iolo System Mechanic 7

List Price: $49.95 Discount Price: $25.00

Features:

• Improved one-click Power Tools offer essential repairs and optimizations based on the computer's needs.
• New I want to section displays intuitive categories and provides fast access to the exact tools you'd like to run.
• Enhanced Problem Task List shows the problems detected by System Mechanic and lets you decide which ones you want to fix.
• Revamped ActiveCare monitors the computer's performance, and then automatically runs any needed repairs on-the-spot.
• New Intellistatus feature provides real-time system information for performance tracking and troubleshooting.

Customer Reviews:

System Mechanic 7 professional (the OS Killer) [Posted on 2007-10-22]
This software has killed three installations of WindowsXP professional. Their product updates do not install properly and the updates 7.10 and 7.11 actually crashed my system three times> I was a fool and thought it could not be Sys Mech I have run this since Sys Mech 3 and loved the software, Sys Mech 6 was a good one with lots of control but now they dumbed it down for idiots automating a lot of control that you would want but it is so buggy my system now barely runs and since the firewall update 1.1.12 I cannot get anti virus updates and my messenger service can no longer use video calling. They do now answer their customer support very quickly but is kind of useless when they refer you to their knowledge base articles with solutions that don't work. Save the head ache and get something that works??

No longer a mechanic I trust [Posted on 2007-12-23]
Iolo's System Mechanic is a suite of utilities designed to keep your system running efficiently and free of clutter. I had been using System Mechanic 3 for a few years now and had been very happy with it. It contained many useful tools for maintaining the hard drive as well as for tweaking obscure Windows settings. I'm not the sort who constantly upgrades; it's unnecessary and expensive. I'd been ignoring the software company's periodic email offers but an upgrade now seemed reasonable, as did the price at which they were offering it (half of retail.)

I am glad I decided to test the trial version out first. This is not the first time I have found that not only are upgrades not always necessary, they aren't even always an improvement over the previous version.

The first thing I noticed was that all of the functions have now been reduced to "one-touch" repairs. This sounds very convenient on the face of things but you don't ever want a utility making changes to your system without letting you see exactly what it's changing. For example, when the old System Mechanic would search for temporary files it would also find graphic template files (presumably because of the similar file extension.) This wasn't a problem as it listed the files so that I could de-select the ones I wanted to keep. This version does not offer that opportunity. The most detail it will give you is the collective size of the files. You won't have any idea what it's deleting, and you could be losing useful files. I found that at least two other applications were broken by this "cleanup." One I had to reinstall, and the other fortunately had a repair option on it's CD-ROM.

Then there are the things that just don't work at all. The first time you run System Mechanic 7 it will tell you that your registry has never been backed up. That was true; it hadn't, so I backed it up. Still, each subsequent time I ran the program it continued to tell me that I hadn't backed up my registry. There is also an option to compact your registry automatically every fourteen days but this doesn't work properly either. Instead of performing the task at the designated interval, it does it every time you boot up your computer. This takes several minutes and entails at least two full reboots.

System Mechanic 7 will report that you have repairable security vulnerabilities, and then be unable to repair them (though it will keep notifying you of them anyway.)

It will tell you that your available memory is low, but not that it's at least in part due to System Mechanic's own System Analyzer constantly running "in the background." This application interferes with others now and again (music will stutter and halt intermittently), and slows overall performance down, which seems to me to be the opposite of what it's supposed to be doing. Why do you need something like this running all the time anyway? You can tell System Mechanic to reallocate memory, but I've not noticed any improvement after doing so. One more thing about the Analyzer: it doesn't shut down with Windows and will cause your system to hang until you confirm that you want to end the program. If you tell Windows to shut down and then walk away, your computer will be on all night, waiting for your response.

Most of the repairs can be automated but given how poorly it handles any given one of them I would be very hesitant to let any of them run on its own.

Sadly, System Mechanic is yet another once fine piece of software that has been inexplicably ruined by "improving" it. My trial period is about up, and I'll be uninstalling this version and putting the old one back.

Just got mine. [Posted on 2007-12-31]
As I said, 'I just got mine'. I went to Staples knowing I needed a registry cleaner right now (error messages were popping up left and right, the computer was too slow to download, (apparently, the small but dedicated maintenance program that came with my HP wasn't doing enough, nor could I find a registry cleaner or fixer on it)) Futher, I want you all to know, I know better than to get one of these 'stand alone' utilitly programs...ultimately I have found they ALWAYS crashed my system once or twice a year and everything would have to be reinstalled.

Nevertheless, my computer problems were mounting up day by day...something had to be done. So I walked into Staples, spotted this, got it, brought it back thinking I'd saved ten dollars shipping! but found the same product here for less...palmstrike to forehead...

...and now...look at those reviews!

Well,...Oldtechno gives everything a fair chance even if everybody else black list it. (It helps a lot with this decision to give a fair chance because I have already installed it and used it before I read the reviews.

