AVG PC TuneUp User Manual Document revision 2013.02 (12/2/2013) C opyright AVG Technologies C Z, s.r.o. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Please note that the pictures in this manual may differ from the actual software.
Contents ........................................................................................................................ 4 1. Welcome to AVG PC TuneUp! .......................................................................................................... 4 1.1 System Requirements 4 1.2 Help and .......................................................................................................... Support ........................................................................................
.......................................................................................................... 76 10.1 Personalizing Options and Behaviors .......................................................................................................... 96 10.2 Personalizing the Appearance of Windows ........................................................................................................................ 109 11. Overview of All Functions ...................................................
1. Welcome to AVG PC TuneUp! Congratulations on choosing AVG PC TuneUp! You have just acquired a comprehensive collection of over 30 different tools to optimize your PC. Use this software to revitalize PCs, notebooks or netbooks with a minimum effort. With AVG PC TuneUp, you can restore the full performance capabilities of your operating system, games and programs.
2. The Start Center The new AVG PC TuneUp Start Center is the central access point for all functions and optimization options. The PC optimization mode In the PC optimization mode area, you can decide which mode should be turned on for your Windows operating system. For more information, see PC Optimization Modes. The Optimization Status The Optimization Status shows you how well you are already using the options provided to you by AVG PC TuneUp. For more information, see Optimization Status.
The five categories The main area in the AVG PC TuneUp Start Center comprises five categories, giving you fast access to the key features of AVG PC TuneUp sorted by topic. The five categories in the Start Center represent the key task areas of AVG PC TuneUp. The first category shows the status of the four central optimization areas. You can see at a glance whether there is an urgent need for action or potential for optimization.
3. PC Optimization Modes In the PC optimization mode area, you can decide which mode should be turned on for your Windows operating system. Economy Mode Using AVG Economy Mode, you can reduce the energy consumption of your computer by turning off the screen, hardware components or unnecessary functions. For more information, see Economy Mode. Standard Mode Standard Mode represents the normal operating state of Windows. For more information, see Standard Mode.
to Economy Mode, some functionalities are switched off and will not be available again until you turn off Economy Mode. How Can I Tell How Much Energy Has Been Saved in Economy Mode? The Economy Mode Configuration Wizard uses a traffic light system to show you how much energy you are actually saving with your settings. If the bar to the right of the total saving is green, your energy savings are high. A yellow bar represents moderate energy savings and a red bar represents low energy savings.
and selecting the Configure Economy Mode entry under AVG PC TuneUp. Now prepare your own Economy Mode by selecting which hardware components, services and features may be temporarily turned off in order to save energy when Economy Mode is turned on. The more you authorize to be turned off, the more apparent the energy saving will be. General Settings Here you can specify whether configuration functions should also be offered that reduce the performance of the system and turn off visual effects.
Connection to external devices Synchronization with mobile devices: This setting will prevent synchronization of addresses, e-mails, music files, etc. with your cell phone or portable media player and the related program will not start automatically when the device is connected while Economy Mode is on. Support for digital cameras and scanners: This setting means that you cannot import images from your digital camera or scan images when Economy Mode is on.
Visual effects Visual special effects for windows: This setting turns off transparency effects and shadows of windows, the preview window in the taskbar and three-dimensional navigation between windows when Economy Mode is on. Classic window style: This setting uses the classic Windows design for the appearance of windows, menus and buttons when Economy Mode is on, and transparency effects and thumbnails of windows in the taskbar are disabled.
The green circles represent those programs that you wish to accelerate using the Turbo Mode. The blue diamonds are all the programs and functions that are not required at all when Turbo Mode is on (see How to Configure Your Own AVG Turbo Mode). These are therefore turned off so that all of the PC's processing power is available to the required programs.
When you start Turbo Mode for the first time, the Turbo Mode Configuration Wizard will appear to help you create your own customized Turbo Mode. The wizard is integrated into the new central configuration dialog of AVG PC TuneUp. For more information, see Turbo Mode Settings. 3.3.1. Turbo Mode Settings Start the wizard for configuring the AVG Turbo Mode by clicking on Settings in the menu bar of the Start Center and selecting the Turbo Mode area.
Visual effects provide a graphical display of Windows but take up valuable space in the memory. Particularly with a low performance graphics card you can increase the computer's performance by turning off visual effects. Tip: This is a popular way of increasing the performance of netbook s on a sustained basis.
Every time Windows starts up, it starts up services that are used rarely or never. These services can occupy a large amount of the system's resources and slow down your PC. To prevent these services from not working when you need them, you should only turn them off temporarily for an added performance boost. Turn off rarely used services: This setting turns off services that are only needed in specific circumstances (e.g. company networks) or situations (e.g.
4. Optimization Status The Optimization Status is your personal indicator of optimization progress. You can find it on the AVG PC TuneUp Start Center next to the PC optimization mode area. What is the Optimization Status? The Optimization Status uses a graph and associated notifications to show you how extensively you are already using the options of AVG PC TuneUp to increase performance and maintain the system and where there is still potential to optimize your system further.
