PowerTools Lite - The Freeware Software of the Day
don't beat yourself up.
The software just hit the market.
What's so special about it then? First of all it's freeware, secondly the company behind it is actually pretty good at cleaning Windows and fixing registry errors.
They are called Macecraft and they are behind the jv16 PowerTools suite, which for the last few years has become quite a brand.
PT Lite is actually a variation of jv16 PowerTools, as it uses the same engine and techniques to clean up the mess from your computer.
The thing you will love and hate most, at the same time, is the simplicity of the design.
After the program launches and quickly scans over your PC, you are faced with literally only 2 buttons.
One to scan and fix the errors, the other to undo the changes (restore backup).
That's it.
Compare it with the tens of specialized tools that jv16 PowerTools (the commercial version) has and I'm sure that you'll understand why the latter is not a freeware.
After the scan is finished though, things do get a bit more complicated.
The errors found are nicely arranged in categories and you have the option to fix each of them individually, by category or as a whole.
But that's just the beginning.
If you go to an individual error, you will see what degree of severity it has and if you right click any of them, you will be presented with a quite impressive array of options.
On top of this, you will also find a search feature which if you really begin to work with, will tend to let you speechless.
Seriously now, what other programs give you the option to search with a Perl query or using artificial intelligence.
Once you click the "Fix" button you will also be prompted to back up the changes you make.
I strongly recommend that you use this feature.
Messing with the registry can have serious consequences and although the engine behind PT Lite is one of the better ones found on the market, it's still a sensible thing to prepare for the worst.
To be honest, the software does offer an extended interface, which will give you more options before you start the scan, but the basic functionality is aimed strictly at cleaning junk files and fixing registry errors.
Speaking of the back-up feature, the software also has a neat interface to manage them, which you will surely appreciate if you are the type that likes to keep a tight lid over this sort of things.
Add to this, the numerous translations available, a remarkably small footprint (the program only has about 4 MB) and the option to make it run in "low CPU usage" mode and I believe that as far as freeware goes, PT Lite is truly worth a try.