I'll update this review as I find problems and the good side also. So let's get started:
1. It installed fine--but I think they should have said to remove the disk before restarting (on a window). They didn't, so the disk started the computer up as if from a crash--complete with checking partition tables--'fix drive', and so on. After about the third time I caught on--'take the disk out of the tray Oldtechno or you're gonna be here all day!'
2. It found around 900 items needing attention including 19 security items. It apparently fixed all but three of the security problems (of course I haven't a clue what they are).
3. After I analysized my system as deep as I could, I one click 'fixed' all of them and then sent System Mechanic to bed. I did use all it's features and had no problem--I didn't use the automatic update (Maybe thats a big part of the problem everybody's talking about--maybe I won't download it yet?)
4. So far, no problems have occured.
5. My system seems to run faster and smoother.
six. Fewer of those error messages are popping up--but some still are.

So remember, check back here for updates from Oldtechno.

BYE!

Review update: The next day.

1. I noticed the 'update available' tab. On everybodies advise I haven't down loaded it yet--just in case that V 7.5 update is the problem.
2. I notice once again it shows my computer is low of memory--it shouldn't be.
3. Futher, it shows the registry hasn't been backed up--it has.

Maybe these two problems are because I haven't re-run the program since I maintenanced the computer yesterday. But like I said, I know better than to run the maintenance programs much--they always crash my systems. But I think I could get away with just a quick scan so the program will update its' own findings...wait a moment...I just did a quick scan, here are the results.

1. 3 critical security problems--I mentioned those yesterday, but also yesterday it did fix sixteen of the nineteen.
2. Computer has one unnecessary startup item (prior to the quick scan it showed two startup items. (It updated its' own information with a new scan.
3.Internet configuration not optimized...(I did that yesterday). Maybe if just one little thing alters in the internet program, Mechanic pickes it up?
4. Memory is low. (no it isn't)
5. Registry has never been backed up. (yes it has, I did that yesterday.)
six. No antivirus detected. (People PC does that for me from their end)


So you see, some mistakes. So far, minor. I won't dock them a star yet. Check back for futher updates.

BYE!

The Third Day:

1, My advise is, after you scan your computer, do not go down the list and fix all the problems (one section at a time) and then restart. Apparently, Mechanic will not always install the fix, or update its' own information that it has been fixed. {See number 2).
2. It is my opinion you should FIX problem (that section) a day, then restart. You should Fix another problem tomorrow.

You remember up above where it seemed Mechanic wasn't updating its' own information (that it had already fixed a problem it was saying needing fixing? This is what I did to correct that problem--fix a different problem each day, restart after EACH fix.

So that's it. So far I let them keep their five stars. If any thing BAD happens, I'll post it.


Well, it's August 18/2008. System Mechanic is failing. Not being a computer whiz, I'd say one of two things are happening--maybe both; System Mechanic is either creating its' own problems and is not cleaning them up--OR--its' updates are not keeping up with the industry's newer programs and leaving problems on the system until it becomes UNSTABLE. A lot of these maintenance programs are like that. You can fix any problem reported on your system by one program--install another 'fix' program and it will find dozens to hundreds more.

So, anyway, System Mechanic worked...ok...while I had it but it is time to move on to something bigger, and more dedicated. I guess the main thing in the way of problems was the Registry. I heard that WinCleaner does a great job (100%) as opposed to System Mechanic 7's reported (3 1/2%) efficiency--yep, that's three and onehalf percent. The Registry is the main problem. When I used a free internet scanner--it showed TWO HUNDRED problems with my Registry. In a Registry, if just ONE problem exist, the entire system can become unstable.

So that's it, it worked fine for a while...but now it's time to move on.

BYE!

I wish I'd never upgraded I feel like I'm stuck in a nightmare [Posted on 2008-03-02]
I was so happy with System Mechanic v.6 that I decided to buy it for my wife. When we went to buy it, v.7 was available and I was excited to see how it could be any better than my v.6.

While there I noticed that I could upgrade to v.7 and did so at the same time I bought my wife's copy. Oh, my gosh, what a nightmare we've both had. My computer is trashed, slow, frustrating with problems.

I wish I'd never heard of System Mechanic 7.

System 7 sucks [Posted on 2008-04-13]
I made the mistake of purchasing this piece of junk from Staples. Installed in on my Dell, and quickly lost all internet access. Despite repeated attempts to find solutions, I could not find any. Iolo was of NO help.

After searching the internet and finding out that lots of other people had lots of seriious problems with this "malware" and could find no help from Iolo, I decided to uninstall it and try returning it to Staples. Staples basically told me, "Too bad, it's your problem." Great job of standing behind what you sell, Staples. Great job of creating junk, Iolo.

Bottom line--Do NOT buy this or any related Iolo product, and do NOT shop at Staples.

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