Automatic Maintenance, 1-Click Maintenance and Manual Maintenance For this section to be considered as optimized, one of the following conditions must be fulfilled: Automatic Maintenance must be activated with all the necessary maintenance tasks enabled, or AVG 1-Click Maintenance is carried out within 14 days of use with all the necessary maintenance tasks, or AVG Registry Cleaner and AVG Shortcut Cleaner are run within 14 days and Temporary files are deleted within 14 days of use.
5. Menu Bar In the menu bar, you have access to the central settings dialog of AVG PC TuneUp and to information about the program and individual modules. The "Settings" Menu Clicking on Settings takes you to the central configuration dialog of AVG PC TuneUp. Here you can adapt the program to your requirements, apply maintenance settings and configure AVG Live Optimization, AVG Turbo Mode, the update check and many other modules of AVG PC TuneUp.
6. Status & Recommendations The Status & recommendations category displays the current status for the three most important function areas provided to you by AVG PC TuneUp. In the event of warnings or recommendations, you can use the Show details link to immediately address the problem behind the warning or view the recommendations. In the fourth area, you can see whether the AVG Rescue Center protection is enabled, so that you can undo any changes at any time.
Increase Performance The status field in the Increase performance area shows whether AVG PC TuneUp has detected options for increasing the performance of your computer. For example, you may receive recommendations for increasing the speed of your Internet, uninstalling programs that haven't been used for a while or upgrading your hardware.
Click Maintenance, further details on any problems found are also displayed. By default, 1-Click Maintenance performs the following tasks for you: Cleans your registry Over time, the central Windows registry becomes filled with hundreds of superfluous entries. These include references to non-existent files, backlogs of programs deleted long ago and faulty entries. Your registry is cleaned, making your Windows system fast and problem-free.
6.1.2. Automatic Maintenance The Automatic Maintenance is particularly useful for all users who do not want to worry about the maintenance of their computer. As its name suggests, Automatic Maintenance regularly and automatically performs the most important maintenance work on your system to ensure that Windows remains fast and stable. The Automatic Maintenance function is also configured so that it performs all maintenance tasks.
6.2. Increasing Performance In this chapter, you will find out why it is important to do so and how you can use Increase performance to increase the performance of your system, by turning off unnecessary tasks and services. You can improve your system performance by turning off tasks and services that run in the background and that you rarely, if ever, need for your day-to-day work. For tablet PC compatibility (i.e.
In the Internet settings and Visual effects tabs you can perform all the optimization recommendations found by clicking Optimize all. Alternatively, you can click on a recommendation in the left column. In the righthand area of the window, a detailed description will appear and you can apply the recommendation by clicking on the button on the bottom right. In the Hardware and software tab you must answer a few simple questions on each recommendation in order to receive suitable options to continue.
How Many Days Should a Program Remain Unused Before We Recommend Removing it? Your computer is checked for programs that have not been used for a long time. These are then displayed with the recommendation that they are removed so that they do not slow down your computer unnecessarily. Based on your user behavior, you specify here after how many days a program that has not been used is considered to be potentially unnecessary and displayed with the recommendation that it is removed.
6.4. System Protection In the following chapters, you will find out how to use the AVG Rescue Center module to undo changes that you made with AVG PC TuneUp. You can also use AVG Rescue Center to perform system recoveries, i.e. to undo changes that you did not make with AVG PC TuneUp. System Recovery The AVG Rescue Center even lets you undo changes made not by AVG PC TuneUp but by other applications. AVG Rescue Center offers integration with the Windows system recovery function for this.
6.4.2. System Restore Start the AVG Rescue Center module by clicking Undo changes in the category Status & Recommendations of the Start Center. Alternatively, you can start the module by going to Overview of all functions in the Start Center and selecting the Undo changes entry under AVG PC TuneUp. Click on System Recovery. In the right-hand column, AVG Rescue Center shows you a list of all stored backups and also the time at which each entry was changed.
Rescue Center Protection Every AVG PC TuneUp module is protected by AVG Rescue Center as standard. You can disable this support for individual modules by clearing the relevant checkboxes. Backups Here you can set how long the individual backups of AVG Rescue Center should be stored for. The standard setting is for backups to be automatically deleted after two weeks and for a maximum of 60 backups to be stored. Do not restrict the AVG Rescue Center protection too much in order to save disk space.
7. Optimizing the System Your computer does not always work quite how you would like it to. Often it seems to take an eternity to call up individual programs or to save files and you start to doubt the performance capabilities of your computer. But in many cases this has nothing to do with the hardware. The problem is caused by the programs that are started, without you being aware of them, or remnants of programs that were not completely removed from your computer during an uninstallation process.
on the computer that really belong there - then complete your tidying with a more intelligent arrangement of the system entries and data to ensure a quicker startup of programs and files. For more information, see Manually Running Maintenance Task s. 7.1. Reducing System Load Disabling Programs The AVG Program Deactivator module shows you to what extent the installed programs are loading the system at various times (system startup, operation, shutdown).
priority. And if a background program suddenly gets carried away and requires a particularly high amount of computing power, it will be assigned a lower priority so that the programs you are currently using will run more smoothly. This also enables speedy workflows even at high capacity. Configuring Economy Mode The TuneUp Economy Mode from AVG PC TuneUp is an intelligent module for saving energy, which can also increase the performance of your computer at the same time.
menu bar, which allows you to open the introduction to AVG Program Deactivator at any time. All installed programs In the All installed programs area, you can see an overview list of all the programs installed on your system together with their load status. In the Name column, the programs are sorted according to their load: high, medium or low. Programs that do not place any load on the system have the status "none" and are not listed by name.
