free pcmatic scan from PC World. Would you trust it in?

[Loose rivets]

Quite interesting stuff. But is it safe to let these things in? PCW should know if it's kosher, but then.....


This is the blurb:

Without regular maintenance, PCs will accumulate junk files, malware, registry errors and more that keep a system from operating at top speed.

Run the Free PC Matic scan now to identify the 'hidden' issues that are causing your computer to run slower every day.

Free Download and Scan

Run a Free scan today and get the following custom reports about the health of your PC:

[Saab Dastard]

LR,

You've really got to stop all this experimenting, it'll end in tears!

If you keep lifting every stone and poking at what comes to light you are going to have some bad experiences.

If it ain't broke...

SD

And no, I wouldn't trust it.

[Tarq57]

If this (http://www.pcpitstop.com/store/pcmatic.asp) is of what you speak, it's safe enough. But it will prompt you (and maybe bug you) to purchase the full version, and part of it's functioning is likely to be crippled until you do.
Whether it's any good or not, I'm not sure. I've used PCPitstops' online tests before, and after due consideration have decided they are quite good to give you some guidance into what could need doing.
The driver scan, in particular, is fraught. You can download "recommended drivers" and really stuff things up. (If you think you need drivers, it's always best to get them from the support site of the software concerned. If you don't know that you need new drivers, and things are working OK, leave well enough alone.)
Finding the security holes in the browser is worthwhile, for those that don't know. That's a test worth doing, especially if you have been infected before and don't know how it happened. The browser (with it's cargo of flash players and Java)is usually the most likely web-facing application to allow an exploit through, if vulnerable, but you can generally prevent same by keeping it (and Java, and Flash player, patched.)
Other functions in it do a similar but better job than the built-in windows utilities. You can achieve the same performance/state of disk health by using Ccleaner or ATF cleaner, Mydefrag (formerly JKDefrag), and TweakNow registry cleaner. All for nothing. Or just use the Windows tools.
There is nothing the tests do or advise on that you can't find out and remedy yourself using other better - and cheaper - (free) tools. But to offer a reasonably comprehensive all-in-one overview, it's not bad.

[green granite]

The free CC cleaner is probably just as good.
And I reiterate what Saab says.

[Loose rivets]

One concedes the argument. twas the cogs on the box that enticed me.;)

[mad_jock]

I wouldn't trust PC world as a company to replace and install a toilet roll in my bathroom. They are ok if you know what your looking for but the amount of pish the sales staff can talk is unique in my experience.

The commercial networking department is a joke as well.

All these free scan your computer progs are a con on Nigerian email I need to transfer 1 billion pounds because my church in a third world country is built on a oil reserve and if you send me 5k I will transfer this money to you and you can keep 10% sort of levels.

Guaranteed that all that it will report is that your computer is crap, best solution is to take it to PC world. Pay 100 quid for the resident chimp to dick around with it and loose your data. While another help in the community window licker tries to sell you a new PC, which if you are lucky will just have enough performance to boot the latest microsoft OS but probably not.

[Sprogget]

My one & only experience of dealing with a guy at PC World:

Me: Do you have a graphics card that is not PCI?
PC World guy (snorts): There are no other types!
Me: AGP, PCI-E?
PC World guy: umm
Me: Have you worked here long?

[mad_jock]

You were probably speaking to the techie of the whole shop at least he knew what a graphics card was.

Most of the desktop computer sales reps seem to work on the principle that if its a beige coloured box it will do the job for you. If its black its a high performance machine. I am surprised nobody has produce a special PC world super high performance computer in a red box stick, a couple of hologram stickers on the front and the sales reps will be licking them everytime they walk by.

[Sprogget]

I don't know why it's called pc world anyway. It would more accurately be described as TV's with a few overpriced laptops in one corner world.

[Keef]

Agree the warnings. From time to time, I download one of those "free check-up" programmes for a laugh. They usually end with a message something like "We found 857 problems on your PC. We'll tell you about the first 50 and leave you to try to work out how to fix them. If you want us to fix them, or to tell you about the other 807, send $49.99 or fill in your credit card details..."

The 50 they find are usually cookies and the like, which I could have deleted with a few mouse-clicks in Firefox.

There's also a "driver finder" that gets shoved at you from all directions. It doesn't find drivers, it just asks for money. Win 7 and manufacturers' websites found me all the drivers I need.

Anything that reckons it will "tune up" your PC will usually end up deleting operating system files or parts of your installed software. Been there, done that, not going there any more.

[Blues&twos]

The driver scan, in particular, is fraught. You can download "recommended drivers" and really stuff things up. (If you think you need drivers, it's always best to get them from the support site of the software concerned.

There's also a "driver finder" that gets shoved at you from all directions

I made the mistake last Christmas of just allowing Windows to 'update driver' for my sound card (rather than using the manufacturer's website).

Never, ever again. My PC went into a loop of restarting, immediately crashing, restarting , immediately crashing etc. Took me about 3 hours to sort everything out and seriously put a damper on the day. If Windows can do this, god knows what a third party fly-by-night application could do.
:eek:

[xraydice]

No ! just ask Gary Glitter :):)

[amanoffewwords]

The free CC cleaner

CCleaner is the new Quantas ;-)

[SyllogismCheck]

Why oh why do people insist on installing rubbish which they don't even know the use of let alone have a need for?

It's very simple. The less junk you install, the better and faster your PC will function. You'll also avoid the inevitable downfall of the click-happy downloader which is eventually installing something properly nasty which will utterly mess things up.

I'm by no means a careful internet user, I simply don't download anything unless I know I need or want it and can trust it. The result is two laptops which boot and run as fast as the day they were new after 4 and 6 years of daily use in which time neither has had a reinstallation of the OS. Simple! :ok:

In fact, in that time the only single issue I've ever had was that a Skype update suddenly started to freeze my HP laptop when a call was initiated. Simply updating the soundcard driver fixed that.

It often seems that many PC users spend longer working for their computer, involved in their efforts to solve issues, than it that it does working for them as a functioning and useful tool. :rolleyes:

[allthatglitters]

Just simply as previous, try the free cc cleaner, used on several of our machines at basic out of the box settings, works a treat.;)