After selecting a favorite drive or directory, the program shows all its contents. Existing and empty files and directories can be excluded from the search, while deleted items may be extracted to the hard disk or copied to other locations.

Files and Folders

Disk Analysis displays disk usage for any selected partition and finds out the largest files, folders, hidden files and system files, in order to help users free up space by deleting unused items. The largest items may also be sorted by file type. Any file or directory can be opened in Windows Explorer or Command Prompt, as well as sent to the Recycle Bin.

Evaluate disk space usage and password-protect filesDocument Protector shares the same characteristics as EXE Protector, except that it secures photos, videos, documents and other types of files from unauthorized access. Moreover, it can assign a password to multiple items with the same or different types simultaneously.

Extra space can be recovered by eliminating duplicate files using the Duplicate Files Finder. It can browse the entire disk, selected partitions or common locations, and take into account the file creation, last access and last modification time, all or custom file types, together with the size and file name (ignoring the case) for matching results, as well as compare the files' binary code. Specific folders may be excluded before initializing the search. The items selected for cleaning can be sent to the Recycle Bin, permanently deleted, or sent to another folder.

Locate and delete duplicate files, as well as split and merge ifles File Splitter and Joiner is a handy feature that cuts files into smaller parts which can be spread across multiple storage devices, such as CDs, DVDs or USB flash disks. Items can be split by defining the size of each part, number of total parts, or start and end position in segments. The pieces may be put back together by using the same module or by running the batch file created in the same location as the parts, without the app's help (if this option was enabled in the splitting process).

Registry Tools

The current Windows registry configuration can be backed up to file (whether it is the entire registry or just selected hives) and easily restored via the Registry Backup & Restore module. In addition, users may look for specific keys and values with the help of Registry Search, which can take into account only specific value types, verify the entire registry or just selected keys, as well as use wildcards. Key can be opened in Registry Editor, deleted, or exported to any location on the disk (to REG format).

Back up, restore and search the Windwos registrySystem Tools System Control enables advanced users to customize Windows settings by editing configuration files (Boot.ini, System.ini, Win.ini, Autoexec.bat, Config.sys), managing user and system variables along with Windows and Internet Explorer folders, modifying OEM information, running Control Panel applets, as well as by altering network connection details when it comes to TTL, TCP window size and SACK. Furthermore, the PC can be scheduled to stand by, hibernate, shut down, log off or restart according to a countdown timer, while password protection can be enabled for attempts to cancel the task.
Manage various system settings and schedule tasksWinUtilities' Task Scheduler has less features than the Windows default tool. It mostly deals with the application's internal modules and lets users schedule new tasks, run them, or edit their properties, but it also covers power management options and third-party programs.

System Information gathers data on Windows, display, memory, performance, drives, system and peripheral devices, network and battery, giving users the possibility of exporting these details to an HTML report. Auto Shutdown was previously described in the “System Control” section. Last but not least, WinUtilities provides fast access to some Windows built-in functions, namely Registry Editor, DirectX, System Information, System Configuration Utility, Disk Cleanup and Computer Management.

1-Click Maintenance is a special feature that ensures both basic and advanced PC upkeep with one click. The standard mode empties the Clipboard, Recycle Bin and recent documents history, while also removing Windows and Internet temporary files, Internet cookies, autocomplete forms and password data.

Immediately activate WinUtilities' modules with on clickOn the other hand, the advance maintenance mode runs WinUtilities' components dedicated to removing junk data, invalid registry entries and online activity traces, as well as to defragmenting the registry and disk drives. It applies the current configuration of each module when initialized. Furthermore, 1-Click Maintenance can generate a report or turn off the PC automatically on task completion.

From the Scheduled Tasks panel it is possible to start Disk Cleaner, History Cleaner, Registry Cleaner or Disk Defrag at a scheduled time. Meanwhile, the last tab called Status shows overall statistics on total modules installed, the app's current version, last update and database update, along with license information.

As far as general program settings are concerned, WinUtilities can be asked to run at every Windows startup until further notice, and to minimize to the system tray area on close in order to become less intrusive.


The Good

WinUtilities worked smoothly on Windows 8.1 Pro during our tests. Tasks are usually carried out rapidly. The program is multilingual, has a clear-cut interface, includes help documentation, and can automatically check for updates.

HTML reports can be generated for the Disk Cleaner, Duplicate Files Finder, Process Security, Registry Cleaner, Startup Cleaner, and System Information modules.

Overall, the package includes all the necessary tools for running Windows under normal parameters.

The Bad

Some of the components are not necessarily more advanced than what Windows has to offer. For example, the programs uninstaller simply runs an app's default uninstall file; it cannot identify and delete leftover files and registry entries.

We haven't noticed any changes when attempting to optimize RAM during our evaluation. The help file is not thorough.

The Truth

To sum it up, the pro edition of WinUtilities comprises a bunch of handy features that favor Windows optimization and maintenance. However, users should not expect any major OS improvements. Those who are not satisfied with the app's price may resort to WinUtilities Free Edition.

NOTE: You can also read our previous review for WinUtilities 5.11.

user interface 4
features 4
ease of use 4
pricing / value 3


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good
 
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