The program cannot be disabled because it does not have a negative impact on the system load. For this reason, the switch is grayed out and cannot be changed. Current status In the Current status column to the right, there is further information about the current status of a program. Permanently enabled The program is fully functional and is causing a system load even when you are not using it.
Scheduled to be disabled The program will be disabled automatically as soon as this is possible. Required by system The services of the program that run continuously in the background have been turned off. Impactless The program cannot be disabled because it does not have a negative impact on the system load. Status description To the right of the Current status column, the Status description column contains further information about the current status of the program in question.
How to Configure Program Deactivator In the upper right corner of the Start Center you can find the menu bar. By clicking on Settings you open the central setting dialogue of AVG PC TuneUp which offers you a list of the most important settings of AVG PC TuneUp along with their respective options, sorted by modules. Click on Program Deactivator on the left in order to open the settings for AVG Program Deactivator.
Note that disabling startup does not remove the program itself. It only disables the startup and therefore speeds up system startup and the speed of your computer. How to Configure Your System Startup Launch the AVG StartUp Manager module by going to the Optimize system category in the Start Center and selecting Disable startup programs in the Reduce system load area.
To have the system automatically run additional programs on system startup, simply add them to the list. 1. On the toolbar select the Add button. Alternatively you can right-click to open the context menu and select the Add program entry. 2. From the list, select the program that is to start automatically each time the system is started. If this does not happen, click Browse and select the program you want from the list that opens.
Description If you select a startup program in the list, the database will supply a description of the program to make the decision easier for you. In the case of very unusual programs, AVG StartUp Manager might not recognize a program. If so, you can obtain information on this program by searching online via a link. In addition, you can also help ensure that a description of this program appears here in future, by providing AVG with information on this program via the Report program link.
Before the program starts, the startup screen may appear for the Rating function for programs. Here you can decide whether to enable this feature and click OK. AVG Uninstall Manager shows you a list of all installed programs. In the menu bar, click Organize to sort the table by column or select a filter under View to display only selected programs. This will help you quickly identify what programs you no longer use or which take up the most space.
Optimization entry on the right-hand side of the Status & recommendations category. Alternatively, you can open the module by going to Overview of all functions in the Start Center and selecting the Configure Live Optimization entry under AVG PC TuneUp. Or click on Settings in the Start Center menu bar and select the Live Optimization area. Here you can select the two optimization methods. Since both of these are intelligent optimizations in real time, they do not always take effect immediately.
For a short period immediately after the program is started (orange) the processing power of the computer is temporarily redistributed, giving the program in question a separate performance boost. This boost is achieved by temporarily prioritizing the program in question. No other programs (green and blue) are affected. How do I know when Live Optimization was enabled? The great thing about Live Optimization is that it works intelligently in the background.
blocks of data. This significantly increases the speed of system startup and the loading times for documents and programs. AVG Drive Defrag gives you the choice of two different defragmentation types: one is particularly thorough, the other is particularly quick. For more information, see Defragmenting the Hard Disk . 7.2.1. Cleaning the Registry In this chapter, you will find out how you can use the AVG Registry Cleaner module to clean the registry and why it is important to do so.
Display problems Click Display problems to display detailed descriptions and exclude any individual problems from the cleanup (see Additional Functions in AVG Registry Cleaner Main Menu). Fix Problems Immediately Select Fix problems immediately and click Next to fix all detected problems immediately. Your registry is now free from all unnecessary ballast and your system is more stable.
Area Description Programs via entries in the startup section of the registry. When such programs are uninstalled, these entries are often not deleted. File Types Entries in this area of the registry link one or more file extensions (e.g. .txt or .doc) with various information (such as the program that should be used to open them). Such entries can become invalid through the uninstallation of programs, for example.
It should be clear therefore that deleted files can leave behind a lot of "ghosts" in the registry. AVG Registry Cleaner finds all of these orphaned entries and can delete them in a targeted fashion. We therefore recommend that you perform the full scan.
Ignore Problems You can remove individual problems from the list so that they are not found by the analysis. For this, perform the following steps: 1. Select a problem from the list of corresponding areas. 2. In the Edit menu, select Ignore problem. You can also get to this function using the list entry context menu. Include Ignored Problems Again If you no longer wish to ignore a problem, you can add it back to the analysis. For this, perform the following steps: 1.
a deleted key continues to exist in the registry - even if it is no longer used. At some point your registry then looks like a piece of Swiss cheese - full of holes. This is a real waste of space at the expense of system performance - not just on the hard disk but also in the memory. AVG Registry Defrag is able to compress the registry so that it becomes much smaller. This function increases the stability of your Windows system.
