14 DAY TRIAL // The Modules section of Ashampoo WinOptimizer is definitely the core of the product, as it provides all of the customization settings for both the operating system and software included in Windows. But there is something more to the application than tweaking, and that is automatic optimization, which goes by the name of One-Click Optimization, backups and settings for the general configuration of the program.
Optimizing your system for its best performance is easily achieved in WinOptimizer by manually choosing the settings you want, but there is also a simpler way to reach this stage. And this can be done in the Overview main menu, which offers the possibility to analyze the system with one click. It scans the system with the tools included in the application, based on the individual settings you've made to each of them.
There are two types of examinations available, a quick scan, which scans the most common parts, and a full scan, which takes a look into the entire system. Regardless of the scan type you choose, the application will provide you with a set of recommended actions that lead to improving the speed of the system.
The tools involved in this activity are the StartUp-Tuner, the Tweaking module, the Internet Cleaner, the Registry Optimizer and the Drive Cleaner. They will start analyzing, and, in very little time, display the results. Starting the optimization process will actually lead to applying the recommended actions. Of course, all the changes are presented and the ones that don't work for you can be ticked off. And all the modifications to the registry and system settings are backed up, so the most important changes are reversible.
The Favorites window shows the most frequently used sections in all the modules of the software. The logs comprise the number of starts since the entire suite has been installed, plus statistics on the number of deleted files, registry items, restored backups and details on the current version of Ashampoo WinOptimizer (installed skins and language files, available backups).
Configuring the entire suite is extremely simple, especially because the small degree of customization. The Appearance settings let you select one of the three different skins present, as well as the working language. Other settings regard the security of the whole application, a very important feature that permits locking the suite with a password for restricting unauthorized use and change of the settings.
It also allows you to integrate various menus of the application into the Windows Explorer context menu. The choice is yours to include defrag, free space analysis, file wiping, encryption/decryption, or split/join files in the right-click menu.
More customization regards the One-Click Optimizer and lets you select the apps to be started with the feature: Internet Cleaner, Drive Cleaner and Registry Optimizer. Confirmation for deleting the data is also a possibility.
Having such a huge set of applications gathered under one roof is only natural to be able to configure at least some of them to run automatically with a user-defined frequency. The Tasks menu of the main application window is where WinOptimizer permits defining the time and date for automatically running either the One-Click Optimizer or the defragmenting tool.
The Multiple tasks are supported and, in the case of the defrag tool, you can pick the drive to be optimized. Thus, all drives can be scheduled for defragmentation by simply creating more tasks.
The Good
The entire suite is set to bring your system to the best performance possible, as well as to personalize the operating system so as to make things easier for you. The tools involving files (File Splitter and Joiner, Undeleter, File Wiper, File Encrypter and Decrypter) are the best working in the entire suite. They do their job responsibly and you can rely entirely on their services.
Backing up all important changes (registry and system settings) is a push to experience some of the most important features of the application without running the risk of deteriorating something without the possibility to revert it to the initial state.
WinOptimizer can be protected with a password. That ensures that only authorized users can make changes and modify the settings for practically anything included in the suite.
The One-Click Optimizer is an easy solution to cut off the dead wood and benefit from a more stable and performant operating system with a single click of a button. It'll start the programs required for cleaning temporary files and the registry, as well as the elements loading at Windows startup and perform some tweaks.
The Bad
There are few apps that do their best, and most of them are simply average. The Internet Tuner is of minimum importance, considering that the Internet speed is generally no longer a problem for many users. AntiSpy has been a big letdown, particularly in the Software section where you can customize Internet Explorer and the Media Player with settings that are already included in the two applications, and they are all in plain view and not too special either. Besides this aspect, there is little available.
Tweaking is another section where Vista users may feel they are discriminated against, as plenty of the options present address Windows XP (take a look at the Start Menu tab under the Windows Explorer menu), plenty of them are available either in the configuration panels of the applications they address, or simply do not work (changing the system folders' location is one example). Also, all of them are freely floating on the Web and there are plenty of different registry tweaks better than what is provided.
Some of what it has to offer may even be considered quite useless by some of the users, and Icon Saver and Internet Tuner could fit perfectly here, along with some parts of the Tweaking section in the Tune System Settings module.
Overall, Ashampoo WinOptimizer manages to gather a myriad of registry tricks to customize your copy of Windows, but nothing is particularly new or out of the ordinary.
The Truth
With the tweaks for various applications such as Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player or Windows Mail, all the settings it provides are included in the very applications they address. The same goes for the tweaking of the input devices (mouse and keyboard), which let you set them up from the corresponding applets of the Control Panel.
On the bright side, there are reasons to use WinOptimizer, and the Context Menu Manager, StartUp Tuner, Process Manager, file-related tools (wiper, splitter/joiner, encrypter/decrypter, undeleter), Drive Cleaner, Internet Cleaner, Disk Spare Explorer or Defrag 3 are pretty good.
Overall, WinOptimizer does not address those that can find the tweaks on the Web and apply them themselves. Considering that Ashampoo constantly hits registry users with all sorts of offers, the $49.99 on the price tag can quickly shrink to 50% and even more.
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