It's said that prevention is better than cure, but that’s no comfort if your PC won’t start because of a virus or a piece of problem software.

Fix-It Utilities can keep the computer running smoothly with its selection of hard disk optimisation tools, and it can start the PC directly from its installation disk if Windows refuses to start at all. Anti-virus, anti-spyware, file-shredding and Registry-fixing tools are also included.

When you the program is installed the first thing that appears is the main screen, which displays the computer's overall health and protection status (whether it's safe from viruses and other threats). These remain locked on Poor until the recommended tools are run for the first time.

The One-click Optimisation wizard checks the hard disk for errors, defragments it, deletes unused temporary files and scans it for viruses and spyware. Startup Commander allows the user to monitor and control which programs automatically load each time you start up the computer, and the Check Point tool provides a way of restoring the PC to a previous state if there's a problem after installing something.

We found the optimisation tools improved our test PC's performance, especially its starting and shutdown times. However, it’s possible to do most of the tasks with Windows’ own tools (except virus and spyware scanning).

Fix-It’s other utilities go beyond the remit of the Windows tools, though, making it a genuinely useful addition. The Registry Fixer repairs errors in the Registry, which may slow down the computer. The PC Diagnostics check actually discovered a previously unknown fault with our test computer's graphics card that may have been the cause of several crashes. We were able to retrieve deleted files with the file undelete tool, and the shredder utility can to permanently delete confidential documents with so they are unrecoverable.

Depending on your own PC problems you may find this program worth buying for just one of the tools. But for most people Fix-It Utilities will offer excellent value when you consider it includes a year’s virus protection updates and the fact that it can be installed on up to three PCs at once.

Vista compatibility: Yes