Download: Soluto

Keeping a computer in top condition is an important yet rarely enjoyable task. Soluto is an unusual combination of form and function, especially if you want to keep an eye on the health of more than one computer.

Read more: Utility software download reviews

Soluto requires the .NET Framework to run and it will install this automatically if it is not already present on the computer. It will also create a System Restore point, which is useful if you decide to reverse the installation.

When it starts it will check the software installed on your computer and whether there are any updates available for Windows.

The results are displayed in the web browser rather than in a separate program. It has to be said that this is one of the most attractive system utility programs that we have used. Thankfully this isn't at the cost of being able to use it.

The results are displayed on a single page and the tabs can be used to quickly jump to the individual sections.

The Protection details section is a good example of Soluto. Each section is shown clearly and the Updates section has a button to start the update process. This takes place in the background rather than just launching the Windows Update tool.

One implication of the web-based nature of Soluto is that you can check up on a computer without having to be sitting in front of it. This may be a big advantage for those of us that are responsible for keeping the computers of various family members running smoothly. Soluto can be used on up to five different computers before having to upgrade to a paid account.

It will monitor the programs that start with Windows to check for anything that might be slowing your computer down. When Soluto has finished it gives a boot time (1.07 in our case) using an attractive page fold effect near the Start Button.

Soluto found one program that it thought was removable and another worth considering. The first was the Windows Media Player Network app. This is only necessary if you share media on your network. You can either remove it form the boot process altogether or delay it so you can get working sooner.

The potentially removable app was Windows Search. This can also be delayed, which is probably what we'd recommend if reducing start up time is important, because the Windows Search tool can be very useful.

The Frustrations section has information about problems and crashes. This should be useful as the information offered about problems can often be rather sketchy.