SpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors voltages, fan speeds and temperatures in computers with hardware monitor chips. SpeedFan can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures. SpeedFan supports SCSI disks too. SpeedFan can even change the FSB on some hardware (but this should be considered a bonus feature).

At the lowest level, SpeedFan is a hardware monitor software that can access temperature sensors, but its main feature is that it can change fan speeds (depending on the capabilities of your sensor chip and your hardware) according to the temperatures inside your PC, thus reducing noise and power consumption.

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There are so many graphics cards and chipsets nowadays that compatibility problems with software inevitably arise. PowerStrip provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the Matrox Millennium I to the latest ATI X850 and NVidia SLI solutions.

The developers claim this is the only program of its type to support multiple graphics cards from multiple chipset vendors, simultaneously, under every Windows operating system from Windows 95 to the x64-bit edition of XP. A simple menu pop up from the system tray provides access to some 500 controls over your display hardware, including color correction tools, period level adjustments over screen geometry, and driver independent clock controls.

The program automatically detects when programs are launched and responds by activating specific display settings, gamma adjustments, performance switches and even clock speeds - returning everything to normal when the program closes. A quick setup wizard gets you up and running with minimal fuss and and live updates are supported to ensure you're always running the latest release.

If you've had problems with games or compatibility issues with other software, look no further than PowerStrip.

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Hare doesn't use "classic" acceleration methods, such as a few registry tweaks, and few modified settings. Hare will improve performance no matter what software you use, thanks to a revolutionary compact 88-bit Kernel, which accelerates common system instructions. In addition to that, Hare has a very complete CPU Tasking technology designed to fit your needs; Hare determines automatically what program you use, and how much CPU it must allocate to it.

Hare features a state-of-art interface, extremely easy to use. Our interface fully respects Microsoft's guidelines and is very intuitive. Most of the time, you won't have to configure Hare, since it works in background, but if you want for example to check out how much free memory you have, or if you feel like fine-tweaking Hare, you'll be delighted by its ease of use, eye-candy icons and comprehensive wizards.

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In a few easy steps you can make your PC run faster, cleaner and error-free with the help of a new system tool – Smart PC Professional. The software fixes stubborn errors, cleans-up space-wasting junk and debris making your PC more efficient and reliable. Special features of the new software ensure your personal privacy while surfing through the Web and protect your PC from information theft.

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Adobe Reader SpeedUp is a simple application that was created to help make the loading time of Adobe's Acrobat Reader software bearable for everyday use. AR SpeedUp only needs to be used once (a process taking only a few seconds) and then your Reader will be transformed forever. There are also some tweaking options available.

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Auslogics System Information is a free software application that gathers and displays loads of important data about your system.

Now, while there's nothing new about this – in fact, the program takes all the information from various system resources you could check by yourself – the good point about Auslogics System Information is that the data is presented under a single interface, in a conveniently categorized structure which makes it easy and comfortable to read.

The program features two possible viewing modes, Simple and Advanced, the latter showing more categories and in-depth technical information than the first one. Besides checking the information on screen, you can also have it printed on paper as a comprehensive report, after saving it as HTML, XML or plaint text. Unfortunately this report can't be customized to include only certain categories.

Another feature I missed was the possibility to obtain more information about certain items on the Internet, by linking to Google or the company's website.

With Auslogics System Information you get to see all the relevant data about your computer at a glance.

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There's nothing worse than when your PC hangs-up and you can't regain control of it. Sometimes, Window's Task Manger (revealed by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del) will solve the problem by allowing you to kill the process but some hang-ups are too tough for it to handle. Kill Process is basically a task administrator which will allow you to list, identify and manage all the active processes in your system.

Like with the Windows Task Manager, Kill Process allows you to visualize the names of processes and go directly to them in case of a major crash. However, it's more detailed than the former because it allows you to see exactly which processes relate to which programs. Useful if you don't know what half the processes are meant to be for on your system. It's also more effective in killing processes that Windows Task Manager may have trouble closing.

This is a really useful tool if you suffer frequent Windows crashes although for most people, Windows Task Manager will suffice.

