Race car, jet plane, '76 Dodge Dart: If it has moving parts it will need regular maintenance.
For computers it's called optimization, and one of the leading players in the field has just come out with a powerful new suite of tools to make it happen.
Long a respected name in optimization, Ashampoo's WinOptimizer 4 comes with several new modules, a Vista-compatible version of the disk defragmenter, and a slew of new tools for tweaking various aspects of your system.
Before we get to those, though, it makes sense to start with what is probably the defining characteristic of this software. To the delight of long-time users, Ashampoo has maintained its highly regarded interface, at once sleek in appearance and extremely easy to use.
The lean One-Click Optimizer tool offers status bars and precious little else to take up your time and attention. The Disk Defragmenter, which offers lightning-fast operation, also is clean and simple to use. The main page offers eight tools for tuning, tweaking, and cleaning. Bold tags and simple graphics steer the user into the operations with minimal fuss.
These interfaces are worth noting. With their simplicity they can deliver ready access to a lot of disc-scrubbing muscle with just a very few mouse clicks. That ease of entry is one of the big selling points for this $50 package.
Beyond the graphics, the functionality is generally so simple that any beginner could get the job done. The one-click optimizer with default settings is all many users will ever need. For safety, the program will show what files are getting dumped, to ensure nothing goes overboard accidentally. More advanced users in turn have the option of configuring settings for their particular needs.
When it comes to ease of use, Ashampoo is touting the fact that WinOptimizer 4 not only plays nice with older versions of Windows but also with the newly-arrived Windows Vista in both the 32- and 64-bit versions. The company promotes its Vista defragmenter as a chance to keep your Vista system clean from the start, because the junk starts to pile up right away.
Even as the heavy lifting gets done, new Vista skins and themes promise to dress up the works.
Of course, your degree of excitement over this will depend in some measure on your eagerness to grab hold of Vista and run with it. Vista capability will hold few thrills for those not yet ready to embrace Gates' new view. Still, the capability is there in Ashampoo, should you decide to open that Window.
