Winoptimizer 11 Review: Everything you need to tune up your PC under one roof

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Winoptimizer 11 $40.00 Though you can do much of what it does with free utilities and Windows apps, Winoptimizer is far more efficient and better at most of it.

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I’m always suspect of programs that claim to make Windows run faster. Windows 7 and 8 don’t need a lot of help in that regard, and in the past some optimizers have messed up my system. But darn if Ashampoo’s Winoptimizer 11 doesn’t provide some facilities that made my system run faster, albeit by a small margin. But even a small margin is welcome, and the program gathers a ton of useful features under one roof, facilitating an easy tweaking and optimizing experience—something you might not get around to if you stuck with the myriad freebies.

At the heart of most optimization programs like Winoptimzier 11 is a garbage collector that removes the drek (unused files and registry entries) left over from old software installs, temporary files forgotten by Windows or applications, and software caches. I use Piriform’s CCleaner regularly to remove the aforementioned drek left over from software testing. Windows 7 and 8 are far more stable after software removal than XP was, but I still clean stuff out because it will start bogging down a system after a while. Winoptimizer 11 did as good a job as CCleaner and is far more educational about what it’s actually removing. Put bluntly, Winoptimizer 11 is the better of the two, but it’s $40 and CCleaner is available for free. (Current Winoptimizer users can upgrade for $19.99.)

Winoptimizer11's modules are myriad and all available separately, as well as being employed in combination by the program's various wizards.

No Windows optimizer would be complete without a disk defragger and Winoptimizer 11’s DeFrag 3 is top-notch. As of the introduction of NTFS, defragging isn’t as beneficial as it once was, but a defrag of your hard drives once every year or so can make a slight difference. (Note: Do not defrag SSDs. It offers no benefit and reduces lifespan.)

Winoptimizer 11 has a host of other tools. Some such as file wiping, splitting, joining, encryption and decryption; duplicate file finding; and registry defragging are very handy and not available within Windows. Some duplicate Windows functionality, like the font manager, program uninstaller, and process and service managers. However, having them all in one place can be a real time saver. Most are also just a touch easier and more capable than their Windows counterparts. Also, unlike the built-in Windows utilities, there’s an undo for most actions found under the heading of backups. And it’s not just for the last action, there’s a list of changes you’ve made over time.

Winoptimizer 11 also provides a nice tweaking utility so you can customize many aspects of Windows, including Aero behavior, as well as the behavior of common applications such as Outlook, Mail, etc. There is a real-time gaming booster that shuts down unnecessary processes while a game is running and restarts them when you’re finished, as well as a live tuner that optimizes memory and application priorities. The first I can see as being possibly handy, the latter is one of those tasks I’d rather leave to Windows. To be honest, I didn’t notice a real difference with either running.

One speedup that did have a noticeable effect was the number of simultaneous HTML connections in browsers. Increasing these, as Winoptimizer 11 decided to do with its main optimize wizard (you can access modules separately), had a definite positive effect on the speed with which Web pages loaded. Especially those with lots of embedded content (ads, pictures, video, etc.) relayed from other sites.

Winoptimizer 11 is a very comprehensive set of Windows utilities that works very, very well. The $40 price tag might seem a tad steep when its functionality can be largely duplicated manually (with a large set of the proper knowledge), and with freebies such as CCleaner and the Windows defragger. However, the convenience of everything under one roof, and the ability to tweak Windows without being tech-savvy, will be well worth it for many users. There’s a trial. Kick the tires.

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One experience for everything in your life

Many of the same issues still exist...this is just putting lipstick on a pig. This obsession with FULL SCREEN app with hidden command bar, horizontal scrolling items...I've gotta tell you guys...ppl hate Metro. There's a lot to like about Metro, but there also lots to hate...

1. Why does the dialog box in Metro run from one edge of the screen to the the other? It's ugly and doesn't make any sense. What if you have multiple apps side by side and a dialog comes up, does it cover both apps?

