The best PC optimisation software

The best disk tools/optimisation

5. UltraDefrag

UltraDefrag sports both a simple but effective Windows graphic interface and a command line alternative. You can also schedule it to defrag or optimize during the Windows boot sequence. It's available in versions for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.  See review here

4. Ashampoo WinOptimizer 8

If you're only interested in the basics, such as fine-tuning startup, cleaning your system of Internet traces and junk files, and Registry cleaning, it won't be worth paying for this Ashampoo WinOptimizer 8. You can do all that for free with a combination of Soluto and CCleaner. But if you want lots of extras, such as one-click tuneup, a file encrypter, file shredder, hard disk doctor, and tools for customizing Windows, you may want to give WinOptimizer a try. I'd suggest giving all the modules a runthrough before paying, so you can make sure you really need those extra tools.  See review here

3. Iolo System Mechanic 10

As with all optimisation software, caveats apply: an underpowered system will not be rescued by System Mechanic, and a way that’s almost guaranteed to boost PC performance is to install more RAM. But Iolo System mechanic 10 is well-priced, easy to use, full-featured and - glory be! - it works.  See review here

2. Prosoft Engineering Drive Genius 3.1

Drive Genius is a comprehensive set of disk tools for OS X, its components sometimes echoing those built into the operating system; other times adding features unavailable elsewhere. In our tests, all worked well as described. While the cost and features are not necessarily applicable for all domestic Mac users, we’d recommend this app for any technical Mac user as well as sysadmins looking for some GUI aid for that occasional maintainence and service of a fleet of Macintoshs.  See review here

1. Auslogics Disk Defrag

Auslogics Disk Defrag is software that defragments your hard disk to increase PC performance.

Is your PC acting sluggish, and you don't know why? The problem may be that your hard disk is defragmented, slowing down the time it takes your applications to load, and the time it takes to open and save files. Typically, when you open and then save files, the files are saved on different locations on your hard disk, and so Windows has to gather them up from multiple locations. The free Auslogics Disk Defrag solves the problem by combing through your hard disk, finding fragmented files, and then defragmenting them - storing all their parts contiguously to one another so that they can be opened more quickly.

First tell the program to analyze your hard disk to check its defragmentation level. It's exceptionally fast, and zipped through 80 gigabytes of files on my hard disk in a few short minutes. Auslogics Disk Defrag reports back on the percentage of your hard disk that's defragmented, and shows you a map of your hard disk, detailing which sections are fragmented. It also recommends whether the disk needs to be defragmented.

Tell Auslogics Disk Defrag to defragment your hard disk, and it quickly does the job, showing you its progress on the map, so that you can see a visual representation of fragmented files moved and being defragmented.

Auslogics Disk Defrag gives you a great deal of control over how defragmentation works, including what priority it should get if other programs are running. You can even exclude certain folders from being defragmented, set a defragmentation schedule, and more. There's also an option for moving system files to the beginning of your hard disk, to speed up performance. That will increase defrag time, but will increase your PC's speed. It's worth noting, though, that experts recommend defragging solid state drives very seldom.