In addition, AVG Shortcut Cleaner analyses the file history lists from Microsoft Office programs, OpenOffice©, Windows Media Player and Nero©. These lists contain references to the files most recently accessed in the programs. These entries will also be checked here. If some point to files that no longer exist or which have been moved, you can delete them. This means that your system is free from unnecessary ballast; it also means that you no longer have to waste time trying to call up broken links.
selecting Optimize system startup and shutdown from the Run maintenance tasks manually area. The AVG StartUp Optimizer window is displayed. Alternatively, you can start the module by going to Overview of all functions in the Start Center and selecting the Optimize system startup and shutdown entry under Recommendations. You may first have to enter information for your profile at this point in order to obtain tailored recommendations.
recommendations. Alternatively, switch to the Details tab. Here you can apply all recommendations by clicking once on Optimize all. Click on a recommendation in the "Optimization recommendations" column. A description of the program and the recommendation are displayed in the right-hand area of the window. If you wish to allow the optimization, click on Apply recommendation at the bottom right. Hiding and Showing Recommendations If you do not want to accept a recommendation, click Hide recommendation.
The advantage of this method is the speed with which it is carried out: The performance of your hard disk is increased in no time at all. How to Defragment your Hard Disk Launch the AVG Drive Defrag module by going to the Optimize system category in the Start Center and selecting Defragment hard disk under Manually run maintenance tasks. Alternatively, you can start the module by going to Overview of all functions in the Start Center and selecting the Defragment entry under Hard disk.
select how each hard disk should be defragmented. For all other options, you don't need to do anything else, as defragmentation will run automatically after the analysis. Select a hard disk in the top area and select a defragmentation mode. AVG Drive Defrag determines the relationship between speed and the benefits to be gained and provides you with a recommendation based on this. Decide whether the computer should be shut down after defragmentation.
8. Gaining Disk Space In the same way as your home can get cluttered, your computer can also get clogged up with unnecessary ballast, which uses up valuable disk space. We recommend that you carry out some spring cleaning from time to time and delete unnecessary files from your system. All modifications to your system will be monitored by AVG Rescue Center and can be undone if necessary. Clean Hard Disk In the Clean hard disk area, you can select the drives that you want to clean.
up valuable disk space in one go. For more information, see Finding and Deleting Large Amounts of Data. Securely Deleting Data The AVG Shredder module allows you to securely remove sensitive data. You can use three intelligent deletion methods to ensure that even a professional could not restore your data. For more information, see Securely Deleting Data. 8.1.
The most recently created restore point is always stored so you can restore the system to a previous status at any time. The most recently created restore point is always stored so you can restore the system to a previous status at any time. Windows Functions Three optional functions from Windows are displayed. If you do not use these (maybe you didn't know that they existed), you can turn them off and thereby free up valuable space on your hard disks.
programs or documents first. All data in the memory of the computer is saved to the hard disk. If the computer is turned back on again, you can continue from the point at which you broke off your work. All previously opened windows, programs and documents are immediately restored. Even if you do not require hibernation mode, the hibernation file takes up valuable disk space. It is exactly the same size as your computer's memory.
Type Description Recycle Bin All files in the Recycle Bin can be deleted if you really do not need them. Log files Many programs write log files that can be used to analyze their behavior. This can be helpful, for example, when trying to solve problems. Any log files that you do not plan on evaluating can be deleted. Backup files Many programs automatically create backups of your files. These can be deleted if you do not need them.
Obviously, this development hasn't exactly made it easier to keep track of these huge quantities of data. With so many files and nested folders, how is it possible to determine where the most space is being taken up (and possibly wasted)? AVG Disk Space Explorer helps you find the largest files. You can then archive them onto a CD, DVD or an external hard disk, for example. It might be a good idea to make sure that you do not need these files any more and decide to delete them instead.
on the respective tab at the top edge. In each view, you will receive a list, and you can sort the columns into ascending or descending order easily by clicking on the column name. Sorting according to size in particular will give you a quick overview of your biggest files. The following views are available for displaying the disk space allocation. Overview The default view Overview is an ideal first step when cleaning up your drives.
If you would like to see the individual files included in a given file type, simply click on the name of the file type in the table. This will directly open the correct category in the file types view. Top 10 Files This table is particularly useful in acute disk space shortages. It shows a list of the top 10 files that take up the most disk space.
watch any more. Top 100 files For most users, this is the most interesting view. This shows you the 100 largest files in the selected location of the folder tree, clearly organized by file size. As the contents of all subfolders are included, this view allows you to free up hundreds of megabytes or even several gigabytes with a few clicks, depending on the size of your system. 8.2.3.
1. Click on the selected file(s) and select Copy from the Edit menu or use the shortcut Ctrl+C. 2. Open the selected target drive in Windows Explorer and paste the copied files using the Paste menu item or the shortcut Ctrl+V. Thanks to support for all major burning programs, you can also easily burn files to a CD or DVD. Simply drag the files you want by holding down the mouse key (drag & drop) directly to the burn list in your burning program.
