Avg PC TUNEUP 2011 User Manual

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AVG PC Tuneup 2011

User Manual

Document revision 2011.03 (20.9.2010)

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Contents

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1. What is AVG PC Tuneup?

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2. AVG PC Tuneup Features

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3. Hardware & Software Requirements

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4. Installing the Program

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5. Main Window

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6. Registry Maintenance

6.1 Registry Cleaner

6.2 Registry Defrag

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7. Disk Maintenance

7.1 Clean Up Your Hard Disk

7.2 Defragment Your Hard Disk

7.3 Check for Errors

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8. Disk Space Management

8.1 Find and Delete Identical Files

8.2 Organize Files and Folders

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9. System Speed Up

9.1 Optimize Your Internet Connection

9.2 Tweak Windows to its Peak Performance

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10. System Control

10.1 Control Startup Programs

10.2 Disable Unnecessary Services

10.3 Control Processes Running on Your Computer

10.4 Remove Unnecessary Applications

10.5 Get to Know Your Computer Better

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11. Privacy Protection

11.1 Hide Your Computer Activities

11.2 Delete Files beyond Restoration

11.3 Wipe Sensitive Data

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12. Disaster Recovery

12.1 Recover Accidentally Deleted Data

12.2 Back up Changes Made to Your System

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1. What is AVG PC Tuneup?

You already know how AVG can protect you online. Now we take that expertise one step further by fixing problems that slow you down. AVG PC Tuneup provides over 16 tools to help you get the most out of your PC.

Benefits at a glance

· Increase your internet speed

· Free up space on your hard drive

· Protec t your privacy

· Clean your registry and make your PC more stable

· Speed up your PC

· Protec t and recover your personal files

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2. AVG PC Tuneup Features

Disk Cleaner

Removes junk files slowing down your computer

Disk Defrag

Defragments disk drives and optimizes system files placement

Registry Cleaner

Repairs thousands of registry errors to increase PC stability

Registry Defrag

Compac ts the registry eliminating memoryconsuming gaps

Disk Doctor

Finds bad sectors, lost clusters and directory errors and fixes them

Internet Optimizer

Tailors the one-size-fits-all settings to your specific Internet connection

Track Eraser

Removes the history of your computer and Internet usage

Disk Wipe

Wipes free space on disks to prevent the recovery of sensitive data

File Shredder

Erases selected files beyond recovery on a disk or USB stick

File Recovery

Recovers accidentally deleted files from disks, USB sticks or cameras

Duplicate File Finder

Helps to find and remove duplicate files that waste disk space

Services Manager

Disables unnecessary services slowing down your computer

Startup Manager

Allows to manage programs that start automatically on Windows boot

Uninstall Manager

Completely uninstalls the software programs that you no longer need

Tweak Manager

Allows to tune hundreds of Windows settings to increase your PC speed

Task Manager

Lists all running processes, services and locked files

Disk Explorer

Shows which files take up the most spac e on your computer

System Information

Provides detailed information about your hardware and software

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3. Hardware & Software Requirements

Before installing the program, please check that your computer meets the following hardware and software requirements:

· Windows 7, XP or Vista (32-bit and 64-bit supported)

· 50 MB of available hard-disk space

· 256 MB RAM or more

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4. Installing the Program

Start the Setup Wizard by double-clicking on the downloaded file. If you bought the program on a CD, insert the disk into a CD/DVD drive which will launch the Setup

Wizard. If the program does not start automatically, open My Computer, select the CD/DVD drive and double click on the program file to launch it manually.

Follow the instructions of the Setup Wizard.

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5. Main Window

To start the program, double click on the AVG PC Tuneup icon on your desktop. The main window will open where you c an instantly see your system status, scan area and the quick tasks. If the program recommends to scan the system, simply c lick on the Scan Now button and follow the instructions.

