The last time I did a quick review on IObit Advanced SystemCare was nearly 3 years ago when it was still version 3. A major update version 4 was released about half a year ago and was approached by Keros from IObit multiple times to do a review but with my really busy work schedule, my 1 year old daughter and my wife to take care of, it had to wait until today… IObit Advanced SystemCare is one of the most popular automated system maintenance software for Windows computer. Currently the version 4 supports both 32 and 64 bit of Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7.
After installing Advanced SystemCare 4 on my test system, I was presented with a sleek and dark skin that contains 4 huge main buttons which are Quick Care, Deep Care, Turbo Boost and Toolbox.
There are two care modes which automatically runs a few tools from the Toolbox to optimize your computer. The Quick Care runs only 5 modules (Malware Scan, Registry Fix, Shortcut Fix, Privacy Sweep and Junk Files Clean) while the Deep Care runs 10 (All 5 modules from Quick Care plus System Optimization, Passive Defense, Disk Scan, Vulnerability Fix and Disk Defragment) with a more thorough scan for malware and deeper registry fix. Which care options you decide to run very much depend on how much free time you have to spare. If you don’t mind waiting, you can run the Deep Care that takes longer time to finish but giving your computer a more optimized state compared to the Quick Care.
The Turbo Boost feature allows you to quickly speed up your computer but temporarily shutting down unnecessary background processes and services, cleaning RAM, and intensifying processor performance. One click and you’re good to go. The first time you click on the Boost your PC now button will ask you to configure Turbo Boost. It is important to go through the configuration because some of the functions that you may want constantly enabled will be disabled when Turbo Boost is turned on. For example, if you need to print when Turbo Boost is in effect, you should uncheck the “Disable printer support” option.
Finally, the Toolbox button offers you with 20 smart and dedicated system tools where you can clean, optimize, repair, secure and control your Windows computer. Basically the tools used in Quick Care and Deep Care can be manually launched from here.
At the top right corner, there is a Rescue at the menu. The rescue function is a very important feature to provide rollback in system maintenance software such as Advanced SystemCare in case if something goes wrong and you are able to revert the changes made by the software. I noticed that the rollback would only be created when the whole repair process has been completed. If you manually stop the repair somewhere in the middle before it is finished, the backup will not appear in Rescue Center. The trick is to finish the repair so that the backup will be created. I also noticed that the backup is only created for registry changes while others such as invalid shortcuts and junk files are permanently removed from the system.
Advanced SystemCare 4 also comes with a built-in updater where it checks for the latest version but doesn’t do auto update on the main program. For example, to update from ASC v4.1 to v4.2, you will be brought to download.com to redownload a newer installer which is 29.1MB in size and reinstall. Do note that at the end of the installation, you will be prompted to install the IObit Toolbar for Internet Explorer and Firefox. Depending on whether you need it or not, there is an option to skip the installation of the toolbar.
There are two versions of Advanced SystemCare 4 which is the free and professional. The professional version offers automatic and scheduled functions with registry deep clean and some useful tools in Toolbox are locked in Free version. As an extra added feature, the Professional edition allows eye candy lovers to choose as many as 10 fantastic skins that make the use of the software more enjoyable. There are more that can be downloaded from the official IObit’s forum. The Professional version cost $19.95 for a year subscription but it is currently discounted to $12.97.
If you go to the Disk Defragment Settings, you should see an additional option “Enable Optimization Defragmentation” which can only be enabled in Professional version. It seems that the freeware IObit’s Smart Defrag v2.2 is able to do the same because I tried running the “Defrag and Fast Optimize” method in Smart Defrag first and then followed by running Disk Defragment from Deep Care with the Optimization Defragmentation option enabled. Surprisingly Advanced SystemCare Disk Defragment reports “No Problem” and doesn’t require any further action.
With all the functions and automation that can be found on Advanced SystemCare 4, any Windows users (whether they don’t know how to maintain their computer or just plain lazy to do it) that uses it can easily keep their computer clean and optimized.
IObit has generously sponsored 50 Advanced SystemCare 4 Professional license valid for 1 year to be given away at Raymond.cc. However because I needed to use one of the license to test the professional version, there will be 49 to be given away instead. Head on to the forum to participate in the draw.