Files 1. Select Files. This option lets you search for files on your computer to select them for deletion. 2. Click Add to add a file to be deleted to the list. The Explorer opens. Double-click on a file to be deleted to add it to the list. Alternatively, you can drag and drop a file from your opened Explorer or from the Desktop to the list. Select a file with the mouse and drag it into the list.
2. Click Show contents. You receive information on the size of the Recycle Bin and the number of files it contains. To ensure that there are no important files in the Recycle Bin, you can display the content before deletion takes place. The Delete allocated free disk space option overwrites the reserved free space of files in the Recycle Bin, thereby increasing security of deletion. 3. Click Next to confirm your selection. You can now select the deletion method you want (see Deletion Methods). 8.3.2.
9. Fixing Problems Unfortunately, things sometimes don't go quite as you expected when you are working with a computer. With Fix problems, AVG PC TuneUp offers you various functions for discovering and rectifying any problems that occur. In addition, the program helps you to recover accidentally deleted files. Under Frequently corrected problems, you will find the troubleshooting functions that you use most often, which can be opened by clicking on them.
For more information, see Check ing the Hard Disk for Errors. Restoring Deleted Files The AVG Undelete module allows you to restore files that have already been deleted from the Recycle Bin. You can search for deleted files using various criteria. A particularly exciting feature here is that files can also be restored on external storage media (e.g. a USB flash drive). For more information, see Restoring Deleted Files.
Click Finish to close the module. 9.2. Checking the Hard Disk for Errors In this chapter, you will find out how you can analyze your drives using the AVG Disk Doctor module and why it is important to do so. When working with your computer, files are constantly being read and written – regardless of whether you are editing a text document, looking at pictures or simply starting an application. Windows places all files in special file systems to allow quick access to all necessary information at any time.
In some cases it is necessary to restart your computer in order to successfully complete the analysis or repair process. This can happen, for example, when active programs or Windows itself are using the selected drive and thus prevent AVG Disk Doctor from having exclusive access. If a system restart is necessary, AVG Disk Doctor will show you a corresponding message.
Analysis step Explanation Checking file data (NTFS only) All sectors of the disk that currently contain files are checked. This will ensure that no read errors take place when working with files, If sectors are found that require multiple read attempts to successfully read the data, the file data contained will be moved to a sector that is free of errors. The sector is then marked as defective. This prevents future problems.
Restrict your search. You can refine your search through the entry of search terms. This is recommended if you can remember the name of the file or even just part of the name. Search tip: Use the wildcards * and ? When you enter search terms you can use wildcards. These function in exactly the same way as in many standard search engines. The use of wildcards when searching is useful if you cannot remember the precise name of the file or only wish to search for a certain file extension.
information at this point: you receive a very accurate prediction of whether a file can be restored again in full. Good condition If the condition of a file is likely to be good, the place the file originally took up on the hard disk will not yet have been replaced with another file. It is therefore highly probable that the file can be successfully restored.
The module also offers real-time graphs for processor and memory usage and provides up-to-date information on what your computer is doing at any given time. 9.4.1. How to Manage Running Processes Launch the AVG Process Manager module by going to the Fix problems category in the Start Center and selecting Display and close running processes from the Manage processes and show system information area.
There is also a menu bar and a toolbar. Some of the functions here adjust the content of the active tab. These are described in the sections above. The general functions of the File, Tools and Help menus are always displayed. General menu bar functions Menu "File" In the File menu, you can use the New application entry to call up the well-known Windows Run dialog to start a new application or open a file. Click Exit Windows to shut down or restart the computer so that new settings can take effect.
Overview The overview displays summarized information on the most important components of your computer. This quickly shows you what processor is installed, the system RAM, the graphic card performance, the mouse in use, and any available information regarding the disk drives. Windows Here you can find out what version of Windows and of Internet Explorer you are using and when you last booted your computer.
10. Customizing Windows Using the Customize Windows category, you can specifically configure how your Windows should look and function, thereby personalizing your computer. Under Frequently used settings, you will find the elements and areas of Windows that you often personalize and you can open these with a simple click. All modifications to your system will be monitored by AVG Rescue Center and can be undone if necessary.
10.1. Personalizing Options and Behaviors Start the AVG System Control module by going to the Customize Windows category in the Start Center and clicking on the Personalize options and behaviors entry in the Modify Windows settings area. Alternatively, you can start the module by going to Overview of all functions in the Start Center and selecting the Modify Windows settings entry under Windows.
Wizards Here you will find the Copy Settings wizard. It copies your settings to other user accounts and to the Windows logon screen: Wizards 10.1.1. Display Animations and Effects Effects Here you can change settings that relate to the display and operation of the Windows user interface. Under Settings, there are numerous options that you can enable or disable using the checkboxes. To learn more about an option, simply select it with your mouse. Several lines of explanatory text open under Description.
adjustment of ClearType smoothing to your screen. File Types Menu Operations Under Drives and folders, you can configure their context menus. The Show "Open Command Prompt Here" entry opens the command prompt at the desired location. You can execute DOS commands via the command prompt. Under Files and folders you can specify what commands are to be shown in the context menus of files and folders. Here, the four commands Send To, Move To Folder, Copy To Folder and Encrypt/ Decrypt can be displayed.
