System tweakers are usually a popular choice among novice users as a fast, easy way to optimize the computer's performance and customize some hidden options. But these programs often affect important system elements such as the Windows Registry, so they must also meet a certain standard of reliability. Let's see how Systerac XP measures up.
Systerac XP displays an interface that is trendy yet lacks usability, mainly because the color gradients make it difficult to read some text properly. Despite this flaw, the program's tools are neatly organized in four sections which you access through tabs: Clean, Fix & Repair, Optimize and Other Tools. The menu bar is completed by three more buttons: Language, About and Help, the latter linking to a website that returns a “404 Not Found” error message. This means that you're left on your own when using this program, quite a tricky situation when dealing with system tweakers, as we said before. Another feature we missed was some kind of settings menu to customize the program's options. Systerac XP doesn't offer this feature, so you have to take it as is.
As for the tweaking tools themselves, there are quite a few included in Systerac XP, from a disk cleaner or an app uninstaller to a file shredder or a start-up manager, Registry tools, a RAM memory optimizer and even an Internet connection booster. They're all very straightforward and follow a similar pattern: a plainly designed windowed interface and a step-by-step process to complete tasks gradually, which is perfect for the novice user. Note that you'll have to deal with a nagging window reminding you to register the application every time you launch any tool – a window where, as incredible as it may seem, the Order button links to yet another “404 Not Found” error webpage.
Otherwise all the featured tools work correctly and cover important issues concerning system's performance, usability and resource management. Also, whenever the program makes potentially dangerous changes to the system (e.g. modifying the Registry) the user is offered the possibility to create a backup copy and thus be able to roll-back changes in case anything goes wrong.
While Systerac XP offers a wide selection of tools to tweak your system, we found it lacks important elements like a comprehensive Help system with full explanations about each tool and the possibility to configure certain options. For example, I'd love to have the possibility to get rid of that annoying sound when moving around the program's interface. In the end, it seems that Systerac XP doesn't match up to the standard of reliability we expect. So if you want to tweak your system in a really safe way, you'd better turn to other more comprehensive tools such as TuneUp Utilities.
