SystemCop

Dozens of Windows settings in an easily navigated series of tabs and lists might not sound exciting, but with the right approach, it can be useful. The publisher of SystemCop delivers. This program wasn't designed to look pretty; it is programmed to work. Inexperienced people will make quick work of learning how to operate the program, but may not understand the need for each setting. The very short Help manual doesn't explain much.

Operating the app takes only checking option boxes and pressing an Apply button. The difficulty comes in knowing when to enable or disable a setting. For that reason, we recommend the app only to those with system tweaking experience. Unlike other tweaking programs, this one lacks a function to save and restore settings, a feature that takes some of the pressure off when changing them.

SystemCop's settings are numerous, and include options neatly organized under System, Start Menu, Desktop, Explorer, Network, and Startup tabs. Most of those tabs have subtabs. There are no real surprises in the options, just common, sturdy, and useful tweaks to personalize and improve system performance. Testers especially liked the easy options to block Registry start-up folders.

Experienced users should take a ride with SystemCop. It's not the be-all and end-all of system tweak tools, but it's one knowledgeable users will find helpful.