1. Select the areas where you want the program to look for errors, junk files and other problems.

2. Click on the Scan Now button to begin the scan, or click on the arrow to select advanced scan options.

3. You can switch to additional tabs with resource usage information, advice on optimizing computer, or advanced tools.

4. Use the quick tasks if all you want is to quickly erase history, clean up temporary files or optimize computer memory.

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6. Registry Maintenance

The registry is the main database within Windows. It is where crucial settings of each application and driver are stored. When running, a program may ac cess the registry thousands of times per second. Registry errors can cause many problems, starting from computer slowdowns to system hanging and crashes. Keeping the registry in good shape means better computer performance and stability.

How to Maintain the Windows Registry.

AVG PC Tuneup includes two essential tools for keeping the registry clean, compact

and error free: Registry Cleaner and Registry Defrag. These utilities can be launched under the Advanced Tools tab in the main window of the program:

6.1. Registry Cleaner

We recommend cleaning the registry at least once a week. To do that, click on the Repair entry of the Registry Maintenance section. A new window will appear:

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Select c ategories you want the program to scan for errors and click on the Scan Now button. After the scan is finished, you will be presented with a list of detected problems.You can view detailed information about each problem found. Click on the Repair button to fix all problems immediately.

6.2. Registry Defrag

Registry Defrag is the other essential tool. It eliminates structural defects of the registry and compacts it, reducing the amount of RAM the registry takes up. To launch the Registry Defrag tool, click on the Defragment entry of the Registry Maintenance section.

Click on the Analyze button in the Registry Defrag window to start the registry analysis. The program will scan the registry to see how much fragmentation there is and if the registry needs to be defragmented. When the analysis is over, click Next to defragment the registry.

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7. Disk Maintenance

Any hard disk becomes fragmented and cluttered with junk files over time. This is one of the most common reasons of computer slowdowns. AVG PC Tuneup has all the tools needed to get the most out of your hard drive performance.

7.1. Clean Up Your Hard Disk

With Disk Cleaner tool you can clean up your disks from useless files that waste space and slow down your computer. These may be temporary files, web browsers cache, junk files left by online chat programs like MSN or Yahoo Messenger and other debris. To launch the Disk Cleaner tool, c lick on the Cleanup link of the Disk Maintenance section. Spec ify where the program should look for junk files and then click on the Scan Now button.After a short sc an you will see the junk files and their location on disk. Select the files you want to delete and click Remove.

7.2. Defragment Your Hard Disk

AVG PC Tuneup includes a Disk Defrag tool. This tool can defragment files, consolidate free space and move system files to the faster part of the disk. This greatly improves applications response time, system boot speed and overall computer performance.

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Click on the Defragment link of the Disk Maintenance section. Select the disks you want to defragment and click on:

· Analyze to determine disks fragmentation level

· Defrag to defragment files

· Defrag & Optimize to defragment files and consolidate free space

7.3. Check for Errors

Disk Doctor is also included, allowing you to c heck disk drives for problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters and directory errors. With Disk Doctor you will be able to recover data from unreadable sectors and monitor your hard drive health.

Please note: We recommend running the Disk Doctor tool once a month to chec k the health of the disk drives on your computer. If you start seeing a lot of bad sec tors, backup and replace the faulty disk to prevent data loss.

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Click on the Repair Disks link of the Disk Maintenance section. Select the disks and click on:

· Scan selected to analyse disks without repairing errors

· Scan and Fix Selected to repair errors without scanning the volume for bad

sectors

· Deep Scan and Fix Selected to repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover

readable information

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8. Disk Space Management

Daily c omputer ac tivity inevitably leads to large number of useless files ac cumulating on your computer, even more so if you are an active PC user. You may download gigabytes of music and video files, documents and applications from the Internet and not even realize how many identical files or files that you don't really need any more are stored on your hard disks. With AVG PC Tuneup you can organize documents, media, and other files to increase free space on the disks of your computer.

8.1. Find and Delete Identical Files

Keeping unnecessary duplicate files on your computer means wasting valuable hard disk space. Duplicate File Finder will help you to get rid of those files. With this utility you can increase free space by up to 50%.