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These Windows enhancements automate tasks and make Windows run faster & smoother. They clean up files and protect your privacy, backup and secure data, adjust settings, and manage and control programs according to your needs. Shutdown your system faster, or improve your Windows clock with the date and a second time zone. Powerful extensions for file management allow for fast search and replace, set file dates, create zip files, etc.

Improve your productivity with Windows, and save plenty of time with these 'gems' of easy-to-use utilities. All Ghosts are included: 2ndFolder, Backup, Clip, DeskTOP, FileDate, JumpReg, JustAWindow, Lookup, Messenger, NotePad, Password, Popup-Killer, ProfileCopy, QuickStart, Replace, Robo, SaveLayout, ScrnMan, ScreenSaver, SetColor, ShellX, ShowTime, Shredder, ShutDown, Startup, Synchronize, Timer, TrayProtect, Wash, WinControl, Zip1+Zip2+SFX, and Tower. Translations into 19 languages.

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If you're a serious gamer then you'll need some help to get the most out of your system and ensure your graphics card is performing to the peak of it's abilities.

Game Gain 2 is the latest version of this popular gaming assistant which attempts to take gaming to the next level. It can help you enjoy games like you never have done before by using those parts of your processor and graphics card that had formerly laid dormant. The program is remarkably easy to use requiring just the tweaking of a few throttles and switches to blast your PC into the gaming stratosphere. However, you should use this utility with caution because it does change registry settings that could unbalance your system if your registry is already damaged. It works by making direct changes to system registry and system files to enhance memory, screen drawing, animations, refresh rates, CPU threading speeds. However the developers assure that it only optimises based on the capabilities of your system and won't try and push it past anything it can't handle. If you do experience problems afterwards, the system analyzer should help remedy them.

A great tool for gamers although if you've got the latest Intel Quad processors, you'll probably have little use for it.

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The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a small beta application that you can run on your current Windows XP-based computer to find out if it's ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista. When you run the Upgrade Advisor, it will scan your computer and generate an easy-to-understand report of any known system and device compatibility issues, along with recommendations on how you can get your PC ready for Windows Vista. Microsoft plans to add functionality to Upgrade Advisor, such as checking how your software applications will run with Windows Vista. Download the beta version today and check this site in a few months for a new version.

Upgrade Advisor is currently a beta release and contains functionality and features that have not been thoroughly tested and may contain errors. Please consider the information that Upgrade Advisor currently provides as preliminary and check back periodically for new versions, which will include updated device information and additional functionality such as checking how your software applications will run with Windows Vista.

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The SysInternals Suite is a full-featured pack of system utilities that cover a wide range of functions and needs and which are especially addressed at expert users and system administrators.

Of course, this doesn't mean that average users can't take advantage of the more than 60 different tools included in the package. Simply bear in mind that they are not designed to be particularly easy to use, but just useful and straight to the point. Also, the featured utilities are presented as a ZIP archive with all the standalone files, rather than under a single interface which would have been definitely easier.

That said, the truth is that SysInternals is a very complete suite with all sorts of tools. Many of them include command-line controls, and most of them enable you to take full control of the way the whole system works, plus analyzing everything that's going on and preventing any malware from running without your knowledge.

In spite of not being very user-friendly, the SysInternals Suite is still a very valuable piece of software with a rich collection of system tools and tweaks.

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SensorsView is a utility, that monitors the temperature of your CPU, northbridge, motherboard, VGA and hard disks, as well as voltages and fan speeds (as supported by your motherboard).
It can alert you if the values reach a critical level, and also provide a complete overview of the measurements.

At critical values of any parameters (CPU overheating, fan stop) SensorsView will inform you about it and store info in the log file, also it is possible to shut down computer, play any sound, execute the application (command) or send email.

You can set name, chart color, icon, critical threshold and if it is necessary, correction for all possible controllable parameters.

In addition, the program shows usage of CPU, physical memory, HDD, NIC (Network Interface Connection).

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Us software fanatics know that not all programs are amazing and that sometimes you can end up installing stuff that wants to do bad things to your computer. Due to the very nature of spyware, malware and trojans, spotting these evil apps can be tricky, but there are now lots of applications around that can help you sniff them out. FreeFixer performs a search on your computer for these malicious programs to give you the chance to remove them.

