Process Lasso 5 ropes and corrals your PC's processes

BitSum Technologies has updated its process automation and optimization utility, Process Lasso, to version 5.0.0.25. Available in 32-bit and 64-bit builds, Process Lasso uses ProBalance technology to balance the competing demands of applications and system processes, ensuring no single process can cause sluggish performance or temporary freezes through excessive use of available resources. Although designed to be fine-tuned by experts, Process Lasso is also configured by default to run in fully automated mode for less experienced users too.

Version 5, which is available in free and paid-for versions, introduces a number of new features. Support for setting I/O priorities for processes in Vista and Windows 7, plus a new option to automatically install updates as and when they become available, are present in all versions, but a new default power scheme, replacing the old High Performance Option, is only found in the Pro version.

Version 5 also includes Hyperthreaded Core Avoidance, which may benefit some less demanding applications as well as server machines. Other changes are more minor -- and number in the hundreds, but Process Lasso also benefits from a rewritten core engine and reduced overheads, ensuring its own impact on the system is minimal while it manages other processes.

Process Lasso 5 is available as a free download for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 2000 or later. It runs as a fully functional 14-day trial of the Pro version before reverting to the cut-down Free edition, with minor nags to purchase. Prices for the Pro version start from $18.95 for one machine.