To launch Duplicate File Finder, click on the Remove duplicates link of the Free Up Space section. Select the folders where you wish the program to look for identical files and specify which file types the program should look for. After the scan is finished you will be able to select the duplicate files you want to delete.

8.2. Organize Files and Folders

Disk Explorer is designed to help with tracking disk space usage. This tool will show the largest files and folders on your disks, so you c an free up additional space by archiving them onto a CD or DVD.

To launch Disk Explorer, click on the Explore disks link of the Free Up Space section. Select disks you wish the program to analyze and click Scan Now. You will then be able to see which files and folders take up the most of the disk space, as well as some useful statistics. Click on the Show button to c hoose between several views.

9. System Speed Up

AVG PC Tuneup offers over hundreds of settings to tune your system for maximum performance and speed up Internet connection.

9.1. Optimize Your Internet Connection

With Internet Optimizer tool you can speed up Internet c onnection by optimizing numerous settings like Max MTU and RWIN specifically for the type of Internet connection you use.

If you want the program to optimize your Internet c onnection automatically, click on the Automatic entry of the Speed Up Internet sec tion and follow the program's instructions. You can also customize all settings manually. To do it, click on the Manual Optimization entry. In the right-hand column you will find detailed description of each setting.

9.2. Tweak Windows to its Peak Performance

Tweak Manager tool includes lots of undocumented Windows settings that can be customized to speed up your system. All settings come with desc riptions that make it easy to understand what you are doing.

To launch the Tweak Manager tool, click on the System Tweaks link under the Advanced Tools tab. In the right column of the appeared window you c an select

categories you wish to customize. Each option has a tweak rating, telling you how much effect changing the setting will have on your computer performance.

10. System Control

AVG PC Tuneup provides you with a set of tools that will help you to control every task, service or application running on your computer.

10.1. Control Startup Programs

Reducing the number of programs that start automatically will make Windows boot faster and free up system resources. Startup Manager lists all startup programs installed on your system and allows you to disable the programs that you use occasionally or don't use at all.

To launch the Startup Manager tool, click on the Startup items link of the Software Control section. Manage the list by adding new programs or removing unnecessary startup applications. You can also disable any program before removing it from the list to see the effec t the change will have on your system.

10.2. Disable Unnecessary Services

There are some services constantly running on your computer that you don't really need. Eac h of them uses valuable system resources - memory, CPU and hard drive. Disabling these services may significantly increase your computer performance. Service Manager will help you to identify and disable unnecessary services by providing you with comprehensive descriptions and recommendations regarding each running service.

To launch the Service Manager tool, click on the Services link of the System Status section. Select the services you don't need running on your system and click on the Disable service. If you are not sure whether you need a particular service, please read the description and the advice concerning its usage, displayed in the right column.

10.3. Control Processes Running on Your Computer

Task Manager lets you track all running applications, processes and open files. It displays how much CPU, RAM and disk is used by an individual program or a process, as well as the total consumption of system recourses. It also allows you to speed up individual processes by bumping up their priority.

To launch the Task Manager tool, click on the Tasks link of the System Status section. Select one of the c ategories on the right: Applications, Processes, Services or Locked Files. If there are processes believed to be dangerous, Task Manager will warn you about them, so you c an easily end the processes or find out more about it in the Internet.

10.4. Remove Unnecessary Applications

Uninstall Manager shows you the list of all programs installed on your computer and allows you to easily uninstall any of them. Uninstall Manager displays detailed information about each program, including its publisher, current version, installation size and location on disk. You can also see which programs you hardly ever use and decide whether you need them or not. In addition, Uninstall Manager warns you if there are programs believed to be spyware or adware.