Scanning with FreeFixer is very thorough and it scans a lot of programs files, BHO's, dll's, home page settings and the Windows registry for spyware and adware. The problem with this app, however, is the fact that it doesn't provide you with any information about the suspect files it finds, leaving it up to you to decide whether to delete them or not. This can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing because you could end up removing files that are needed by your PC.

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The Windows Inspection Tool Set displays detailed information about your computer. The program doesn't really offer any data that you can't find in Windows by yourself, but it gathers it under a single location and a very intuitive interface.

You'll be able to check active processes, open services, user groups, available network connections, information about drives (including both local and networked ones) and a lot more. The program also includes a run menu that enables you to launch certain commands and Windows apps just by typing in their names.

All these features are made available in a very clear interface. However, I didn't like the fact that you have to manually expand the sidebar windows every time you open any of the program's options. I also missed the possibility to print out or export the different reports generated by the program.

Access detailed info about many aspects of your PC in a single window

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The all-new PcMedik 6 sets the standard for PC optimizing software. One of the first products to enhance PC performance, it increases overall speed and squeezes out every last bit of performance your computer is capable of.

PcMedik also locates and repairs problems with software and hardware incompatibilities which lead to computer performance issues. Very easy to use, fully compliant with all versions of Microsoft Windows and adjusts itself to your computer specifications. Take your existing PC and revitalize it the easy way.

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BGEye displays system information on the desktop. The information is rendered as a bitmap that is temporarily set as the system wallpaper. There are two ways in which you can view the information and you may also select the elements that you wish to view; such as username, date and time, PC name, processor information, memory, disks, graphics card, etc.

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Forget those expensive and complicated programs that take a long time to set up and even longer to run. System Cleaner is lightning-fast. Just download the self-installer, click a few times, and your PC will be in tip-top shape before you know it.

System Cleaner takes care of all the common PC headaches that slow your system down and puts your data at risk from disk failure. It also takes care of many of the of the PC problems that other so-called tune-up programs ignore.

System Cleaner also includes a comprehensive "secrets eraser" that scrubs all of your computer and internet activity files and removes every last trace of where you have been and what you did while you were there.

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One thing that really annoys me about Windows is the limited Add-Remove software tool which seems both cumbersome and often ineffective.

It takes ages to show you what programs are installed and even when it does, it doesn't show you everything that should be on there anyway. Safarp however is a much better lightweight alternative that makes uninstalling and removing programs much simpler. It displays a list of all the installed programs on your PC and allows you to uninstall and repair them as you would with Windows.

However, much more than this, it also offers a search tool (something desperately missing from Windows) which allows you to search through installed programs and identify a specific one that you'd like to remove or repair. This saves so much time when you've got lots of programs installed. However, it's ineffective when the program installed is under a different name - say it's prefaced by the name of the developer or something - although it's better than nothing.

What's also great is that it can automatically detect entries that are obsolete or no longer on your system and remove them from your programs list if the original unstaller failed to do so. However, be very careful what you remove - some entries may seem erroneous but they can perform vital functions and so it's always best to Google or double check what they are before you remove them.

If you're frustrated with Windows Add/Remove interface, then you'll find Safarp a breath of fresh air.

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StatBar is a freeware system status bar which provides a handy, orderly overview of your system's condition. StatBar comes with 6 different color schemes and 19 information modules, allowing you to monitor and control various aspects of your system. This includes memory, CPU and disk usages, system uptime, Winamp control, network throughput, Internet time synchronization, and more. It features a built-in update check as well, which can download and install the latest version for you.

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Heavyload is inteded to stress all resources of a PC (like CPU, RAM, harddisk, network, operating system, etc.) in order to test, if it will run reliable under heavy load. This is useful for testing important NT file or database servers before using them productively, or just to check if your new PC might get too hot when used intensively. To stress your PC or server, HeavyLoad writes a large test-file to the temp folder, it allocates physical and virtual memory and it draws patterns in its window.

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