G DATA Tuner

From the automatic reminder of Windows updates to time-controlled defragmentation and the regular removal of unnecessary registry entries and temporary files, with the Tuner you have a tool at hand that can make your Windows system much faster and cleaner. You can either optimise your computer manually by the touch of a button, optimise your computer manually or have regular tuning jobs carried out on a time-controlled basis.

Last tuning run: This shows you when the last tuning of your computer was carried out. To start a new tuning, please click on the entry Perform tuning run now. As soon as you start the tuning run, a progress bar shows you the current status of the tuning.
Automatic tuning run: If you want to automate the tuning of your computer, you can create a time-controlled job here by clicking on the entry Activate automatic tuning run to create a corresponding time-controlled job. To adjust the automatic tuning run, please select the option "Additional settings".

tuner config icon Configuration: In this area you can select all the modules that the tuner is to use for a tuning process. Selected modules are then either started via an automatic time-controlled action or manually. To activate a module simply double-click it. You can individually optimise the following large tuning areas here:

Security: Various functions that automatically download data from the Internet are only useful for the provider and not for you. Often, such functions also open the door to malware. With these modules you can protect your system and keep it up to date.
Performance: Temporary files, e.g. backup copies that are no longer needed, log files or installation data, which only occupy hard disk space after installation, slow down your hard disk and take up valuable memory. In addition, processes and file associations that are no longer needed slow down your system noticeably. With the modules listed here, you can free your computer from this and speed it up.
Data protection: The modules that deal with the protection of your data are summarised here. Traces that arise involuntarily during surfing or general computer use that reveal a lot about your user behaviour or even important data and passwords can be deleted.

tuner restore icon Recovery: The software sets a restore point for every change made. If one of the tuning actions carried out has led to undesired results, you can undo it and restore the system to the state it was in before the change.

tuner cleaner icon Browser Cleaner: The G DATA Browser Cleaner is capable of blocking or removing unwanted programme components and additional programmes. These programmes are often installed with free software and can change browser settings or even spy on you.

General tuner settings

You can make the following settings here:

Delete recovery data: Here you can determine at which point in time recovery data (which G DATA software creates when changes are made) should be deleted.
Delete old data: Here you can determine at which point in time old data (e.g. old TEMP folders) should be deleted.
Delete desktop shortcuts: Here you can determine when unneeded desktop shortcuts (if they have not been used for a corresponding number of days) are to be deleted.
In Microsoft Updates, also search for Office updates: Here you can specify whether or not the Tuner should automatically search the Internet for the latest Office updates in addition to searching for the latest Windows updates. Updating both elements saves time and also keeps you up to date in terms of security. The search for Office updates only works if Microsoft Office is also installed on the respective computer.
Do not create detailed log files of deleted items: The Tuner is designed to log complete information about changes that have been made. If you consider a log file containing information about what the Tuner has deleted as a risk, you can suppress the creation of such a deletion log.
Delete temporary files permanently: With this function, you exclude the web files (e.g. cookies, temporary internet data) from the Tuner’s restore option, i.e. you cannot restore these files. By activating this function, you significantly reduce the amount of files that the Tuner has to manage in the Restore section. This brings performance benefits.
Do not allow automatic computer restart by the service: With this option you prevent a possible computer restart, which the tuner might otherwise carry out during a time-controlled tuning process. Since the Tuner would only perform a computer restart when no user is logged in, it is certainly advisable in most cases not to activate this option.
Allow creation of individual restore points: Without this function, the G DATA software can no longer perform a restore.
Do not consider the drive type when defragmenting: Since most manufacturers advise against defragmentation of their SSDs, defragmentation for this type of hard disk is excluded by default in the G DATA Tuner. When you are sure that there are no SSD drives in your computer, you can tick this box. The Tuner will then start the defragmentation of all hard disks in the system.

Folder protection

This tab allows you to exclude certain folders (e.g. your Windows partition) from the automatic deletion of old files.

tuner add icon To do this, simply click on the add symbol and then select the corresponding folder or the desired drive.

tuner delete icon To unblock an exception directory, select it from the list that appears and then click Delete.

File protection

With the file protection you can protect certain files from deletion by the tuner, e.g. game scores of computer games or similar files with unusual file endings that could also be interpreted as backup or temp files.

tuner add icon To protect certain files, click on the add button and enter the corresponding file name. You can also work with placeholders here.

The function of placeholders is as follows:

The question mark symbol (?) is a substitute for individual characters.
The asterisk symbol (\*) is a substitute for entire character strings.

For example, to protect all files with the extension .sav, enter *.sav. To protect files of different type with an initially identical file name, enter text.*.

Now select the folder in which the files are to be protected by clicking on the Advanced button. Select the storage location where the files to be protected are located. The tuner now protects the correspondingly defined files only in this folder (e.g. game saves only in a game folder).

tuner delete icon To release a file protection, select it from the list and then click Delete.

Scheduling

You can use the Scheduling tab to define when and in what rhythm the automatic tuning process should take place.

Under Daily, you can use the information under Weekdays to specify, for example, that your computer is to be tuned only on workdays or only every second day or specifically on weekends when it is not being used. To change data and time entries, simply mark the element you want to change (e.g. day, hour, month, year) with the mouse and then use the arrow keys or the small arrow icons to the right of the input field to move the respective element chronologically.

If you do not want automatic tuning to be carried out, simply remove the tick from the entry "Switched on".