jv16 POWER TOOLS 2006
Reviewed October, 2006

What’s it do?

JV 16 Power Tools is a toolbox set of individual utility routines helpful in repairing, optimizing, and tuning up computer systems.


Does It Do What It Promises?

Reviewer 1: Yes, it does. It provides the tools (utilities) needed for daily maintenance to keep a PC in trim working order. Its user interface is simple and spartan in a compact 2.4MB download. I had the distinct impression that this set of utilities was developed over years of helping customers solve PC problems. There are no frills or fancy interfaces, but just what it takes to get the job done, a great example of "less is more."

Reviewer 2: Yes, perhaps too much so.

Reviewer 3: Yes. jv16 Power Tools claims that it contains utilities and tools that "can help you to optimize and fix your windows-based computer with ease." It makes no over-blown statements guaranteeing to repair every error on your computer or make it run like new again; it clearly and simply promises to help you to make your computer run better and do so easily. It does this and actually quite a bit more.

Reviewer 4: Jv16 Power Tools consists of a series of modules that perform specific maintenance functions on registry and files. On my system they functioned well and cleaned up many loose ends without any irreversible complications. They provide an appropriate warning at the beginning of their help file because this is a powerful program that can be of great help if used properly, and can get you into trouble if you make changes blindly.

Reviewer 5: Yes, it does. This is a program with many features. At first glance, the 23 modules on the main screen may seem to be a bit overwhelming. When I first encountered jv 16PowerTools, my computer was heading for trouble and, I was afraid, an eventual crash. As the Registry is a critical element in the successful operation of the Windows Operating System, I was looking for a program to "clean" my registry, to help keep it properly organized and intact. I actually had three other registry cleaners at the time, but thought that the ones I was using needed some assistance. When I saw that jv 16PowerTools was a complete set of tools, I was a bit worried that I might have bitten more off than I could chew, but resolutely went ahead with the registry cleaner anyway. It did an excellent job, doing at least as well as the other three, and picking up slack that they missed. After using it for some time, I found that if I ran it first, there was usually not much else left around for the others to handle.


Was It Easy To Install?

Reviewer 1: Yes. Once installation choices are made, it installs in less than three seconds, a significant contrast to Norton System Works very lengthy installation. The user is provided an excellent tutorial of eight bulleted points and then encouraged to enable jv16 to use Macecraft's central server over to improve the program's performance and safety and generate a file cache for jv16's use. The cache needs to be updated about twice a month. The program's data-fixing features will stop working properly if the cache is not updated regularly. Although I was warned that updating the file cache will "take a while", in reality it took just 10 seconds. Although the EULA is not copyable and difficult to locate, I was delighted to find that a single license allowed JV16 Power Tools to be used on a home as well as a work computer. I was dismayed with the statement that "Macecraft Software is under no obligation to maintain, support or update jv16 PowerTools 2006 in any ways, or to provide updates or error corrections" and question why anyone would purchase a program under such a disclaimer.

Reviewer 2: Yes, straightforward and intuitive.

Reviewer 3: Yes. Despite its 23 separate utilities (over100 utilities if you include all of the various options within each tool) it was a very easy installation and amazingly small, 1.5MB download, offering choices as to shortcuts, file placement, and icon creation.

Reviewer 4: Installation was fast and easy.

Reviewer 5: Yes, the installation was straightforward, posing no difficulties at all. I was able to install the program and its shortcuts and icons where I wanted to.


Good Points.