Click on the Installed Software link of the Software Control section, select the program you want to remove and click on:

· Uninstall to launch the program's uninstall wizard

· Quiet Uninstall to quickly remove the program

· Force Remove to delete the program's registry entry

10.5. Get to Know Your Computer Better

System Information provides comprehensive and easy-to-understand information about your computer. It will show hardware configuration and operating system details, as well as all programs and drivers installed on your PC. It c an also generate a detailed report containing all the information about your system in a single file. This feature will be useful if you need to provide a tec hnical support team with information

about your computer.

To launch the System Information tool, click on the System info link of the System Status section. The starting page shows a short computer configuration and operating system summary. You can select one of the 19 categories from the program menu to get the information you need. Alternatively, click on the Save Report link to obtain a detailed system information report.

11. Privacy Protection

11.1. Hide Your Computer Activities

When you surf the Internet, open documents or run various programs, your activity is recorded in “cookie” files, temporary Internet files and the registry. This means that people who have access to your computer can easily see which web sites you have visited or which documents, images and applications you've recently opened. Track Eraser will protect your privacy by removing this confidential information from your computer.

To launch the Track Eraser tool, c lick on the Erase history link of the Privacy section. In the list on the right hand side of the window select the history tracks you want the program to look for click on the Scan Now button. After the scan is finished, select the history tracks and files you want to remove and click on the Erase button to remove them.

11.2. Delete Files beyond Restoration

Did you know that by simply deleting files or folders in Windows you just remove references to them but not the actual data? Files you think were deleted in fact remain intact on the disk for some time and can be easily restored with data recovery software. File Shredder was designed to permanently delete files, folders and the Recyc le Bin contents, so your sensitive data cannot be restored. It provides four different shredding algorithms: from fast to military-grade privacy level.

To launch the File Shredder tool, click on the Shred files entry of the Privacy section. Click on the Add button to add files and folders you want to shred. You can also drag files to the program's window directly from Windows Explorer. Click Shred to delete selected data permanently.

11.3. Wipe Sensitive Data

Unlike File Shredder, this tool wipes free space on an entire drive, making sure that files you have deleted previously can't be restored. To provide extra security, Disk Wiper allows turning off System Restore while wiping a disk. Since System Restore keeps track of files changes, turning it off ensures that no file copies will be created during wiping.

To launch the Disk Wiper tool, click on the Wipe disks link of the Privacy sec tion. Select the disks you want the program to wipe and click on the Wipe button to start erasing deleted data. To c hange wipe method, c lick on the Settings in the main menu. Select Wipe settings tab and specify how the program should wipe the disks.

12. Disaster Recovery

12.1. Recover Accidentally Deleted Data

Lost an important document or picture? File Recovery tool will save you from panic. Don't let months or years of your work disappear with accidentally deleted documents, pictures and other important files. Use this program to recover deleted files or files damaged by applications, spyware or computer viruses.

To launch the File Recovery tool, c lick on the File Recovery entry of the Disaster Recovery section. Select the drives you want to scan for deleted files and specify the types of files you are searching for and the date the files were modified.

Note: The more accurate your file search criteria are, the easier it will be to find the deleted files you were looking for.

12.2. Back up Changes Made to Your System

Designed to clean, optimize and protect your computer, AVG PC Tuneup is absolutely safe to use. All changes made by the program on your computer are stored in the Rescue Center. If you experience any problems c aused by the program, you can easily roll back the changes made to the system.

To launch the Rescue Center, c lick on the Rescue Center link of the Disaster Recovery section. Select the backup you want to restore and click on the Restore

button in the toolbar above the list to undo the c hanges made by the program. You can select which tools should back up their changes in the Rescue Center Settings menu.

Avg PC TUNEUP 2011 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

and error free: Registry Cleaner and Registry Defrag. These utilities can be launched under the Advanced Tools tab in the main window of the program:

We recommend cleaning the registry at least once a week. To do that, click on the Repair entry of the Registry Maintenance section. A new window will appear:

Registry Defrag is the other essential tool. It eliminates structural defects of the registry and compacts it, reducing the amount of RAM the registry takes up. To launch the Registry Defrag tool, click on the Defragment entry of the Registry Maintenance section.