Total Defense PC Tune-Up

Does your computer freeze, crash, or not run as swiftly as it once did? If you answered "yes" then it's time to give your PC a shot of new life with a tune-up utility. Total Defense PC Tune-Up (from $39.99 per year) can help you do just that by repairing the registry, downloading drivers, and making other essential improvements to your system software. I saw better PC performance after using Total Defense PC Tune-Up, but the improvements fell just short of those I saw after using the current tune-up utility champ, Editors' Choice award-winning Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 ($39.99, 4.5 stars). What's more, Total Defense's three-PC license limitation pales in comparison with Iolo's unlimited installs.

Getting Started
The gray-and-white welcome screen prompts you to execute the first scan after you launch Total Defense PC Tune-Up, which will test your computer for speed, stability, and performance. Clicking "Scan" doesn't cause the app to immediately scan your PC. Instead, Total Defense PC Tune-Up launches "Scan Options" where you set the software to scan your computer's hard disks (which I recommend). You can contribute your computer's pre-scan performance to Total Defense's database by inputting information into an in-app form, but I'd rather see a system in place like that in SlimWare Utilities SlimCleaner (Free, 4.5 stars) which uses community-driven feedback to help you determine files to uninstall.

The software displays benchmark results that measure your PC's performance against other recently scanned PCs after the scan is complete. The "Results" screen lists over a dozen test reports after the scan in system scan is completed. Areas that scored well were highlighted in green text, while trouble spots were highlighted in red text. Mousing over a result opens a small balloon that explains the function and importance of each test?a nice inclusion for those who want to know how the app operates. Still, real-time system monitoring?a PC Tools Performance Toolkit ($39.95, 4 stars) feature?would've been a nice addition.

Clicking "Start Tune-Up" began the cleanup process, which consisted of defragging the disc, updating drivers, optimizing system restore points, removing junk files, applying registry fixes, and more. You can remove any of these processes by unchecking one or more options in Scan Options.

Performance Improvements
I tested Total Defense PC Tune-Up's ability to whip a PC back into shape by performing three tests?running the Geekbench system performance tool, measuring boot times, and transferring a 1.1GB folder of mixed media to external storage?before and after running the software to compare the computer's potency. Each test was run three times and averaged. Before Total Defense PC Tune-Up scrubbed the system, the 2-GHz Intel Core i7 X990 Style-Note notebook with 4GB of RAM and an 80GB Intel SSD drive achieved a 5,903 Geekbench score, booted in 50.3 seconds, and transferred the 1.1GB folder in 40.5 seconds.

After using Total Defense PC Tune-Up, the system saw improved performance: The GeekBench score rose to 5,991 (Iolo scored 6,064). The boot time decreased to 40.2 seconds (37.1 seconds with Iolo). The file transfer speed dropped to 39.8 seconds (a hair swifter than Iolo's 40.8 seconds). The overall system performance was fast and snappy?windows and menus opened quickly.

Total Defense PC Tune-Up Performance Comparison Chart

You can also schedule backups, backup and restore settings, and manage add-ons (like Download Nitro, which had an invisible effect on our download speed).

Should You Purchase Total Defense PC Tune-Up?
Total Defense PC Tune-Up is a worthy collection of solid tune-up utilities that get the job done, making it a sensible choice: It did a satisfactory job of cleaning up our testbed and increasing its overall performance. But in the age of the multi-computer household, the installation limitations are outdated; if you want to install it on more than three PCs, you'll have to buy two licenses at a cost of nearly $80. Contrast that with our Editors' Choice Award-winning Iolo System Mechanic 10, which lacks those installation limitations and gave us a better performance boost.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/6tJpXeG1xrY/0,2817,2402212,00.asp

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