Kevin Pocock greets an old pal, still fighting the good fight
Anyone who's worked with a variety of Windows versions will likely have come to know of tweaks and tips to keep their systems in fine condition for longer. For those with less drive to get into the nuts and bolts of their OS, for the last 16 or so years lolo's answer to lifting this particular burden (and doing more besides) has been System Mechanic.
System Mechanic has always combined those advanced tweaks with a clutch of tools in an easy-to-use and comprehensive package - and version 14.5 of the software (as the name suggests) is a refinement, rather than a complete overhaul, of this paradigm. Users of recent versions of the software will know where to find the individual tools and one-click solutions on offer. Meanwhile, new users will feel any wariness quickly give way to a sense of calm - particularly since they are helpfully nudged to get cracking right from the dashboard.
Analysing a system's state ('deep' or 'simple' are the options) reveals the tools lolo has collected under the 'tune-up' part of the program. System Mechanic can find and fix registry errors, scan for system clutter (like temporary files), and check for and try to fix hard drive errors. It can defragment drives, back up the registry and generally provide a sense of calm assurance. Yet, beyond these more usual tasks it checks for suitable driver updates, scans for dangerous, unnecessary or redundant startup programs, and checks you've active anti-malware and firewall software running.
If this now seems a bit more than the usual tune-up fare, it's because lolo is seemingly obsessed with performance and reliability. The company clearly wants to ensure that your system is kept in the best form possible. It wants that without you needing to know about hidden Windows tools and CMD commands, and frankly System Mechanic is rather good at it. Sure lolo wants you to buy its wares, but really the tools on offer are pretty persuasive and do provide tangible benefit. The Memory Mechanic tool frees up your RAM and reallocates it based on need with the click of a button.
The program's RAMJet technology will snatch away memory from idle programs in real time, and similarly move the resources where they're needed. Equally optimisation-obsessed is with the software's Opticore technology which focuses your processor on active tasks, and provides a feel that - especially with underpowered machines like my laptop - what you're actively working on is the most important thing for your system. 'PowerSense' intelligently unparks processor cores, and System Mechanic also provides power states related to the type of action your engaged in with Live Boost.
There's a lot going on here. System Mechanic wants to aid you with speed and reliability, but also privacy and security offering a useful overview of your system state and the tools to improve it. In truth 14.5 (like version before it) has a solid amount to offer for its price... but there's little new. The one addition is named Net Booster, and is designed to bump your Internet connection through optimising TCP/IP. Unfortunately, although its intentions may be honourable its impact appears rather negligible. Which is a shame.
It offers no real incentive to upgrade, but then existing users with an active subscription do so automatically. For anyone else, System Mechanic gets a recommendation from me. It's highly useful in keeping systems in tip-top form, and with any version of Windows that's what we should all aspire to. Kevin Pocock
A smart virtual toolbox to enliven your system.