Do Those 'Speed Up Your PC' Programs Really Work?

I purchased a program by Iolo from an ad on your webpage which although full of promises to speed up my PC did absolutely nothing. Trying to cancel the program and get a refund was more difficult than pulling teeth. All I could get was an offer to 'upgrade' and take care of other problems.
I'll stay away from Iolo in future.
I already subscribe to your newsletter and purchased your book - both are fine publications but I'm not too pleased with one of your advertisers for sure.

One nice freeware is CCleaner from Piriform (formerly Crap Cleaner). Nice and quick and easy to use. Cleans Windows, Apps, restores, cleans free memory, and lots more. Used on XP and now Windows 7.

@actionjksn I notice all you guys who do the "Everybody needs to get rid of Windows and switch to Linux" posts when the article is obviously about windows will never mention any of the cons of using Linux operating system instead of Windows.

LIKE WHAT?

I like Toolwiz Care, it is totally free and so many cool functions it has!

Good article Bob.

'Go Faster Stripe' programs that you pay for do one thing extremely well - they keep your bank balance lean and mean.

I have used CCleaner for many years and it has never let me down.

I've been fixing computers for a few years now. Here is what works.

Getting rid of virus/adware/spyware.
Turning of programs running in the background.
If you use IE get rid of the toolbars.

Everything else is basically Snake oil.

Is it true what KRM says, that the free version only 'flags' and we have to buy the pro to remove them? It would be helpful to know this as I was about to install this prog. Appreciate all your posts though!! Tx!

EDITOR'S NOTE: There are a few features in the PRO version that are not in the FREE version, but that's to be expected. It's NOT true that you have to buy the Pro version to do any of the repair functions. I just ran the most recent version, and it fixed registry errors, invalid shortcuts, cleaned up history, and removed junk files.

@Joseph

Joseph
15 May 2012

@actionjksn I notice all you guys who do the "Everybody needs to get rid of Windows and switch to Linux" posts when the article is obviously about windows will never mention any of the cons of using Linux operating system instead of Windows.

LIKE WHAT?

Like The fact that the Windows programs that people use and often need are not compatible. Like if they go to install a piece of hardware they may have to compile something or use the terminal, even though most users of Windows are not advanced enough to even know what that means. Like many of the things on Windows that are automated or require clicking something require opening a terminal which is not something the average Windows user is advanced enough to handle, nor do they have any desire to learn. Like the fact that the appeal of Linux for Linux fan boys is the fact that it is not dumbed down and nearly fully automated nor do they want it to be. They are already complaining that it has been simplified too much. depending on which version your talking about. Which leads to the other thing it is so fragmented with so many versions. And the program incompatibility. So if you don't like Open Office or Libre Office tough luck if you have Linux you can't have Microsoft Office, and guess what some - many people don't want anything but Microsoft office and many other Windows programs. And when you say LIKE WHAT? are you implying that there are no cons to using Linux instead of Windows? Like there are only pros an no cons? I am far more advanced in computers than the average user, I know because I fix several per month so I know where the average users technical level is. And I have trouble with Linux. The average PC user would be lost unless they had someone who is really good with Linux to set everything up and take care of every problem they have. Most people don't want to be on Linux Forums and sometimes even being talked down to because they don't understand, trying to figure out how to do the things that were fairly simple with Windows. Linux is a great and powerful operating system and it would be my first choice for a super computer or something like that. But it is not designed to be as simple to use for the average PC user. It's for geeks and there's nothing wrong with that but it is what it is.

I have used several, but my favorite is Advanced System Care. It's worth every penny for the professional version. All the tools it provides are beyond expectation. It's easy to use and comes with a cool control panel. Not some plain documented interface.
This program is NOT a rip-off at all. If your pc isn't worth the $39 to keep it clean and up to speed, then you get what you buy when you go with all the freebies out there.

This article could not have come at a better time. Thanks a bunch for the help.

Today in my email I received from AVG, whom I already utilize, a "Free One Time Fix." With an option to purchase for unlimited uses.

Is this one worth the try?

Hi Bob,
I use System Mechanic from Iolo. In USA is ~40$ and you can use pro version for 30 days full and after you can buy if you are happy with it. I started with version 6 in 2002 or so and now they are at ver.10. I don't work for them but I like this software.

