We have all seen them, the commercials for fixit web sites that declare all you have to do is visit their site and they will magically fix your computer or make it run faster or any of a number promises. Well, I don’t want to sound like the Grinch on Christmas, but these sites just don’t live up to all of the hype that they promise. When you go to one of these sites, you are going to have to have some type of software to download, you just cannot do all that much solely through the web browser. So, just how much can these guys cram into a small, probably activex plugin? My guess is not near as much as some of the better known and trusted applications like Symantec’s Norton Utilities
I am sure that there are some of these web based tune up sites/companies that are legit and are trying to help people, but I would be careful because I have seen a few that look pretty shady and for all we know, instead of scanning for and removing spyware and such, they could be installing more! The real bottom line here is that even if these sites are trying to do right by you, there is a limit on what can be done by software, especially software delivered over the web and made generic enough to work on a wide range of platforms. It’s like the old joke about a mechanic in a can for your car, there just isn’t one, just like there is no magic bullet for your PC. You just cannot beat a trusted technician, who is well trained and experienced, and has your best interests in mind. Someone there looking at the screen, analyzing what they find and making good decisions on what to do to make it better versus a script that boils down to a bunch of If/Then questions and loops.
I just wanted to make sure that people think before they use these sites, and don’t go blindly forth, sucked in by slick commercials and ending up with computers that are worse off than when you started. There may be some good sites out there, and if/as I find them I will post them on the site so everyone will know. Good luck!