GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
13 February, 2024
Alternatives to 3rd-Party PC Utilities
I (and Microsoft) have never recommended using any of the many utility programs offered in advertisements and popups to boost, clean up, optimize, update, or fix drivers, etc. for your PC. I found them unnecessary for the most part and potentially dangerous to use. They are also the favorite types of programs produced by malware creators. The operating system already provides the ability to do any of the useful functions needed if you take the time to learn how to find and use them. Granted, that is not as convenient as a program that simplifies the tasks or even does them automatically for you. If you want this convenience, it is now available from a more trustworthy source. Microsoft has added a couple of new apps to the Microsoft Store that were originally developed for non-USA markets:
Microsoft PC Manager
This app gathers several of the built-in tools and apps available in Windows in one app to simplify the user experience. It was originally developed to be an alternative to products like CCleaner. An article detailing information on the app is:
Microsoft’s PC Manager app is now widely available to free up your system resources
Microsoft PC Cleaner
This app is also an alternative to CCleaner but more targeted to perform the file and app cleaning tasks to speed up your PC. I did not find it available on the Microsoft Store yet as of today. Information on what it includes can be found at:
If you want the convenience of these types of apps, then they are the safer ones to choose.