John
Sent from my HTC

I installed Advanced System Care based on the advice in this article. I had to shut down Chrome during the installation in order to continue, while I was in the middle of a complex session with many multiple windows and tabs open. When I reopened Chrome, the whole lot had vanished. The history had also been completely trashed so there was no way to continue an important session. Any software that can trash information like this without a full warning can only be written by a complete cretin. AVOID THIS GARBAGE LIKE THE PLAGUE - anyone recommending it is presumably the author. BE WARNED.

EDITOR'S NOTE: John, the irony here is that ASC did *exactly* what it was supposed to do. One of the things ASC offers is to erase your browser history. It's an optional feature on the Quick Care screen, but you must have missed that. Sorry you had a bad experience with it, but that's not the fault of the software. And just for the record, I'm not the author of ASC. Further, I have no financial stake in the company, nor do I make money by recommending it.

Hi all, I have been using advanced system care for ages. I liked the free one so much, I spent "chicken feed" on the pro one. (Meaning it's quite cheap) It does everything I need. I aso use CCleaner, and run Malawarebytes Antimalaware from time to time. I have Microsoft Essentials and I never have a problem. Just quietly, I think firefox and chrome go a bit 'funny' when you do some things through them..

I also use the Advanced System Care Pro version on my PC and laptop and have been very pleased with the software. I began with the free version and upgraded to the Pro version when it was offered a very low price. You just have to take the time to learn what the software does and confrom it for your individual needs.

This is the latest about being duped by PC MATIC and it cost me in time far more than the darn program. I do not know why and how, PC Pitstop, which started several years ago, with great online tools and tests for your computer for free and then offered tips for issues it may have found, started gouging the consumer with those pathetic ads. It is not a one click fix and woe to the end-user who does the "Fix it For Me" box. As Bob says, a system image/backups are very important as that tool nearly wiped-out my whole harddrive. It's a disgrace the pitstop crew went in to "greed mode" and I can't fathom the amount of demands they have had from people, mostly novices who believed in the ads, to give them their money back, but I've seen hundreds of posts from angry users-and they were somewhat tech savvy. I feel for those who really fell for how simple it was to use and more than likely had to pay big bucks to get their computers up and running again with a good chance, some of their stuff was unrecoverable. It's a shame what happened at the pitstop, but live and learn!
LindaSView

Do not, I repeat, do NOT buy "Fixcleaner," sold by Slimware Utilities. My PC was running slow, so after reading the reviews (no doubt "planted" by Slimware, because they were almost all great!), I paid $34.95 for this utility that promised to speed things up, etc. Here's what it did: Initially, it sped my PC up a little. Two wks. later my games wouldn't play or play correctly, so I sent an e-mail via their "Support" option. They never responded, so I tried their "Chat" section. The tech, "Bernard," took control of my computer and keyboard and "fixed" things. Over the next 8 months I had to use Chat about 12 times. Things got worse. Games wouldn't play, flashing lights, screen went completely black, strange happenings. In short, Fixcleaner not only failed to fix anything, it put, or allowed, several nasty viruses into my PC, as well as some spyware. I had to have a local shop fix it. This is a SCAM.

I installed PCmatic on my 2005 dell 4700 desktop running winxp home edition because avg and avg tuneup was doing nothing to address the popup adware that would pop up every time I clicked the mouse. I was seriously considering purchasing another computer because of this problem. After running the pcmatic program all adware was removed/disabled/quarantined or whatever it does, drivers were updated and the computer ran faster and very smoothly. I give PCmatic 5 stars our of 5.

I installed PCmatic on my 2005 dell 4700 desktop running winxp home edition because avg and avg tuneup was doing nothing to address the popup adware that would pop up every time I clicked the mouse. I was seriously considering purchasing another computer because of this problem. After running the pcmatic program all adware was removed/disabled/quarantined or whatever it does, drivers were updated and the computer ran faster and very smoothly. I give PCmatic 5 stars our of 5.

I downloaded speed up my pc from mypcgeeksupport.com. I thought I was paying 19.99 for the software. They billed my debit card $47 and had it set up to bill my debit card every month. I uninstalled the software and asked for my money back. No one will contact me. Don't ever give these people access to any of your accounts.