Reviewer 1: Running the Registry Cleaner, which I consider the heart of the package, produced 5400 High-Severity errors, 600 Medium Severity, 7 Low-Severity, and 18 Lowest-Severity for an overall Health Indicator of 1/100. A short explanation of the different severities would have been useful. The DiskWiper function worked very well: a simple but effective interface with appropriate warnings of nonrecovery. The checkbox advising the user to 'Shut down machine when done' is a thoughtful touch indicating real-life experience by the developer. I had the residue of a prior Install/Uninstall of Norton SystemWorks 2006 which caused difficulty in uninstalling it. I used Custom Uninstall to remove it, as well as to remove Windows Works, Windows Messenger, iTunes, and PC-Doctor Services, all speedily accomplished and with no apparent ill effects. For most of these, I created backups and located these in the Backup Tool RegistryTab List. An indication on the Backup function-tile saying where they were being put would have been helpful, as well as some title other than "Backup Tool", which in my experience suggests saving data to external media. I found the Handbook excellent in every way. It is concise and well written . The back-lighted buttons in the Custom Installer is a nice touch.

Reviewer 2: JV 16 digs deeply into the registry and system to ferret out all unneeded keys and files. It was very helpful in identifying duplicate files freeing up several gigabytes of space on my external drives that way.

Reviewer 3: I must confess a bias. I have been using and recommending this program since it first appeared over seven years ago-a lifetime in the world of computer software. And while there have been obvious changes through newer versions, incremental updates, and added features, one thing has remained the same: its flawless operation, low use of resources, problem-free and totally safe ease of use, and the developer's (Macecraft) continued improvement of a nearly perfect piece of software. Power Tools offers a very clean and simple, if not the flashiest, point-and-click GUI which allows for a single click to launch each of the many utilities. These could best be grouped by category. There are several registry utilities: Registry Manager, Finder, Cleaner, Find & Replace, Compacter, and a Monitor. Each tool works flawlessly and almost forces a user to create backups within the program. The Registry Cleaner, however, is in my opinion not only the safest but the best such cleaner on the market today. It provides the user with multiple options as to what to clean as well as two modes of cleaning: normal and aggressive. It scans quickly and each error that it finds is fully identified but even more information can be found as to its exact description and why it has been selected by simply clicking on each entry. It does not simply delete the registry errors it finds (what so many others do even though they state "repair") but offers the user the choice to try to repair first and then delete, and it actually does repair errors when possible. But before you can make either choice, you must decide to allow it to make a backup or not, and the backups are easily identified and kept within the program so that you can easily restore them if needed. While rarely needed, they do restore fully and flawlessly. The Registry Finder also deserves a special mention as it has saved me hours of work over the years. So often when you delete software, you discover that there still seems to be traces of it that you can't seemingly remove. McAfee is notorious for this as it will remain listed in your Windows services applet forever and leave files on your computer that you are denied access to when you try to delete. With Registry Finder, simply enter the name of the program and Registry Finder will locate and display every trace of this deleted program that still remains, giving you the option to delete every trace and be rid of all remnants of the program. Another category of tools consists of a File Finder, File Cleaner, and Duplicate Finder. The File Cleaner works exceptionally well and offers safety features so that critical files do not get deleted. In addition, there are browser utilities that consist of a History and Cookie manager as well as a Privacy Protector that allow the user to automatically clear cookies and browser history at boot. These browser tools support Firefox as well as IE but there is no support for Opera. Finally, there are some miscellaneous tools that are among my favorites. There is a Start Menu fixer to repair and/or remove broken links in the Start menu, a Startup Manager to allow editing of what automatically starts on boot, and best of all, a Software Manager. That is like the Add/Remove feature in Windows only much better. Not only does it list every piece of software on your computer-something that Windows does not always do-but it offers a standard as well as a custom uninstall which digs deeper into your computer removing all of those stray temp and cab files as well as installation files that Add/Remove always leaves behind. There are more tools that I am leaving out but only because to discuss each one would require that this review be serialized over several issues of NNT. The bottom line is that there is not one tool that you will not use in time if not immediately and you will use them with total confidence that by doing so you will not harm your computer only improve its operability. jv16 Power Tools gets my highest recommendation without any reservations. There is a liberal trial period but you don't need it. At $30.00 this program is a steal because with it you can replace probably $100.00 in other programs. There is a 100% money back guarantee, but you won't need that either. What you may need and which you will get is something that is almost unheard of today: you can use this software on up to five other computers in your home; you will get free updates and even major revisions for the life of your license after which time upgrades cost as little as $5.95.

