The release of System Mechanic 8, the latest full version of its best-selling PC tuneup utility has been announced by iolo technologies.

New System Mechanic® introduces Apatent-pending technology that automatically tunes a PC while it's on but not in use, called ActiveCare 2.0. Without competing for RAM or interrupting the user with schedulers and pop-up messages, ActiveCare runs invisibly in the background.

Vice President of Marketing at iolo technologies, JJ Schoch, stated: "ActiveCare won't accidentally interrupt you like an old-style scheduler." He adds: "It kicks into gear only when the PC processor is idle or when you're away from your desk. It's like having a housekeeper who cleans only when you're gone, taking action only when there's a real need."

Other major new features include: A registry optimizer that cleans the registry, graphically displays and removes the RAM-eating bloat that remains, and then defragments the registry for best performance; and a tool that visually reports temperature data from up to 46 SMART sensors on the hard drive and alerts the user to potential hard drive failure, called DriveSense™.

Among the product's minor improvements are an expanded application library targeting more programs that slow the startup process; new links that let you perform most tasks with fewer clicks and an interface that inherits your Windows Vista theme for an integrated look and feel.