System Checkup Software?

[wulf109]

Anyone have expierence with this kind of software? Do they work? Do they cause more damage than good?

[yoda313]

I use norton 360. It has the antivirus and disc checkup software.

I've always used norton since back in the floppy disk days. I haven't had any complaints about it.

Are you looking for defragging or temporary file cleanup or registry cleanup? I think norton 360 does all 3. I think it used be part of Norton Systemworks suite which I had at one point as well.

[Bjs]

Depends on your definition of "system checkup" ?

There's not a single application which dose all system checkups.

[ranchhand]

Do they cause more damage than good?

What type are you talking about? Do you mean these advertised products that "clean your registry, just click here"?

[lacywest]

I did use TuneUp Utilities 2009 ... now I use ... TuneUp Utilities 2010

[Nelson37]

Yes, Sort of, and Yes, sooner or later.

Empty your Temp directories, uninstall un-needed software and drivers, remove unused Registry entries.

CCleaner will do this, for free, and has Never, Ever, in my experience, been the Cause of a problem. The "click here" crap referenced is the kind of thing that should be sold in a back alley by a guy in a raincoat.

I have several times removed such programs, and most especially Norton programs, as the SOLUTION to a problem that the program was causing. Norton is not quite at the point where I will turn down payment by refusing to install it, but it is very close and the customer will get a lecture as to why this should not be done. No way it goes on my box.

Twenty or more years ago when Peter Norton was running it, they had good products, but that was a very long time ago.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I don't use an all-in-one program, I use:
1. CHKDSK and Defrag.
2. CCleaner
3. Eusing Registry Cleaner

[CobraPilot]

I echo those who have had good luck with CCleaner, but I've added Glary Utilities (http://www.glarysoft.com/) to my clean-up efforts.

It finds a lot of stuff CCleaner doesn't, and vice versa.

It also has antispyware and other utilities.

You might also look at Norton Power Eraser (http://security.symantec.com/nbrt/npe.aspx?lcid=1033). It has a rootkit removal option. So far, it hasn't found any nasties in my computers, although it consistently gives me a false positive on the executable for an older digital editing program I use, Photodeluxe (PD4.exe), a stripped-down version of PhotoShop. You are given the option to send any suspicious file to Norton, which will provide you rapid feedback as to whether or not the warning should result in a file-cleaning action.

[davexnet]

Have you tried PC pitstop? I have used it myself a few times, but not for 4 or 5 years - it was a legit
program back then, so I assume it still is. It is mentioned here:
http://www.pctechbytes.com/hardware/computer-diagnostic-utilities/

http://www.pcpitstop.com/

[leghorn]

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012, CCleaner, jv16 Powertools. For defragmentation I use PerfectDisk.