Reviewer 4: The Software Manager provides a list of all of the programs installed on your system. It is much more comprehensive than the Windows Add/Remove Programs section of Control Manager. With this too, I was able to remove remnants of programs I had previously uninstalled, as well as McAfee Site Advisor that had no entry in the Add/Remove Programs section and no Uninstall option from the Start Menu. Even better, Software Manage" asks the user if he would like to create backups of the uninstalled programs to allow reversal of actions should an error occur. The programs can be organized by name, publisher, or by the date installed. Organization by the date installed could be of particular interest in establishing which programs were installed together; when trying to remove spyware for example. Startup Manager performs similarly, giving a list of your startup programs and the option to reversibly or irreversibly remove them. Registry Cleaner ran for 20 seconds and found 958 errors. When it first made all of the changes in Normal Mode, it disabled Corel's QuattroPro spreadsheet. I reversed all of the changes from jv16's backup and reran the scan, this time selecting the option to "Ignore" the words Corel and QuattroPro. I then removed the errant registry entries. I opened all of the major programs I usually run and all seemed to run fine, including QuattroPro. The Registry Compacter reported that it reduced the size of my registry by 2.25% without losing any information. At the conclusion, it required a restart of my computer. My system seemed to run just fine after this. In my opinion, the modules above are the "heart and soul" of jv16 PowerTools and all users of the program will benefit from appropriate application of them. Other modules are more specialized in their scope and would be useful to some, but not all users depending on their needs. File Finder and Directory Finder perform functions similar to Microsoft's Search. They give robust options to tailor search the way desired. The File Tool is used to perform a wide range of functions of files selected through other modules. The functions include Copy, Move, change Attributes, Encrypt, Decrypt, Wipe, Rename, etc. The Directory Tool gives similar, but more limited options, for Moving, Wiping, and Renaming Directories. The Disk Wiper will multiply overwrite the free space, just the data and directories, or the entire drive if desired. This could be used to remove unwanted data from your system for general security, or if one were selling/donating a computer but did not want any data left behind for possible recovery by a subsequent user. The Start Menu Fixer will analyze Start Menu programs and remove unwanted entries left behind by uninstalled programs. If files are moved, it will make new corrected associations with the programs in their new location. In my case it found and removed (with my permission) many unused associations. It even removed a residual link from where I had previously uninstalled the old free version of jv16 Power Tools! Surprisingly, however, it left behind some empty directories after removing the broken links within them. History/MRU Cleaner and History Manager both clean up traces of files opened and sites visited as you desire for privacy. Cookie Manager brings all of cookies into one place quickly and easily. They can be divided into categories: Keep, Remove, Unknown, Black List and White List. The majority of the cookies start off in the Unknown category and it is easy to move the to the other categories as appropriate. After sorting, pressing the Start button removes all unwanted cookies. I found that there was only one remaining cookie from a u.com domain name which remained and which was not found in my "Keep" box. The Privacy Protector will run at startup to automatically remove the MRU, history and cookies as you desire. The Automation Tool is a scheduler that can be set to run many of the tasks described above automatically at startup, at login, or when triggered by a number of events.

