![]() They perform one task and do it well – something that can be said for each of System Mechanic Ultimate Defense’s components and makes the suite much greater than the sum of those parts. The file recovery and drive scrubber tools are equally straightforward, not overwhelming you with options like some standalone tools. A scan can take some time to complete, so it would be nice to have a checkbox to shut down the PC once it’s completed, but that’s a minor quibble. Like all good antivirus software, it uses heuristic analysis to detect new threats before they’ve been catalogued. SystemShield – Iolo’s antivirus app – is refreshingly simple to use, with manually-triggered or scheduled scans. ![]() In our tests, it threw up some false ‘infections’ (including the homepage tied to our Firefox account), but didn’t flag them as malicious or recommend that we take action to purge them. Malware Killer – which was a new addition when we reviewed Iolo Phoenix 360 last year – has received a major update, giving you more control over what happens to identified threats, set exclusions, and review the history of past scans. It performs all the functions you’d expect from a premium password manager, storing your login details, generating strong passwords, allowing you to access your accounts from all your devices and – importantly – logging you out securely at the end of a browsing session. It must be installed separately for each browser, but that’s not an issue. Iolo’s password manager, ByePass, is available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. There’s also a quick shortcut for private searches using DuckDuckGo, but you might find it more convenient to add this to the list of search engines in your browser, or even make it your default if you’re trying to escape from Google. Privacy Guardian also identifies and deletes tracking cookies from your system, though you can choose to whitelist cookies from certain sites to avoid being logged out of your accounts. Some browsers (such as Firefox) now come with anti-fingerprinting built-in, but it’s still far from mainstream, so a tool like Privacy Guardian is a very welcome one. Instead, it uses your PC’s unique system configuration (which essentially works like a unique signature) to follow your browsing activity. This is a technique that advertisers can use to track you around the web without access to any personal information like your email address. Privacy Guardian works by preventing fingerprinting. This is a welcome change that makes the software suite feel much more cohesive. The tool no longer needs to be installed separately, and is only ever a click away. ![]() When we reviewed Iolo Phoenix 360, one of our few complaints was that it felt like the Privacy Guardian element should be part of System Mechanic – and now it is. If you’re short of time or not too confident, System Mechanic can perform a cleanup automatically, only removing files and ending processes that won’t interfere with your daily PC use, but for more experienced users, the level of fine control is a real boon. This even applies to startup programs, which are given a community rating to help you decide whether or not to allow them to run. You can drill right down to find information about each file, and why you should consider removing (or keeping) it. One of the things we like best about System Mechanic is the level of detail is provides about each scan result. The Quick Scan option checks for temporary files, and only takes a few seconds, while the Deep Scan also checks for unnecessary startup processes, registry issues and sub-optimal Windows settings. System Mechanic’s home screen still puts system optimization front and centre, prompting you to scan your PC for unnecessary files, broken registry entries and more. If you’ve used an Iolo System Mechanic product before, the interface will be immediately familiar, but packed with a lot more icons and options. In addition to Iolo’s PC cleanup tools (which we’ve rated highly in previous reviews), this software also includes antivirus, a secure password manager, a drive wiper, anti-tracking tools for your web browser, malware detection and removal, and a file recovery tool. Whereas different versions of System Mechanic are chiefly focused on improving your PC’s performance, Ultimate Defense is also a fully-fledged security suite for protecting you from online threats. It now has a new design that brings it in line with Iolo’s other software, plus new tools to tackle modern online threats Iolo System Mechanic Ultimate Defense is the new name for Iolo Phoenix 360 – the company’s all-in-one PC cleanup and security suite – but it’s received much more than just a new name since our 2018 review.
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