Individual options are displayed with checkboxes to activate or deactivate them. Each entry offers a description of its impact when it is selected. Take a look at the screenshot below for an example of how this looks like in the application.

It can take well over an hour to go through all settings available. Here are a few example security settings offered by the application:

• Disable the network connection wizard
• Disable drag and drop in the start menu
• Do not move deleted files to the Windows Recycle Bin
• Disable adding and deleting printers
• Disable the Windows Task Manager

The tool seems to be largely designed to control these settings for other users of the system. While it is possible to enable or disable them via Group Policies or the Registry, it often is an easier task to use a software like True System Security Tweaker for it.

It is possible to set an administrator password to prevent unauthorized access and tampering with settings. A reset all settings to their default values is available as well.

A prompt is displayed when the application is closed if the changes should be saved for the logged in user.

True System Security Tweaker is available for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system. The application is available for direct download. Interested users can request the Delphi source code from the developer.

X-Setup Pro can be installed or used as a portable edition. Both programs provide the same functionality and are linked to from the homepage.

The program starts with a welcome screen that can be used to launch the tweaker, restore changes that have been previously made or use the seek and tweak option to make changes directly to the system.

x-setup pro

The welcome window links to additional helper applications and Window system tools as well. Selecting Classic or Classic in User Mode will launch the actual tweaking window (the first shows all settings that can be modified while the second only those that affect the current user).

X-Setup Pro uses a plugin based system. All available plugins are loaded on startup and displayed in the left column sorted into categories like Network, Internet or Common Annoyances. Selecting one of the options usually displays multiple subcategories or entries that can be used to manipulate system settings.

The appearance category for instance displays multiple subcategories including notification area, explorer or desktop which either show subcategories on their own or the items that can be changed.

windows tweaker

Each item is displayed in the right half of the window. The top contains the items that can be changed while the lower half information about the functionality of the item. Making changes to the checkboxes provided and selecting Apply Changes – or pressing F9 – will make the change to the system.

Users looking for a specific item can use the search form provided at the top of the screen. Another user or computer registry can be loaded into the program to manipulate settings for other user accounts or PCs.

Users can change way over 1900 different settings of the Windows operating system with this tool.

The sheer number of categories and settings can be confusing at times, especially for inexperienced users. Another downside of using X-Setup Pro is that it will not be developed any further and that the developers will not provide program support anymore.

The program is on the other hand a comprehensive Windows tweaker.

Individual modules can either contain one function, for example cleaning the Windows Registry, or multiple pages like the Windows Secrets module which lists 11 functions that load in their separate windows each.

The tool combines many commonly used system maintenance tools in its interface which makes it an interesting option for users who like to control their computer system from one software program instead of multiple applications. Below is a small overview of the available modules and their core features:

• Disk Cleaner: Scan drives for temporary files and delete those files. Includes the option to add file types and to exclude directories from the process.
• Disk Usage Analyzer: Scans and displays usage information about a hard drive that is connected to the computer system.
• Miscellaneous Tools: A collection of tools ranging from a process manager to editing configuration files, managing autorun and virtual desktops.
• Registry Cleaner: Scan the Windows Registry for obsolete entries and errors
• Registry Defragmenter: Reduces the size of the Windows Registry by removing empty spaces.
• Startup Manager: Manage startup programs in the Windows operating system.
• System Information: Extensive information about the computer hardware and software.
• Track Cleaner: Remove tracks left by popular applications like Microsoft Office, Windows Media Player and dozens of third party applications.
• Uninstall Programs: Software uninstaller.
• Windows Secrets: Options to tweak many aspects of the operating system from Windows core functions to Start Menu, Windows Explorer to Desktop and Special Folders.

A backup is created before changing important system functions. PowerPack 2009 is available for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista.

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.

Eleven categories are available after starting TweakNow WinSecret Professional ranging from User Accounts to Windows Core and Control Panel. Each category opens up in a new window that uses tabs to further categorize the tweaks. Windows Core for instance offers the following five tabs: Windows XP Prefetch, Windows Time Out, Cache, Misc and Security.

It takes a while to click through all categories and tabs but it’s well worth it in my opinion. Some of the features that not every Windows tweaker offers are the option to relocate the special folders, manage desctop icons, hiding drive icons and changing user passwords right from the application.

TweakNow WinSecret Professional [via Shell Extension City] is compatible to 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista and currently in Beta.