Introduction and installation
Computers, like humans, tend to carry more junk and slow down as they age. It doesn't matter if you have the latest and greatest gaming rig or just a modest Chromebook - over time, every machine will accumulate enough digital waste to affect its performance.
The good news is that there are many tools available to help whip your computer back into shape. The bad news is that most of the solutions on the market are designed for power users who know what they need, and therefore don't mind bare-bones interfaces with minimal technical guidance.
Kromtech's PCKeeper Live ($59.95/£40/AU$70 for a one-year subscription for one computer) is one of the few utility tools out there that makes it easy for the less tech savvy to improve computer performance. Its interface is easy to navigate, and the experience is all about surrounding the user with personalized support from certified experts.
Feature-wise, PCKeeper Live is nearly identical to the free SlimWare Utilities SlimCleaner 4 and the Auslogics BoostSpeed Premium ($49.95/£35/AU$62). It has all the basic functions like Disk Cleaner and Uninstaller, as well as a few security and Windows optimization tricks. If you're looking for a solution that lets you tweak your hardware as well as software, then the significantly more powerful Iolo System Mechanic 14 ($39.95/£30/AU$55) would be more your style. However, none of these competitors match the level of 24/7 assistance that PCKeeper Live offers.
Installation
I found out the hard way that some antivirus software like the Avast Antivirus 2015 will flag PCKeeper Live as malware. After installing PCKeeper Live, I decided to update my antivirus just before rebooting my computer, and that turned out to be a very bad idea.
I had trouble restarting my computer from that point onwards. All I saw were black screens or the rotating loading icon. By the time Windows finally decided to load properly, it seems my antivirus software was already blocking me from opening PCKeeper Live. I couldn't even open its installer file to try to load a fresh copy of the software, nor could I uninstall the program using Window's native uninstaller. The only surefire way out of this mess was to uninstall both programs using a different utility tool, and reinstall PCKeeper Live only.
Setup and features
Since PCKeeper Live is compatible with Windows 8.1 and up to Vista, I was able to use the same program on both my Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (in Desktop mode) computers. I only had to enter my license code after I'd already installed the program. I was prompted to set up an account on Kromtech's website, where I could activate the Anti-Theft feature and review my questions for the Geek on Demand technical expert.
The first time I opened the program it automatically scanned my computer for everything from junk files (including malware and temporary files), to performance and security issues. (This is also known as Find & Fix.) My computer was apparently in critical condition in every category, with as much as 19 GB worth of junk files that could be deleted, and 638 performance issues to address. You can click on the "Fix Issues" button to get the utility tool to handle the routine problems like deleting your junk files.
You can also submit your scan results to one of the in-house experts for more specific ways to optimize your machine. Within 24 hours, senior KromtechLab expert Evengly Kim recommended that I disable a few non-essential programs like the Google Updater and Adobe Reader Speed Launcher from startup, and provided brief explanations for each suggestion.
Find & Fix and other features
After the initial scan to gauge my computer's overall performance, I took advantage of PCKeeper Live's other functionalities to get my computer into shape.
The Duplicates Finder makes it easy to look for redundant files that you might have forgotten about on your computer, and Disk Cleaner and Uninstaller work just as advertised. Other handy features include Startup Optimizer, which lets you control the programs you need to load whenever you boot up Windows. Context Menu, on the other hand, allows you to customize the options and sub-menus that appear when you right-click with your mouse.
In addition to the run-of-the-mill optimization features, PCKeeper Live also offers some security protections for your data. Data Hider makes it easy for users to make files invisible (you can unlock them with a password), and Shredder ensures each file becomes unrecoverable. I'm not convinced the Anti-Theft feature will really be able to help you recover your stolen computer but I was not able to test this feature.
Kromtech's support team may be based in Ukraine, but you can literally pick up the phone or start a chat session with its members any time you have questions or concerns. I asked its staff various questions over live chat this past week, and I always received a helpful response within minutes. You can also direct your general tech questions (they don't have to be related to PCKeeper Live at all) to your own Geek on Demand, who will either call or reply to your questions by email within 24 hours.
Performance and verdict
Overall, PCKeeper is a light-weight tool that won't annoy you with pop-up windows. After stopping some unnecessary programs from running at startup as the resident expert suggested, I noticed that my boot-up is noticeably quicker. I can now open programs as soon as my Windows Desktop is loaded, whereas before I had to wait an excruciating 20 seconds just to open a Web browser, for example. Not only did PCKeeper Live help me get rid of the 19 GB of junk from my hard drive, it also automatically defragged my drives, which I appreciate.
There are some features that made me question whether they belong in an utility program. I found the Disk Explorer function unnecessary, as you can just open My Computer on your Desktop for the same information. While I like the ability to customize my right-click menu, I was frustrated by its interface: it's hard to know which sub-menu I was tweaking without a live demo where I could see my changes.
For a program that is supposed to be easy enough for non-geeks, PCKeeper Live lacks some of the finer usability touches that would take it from good to great. Although I was pleasantly surprised by all the different issues the Find & Fix feature can address in just one click, I would have appreciated additional explanations of what is being done to my computer. When I was using Duplicates Finder, I didn't know I had to click on the tiny blue triangles to select the files to delete. Also, the only reason I knew my Geek on Demand had answered my questions was because the support staff told me to search through my email for his response. Perhaps I should have asked our Geek to call me instead.
We liked
PCKeeper Live is one of the more attractive optimization tools available that doesn't overwhelm the user with obscure technical details. Find & Fix seems to be the only feature that you need to use to keep your computer in good shape, as it address everything from junk files to performance issues with just one button. The Kromtech support team is responsive and friendly, which makes you feel comfortable voicing even your silliest tech question or concern.
We disliked
When you consider the fact most of PCKeeper Live's optimization features are easily found on most free tools, and that some were simply not useful at all, the price for the Kromtech solution seems unreasonably high. At times, the program erred on the side of being too simple, so much so that we didn't know how to use each feature properly. Although our program snafu had more to do with our choice of antivirus software than PCKeeper Live, we wished Kromtech could have been more upfront about potential program conflicts and steps to avoid such problems.
Final verdict
Kromtech's friendly and easily accessible support team is what elevates PCKeeper Live from being an overpriced optimization tool to a product that you can recommend to someone who is less technically inclined, or a small business that just needs some basic tech support. Power users may find PCKeeper Live lacking in unique features like a real-time monitor or hardware control, or that its most useful features aren't much different than other tools on the market. That is why we feel PCKeeper Live would only appeal to users who want unlimited access to their own Geek, and have very modest optimization needs.
from www.techradar.com