Reviewer 5: When first run, the user is taken through a series of screens telling about the program, and suggesting how it can best be used. All the main features will automatically create backups so basically you can protect yourself from yourself, and avoid making unrecoverable errors. Not only are there several registry tools, but a program remover, startup manager, file duplicate finder, file wiper, and more. The 2007 version will also include a defragmenter tool. It is, in fact, the scope and breadth of the tools that make this program so much fun. I keep on finding functions that I had not noticed before. I recently discovered that there is a "Backup" feature that allows me to backup those kinds of things that I may normally forget to do when I run my regular backup program, or which are not that easy to do. For example, I use Firefox rather than Explorer (as much as possible). Most backup programs that I have used include the choice to backup "My Favorites" (an Explorer file), but will not suggest that I backup my Firefox "Bookmarks," so that usually gets left out. Many programs use a "Check For Updates" feature, but the jv 16PowerTools approach is one of the best I have seen. The screen tells you your current version and the latest version is displayed, along with a notice that the update is free it can be installed over the current version. Below that is a link to "Download the latest version." A complete copy of the program downloads, not just an update file. There is no need to keep a copy of the older file. I recommend that you take time to look at the handbook (an optional choice when you download the software). There are so many features in this program that they do not all appear as icons on the main screen. Browsing through the handbook will bring these, often very powerful, tools to light. It is well-written, and easy to use. There is also a user forum, where you can get support both from the developers themselves, and from others who have varying degrees of knowledge and experience with the program. The licensing of jv 16PowerTools is an example of what should be the standard in the software industry. First, it is excellent value for the price, which is exceptionally reasonable. $29.95 (US) is well below most of the competition, which usually offer far less than jv 16PowerTools does. But more than that, it takes into account the reality in today's marketplace: many homes with multiple computers. A single personal license can be used with up to five personal computers if the computers are mainly used only by you or the members of your family. Not only that, upgrades, which may include major program rewrites and additional tools, not just bug fixes, are part of the original price. At the end of the license period, new upgrades cost only a few dollars. Commercial licenses and other situations are listed on the website, so you are able to choose the plan that best fits your own situation.


Weak Points.

Reviewer 1: There is no support other than a Discussion Forum. This lack of support prevents the user from depending on the product in work situations. I was unable to find any support option, even a priced-plan. The Software Manager component was adequate but unimpressive but it did analyze the Registry & HDDs to find routines not listed in Windows' Add/Remove software list. Compacting my full WinXP Registry of 328MB resulted in a stream of error messages suggesting that perhaps they were already compacted (if so, unknown to me.) Perhaps this was an anomaly, or even perhaps a valid result; but, the a terse summary suggested shallow design and/or implementation. The blunt statement in the FAQ that "If you don't agree with this policy, do not use jv16 Power Tools" is rather grating and could be conveyed much more diplomatically. DiskWiper's 360MB per minute rate for wiping used and free space on a 17GB HDD partition was unsatisfactory and took over three hours to complete. On one occasion, an intrusive "JV16 Power Tools 2006" title tile appeared linked in some way to the main JV16 Programs tile, with no X-button or any apparent way to delete it.

Reviewer 2: JV 16 misidentifies critical files as unnecessary. It is dangerous, especially the first time it is run because it finds hundreds of files and is prohibitively daunting to examine every one of them; and to also know what is needed and what isn't. I allowed it to clean out all the files (in a 'File Cleaner' scan) and it caused Office 2003 require reinstallation. I would think that something as common as MS Office would be so well known so as not to mislabel needed files as unnecessary.

Reviewer 3: For the first time in all of the years I have been reviewing software, I can find no weak points worth mentioning. Some might criticize the lack of a colorful interface or a fancy splash screen, but I am happy that Power Tools puts its effort into the program and not into eye-candy. Normally, I might criticize the lack of 24/7 support as Power Tools relies primarily on a very active User Forum and an extensive FAQ and knowledge base type of help search for its support; however, in the case of this software those two items are more than you will ever need-or probably ever use!

