PC HELPER LABORATORY

X-Setup v6.3 Final

Hello and you're very well welcomed to this separate page of PC Helper Laboratory !!!

I'm to review the universal tuning utility - X-Setup by Xteq Systems.

This is an update of my first PC Helper Lab release so you can see the program in the new light !!! This review is much more useful. So Enjoy :-).

So the new scheme is used for review here.

Program/Utility:                         X-Setup

Version/Build:                             6.3 Final

Author:                                  Xteq Systems

Vendor(s):                                  MajorGeeks, NTUA, Armvidlib, SuperiorSoft, Xteq Systems

Author's Webpage:                    http://www.xteq.com

Program's Webpage:                 http://www.xteq.com/products/xset/index.html

Download page/Direct Download Link:

http://public.planetmirror.com/pub/majorgeeks/allinone/xq-xsetup-63.zip

Shareware Limitations: free; fully limited for multi PC usage.

Peculiarities:  No direct executable for running the program's UI.

PC Helper Ratings:      functionality      -        10.0

                                Novelty             -         6.1

                                Interface          -        8.7

                                Bugs Absence       -        10.0

                                PC Helper Total    -        9.7

Description:

X-Setup - is a powerful System Registry and configuration files manager. It offers a variety of tools required for effective Registry and configuration files management.

Xteq X-Setup is a so-called "hacker" or "tweaker" program. It allows you to change settings that are normally hidden deeply in some configuration-files like the registry fast and easily. 

X-Setup offers several advantages, making it the "ultimate tool for black belt system tuning". It runs on any Windows version (including XP), is clutter-free, easy to use, extensible, powerful, covers any aspect of your computer and has more configuration options than any other tweaker. For a complete listing of the features of X-Setup, please see our Features Page.

But not only I think Xteq -Setup is a great utility, please have a look at the X-Setup Awards Page. Or simply read this quote from one of our customers: "X-Setup is to all other "tweakers" like a truckload of bricks is like to a pebble...".

Xteq X-Setup Features

A detailed listing of X-Setup's features.

• Covers and works on all available Windows 32-bit platforms: Windows 95, Windows 98 (SE), Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows ME and Windows XP
• X-Setup is the most complete "hacker" ever available: more than 810 hidden functions can be controlled with some simple button clicks (e.g. Windows, Internet Explorer, Instant Messaging, Office, Explorer appearance, Server options, Network settings, Security...) 
• By using an Explorer-like layout and the famous back and next buttons (you already know from your Internet browser) navigation is very simple 
• It's extremely easy to use: With wizards you can change your system in a step-by-step process - that's as easy as A-B-C 
• With Record Mode activated, nearly all changes from a plug-in or wizard are recorded to a REG file. This file can then be easily applied to thousands of machines without needing to install X-Setup on them 
• If you often change the same settings, you can easily define Favorites for as many plug-ins as you wish. With Favorites, you simply pick the item from the Favorites menu and X-Setup will directly active it.
• With Version History, it's easy to determine the changes between the different versions of X-Setup. It will exactly tell you which plug-ins have changed and with a click, you will jump directly to that plug-in.
• Clutter free: X-Setup is ready for your wishes in about five seconds and needs only at about 5 MB RAM. Also, it does not install any automatically launched "helper" apps like many other programs. If you exit X-Setup, it is gone and there's nothing running in the background that would bog down your system.  
• Easy to find: With the Search function you can easily search all plug-ins for the setting you are looking for. If you think you found what you are searching for, just click on it and X-Setup will directly activate that plug-in for you.
• Because you can do a lot, but not everything with X-Setup, it includes a configurable Programs menu. X-Setup brings a lot of useful programs links with it, but you can also define your own.
• X-Setup can also write a very detailed log file that includes every change it has made to your configuration and you can choose where to store this file  
• Because the settings X-Setup controls change often and fast, it's entirely driven by plug-ins. They are very small and don't have a user interface (UI), instead they use the UI of X-Setup. Using this technique, X-Setup is infinitely extensible and expandable and you can even integrate your own plug-ins or wizards 
• X-Setup includes X-Update for X-Setup that allows you to download the newest plug-ins directly from Xteq Systems to your X-Setup installation with some simple clicks - you don't need to download and unzip any files to stay updated  
• You can view the source code of ANY plug-in directly from X-Setup, before the the plug-in is allowed to change anything. This way, you can always see what the plug-in will do.   
• It is wherever you need it: either in Start -> Programs or Settings -> Control Panel 
• Contains an detailed explanation how to install it on a network share - entire setup only takes five seconds in this case 

And observing the program now:

Program allows to view and manage your systems options in two main ways using services.

1) The first one and that is recommended for Power, Advanced Users Only! This is the mode of plugins: they are divided into 11 main categories, at all approximately 10 sub categories each, that are also divided into 3-5 mini categories that have approximately 10 options (plugins) for setting up

You can do absolutely anything with plugins and understand any of them because there's a great description attached to each plugin.

The utility allows to set almost a thousand of different hidden options of your system.

You can also set some hardware options such as for Video Card, Processor, Motherboard. Any available category.

Well, at all this mode is provides the maximum possible (!!!) functionality as the technology of creating these plugins is quite understandable: the authors of the program just searched all your Windows Registry where all these options are placed and hidden from your control. They just find some registry entry or parameter, find out what option it sets and prepare as a plugin in this window for you. There are 500 (!!!) different plugins installed in the latest version

Plugins can be upgraded and updated using automatic update option in the program.

2) The second way of using X-Setup is primarily developed for non-professional or non-advanced users, or just beginners. This service is actually a service of wizards. All the plugins (500 of them can be installed) are well sorted and controlled by 89 wizards.

This service is based on step-by-step confirmation. First, you choose the type of the wizard, then a sub category that is controlled by him and then a sub menu that can be set up using it. After that you get to another step...The number of steps depends on the quantity of plugins controlled by the Wizard. For example, Messaging Wizards controls 5 plugins.

But each step options are fully described so even a beginner can understand them. This easy step-by-step confirmation is another way of setting up options that is using X-Setup.

PC Helper Opinion:

This is a really great utility. Well, actually the best I've ever seen. It allows the MAXIMUM ever possible control of all options placed in the Windows Registry and hundreds of hidden ones that you can't control just using the operating system. Two ways of using the program make it available and understandable for even beginners as well as for power users. One of the main advantages of the program is that the program is free for a Single PC and that it's compatible with all the latest operating systems and not only with Windows XP. That's really brilliant !!!

Download links:

Get X-Setup v6.2 Final here (4,5 Mb -- Full Installation) although I have already placed the link for it in my characteristics.

Get all additional plug-ins for X-Setup here.

Both, wizards and plugins, can be downloaded/upgraded/updated using the automatic update service provided by the utility - X-Update.

P o s t e d   o n   2 3 . 1 1 . 2 0 0 2          1 8 : 2 0    G M T

So enjoy the program. See you next week !!!! Peter L.

Previous Articles on PC Helper Lab:

Reg Organizer v1.39 and v1.4      --        HERE !!!

ACDSee v5.0.0.0025                  --        HERE !!!

3DNA v0.9.0                             --        HERE !!!

WinRAM Turbo XP v1.10              --        HERE !!!

ReGet Deluxe v3.1 and v3.2         --        HERE !!!

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