NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, December 2012
IObit Releases Version 6 of Advanced System Care
By Ira Wilsker, Radio Show Host,
Columnist, College Professor and deputy sheriff
iwilsker@sbcglobal.net
(click to email author)

WEBSITES:
http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html (FREE Version)
http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcarepro.html (PRO Version)

One of the very popular categories of PC software is the type that can perform comprehensive system analysis and repair, probably leading to improved system performance. There are quite a few of these utilities available, both as freeware and as paid commercial products. Many of these utilities have previously been reviewed in this column with comments from readers indicating a general high level of satisfaction with most of them. One of the most popular comprehensive system maintenance utilities is IObit's Advanced System Care, with over 150 million downloads of its free version (http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html (FREE Version)).

Recently, IObit released version 6 of its popular Advanced System Care software, continuing to be available as both a free and a paid "Pro" version. IObit states that this software will "keep your PC safe, error-free, and running at top speed". The new version 6 has a new front-end interface, and several new features; it continues to offer system analysis and performance enhancements that can easily be implemented by users of all skill levels, from novice to advanced users. While beginners can use the "Smart Scan" mode to perform a quite satisfactory system performance scan, advanced users can find a wealth of individual utilities in the "Toolkit" option. One of the most useful tools to improve PC performance is IObit's Startup Manager", which can be used to control which programs are loaded when the system boots; by eliminating unnecessary programs at boot, the computer boots faster, and overall system performance is improved as more system resources become available.

With over 150 million copies downloaded of the earlier versions of Advanced System Care (ASC) over the past eight years, IObit has been active in continuously adding new features to the product. The newly released version 6, continues that evolution with a host of new and improved functions. The first improvement is a visual one, with a clean interface that opens to a large "Smart Scan" button which commences a comprehensive series of system scans all intended to improve system performance. While the default screen is black with a soft blue font, it is very easy to implement other color schemes by clicking on the "skins" icon on the top-right edge of the ASC screen and selecting the desired theme.

Many of the contemporary web based security threats are spread from purloined websites that may have themselves been hijacked and infected by a miscreant or intentionally posted as a source of malware acting as bait, just waiting for unsuspecting web surfer to be caught and infected with malware when the contaminated website is opened. Advanced System Care 6 now includes web surfing protection that can detect many of the risky websites and other online threats that can jeopardize the safety and security of the user's computer. ASC6 also protects the user's privacy while surfing the web. In addition to detecting web based threats, ASC6 contains an integral tool that can boost internet throughput by tweaking the settings on the computer to allow web pages and other internet content to load faster and more efficiently, taking better advantage of the speed that the user is paying for. While I cannot independently verify the claim, the IObit website claims that ASC6's internet boost functions can improve internet performance such that web pages and other online content can load up to 300% faster. In order to clean a computer of malware, and keep it clean, ASC6 also includes a malware scanner and removal function which is frequently updated and capable of detecting and neutralizing most common varieties of malware.

Typical users of these performance enhancement utilities are seeking faster, more smoothly operating computers, and Advanced System Care may be the most popular integrated utility for that purpose. ASC6 integrates a series of utilities that provide these performance improvements including a new performance monitoring technology for comprehensive and efficient system optimization which can be performed in real-time. While some PC users sincerely believe that disk defragmentation is an unnecessary task, ASC6 incorporates a " New Generation Super Engine for Disk Defragment" that can scan the hard drive for fragmentation and reorder or otherwise optimize file placement on the hard drive in order to minimize seek times, making programs load faster as the hard drive does not have to work as hard finding fragments of needed files.

As more users are using system intensive utilities for a variety of tasks, or are involved with sophisticated online gaming, the efficient operation of the computer becomes more necessary. Advances System Care 6 has a "Turbo Boost Function" that manages memory, low priority running tasks, and other resources in order to improve the performance of the more demanding tasks being used.

There is much active debate as to whether or not the computer's registry, the large database containing information about the hardware and software on the computer, should be periodically "cleaned" or "repaired" by removing outdated or obsolete information from the registry. For those who desire to attempt to improve performance and reliability by cleaning the registry, Advanced System Care 6 offers "Enhanced Registry Fix and Vulnerability Scanning Technology". In the event that the user is not satisfied with the "cleaned and repaired" registry, ASC6 is smart enough to save a backup of any registry items deleted or modified during the process, allowing for their instant restoration by clicking on the "Rescue" icon on the top-right of the window.

There are two current versions of Advanced System Care 6, the Free version and the Pro version. The Pro version has all of the features of the Free version, but offers several enhanced features including a deep registry scan (more comprehensive than the standard registry scan), better online web security, more performance enhancements, automatic updates, and more capability to improve online performance. Normally a one year license for the Pro version is $29.99, but it is currently on sale on the IObit website for $14.77 by clicking on the "Special Offer" link on the Pro version webpage (http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcarepro.html (PRO Version)).

Advanced System Care 6 (both Free and Pro versions) are available as a 19mb download from IObit or its download partners such as cNet's download.com. ASC6 works well on all versions of Windows from XP to the newly released Windows 8.

For those who want an even more powerful system enhancement and protection utility, IObit is about to release a new product " Advanced SystemCare Ultimate" which includes all of the features and functionality of the more traditional Advanced System Care, but adds comprehensive real-time virus and malware protection by incorporating a "Dual Engine" concept that combines the well respected and highly rated BitDefender anti-virus engine with IObit's proven anti-malware engine. This combination also protects against phishing (identity theft), as well as spyware and other forms of malware and viruses. According to IObit, "Advanced SystemCare Ultimate provides always-on, automated, and all-in-one protection against all kinds of security threats, system slow down, freeze and crash. It ensures PC security, and maintains maximum computer performance automatically without slowing your system down." Increased online protection is provided by its " Surfing Protection Technology".

The free version of Advanced System Care is among the utilities that I recommend the most when asked about improving system performance. For less than $15 for a one year license, many users may find the increased functionality of the Pro version worthwhile. The upcoming Ultimate version may be interesting as well, but I have no insight on its pricing. IObit has some very good free and paid utilities (iobit.com) that users may find interesting.


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