Boost

Boost enhances your PC’s performance by applying targeted cleaning and intelligent tweaking to your system, programs, and processes. Boost’s Basic and Advanced modes make it suitable for a wide range of users, and its changes are easily undone, if necessary. But Boost’s ability to analyze and apply specific tweaks and fixes means it can usually find something to improve even in the best-kept systems. Boost is free to try for seven days, though you can extend the trial by another seven days by supplying your e-mail address.

Boost’s setup wizard includes several steps and numerous options, though it offers clear explanations at each step, and nearly every option can be changed, easily, later on. Are you a Power User? Boost offers an Advanced mode for users who check a box attesting to their expertise. The program’s user interface rated our system’s performance at 49 percent and displayed a Meh icon (halfway between Sad and Happy face icons) and noted its Strengths and Stability issues, including Windows not updated in nine days (none had been available). The information was clear and easy to read, although we still aren’t sure what the 49 percent was in reference to, although we assume it means 49 percent of its maximum performance. We could also view our system’s CPU, Disk, and Memory performance on graphs. Settings include stuff like Always On Top and Auto Boost (disabled by default). We could also configure Allowed and Blocked programs, a nice touch to have more general control over your system.

We clicked the “Boost” button. A pop-up notice informed us that Boost made no permanent system change, to restart to undo Boost, and included other notifications. Clicking “Start” began the actual boosting process. Clicking “View Details” let us see what Boost did: problematic services blocked, critical hooked programs blocked, processes intelligently boosted (CPU affinity and dynamic tuning) programs decluttered, and file clutter removed. We could click Boost’s tray icon to re-boost our system on demand. Did Boost boost our already healthy system? It seemed to, though if your system is older or slower to begin with, Boost will have a bigger effect. Will it work for you? Try it and see!