Reviewer 4: Overall, I did not find any major problems with this software. The biggest problem I had, the disabling of Quattro Pro, was easily handled by restoring from jv16's backup. When the scan was re-run with tweaked settings, everything worked fine. The help file for jv16 Power Tools is saved in the .pdf format. This requires Adobe Acrobat or another .pdf file reader to be installed on your system. In my case, I had the appropriate reader so this was not a problem. I would be interested in hearing from the publisher why they chose this format instead of the standard Windows Help format. I did not find "File Cleaner" to be very useful on my system. I routinely purge old temporary files and other known useless files via a batch routine. There were 9 files found on a search including one .dll, one .tbl, and one .dat file. The Startup Manager and Software Manager could be improved by providing links to a description of the known functions of the programs. Without this, the user is on their own to know or to search for the program name to attempt to determine their function and legitimacy. I did not find a use for the File Organizer. This is intended for use on personal data to help organize files into a more cohesive order. I think that I have a good data organization system, so I did not see where this would help me. However, if one has photos or music files scattered throughout your system, this could be the feature to help get organized. Clicking on the date heading in Software Manager does not arrange the programs in chronological order. Therefore it is not possible to easily see which programs were installed most recently. Changing the date/time format of the data in this column should permit a more useful ordering.

Reviewer 5: I really have not found any criticisms to make. Any weaknesses that I might find as I use different modules of jv 16PowerTools are my own, not those of the program! My only suggestion at present would be that they include a link to the user forum from the Macecraft Website.


Other Comments.

Reviewer 1: JV 16 is one of the best set of utilities I've come across in a long time. It's what every programmer wishes for but seldom finds and its no-frills user interface and compact size is a model of how development should be done, but rarely encountered. While no one is likely to use or appreciate all of its routines, I'm confident everyone will find more than enough utility to justify its place in their toolkit.

Reviewer 2: In my opinion, this tool is far too aggressive for the common user, perhaps even for power users. Because I had made an image of my entire partition, I avoid having to reinstall major software, such as MS Office 2003. I also found that it removed critical keys and files needed to run Flash and a variety of other common browser options. My principle use for this tool was for cleaning my registry and streamlining my system. Due to its overly aggressive way of doing this, I spent more time undoing damage that it did to my system than any benefit I realized from it. This may well be that my system is not compatible with JV 16. I feel that this tool is for top level, expert users only and anyone with less knowledge should use the free version. I fail to see the value of a tool when one needs to evaluate, and be knowledgeable with, every file and registry key the system uses.

Reviewer 3: Download and install jv16 Power Tools and then uninstall your registry cleaner, your history cleaner, your cookie cleaner, your startup manager, your file manager, your duplicate file finder, your MRU cleaner, etc. You will no longer need them.

Reviewer 4: This is powerful software that allows system changes at a deep level. This is both a benefit and a risk. The greatest benefit appears to be the opportunity to clean up the registry and remove orphaned files that Windows leaves behind. The risk is that something may be removed that is needed for a program or for your system to run. Back up your computer before making changes. Use the backup option which jv16 provides. Read the manual! Search the web for program names before you remove them. If in doubt, you can probably leave changes undone. If all goes well, you will have a leaner, faster system when you are done. If you blindly make all of the changes possible and don't back up, you have the likely risk of harming your system.

Reviewer 5: There are not many programs that seem to have been thought out and even designed from the point of view of the ordinary user. A really excellent feature of jv 16PowerTools is the little explanation windows that appear almost like pop-ups, as you go through different program features. For example, every once in a while, a notice appears telling you that jv 16PowerTools needs to update its file cache. Updating is a simple process and can be disabled (not recommended) in the program settings. In fact, you can control almost everything that jv 16PowerTools does. You are given the tools, and you use them according to your situation and your own needs.


Will You Continue To Use It?

Reviewer 1: Yes, definitely, but cautiously since it lacks service and support.

Reviewer 2: I may uninstall it and reinstall the free version. That was much safer, yet did a respectable job of cleaning my registry and system.

Reviewer 3: Always have, always will!

Reviewer 4: Yes.

Reviewer 5: Yes. It is an important member of my standard "Utilities Toolkit." I will continue to use it, and if, in the future, I am billed for upgrades (not to be the case for the 2007 version), I will happily pay.

OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center Edition

Back