Free PC Maintenance Tools

Keep Your Computer Running Fast and Reliably

Just like a car, your computer needs regular maintenance to continue performing at its best. Waiting until accumulated minor problems make your computer run intolerably slow is bad for it. A neglected PC works harder than it should and then hardware can start to fail. You may experience a sudden catastrophic crash similar to a car engine seizing up because you never changed the oil.

All-in-one PC maintenance tools make it a breeze to keep your system in top shape. Their functions generally include registry cleaning; disk defragmentation; optimization of system settings; and deletion of unnecessary temporary files. Some free PC maintenance tools include scheduling of maintenance, cleanup of spyware, and system-tweaking options for advanced users.

Smart users perform PC cleanup and tune-up operations every week or so. Here's what I recommend, and some free computer maintenance tools to help you do the job.

• Advanced System Care by IObit has been downloaded over 100 million times since 2006. It takes only one click to launch this popular program's comprehensive maintenance scan. It does an excellent job of registry cleaning, disk defragmentation, junk files cleanup, and system optimization. It also clears out spyware and adjusts your system settings to protect your privacy and security.
• The Glary Utilities is another PC maintenance suite. It, too, does registry, privacy, and junk files cleanup. It does not defragment hard drives, but Glarysoft has a separate defragger called Defraggler. It includes an application uninstaller that is more sophisticated than Windows Add/Remove app; for example, you can tag multiple applications to be uninstalled in one operation. It also includes a startup programs manager, a memory manager, and a nifty utility to remove unwanted context menu items. Cleanup can include a sweep for duplicate files, empty file folders, and broken shortcuts.
• Ashampoo WinOptimizer also provides one-click ease for disk, privacy, and registry cleaning tasks. Its full scan provides helpful suggestions of unnecessary processes and services that may be shut down to improve performance. It works very fast, perhaps at the expense of thoroughness in its registry cleaning and disk defragmentation. You do have to register this program, but it's free. Note that there is a newer version of this program available from Ashampoo, but it costs $49.
• Comodo System Cleaner is a relatively new entry from the developer of Comodo Antivirus and other online security products. It cleans up the registry, temporary files, and program history lists. It also includes a processes manager (akin to Task Manager), a startup programs manager, and a scheduler. However, disk defragmentation is missing.

Don't Forget About Security

Finally, it should go without saying that you need to be vigilant about computer security. Here are the two most important pieces of advice I can give on that subject:

1. Keep Your Software Updated - See my related article Secure Your Software to learn how to scan your computer for software vulnerabilities, and how to make sure you have the latest versions and security patches.
2. Use AntiVirus and AntiSpyware Protection - See my related articles Free AntiVirus Programs and Top 10 Spyware Blockers to learn how to get excellent security software for free.

Each of these free PC maintenance programs has additional bells and whistles for advanced users or troubleshooting. Read the product features lists carefully if you have a particular issue that you want to resolve. But all of them will do a good job of tuning up your computer for top performance.

Do you have a favorite computer maintenance program I didn't mention? Post your comment or question below...