Advanced SystemCare 8 ramps up its security tools

IObit has announced the release of IObit Advanced SystemCare 8, a major update for its comprehensive PC maintenance toolkit.

A new "Protect" module includes tools to clean and manage your browser toolbars, customize Windows security settings, block access to malicious sites and keep your Chrome, IE and Firefox home and search pages safe from unauthorized changes.

The Software Updater makes sure all your key applications -- browsers, Skype, Flash, Java, more -- are the very latest versions.

The Default Program module can set your default browser, email program, image viewer, media player, PDF reader and archive extractor, all from a single screen.

The Performance Monitor is a desktop gadget which displays your CPU, RAM, disk space and network usage, as well as providing options to clean RAM, take a screenshot or close down or restart your PC.

Elsewhere, the rebuilt Startup Manager takes better control of your startup programs. IObit Uninstaller 4 removes unwanted applications, toolbars, even Windows 8 apps. There’s support for optimizing SSDs, options to clean up even more privacy traces, and the entire package now runs on anything from Windows 2000 to Windows 10.

The suite has its issues. Some of the modules are relatively weak, while others -- like the new real-time spyware protection are only available if you purchase the Pro version, although that’s not exactly expensive (it’s currently available from $12.95, a 35 percent discount off the regular price).

Still, if you don’t have time to build your own maintenance toolkit then IObit Advanced SystemCare 8 is a quick and easy way to get the core basics. Downloads are available now.