Picks: Reviews of MemOptimizer, PC Health Optimizer, Light Artist, and Photo DVD Maker Professional

If you're looking for a way to smooth out your PC's performance then MemOptimizer 3.03, by Pointstone Software might be the solution you need. The program works to give more RAM (Random Access Memory) to your programs. There's no substitute for real RAM, but MemOptimizer can free up some memory for you. In testing it out I loaded a lot of programs because I have 4 gigabytes of RAM and I wanted to use some up for testing. Please keep in mind that you don't have to have any understanding of RAM or how it works to take full advantage of MemOptimizer. Once loaded it will be working to defragment your physical RAM, it'll work to improve how your virtual memory works, and so on. It also gets back memory that poorly behaved programs have left "hanging" when they were closed. The program is really easy-to-use and has an intuitive user interface making it perfect for users with all levels of experience. There are a number of configurable options that let you control how the program works. Once you set it up it will run automatically when certain conditions are met or you can force it to run if desired. Over the years I've tested a number of similar products and MemOptimizer is one of the best ones I've tried. So, if low RAM is your problem, this may be your solution.

System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/2003/XP/Vista

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PC Health Optimizer 1.6, by Retina-X Studios, LLC is another software product that works to improve the performance of your PC. This is a package of about twenty or so utilities that are designed to give your system a thorough checkup. I don't have time to go into each function in depth, but I'll try to hit the high points for you. It checks the Windows Registry, your hard drives, memory, and much more. I tested it out on two computers and it worked really well. You can use the various functions individually or there's also an option to do it all with "one click." In addition to PC maintenance PC Health Optimizer also has functions that deal with spyware and viruses. The program seems very solid and works quite well. It's also very intuitive and quite easy-to-use so it's great for both new and experienced users. On top of the things I've already mentioned there's still more. Yep, that's right. It has a really nice parental control function that will let you put some limitations on the teenagers in your life and everyone knows how I feel about that. (See Rule #14 of Dr. File Finder's Rules for Happier Computing.) This is a nice addition to the program and it works quite well. PC Health Optimizer also has a backup function, let's you alter icons, and much more.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP

Download PC Health Optimizer 1.6 NOW!

If you're into photography you're going to want to download Light Artist, by Vicman Software. This is a cool little program in that it lets put light effects in your digital photos. In testing out this one I worked with a number of my photos of scenery taken in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. I have to admit that I had a lot of fun just tinkering with it and seeing what it could do. I was impressed with how realistic the light effects were. I thought they might look artificial, but that was not the case. Everyone knows that I'm graphically challenged but I got some really cool effects going. One cool feature is the ability to introduce more than one light source, which can give you some really impressive effects. You define what type of light source it is and can fiddle with other parameters as well. Another slick feature is the ability to add three dimensional relief to your pictures. This can give you some really amazing effects. If you're into photography and you'd like to be able to work with light effects in your photos then this may be your solution.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/2000/2003/XP

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Photo DVD Maker Professional 7.50, by photo-dvd-maker.com is a nifty solution for all you photo people again who'd like to put your albums on DVD. This is a cool product and it supports a wide range of file formats. This includes MPEG, DVD, MPEG-4, FLV, and more. I have to say that it probably has the most transition effects I've ever seen in one program with well over 300! With that many transitions you can have a lot of photos and not use the same transition twice. This is just a great way to create a photo album that's really dynamic and then be able to view in a number of ways. With Photo DVD Maker Professional you don't just have to watch your photo album on DVD. What's really cool is that you can put your albums on your iPod, your cell phone, your Play Station, and more. People always want to see pictures of my grandchildren so I'm going to use this program to create an album that I can show on my Blackberry. Oh, and you can also put music in your albums. And captions. And pan and zoom effects. When I first picked this program to review I thought it was going to be really straightforward, but I was wrong. Photo DVD Maker Professional is an impressive product that gives you a lot of control over how your photo albums look and feel. You can set the tone with music, captions, and amazing transitions. I like this product so much that it's not only a Pick, but I'm also making it one of my Dr. File Finder Favorites and those are few and far between. If you're into photos and showing them to other, this is your solution. I recommend it.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP

Download Photo DVD Maker Professional 7.50 NOW!

If you have a question on how to do something on the computer you can ask me and I'll review some software that will give you a solution to your problem. You can email me by clicking HERE You may not receive a reply, but all requests will be considered.