AVG PC TuneUp
AVG TuneUp, previously called AVG PC Tuneup, and TuneUp Utilities, is a utility software suite for Microsoft Windows designed to help manage, maintain, optimize, configure, and troubleshoot a computer system. It was produced and developed by TuneUp Software GmbH. TuneUp Software was headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, and co-founded by Tibor Schiemann and Christoph Laumann in 1997. In 2011, AVG Technologies acquired TuneUp Software. AVG was then acquired by Avast in 2016. As of 2018, eighteen major versions of TuneUp Utilities have been released. TuneUp Utilities has attained generally positive reviews, although multiple reviewers did not approve  of its price for value. Features. AVG PC TuneUp has features for PC maintenance, optimization, updates, to free up hard-drive space, and to uninstall unwanted applications. The "Automatic Maintenance" tool removes tracking cookies, cache files, old files from removed applications, and fixes issues with the Windows registry. PC TuneUp's "Sleep Mode" puts background processes to sleep until needed to reduce their burden on the computer's resources. PC TuneUp also has an uninstaller to remove unwanted programs like bloatware and a software updater that installs the most recent patches or updates. The Disk Cleaner and Browser Cleaner tools  remove installer files, temporary system files, browser caches, and other files. Development. The first version of the software, TuneUp 97, was released in 1997. New versions have been released over the years ever since. Critical reception. TuneUp Utilities received generally positive reviews. "Computer Shopper" magazine reviewed TuneUp Utilities 2009 and gave it a score of 8 out of 10. It commended TuneUp Registry Cleaner as well as the hard-drive-related components of the product. However, it also noted that some tools are superficially implemented. The software lacks an antivirus and personal firewall. TuneUp Utilities 2009 was voted No. 37  of "The Top 100 Products of 2009" by "Computer Shopper" readers and was named "Best Utility Suite" by the editors. "CNET" reviewed TuneUp Utilities 2009 and gave it 5 stars out of 5. "To call TuneUp Utilities 2009 useful would drastically understate the situation", said Seth Rosenblatt, an associate editor with CNET. He said TuneUp Utilities was a powerful and easy-to-use set of tools, with its disk cleanup and registry cleaner being the "bread-and-butter" of the suite. "PC World"'s Preston Gralla reviewed the 2010 version and commented that TuneUp Utilities is a comprehensive suite that  includes everything from a startup optimizer to a defragmenter, from an overall speed optimizer to a Windows Registry cleaner, and more. However, he said that the high price of the entire suite ($50) might make a purchase decision more difficult. Preston had also previously reviewed TuneUp Utilities 2009 for "PC Advisor" and gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. "PC Magazine" reviewed TuneUp Utilities 2011 and gave it a score of 4 out of 5. "Overall, the software does a fine job of revitalizing a worn PC," commented Jeffrey L. Wilson, a "PC Magazine" software analyst. He appreciated  the product's one-click repair feature and the subsequent reduction in his test PC's boot-time. However, Wilson criticized the software license that only permits installation on up to three PCs. In comparison, a competing product called Iolo System Mechanic 10, allows an unlimited number of installations in the same household. TuneUp Utilities received a Softpedia Pick award from "Softpedia". Although Softpedia editor Alex Muradin expressed concern about the lack of proper technical support for TuneUp Utilities 2006, he gave the product a final score of 5 out of 5. However, he gave this product a subscore of  3 out of 5 for pricing/value. Author Christian Immler characterizes TuneUp Utilities as a classic amongst tuning tools. "CNET" reviewed TuneUp Utilities 2015 and gave it a score of 3.5 out of 5. "AVG PC TuneUp is a well-designed and effective tool that mostly accomplishes what it claims. Its advantage lies in its streamlined user flow and one-click-friendly design," said Eddie Cho, a tech editor and producer for CNET.