2. Since the advent of computer UI, items have been scrolled vertically. Visit the Windows Store and you have this huge list of items scrolling horizontally. This is just plain weird, no other way to put it. This horizontal scrolling is every where in Metro...

2. Open a few Metro apps and all of a suddenly you realized that all the Metro apps look the same to you, with the HUGE text header and the big rectangles and squares and the horizontal scrolling of items. There is no personality from apps to apps. Enough with the big ugly rectangles already. Enough. Developers should be allowed to develop their app differently. People are tired of this big block rectangular thing called Metro...just too overwhelming.

3. Why the obsession in Microsoft with full screen? A full screen calculator or timer on a 23" screen, who needs that and where do they do that at? Doesn't make sense. To make matter worse, the buttons in the app bar are hidden by default. Take the app Fresh Paint for example, it comes up in this full screen mode with the app bar or command button hidden. No matter how many times I used this app, I feel stuck and have to wonder for a minute how do I exit from this thing. There is obviously not a lack of space or real estate, so why are button being hidden. If it is on a 5" phone, I would understand this, but this doesn't make sense. Command buttons need to be visible and available and you should not require user to right-clicked before showing the app bar.

3. Why is the Metro scroll bar so ugly? Why is the context menu also so ugly...they don't even match the Metro theme.

4. Users hate full screen, especially on large displays. If the OS is called Windows, where are the windows? So if GDR3 now allows you to dismiss an app by clicking on the X, why can't you do the same in Windows 8.1? Have you ever tried to close an app in Windows 8 using a mouse by dragging the app from the top to the bottom? C'mon Microsoft. The markets will speak for itself. Consumers rejected Windows 8 and I think that they will reject it again, because the some core usability issues still exist, even though you guys have fixed some.

5. Is it me or does Windows 8 start screen not look like a crowded convoluted mess, with all the square blocks animating? There need to be breathing room between the "Live" tiles, the greatest innovation from Microsoft (more on this in a min). Also, why is it that when you install an app, it installs everything, including help files, in your "app apps" screen. Imagine having over 100 apps install on your machine?

6. MS love to brag about live tiles, but truth be told, Live Tiles is probably only applicable in maybe 20% of the scenario (weather app, calendar, etc). 80% of the time, all you have is a glorify icon in a big rectangular square taking up important real estate. Also, it doesn't make sense have all that animation like a coloring book even when the live tile is not visible on the screen. All you're doing is killing the battery.

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Everything is bigger in Texas: State adopts Office 365 for more than 100,000 employees

The following is a post by Michael Donlan, Vice President of U.S. State and local government at Microsoft.

The Texas Department of information resources assumption of Office 365 is for more than 100,000 employees in the largest nationwide deployment of email and collaboration services in the United States

The Government will consolidate multiple systems in an effort to streamline and improve their own communication and collaboration through agencies and help to better serve the needs of its citizens. Moving into the cloud staff with Web conferencing, collaboration in real time and document sharing of calendars at the same time provides considerable savings in the IT spending through greater efficiency and increase capacity of.

Office 365 government compliance helps maintain posture and high standards for security and privacy. Several agencies, including the Texas Department of criminal justice, alcohol and drink Commission, Department of insurance, health and human services and many others need access to data, is subject to the complex Security and privacy policy. Microsoft has a contractual obligation to the Texas Department of information resources made by the signing of the CJIS security addendum in addition to a HIPAA business associate agreement. Thanks to this partnership, the jurisdictions at all levels of the States of Texas, including the cities and counties, Office 365 will benefit.

Microsoft is the industry leader in providing cloud computing solutions with robust security, privacy, and compliance functions and has many years of experience of working with Governments at all levels. We offer our clients flexible, secure and reliable cloud solutions in the industry.

Today, the State of Texas joins a rapidly growing list of State and County customers moving to the cloud with Microsoft, including the city of Chicago, city of San Francisco, California, and the State of Minnesota are taking advantage of the cost savings and efficiency. Learn more about today's news and what it means for the country, read the press release.

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