PCPal

This easy-to-use and easy-to-understand utility helps optimize your PC by scanning for problems and recommending fixes, but its one-click repair feature didn't always perform as promised. PCPal has an attractive, functional interface with two panes, one of which is a small vertical pane with three categories of tools: Checkup, Toolbox, and Offers. In tests, the Checkup tool provided a quick scan of our system and returned a handful of potential issues--antivirus software not operating (even though our third-party security program was running), limited number of Internet sessions configured, and filename extensions hidden--with an automatic repair link for each. In one instance, the repair feature reported that it couldn't work with our OS, even though the publisher says PCPal runs under XP. The Toolbox features mirror tools you can find through Windows' Control Settings--setting a Restore Point, adding and removing programs, and so forth--and we found no improvements over the OS versions. To our dismay, the Offers section simply displays advertising for Windows Live Messenger and a free online backup service. PCPal is free and simple to use, but its performance keeps us from recommending it, and experienced users will have no trouble finding more robust tools.