View Here you can determine how folder windows and the elements they contain are to be displayed. Windows XP: Under Window, you specify whether the tree view of directories in a folder window is always to be visible, whether the folder window last opened on logon is to be restored, whether compressed ZIP files are to be displayed as folders, and whether a details bar is to be displayed. Under View settings, you can use the slide control to determine how many folder views should be stored.
rectangle shows the progression of the clicked mouse button, if you select multiple files simultaneously. Windows Vista and Windows 7 only: You can also decide whether a checkbox should be displayed for selecting elements, allowing multiple files and folders to be selected with the mouse without the need to use the Ctrl or Shift keys. Advanced Windows XP: Here you can set what elements are to be displayed on the Desktop and under My Computer.
over it. Active Window Tracking Here, you can enable a little-known Windows function that could change the way you work with windows completely: Active Window Tracking. If you enable this feature, all you need to do is move the mouse pointer over an inactive window to activate it so that you can work with that program. You then no longer need to click on a window in order to enable it. You can turn on the option in the Foreground section in order to pull the active window immediately to the top.
Under Exit a session, you can specify which action should be taken when you click the Exit a session button. By default, the computer is shut down. For the Hibernate and Power save modes, the current status, including all opened documents and programs, is preserved so that after switching your computer back on you can continue working right where you left off. Whereas power save mode still requires a small amount of power, in hibernate mode the computer can be completely disconnected from the power supply.
Under Move and edit shortcuts you can set whether the moving of shortcuts is allowed. From here you can also start AVG Shortcut Cleaner. Advanced Windows XP: Here you can open the AVG Styler module in a new window and thereby personalize the appearance of Windows to suit you, e.g. change the icons for folders and menu items. Task Bar Flashing Buttons While entering text and other content, the activation of other windows is prohibited.
different options for these reminders. 10.1.3. Communication Network My Network Places Here, you can configure a number of settings that affect the display of shares under My Network Places. Among other things you can prevent your computer from being displayed in My Network Places of other computers and that (using your password) all drives on your computer can be accessed, although you did not specify any shares.
Here you can set how the toolbars in Internet Explorer should behave. For example, you can have the search bar always perform searches using Google™ and change settings for the Autocomplete feature in the address bar. View In the Title bar section, enter the text you would like to be displayed in the Internet Explorer title bar. Favorites Here you can show and hide favorites folders and their contents andthereby hide unwanted folders.
This is where you can make the following general settings for Mozilla Firefox Internet browser. Under Text animation, you can turn off annoying text effects, e.g. constant flashing or horizontally scrolling text (marquees). If these effects are a nuisance to you, you can disable them by selecting the options Disable blinking text and Disable scrolling text (marquees).
Performance Here you can enable the pipelining feature of Mozilla Firefox. Pipelining is an experimental function through which the web browser sends multiple download requests to a web server over a single connection. This is not supported by all web servers. Opera Title Bar Here you can configure the settings for displaying the Opera title and logo. Under Window title, enter in the Title field the text you want to appear in Opera's title bar.
loaded from the cache. This not only has the advantage that the back and forward functions are suddenly very fast again, but also that a lower data volume needs to be downloaded over the Internet connection. Furthermore, entries you have made into form fields are generally retained during navigation in a browser. For websites to function correctly with active site contents, it may however be necessary to manually refresh the websites regularly (e.g. using F5).
Windows Messenger Windows XP: Under Run, you can specify whether and for which events Windows Messenger should open automatically. If you want to prevent Windows Messenger from running entirely, select Disable Windows Messenger. If you do not use Windows Messenger at all, you can also remove it from your system entirely. Simply use the Removal option for this. Privacy General Here you can configure settings for your privacy and security when working with your computer.
Windows Media Player communicates frequently with the Internet. Under Settings, you can specify that neither the list of recently played media files nor information about playback media or music files should be saved. Click Highest security to turn all options on in one go. Click Advanced to proceed to the data protection settings for Windows Media Player.
Under Notification before logon, you can set a predefined notification that is displayed to all users before logon - for example a warning from the boss not to surf the Internet during office hours. To do so, first enable the Show message before logon option and then enter the title and actual text of the notification in the input fields. Under Error search during logon and logoff, you can specify that detailed status messages should be shown during the logon and logoff process.
