In my never ending pursuit of better PC performance and productivity I do a lot of research and test a lot of programs. Here is my list of programs your PC should not be without. All programs are free unless otherwise stated.
System UtilitesIOBit Advanced SystemCareBest general maintenance, cleanup, optimization software.
CCleanerCCleaner does some additional cleaning that Advanced SystemCare misses.
Auslogics Disk DefragDisk fragmentation can really slow down a PC and cause lag in BF2142. Auslogics Disk Defrag is the only free defrager that can move system files to the faster tracks on the outside of your HDD. It is also very fast and can be set up to do this while your PC is idle.
Ultimate DefragIf you want to get serious about fragmentation Ultimate Defrag is not free but does the best job.
NTREGOPTAfter you have cleaned your registry and before you defragment your drive you should defragment your registry NTREGOPT does this simply and quickly and is Windows 7 x64 compatible. This is an important, and often overlooked step, in getting that fresh install feeling back.
IOBit Game boosterGame booster is for closing down unneeded programs and services during game play. This can seriously increase game performance and reduce lag.
***eBoostr***An amazing program that can seriously increase the performance of your PC by using some of your RAM as cache. This decreases the time it takes to open applications and generally makes your PC feel snappier.
If you are using an SSD making a USB cache will actually slow down your PC. Just use a RAM cache with SSD's. If you have 4GB of RAM make a 2GB eBoostr cache. Give eBooostr a couple of days to work out which programs to cache.
If you try only one program in this list try eBoostr!
EVGA PrecisionFor over-clocking your video card and controlling its fan speed.
CPU-Z &
CPU-ZGPU-ZAre great for getting all details about your CPU and GPU.
TweakPrefetch 3.0.0.1Utility for checking and setting you prefetch settings. These are very important performance settings.
Go to Tools-> Configuartion Wizard and select the options which apply to you, click Detect and Apply.
Filehippo Update CheckerUtility for keeping your installed programs up to date.
DrivermaxDrivers are also important to keep up to date. Drivermax is the best free one and it now does Windows 7 and 64 bit drivers.
Driver SweeperIt is still advisable to clean old video and sound drivers from your PC after uninstalling them.
HostsmanThis program is like Adblock for Firefox but works for all browsers. It also blocks access to known malware sites.
SIW - System Information for WindowsProduces a HTML report of all hardware, software and OS details of your PC. Very handy for finding out stuff about your PC.
GraphicsFastStone Image ViewerDo most things with images fast and easily.
SecurityThe best security software changes rapidly eg. Nortons has been a dog for years but the latest version makes it No. 1 again for paid protection. My pick because it is free and almost as good is
Microsoft Security Essentials.
Malwarebytes should also be run monthly as a backup.
To make an informed decision of your own go to
AV-Comparatives and read some of their independent tests of Anti-Virus Software reports. They are the authority on this and have thoroughly tested and rated most security solutions.
The best protection is not to use torrents and be careful what you click on-line or in your email. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is.
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Windows 7 GuidePlease post comments if you find any of this software good or use something better!Watch this space! More to come
Subject: Software Recommendations 
Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:10 am
I just ran IOBit Advanced System Care (my XP install is VERY old and needs a clean up but I am not going to go through the pain of reinstalling).
I wouldnt tempt fate tho, lol.
