Each version of Windows seems to need a different method of maintenance to keep it running smoothly and to avoid drops in performance. As your hard drive fills up, programs are installed and uninstalled and the registry becomes bloated, it is almost inevitable that performance will suffer. Add to this the problem of services, unnecessary files and numerous system settings that can be difficult to interpret, and the prospect of manually tweaking Windows is a daunting one.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6 can help by automating the process and in next to no time you can earn yourself a faster, more stable computer. The suite comprises a huge number of tools, all of which has been designed with a single aim in mind - to ensure that Windows runs as well as possible. By optimising the registry, tidying up the hard drive, removing unnecessary startup programs and files, taking control of running processes and trimming back services, it is possible to massively boost the performance of your computer in a few simple steps.

An enhanced defragmenter can reorganise the files on your hard drive for faster access, while the anti-spy component can be used to prevent certain programs from 'phoning home'. But the program isn't just about optimisation - although this is undeniably the focus of the suite - as there are also a number of additional tools included. An undelete tool makes it possible to recover deleted files and, conversely, the file wiper ensures that deleted files stay deleted. Large files can be split into smaller chunks ready to copying to removable media and files can be encrypted to protect your privacy. All system settings can be backed up so should there be any unwanted side effects of optimisation, the changes can be easily reversed.

Winoptimizer includes a benchmarking facility so you can see how the performance of your computer compares to others, as well as checking what different the various optimisation options have had on your system.