Under AVG Styler, you can click on Start AVG Styler to call up the module and use it to change the icons of individual drives. Under AVG Drive Defrag, you can click on Start AVG Drive Defrag to open the module for defragmenting drives and for optimally arranging files on the drives. Windows XP: Under My Computer, you can click on Settings to specify which drives are displayed in the Windows My Computer.
messages option to specify that Windows should not only suppress the boot logo display but also the display of error messages during startup. Under Waiting time for drive check, you can specify how long the user should be given to decide against running the CHKDSK scan program. This program is launched automatically if the computer was not shut down properly and checks the integrity of the data on the hard disks. Exit Windows XP: Here, you specify what Windows should do if individual programs have crashed.
current Windows version. Here you can also see the serial number and product ID of your Windows license. Under Windows Installer - user data, enter the name and company name that should be automatically entered into the user information when new software is installed. Under Support information, you can use the Settings button to open a configuration window in which you can modify the information shown in the system properties.
Security User Account Control Windows Vista and Windows 7: The User Account Control feature ensures that no unauthorized changes are made to the computer. It does this by asking whether a user has administrator rights to allow any changes to be made to the system. If User Account Control is enabled, a standard user will always be asked to enter an administrator password to make such changes.
Use the Copy Settings wizard to copy your settings to other user accounts and to the Windows logon screen. The wizard shows you a list of settings that can be copied. Make your selection and click Next. Now you can choose where the selected settings should be copied to. A possible target (depending on the selected settings) is the logon screen. If you have several users set up, all other users are also shown as possible destinations. Select the destinations you want and click Next to start the copy process.
10.2.1. How to Change the Appearance of Windows Start the AVG Styler module by going to the Customize Windows category in the Start Center and clicking on the Personalize the appearance of Windows entry in the Change Windows appearance area. Alternatively, you can start the module by going to Overview of all functions in the Start Center and selecting the Change Windows appearance entry under Windows. The AVG Styler start page opens from which all adjustment options of the module can be quickly reached.
Select Load boot screen from a file . An Explorer window opens and you can select any given file on your computer. The following formats are supported: Type File extensions Description TuneUp boot .TBS The individual format of AVG Styler screen Stardock The format of many boot screens on websites such as www. .BOOTKSKIN Bootskin Images wincustomize.com .BMP; .PNG; . If you select an image in one of these formats, the Create boot screen GIF; .JPG; .
does not interfere with the overall picture. Save the new boot screen to the AVG Styler list under a name of your choosing. You can also enter the name of an author. The newly added boot screen now appears in the list. Restoring the default If you no longer like your new boot screen, you can restore the default Windows screen at any time. Click on the Restore Defaults button. The default boot screen is then automatically selected from the list and a preview opens. Click Apply to apply it.
on the Personalize the appearance of Windows entry in the Change Windows appearance area. On the navigation bar, click in the left-hand window area on Startup logo. AVG Styler lists all available startup logos. You can now add additional predesigned startup logos or create your own startup logo. You can add new startup logos to the list before you accept it finally. To do so you have the following options: Downloading Previously Created Startup Logos In the top left, under Startup logos, click Add.
time. Click on the Use default. The default startup logo is then automatically selected from the list and a preview opens. Click Apply to apply it. To preview the startup logo you want, select it in the list. You can even animate the preview by clicking on the Play button. Click Apply. AVG Styler uses the new startup logo. 10.2.5. Logon Screen If you share your computer with other users, or if you use a password to protect your account, you will be familiar with the Windows logon screen.
An Explorer window opens and you can select a file on your computer. However, only files in AVG Styler format (with the .TLS extension) are supported. In addition, all available logon screens can be directly installed with the file Logonui.exe or in Stardock LogonStudio format (LOGONXP). Select a new logon screen and give it a name under which it should appear in the AVG Styler list. You can also enter the name of an author. The newly added boot screen now appears in the list.
name to log on," the screen might read "Klick en Sie auf Ihren Benutzernamen, um sich anzumelden," for example. In this case, you may be asked if you want to use the texts in the selected logon screen, or if you want to use the texts from the default logon screen in your system language. AVG Styler applies the new logon screen. You can test the logon screen by simultaneously pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del. 10.2.6. System Elements In this category you can swap typical Windows icons for new ones.
Discard unsaved changes made to this element. Any changes already made to an element can be undone by selecting the element and clicking Reset element to Windows default. Please note that this link is only displayed if the element does not currently correspond to the Windows default. If you should want to undo changes made to multiple items, you can click Reset category or Reset all categories.
can be sent via e-mail without problems. Creating icon package: The icons are now collected and optimized if necessary, after which they are saved together in an icon package. Finishing the wizard: The icon package has now been successfully created and will be added to the list of icon packages when you click Finish. Clicking Open folder takes you to the icon package folder in AVG Styler, so that you can copy the icon package to a different location or attach it to an e-mail. 10.2.8.
Undoing Individual Changes To undo a change, select an item in the list and click Reset element to Windows default. Undoing Multiple changes If you want to undo several changes at once, you may find the Restore backup from a previous session link useful. It starts AVG Rescue Center and enables you to undo the changes carried out with AVG Styler on a certain date. 10.2.9. Appearance of Icons Here you can change the appearance of icons on the desktop.
AVG Styler. Note that you may need to restart your computer or log on again for this repair to tak e effect. 10.2.11. Visual Style Here you can change what is known as the visual style. This defines the appearance of windows and Windows buttons. Here's how it works: Start the AVG Styler module by going to the Customize Windows category in the Start Center and clicking on the Personalize the appearance of Windows entry in the Change Windows appearance area.
