The need to keep your computer running fast is becoming more important. With so many of our devices being used online, it is vital that you keep on top of optimizing your system. There are many free and paid tools available to help keep your computer running like new. Some of the top choices for computer speed ups and optimizations are;
- Ccleaner
- Wise Cleaner
- Advanced System Care
One product that is gaining popularity is System Mechanic by Iollo Software. System Mechanic is an all in one package that includes real time threat detection and a range of system optimization tools. The tools that are included cover everything from removing junk file to helping you recover lost files.
Overview of included tools
The core tools that are included with System Mechanic Professional are
PC Cleanup – Celans up to 50 types of junk files on your computer, including
Registry Tuner- Most computers will build up hundreds, if not thousands of unwanted registry entries over time. The System Mechanic Registry Tuner will scan and remove any registry errors. The tuner also backup up your registry for extra peace of mind.
Enhanced Netbooster – Ensures that your internet connection is running as fast as possible
Security Optimizer – Identifies any software updates that have been missed.
The Best Features
Anti-Malware – Scans for active malware on your system and removes it quickly and efficiently
File Recovery Tool – Helps you to recover files that may have been deleted accidentally
Drive Scrubber – The perfect tool to erase your hard drive or USB device securely. Very handy if you are thinking of selling your computer
We will be discussing these three features in more depth later in this review.
See the full video review of all of the included tools below.
Cleaning Your PC With System Mechanic Professional
Using System Mechanic is fairly easy, but the inital dashboard can be overwhelming. Because there are so many tools included with System Mechanic, it can be hard to know exactly where to start.
We recommend running the following tools in this order to speed up your PC and keep it running fast
- Run the PC Clean Up Tool – This will remove junk files on your system including leftover download files, leftover update files and temporary files used in everyday use
- Now run the Enhanced Privacy Cleaner – Which will clean your browsing cookies, chat histories and cache
- Next run the Registry Tuner – Now we are getting to the good stuff! The Registry Tunder will defrag and tidy up your registry. Don’t forget to do a backup of your registry before you make the changes.
- Run the NetBooster – Now that the clean up is done it’s time to speed things up! Running the Net Booster will ensure that your internet is running fast!
- Optimize your system startup – Use the Startup Optimizer to turn off programs that you don’t need running at startup.
- Last but not least, keep yourself protected – Run the Security Optimizer. This will ensure your programs are up to date and there are no holes in your Windows Security.
- Finally Run the Newest System Mechanic Tool, Privacy Shield. This lets you turn off some of the pesky Windows settings that track your data.
Now that you have your computer cleaned up and running fast you can put System Mechanic to work with a few of the best features.
Anti-Malware Feature
System Mechanic Professional includes sophisticated Anti-Malware built in. This is a fantastic feature that we have not seen in any other system optimization software. The System Mechanic Professional website boasts an advanced dual engine that stops malware fast. The cloud based system is unique to System Mechanic, any identified threats are sent to a central database to help improve the overall effectiveness of the software.
Deletion / File Recovery Tools
Two of the best features of the professional version of System Mechanic are the disk scrubber and the search and recover tool. Both are extremely helpful and we can almost guarantee you will need one of these tools in the future. To prove it, we will show you two real-world examples;
- Using Drive Scrubber – Let’s assume you want to make some extra money and decide to sell the old computer in your garage. Before you advertise the computer for sale you will want to clean off any personal data you have on the PC. Simply deleting the files won’t do though, as they could be recovered easily by the purchaser. To ensure that your data removed from the hard drive and unrecoverable, you can use the System Mechanic Drive Scrubber. The Drive Scrubber actually uses wiping methods that were originally developed for the US Defense Department. You really can rest assured that your data has been removed and is not recoverable.
- Recovering Data – Like most people, you have probably deleted some files accidentally while using your computer. You might have looked online for a file recovery tool, chances are you found that most of the products cost a lot of money and didn’t guarentee results. The search and recover tool does exactly as the name states, it finds and recovers files that have been deleted. It can recover all types of files including emails, music, pictures and office documents.
Pro’s, Con’s & Final Thoughts
Pro’s
- License covers an unlimited amount of devices
- Tools included cover everything you need to keep your computer running fast
- Malware Protection is a great addition
Con’s
One of the biggest negatives about System Mechanic is the billing and auto-renewal functions. Firstly, it is worth noting that there is no information on the Iolo website about the length of the license you are purchasing. The Auto-renewal is a little bit deceiving
No Firewall included – Although there is a Firewall page in the dashboard it only detects whether the Windows firewall is turned on or off. It would be nice to see an included Firewall with System Mechanic Pro
If you need a reliable system cleaner that includes Anti-Malware protection, or if you are looking for a tool to use in conjunction with your Internet Security or Antivirus software. System Mechanic Professional is the tool for you.
Thanks for the review. I myself use one of the tools in your list, CCleaner.
It’s nice to see an upcoming application getting a thorough review and I like that this tool has a data recovery feature built-in!
Thank you for the step-by-step on how to clean my machine properly. Too many times tools just toss options at you with no real definition of what order to use or what they really do.
Your scoring graphic up top helped me too. I tend to only look at items with a score of 9 or 10 when it comes to capability. As for the license information, when I followed the purchase link it showed me this:
System Mechanic Professional – 1 year service
So I’d assume it’a 1 year license which is respectable for the price.
I’ll probably bite the bullet and get it in the next few days when I plan to start my monthly maintenance cycle on my computers (yes, I’m a bit anal when it comes to my electronics).
Thanks again!
Hi Scott, Thanks for stopping by!
yes – the built in data recovery is very impressive. No other system optimizer has this in built. Similarly the in built Anti-Malware is something we haven’t seen in a system optimizer either, very impressive!
You are welcome – I like to have the pro’s / con’s and an overall rating on the top of every review, I find it helps my readers to see the best (and worst) of the product straight off the bat.
Thanks for the info on the purchase link. Interestingly , this is really the only place you can see the license info – the main website does not give a lot of detail on the length of time for licensing, Which we thought was a little bit odd.
I don’t blame you for having a routine with your system maintenance, in fact I think it’s awesome! I do the same lol.
If you need anything else please don’t hesitate to contact me directly anytime.
Dan
Hey bud i have 2 questions
1. I have a rather expencive gaming pc setup you wrote this will help keep it running fast and clean etc. Will this work for gaming pc’s aswell?
2. You wrote multiple devices does this mean i can use it for several computers with a single purchase or do i have to purchase it multiple times for each computer for example my setup has 4 towers so basically i have 4 computers would i have to buy this 4 times or will 1 purchase cover all 4?
Hi Justin! Thanks for stopping by and appreciate your questions. It will definitely help to keep your Gaming rig running fast! Like any PC, a gaming rig can become slow as ‘junk’ files build up, the registry starts to become fragmented and leftover installation / update files can slow you down also. System Mechanic can help with all of theses and more actually.
Yes, correct – this is an unlimited device license , you can install it on all 4 of your machines + more! Share it with your family and friends if you like. It is one of the great features of System Mechanic Professional actually.
If you have any more questions or need any assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime.
Dan
Thank you very much Dan this has helped alot.
Thank you so much for the in-depth review. I’m a bit of a Luddite when it comes to using protective software. Mostly because I’m never sure I understand what it is telling me – or if I need to go back and confirm my files haven’t been corrupted.
It’s really nice to have a step by step instructions for using the software.
My kids have gotten new computers for school and we’ll be needing the scrubber feature for the old ones.