GigaTweaker is a Windows 7 Tweaks software meaning it has been specifically designed for that Microsoft OS. It works with both the 32-bit and 64-bit edition of Windows 7. The tweaking software needs installation but can be used as a portable software program afterwards. Best practice for this case is to install, copy the contents to another folder and uninstall using a thorough uninstaller like Revo Uninstaller to clear all traces of the program from the system.

The interface of GigaTweaker provides access to the five main tweaking categories Administration, Display, Customization, Communication and Maintenance which all contain various subcategories like Security, Restrictions, Memory Management or Visual Effects.

• Administration: System, Security, Files and Drives, Restrictions, System Information
• Display: Explorer and Start Menu, Visual Effects
• Customization: System, Optimization, Memory Management, Context Menu
• Communication: Network, Internet Explorer
• Maintenance: Startup Manager, Uninstall Manager, Windows Utilities

Selecting a category on the left will display the tweaks that are provided on the right, often in a tabbed interface.

Most tweaks that can be applied are either self-explanatory (Disable Control Panel or Remove the shortcut arrow) or contain a short explanation what the tweak is all about.

GigaTweaker will indicate to the user if a system restart is needed to apply some of the tweaks that have been made.

There are well over one hundred tweaks available. The Windows 7 tweaker asks the user to create a system restore point on startup. Cautious users should create one to be able to return to the previous system state if something goes wrong in the tweaking session.

GigaTweaker is a portable software program for the Windows 7 operating system. It can apply lots of tweaks in Windows 7 that would take longer (and knowledge) to apply manually.

The program is available for download at the developer’s website.

Tweak Me uses a checkbox system that displays the available tweaks in categories like Internet Explorer, Performance, Security or Windows Update. Expanding a tree will display the configuration tweaks that can be enabled or disabled by clicking in the checkbox.

A click on a configuration item will display a short description in the right sidebar that provides basic information about the function in Windows.

Most of the configuration options are therefor understandable without having to research the issue further on the Internet or in the help files of the operating system.

The configuration options range from disabling the thumbnail cache over stopping the blacking out of the screen when the User Account Control kicks in to disabling update checks in Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player.

Tweak Me is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Some of the options presented to Windows 7 users are not available for the other supported operating systems. It has not been tested if the options that should not be available in those operating systems (e.g. UAC in Windows XP) are still displayed by the program.

Tweak Me offers a simple and straightforward option to configure many system settings in Windows. Many of the options are difficulty to come by with normal means. The program can be downloaded from the developer’s website.

Reg Toy is huge. From what I can say it’s a bit complicated to navigate through the menus simply because there are so many of them. Some tabs use numbers instead of names which adds to the confusion. This is probably the Window tweaker with the most comprehensive functionality yet.

The interface is divided into three sections in the left pane that are named System, User and Others. Several links are available in each category that open lots of settings in the right pane. Most of these are tabbed as well which means that it takes some time to get a first overview of the functionality of Reg Toy. That’s actually the first time that I feel overwhelmed by the options of a tweaker.

It takes some time to discover all features. What I really like so far is that Reg Toy includes the functionality of specialized programs that I have been using for a purpose so far. I can create special folders with Reg Toy for instance or edit file types comfortably. Let me know what you think of this new software.