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Hardware Monitor Tools
Software tools can help you monitor your hardware to make sure your computer is running smoothly under the hood. Like smartphones, computers generate a lot of heat, with some parts running as hot as boiling water. Heat sinks and fans may be needed to keep your computer from overheating — and if these parts aren’t working correctly, your computer can be at risk of malfunction.Hardware monitoring tools help you keep your computer’s temperature under control and your machine running right. These tools give you dashboards that display key hardware information, including the voltage and temperature of different parts of your computer, and how well your fans are running. Some of today’s best hardware monitoring tools include HWMonitor, Speed Fan and Open Hardware Monitor.
PC Tune-up Utilities
To keep your computer running at top speed, you need a PC tune-up utility. With constant use, your computer will inevitably start to slow down. Outdated drivers from obsolete apps, archived files you no longer use and large cached data can all slow down your performance.PC tune-up utilities help fix this problem, automating tasks such as defragging your hard drive, fixing your Windows registry, and deleting duplicate files to free up disk space. Some utilities also have advanced functions such as optimizing your boot process. PC tune-up utilities come in both freeware and premium varieties. CCleaner is a popular free tune-up utility, but PCMag rates iolo System Mechanic as today’s best premium option.
Password Managers
A long password is a strong password, but the downside is that it can be hard to remember. Of course, creating one that's hard to remember makes it tempting to leave that information lying around on a sticky note, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a password altogether. On the other hand, creating a password along the likes of "ABC123" can make it easy to crack.Password managers overcome these difficulties by automatically generating strong passwords for each site you visit that requires a login. The manager program then saves and inputs your passwords for you the next time you log in, relieving you of the need to type it in each time. Advanced password managers can also remember billing information for credit card purchases. Some managers have other advanced features such as syncing your passwords across all your devices.
