Since it rolls both of those features up in an impressively polished, easy-to-use package, it's definitely worth the download. While it may not outperform anti-virus software at killing viruses or utility software at cleaning up your PC, it does both just well enough to make the grade.

This program's default installation makes you download a widget and sign up for e-mails about the program, so make sure you opt out of that if you don't want them. All of the app's goodies are easy to find, thanks to a menu that seamlessly blends style and usability. Once we got past that, we were able to set up routine cleaning tasks - so the program wasn't so much of a time suck - and a slew of bonus features that offered performance boosts and other goodies. Before you can get started, the program offers a 'quick' scan that took more than 20 minutes during our testing, which was a little annoying. In addition to the typical virus and malware protection, it offers performance scans, memory and Registry clean-ups, and other boosts that will keep your computer fast and error free. This program handles just about any task you'd need to perform to boost your computer's performance. It doesn't hurt that the program sports a nifty, easy-to-use layout, either. Though it's not easy to set up by any means, the number of features tucked away inside of this program is too good to pass up. System Mechanic Free does an excellent job of optimizing your computer's performance and protecting you from viruses.

Iolo system mechanic reviews