File Type Description extensions TuneUp Visual .TVS The individual format of AVG Styler Styles . Microsoft This Microsoft format often includes additional files that can be found in the MSSTYLE Visual Styles same folder or in subfolders. S Compressed Archives are searched for all file types in this list, and decompressed .RAR, .ZIP archives automatically if such files are found. These files are searched for compressed archives in RAR or ZIP format, Self-extracting .
11. Overview of All Functions On the far right of the Start Center, you will see the Overview of all functions menu. Opening this menu gives you a list of all functions that AVG PC TuneUp offers - clearly sorted according to application area. Clicking on the wrench icon next to an entry opens the settings for that entry, which you can adapt to your personal requirements. You will find most of these functions in this view and in one of the five categories.
Uninstall Shows all the programs installed on your PC with detailed information about them, and allows you to select programs to uninstall. See also How to Uninstall Programs. Hard Disk Defragment Rearranges blocks of data on your hard disk, providing more disk space and quicker loading times for documents and programs. See also How to Defragment Your Hard Disk. Check for errors Checks the surface of your hard disk and your file system structure for errors and fixes them to prevent data loss.
Registry Defragment Rewrites the central database of your Windows system (the Registry), eliminating gaps and structural errors to create a more stable system. See also How to Defragment the Registry. Clean Specifically searches for faulty entries in the central database of your Windows system (the registry) and repairs or removes them to create a more stable system. See also How to Clean the Registry.
Configure Automatic maintenance Allows you to specify maintenance tasks that should be run automatically at regular intervals. See also Changing Maintenance Settings. Showing system information Shows you important information about your hardware and software and the performance of your computer. See also How to Show System Information.
Allows you to change the Windows user interface to your personal wishes and requirements. See also Personalizing the Appearance of Windows. Remove broken shortcuts Searches your system for shortcuts and references that are no longer valid and deletes them. This prevents error messages when these references are called up. See also How to Remove Broken Shortcuts. Display and close running processes Allows you to view your running processes and open files and to exit or close these in the event of problems.
11.1. Editing the Registry In this chapter, you will find out how you can edit the registry using the AVG Registry Editor module. Please note that this feature is only intended to be used by experienced users. The Windows registry is in effect a huge central database. Every new item of hardware or software you install is "registered" here. Over time, the registry gets larger and larger, making it increasingly difficult to keep a handle on things.
In the menu bar, you will find numerous additional functions for editing your registry. For example you can export or print individual areas or indeed the entire registry. You can also edit the registry using the entries in the toolbar. 11.2. Checking for Updates In this chapter, you will find out how you can use the AVG Update Wizard module to keep your AVG PC TuneUp up to date and why it is important to do so.
11.3. Displaying the AVG Optimization Report In this chapter, you will find out how you can use the AVG Optimization Report to keep a constant overview of the extent to which you have optimized your computer to date with AVG PC TuneUp. The AVG optimization report summarizes all of the optimization steps already performed by AVG PC TuneUp. This report is particularly relevant if you use the numerous automatic background optimizations of AVG PC TuneUp.
12. Rating Function for Programs You can turn on the useful Rating function for programs in the AVG Program Deactivator, AVG StartUp Manager and AVG Uninstall Manager modules. It shows you how useful other users of AVG PC TuneUp found the programs that you have installed. You can use the rating function to help you decide which programs you really need in your day-to-day work. In this chapter, you can find out why it is helpful and how you can turn on the Rating function for programs.
2. Click on the number of stars that you wish to award the program. So, if you wish to give three stars, click on the third star. 3. Your rating is automatically saved and transferred to the AVG PC TuneUp server. If you wish to change your rating, you can proceed in exactly the same way as for the initial rating.
13. The AVG PC TuneUp Gadget Another function of AVG PC TuneUp is the gadget. This is not supported by Windows XP and is therefore only available to you with Windows Vista and Windows 7. The practical gadget can be displayed on the desktop. It keeps you constantly informed of the status of your computer. You no longer need to start AVG PC TuneUp to find out whether optimization potential has been identified in the Status & Recommendations category. AVG PC TuneUp can also be launched from here.
In Windows 7, proceed as follows: 1. Right-click on a free space on the desktop and select Gadget from the context menu. 2. Select AVG PC TuneUp Gadget and enable it with a double-click.
14. AVG PC TuneUp in Taskbar Notification Area The notification area is the area on the right-hand side of the Windows taskbar. This displays, for example, the time, status icons or program shortcuts. AVG PC TuneUp has a notification area icon that shows you the current status of your system and provides an entry point to AVG PC TuneUp. When you double-click on the notification area icon, AVG PC TuneUp starts up.
settings in the context menu that appears. This takes you to the configuration dialog, where you can configure your settings. In addition to the icon, you can choose to have messages displayed in the form of balloons. If the icon is not displayed on your computer, call up this dialog by going to the Settings menu in the AVG PC TuneUp Start Center and selecting the Notification area icon entry.
