The free version does nothing but scan your computer, providing a detailed report of possible problems or sub-optimal settings. You can drill down to see unused file extensions, unnecessary startup programs, and undelete temp files. However, to actually do anything about them, you must use the full, commercial, program (or make the adjustments manually, a tedious process).
PC Pitstop Optimize has few options or controls. The free demo basically has ‘Scan’ and ‘Next’. Review the various issues and suggestions, and you’re done. The commercial version gives you the killer option–Optimize! Select it (after perhaps deciding which of the many changes to accept, or just allowing them all) and let it run, then restart your computer. You will then be presented with a computer in new fighting trim. To be honest, I didn’t see any radical improvement–but I didn’t expect one, either. Most of the adjustments are relatively minor, but it’s still nice to know that a lot of old junk has been cleaned out.
Because there’s no trial of the optimizer itself, prospective users should study the list of recommended changes carefully, and consider how long it would take them to clean up all those broken registry entries and the like themselves, then decide if PC Pitstop Optimize is worth it. (And, of course, create a system restore point before running it–something you should always do before running any system-changing utility program. My experience with PC Pitstop Optimize was smooth and trouble-free, but it is always better to err on the side of caution.)
–Ian Harac