MACECRAFT

Software

J.V. 16 Power Tools and RegSupreme Pro

JV 16 Power Tools

More than a pretty face, this program offers the kind and type of customizations most windows users would like if they only knew they existed and how to alter them.  While it may not have the cute sounds and bells and whistles of better known programs, it has some excellent price points and is compatible with most flavors of windows. Clearly a power tool, novice users should consider it as well.

RegSupreme Pro

Offering a focus on Registry Cleaning, RegSupreme Pro is an able bodied utility that fills the missing void in windows own offerings. Well worth adding if you just need a solid professional registry cleaner. Small and compatible with older versions of windows, is you use operating systems other than XP,  this is one of the few utilities left that plays nicely with the older systems like windows 95.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

 JV 16 Power Tools version 4.1.1.248

File Size: 1.5 MB

Price: $ 29.95 

RegSupreme Pro 1.0 version 1.0.0.22

File Size: 808.4 KB

Price: $ 16.95

System Requirements for all:

1. Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, NT, ME, 2000 and Windows XP
2. A Mouse
3. A Keyboard

www.macecraft.com 

A review by: Kurt von Behrmann 

Computer applications seem to be growing at an alarming rate.  Hard drives as large as 120 Gigs are now starting to fill up at an alarming rate. Programs 30 MB and larger are becoming the norm and not the exception.  One would expect complex graphic programs to be large. What one does not expect is for basic utilities to do the same. For this, and so many other reasons, Macecraft’s utilities stand out as exceptions to the growing size of newer applications. 

Refuting the notion that a full featured professional program must be huge, Macecraft’s JV 16 is a lean low fat utility.  Both JV 16 Power Tools and Reg Supreme Pro do not even tip the scales at beyond two Megs. For downloading and transport, the programs are elegant in their efficiency and practicality.  

In sharp contrast to utilities that support only the most recent renditions of Microsoft Windows, both programs support Windows 95 right up to Windows XP. This is something of a rarity.  For those working in a multiple system environment and need to maintain a variety of systems, this is literally a one size fits all program. Plus, it cuts down on the need for multiple programs to perform the same function. 

Conspicuous by its absence, windows does not ship with a registry cleaner.  To fill the void a number of utilities have filled the market place.  Some fill the needs of the novice and thus are designed to fill some rather basic registry needs. Others go into considerably more detail. It is here that JV 16 Power Tools stands apart. 

With something as sensitive as the registry, one has to be careful. Removing one entry can ruin an entire application or bring your PC crashing to it’s virtual knees.  It is a point Power Tools makes clear.  However, if you are willing to read the instructions, and the site has documentation to walk you through the process of cleaning your registry as well as using the many features with the program, Power Tools is an amazingly powerful application. Oddly, it will be those newbie’s that may need it the most that could be intimated by such a detailed piece of software.  

Minus bells, whistles or cute sound effects, Power Tools is not loaded with colorful graphics or flamboyant colors. It is about as minamilist as an application can be. The pay off for it’s austerity is that it is user friendly to those who have difficulties with vision and need certain customizations. The program also supports a wide assortment of languages as well making it truly international.

Should the program sound familiar, JV Power Tools has been around a long time. Once a freeware program, now it is under Macecraft (www.macecraft.com) where it has been allowed to flourish. With a user friendly web site and a great deal of documentation, there are even free full featured trial versions on the site to check out before purchasing. 

While Pros may easily flock to the program, JV Power Tools has much to offer the novice. As more and more utilities move away from the “all in one” approach and specialization removes features from some suites, one can find important ingredients missing in their pc arsenal.  While the all in one approach has its advantages, for those that need a good very detailed registry cleaner that gets down into the operating system and offers other important tweaks, JV Power Tools is one of the most potent tools in the market place. 

Features included with the application include assorted registry tools, file tools, automation tools, back ups, access control, settings and within these are seemingly endless configuration options. As slight as this program is in size, JV power tools is more like a suite that just becomes larger as you explore. It shares that same quality that Photoshop CS has. On the surface it looks simple. Dig just a little deeper and a new world emerges as you delve into the hidden menus and tabs. It is here that the “Magic” happens. 

Designed for those not needing that much power or detail, Macecraft  has  Reg Supreme Pro. An off shoot of JV 16 tools, this program can perform more than most utilities like this one are designed.  

Cleaning out old programs, selecting which programs start with windows, removing un needed file types, altering the items from IE Explorer’s right click menu, eliminating features not need in the operating system, Reg Supreme Pro is a registry cleaner and then some.   As a skinnier version, RegSupreme offers the basics of the Pro model minus the detail of the pro version.   

Summation 

Macecraft’s powerful, but tiny, programs are easily perceived as power tools for power users. The irony is that they offer the functionality that most windows users would want if they only knew how to make them.  

By default, much of window’s configurability is not that accessible. It is a fact made clear by the popularity of their own power tools—an unofficially not supported enhancement to windows created to access features within windows.  However, even that tool does not offer registry cleaning or configurations in the way that JV Power Tools does. 

Filling the gap with amazing dexterity, Power Tools and Reg Supreme Pro are the subtle type of utilities that are well worth seeking out and exploring.  When contrasted to the feature list, price points and size of their competition, they have much to recommend them for those that depend on windows functioning properly all of the time. 

My only word of caution is to take caution. As with all utilities that make changes to the sensitive registry, back up both your data and your registry file.  Jv Power tools adds that feature as do most reputable registry cleaners.   

If you do a little homework, move past the utilitarian interface, JV Power Tools is a utility that really gets down to the serious business of keeping your PC up and running with a hitch.