Customer reviews of Process Lasso

[hanemach_gt]

Here is the right place for you to express your opinion on Process Lasso.
Drop Bitsum Technologies a few words on what you think of its intelligent algorithm, how it works or whatever.
Every real-user opinion is very valuable.

Here is mine:

It is pretty annoying when you have dozens of windows and documents opened, and OS suddenly freezes. I had only one solution: reset the laptop. I had known my hardware was not the cause, so I began to look for software addressing this problem. I have made small research around OS stalls and have found a sparingly advertised application called Process Lasso. An article written about the problem it addressed was convincing, anyway of that I am distrustful in matter of wonderful healing optimizers. Process Lasso, a process priority optimizer is available in both free and paid versions. I was really surprised when I saw how little disk space it occupied (as living in times of monstrously capacious storage devices most programmers do not care about space), and when I saw it using so little RAM. I have tried the free version. After a week of testing, I almost forgot about it. Reason? No stalls, CPU-hungry-being tendency of processes has gone. That was free option, coping with situations Windows CPU scheduler could not properly deal with. I thought it was a great value as for a free software.

I got a give-away license, allowing for unlimited paid version usage, limited only in matter of product updates. Paid version offers many more functions, but those are not that important for normal users. I am one of those "abnormal", wanting to have yet more control. I felt overwhelmed by numerous process control possibilities. These include (may not be all): conditional CPU affinity/process (I/O) priority/both changes, default priorities/affinities/power plans, disallowed processes, gaming mode triggers, power plan switcher, no-sleep processes, foreground/thread boosting, multimedia mode triggers, instance limiting, conditional process restart/termination, keep-running process list and more. I admit, I do not use all of them - ProBalance does its work so great that I do not have to make any adjustments. I love the power plan switcher (Energy Saver), which allows me to set my computer to have energy-saving power plan turned on when I am away from my laptop. It was advertised that most users did not need to change anything - the author did not lie.

All in all, Process Lasso is the most valuable program I have ever used. This application is the best way to take control over galloping processes, thus helping OS survive high CPU loads. Pro version comes in lowest price possible, to keep business prospering, so it is worth supporting the author, as you will feel the money were well-spent. I have not encountered any OS stalls since I installed Process Lasso.

[Arbor]

I don't often buy commercial software, and not only because I'm cheap.  Freeware, when adequate, relieves me of all worries over where I've installed it and/or keeping the license current.  That's worth a lot right there.

However, Bitsum knocks it out of the park.  First, Process Lasso Pro is excellent *and* way beyond any freeware out there.  I've installed it on a ten-year old Pentium, a five-year old notebook, a two-year old netbook, and a 3.8GHz quad-core beast.  On the first three of these machines, the increase in responsiveness was night and day.  It was as if I had doubled the RAM - and they're all max'd out on that.  Surprisingly, even the quad-core responds noticeably better.  Folks, this is as good as it gets for a software add-on.

To top it off, the Bitsum family package gave me all these installs for one fixed price, with automatic lifetime upgrades.  It's a set-and-forget performance boost, which in two cases took the machine from PITA to pleasant.

Considering all this, it's the best software purchase I've made in years.  There are very few people who wouldn't benefit from it, and nobody with one or more older machines should pass it up.

[ilikefree]

I have a pro version and would not have a computer without it now I have used it for as long as I have.

[Jeremy Collake]

This came via email, posted here by permission from author. Thank you all for your good reviews and support .

I started using Process Lasso within the past 6 months, and it's been great.  It was so good I registered it shortly after starting to use it[though I haven't gotten around to applying the key to my laptop which I use 15% of the time]....  Before using it I was highly frustrated with the fact that despite having a good deal of memory and processor power, my system kept dragging - and the windows task manager wasn't always up to killing bloated tasks.

I do a lot of web development and often have 20-50 tabs open in chrome...which eventually eats memory like crazy.  With Process Lasso, I am able to give my IDE and VirtualBox testing server high priority access to my system, encourage the system to give them a dedicated cpu core so even if everything else drags, they are still responsive - and when I periodically kill all my browser settings the forced pruning of memory helps get it back fast.

[keesue]

I just installed Process Lasso on my 800mhz/640MB-RAM Dell X200 that I use in my garage workspace for surfing the net, email and office programs.  It is docked with an external KB, Mouse and Video.  Because of the limited amount of RAM it will hold - 640MB - it was a challenge to run Internet Explorer.  My initial impression of the software is actually quite good.  I note in the activity log where IE is adjusted dynamically.  This definitely makes a difference in response times and page transition/loads.  I can even run office programs simulaneously without much pain.  I'm going to run it for another week and purchase it to support the development effort.  If there are any software benefits to the Pro version, I will consider them a bonus. 

Nice work, folks.

[Jeremy Collake]

Thank you keesue . I hope you enjoy Process Lasso. Please, let us know if you need anything, or have any troubles - no matter how minor.

[keesue]

Thank you keesue . I hope you enjoy Process Lasso. Please, let us know if you need anything, or have any troubles - no matter how minor.

You are most welcome.  The more I engage with your product, the more impressed I am.  Indeed....

[keesue]

I just purchased the lifetime license to help you folks continue to develop this software.  Thanks again. 

[Jeremy Collake]

I just purchased the lifetime license to help you folks continue to develop this software.  Thanks again. 

Thank YOU. We need all the support we can get. As we prepare for Windows 8, we must pay our yearly Microsoft tax - which is not cheap, not to mention digital signatures, hosting, etc..  . I do what I can to offer as much freeware as possible, but other than the cost of my labor (and possible sanity ), there are so many expenses involved in Windows software development that many end users don't realize.

Of course, I say 'we', but there is really just me - BUT I do have a team of loyal translators, resellers, testers, and partners that help out - thank goodness!

[keesue]

I completely understand and I'm glad to help.  You have done a super job with this and the proof was immediately apparent.  Stay with it.

[bertie97]

I think I first discovered Process Lasso back around version 3.  Often I've recommended the free version to friends as a means of getting things to run smoothly on their PCs & a number of those people subsequently bought Pro licenses. 
This was back in the days of single core CPUs when Windows could run fearlessly amok with processes & resources & users could only sit & wait.... 
I won't spend much time on the specifics of the program as thats' the websites' function http://bitsum.com/prolasso.php (http://bitsum.com/prolasso.php). 
I will focus on my experience & the things that pretty much everyone asks about a product.
I guess the main questions for most people about Process Lasso are:- Why do I want/need to use or buy this software?
Also - Does it actually do what it claims?
& - Is the support any good?
I will add a perhaps less obvious question: - What can you do with it?
This latter question comes from my periodic need for analytical tools within the Windows environment. 

Fundamentally I see Process Lasso as a little droid chasing Windows processes & beating them into line.  R2D2 meet PL6.
This means I actually don't need to do much other than install it. 
In this sense it is easy to 'fire & forget', maybe too easy as that can mean the user forgets how important Process Lasso is to the operating 'health' of the PC.

That pretty much answers the first 2 points - it makes the PC usable, if you want that, Process Lasso does it.  It does it without any notable input from the user - Easy.

As to support: - on the User Forums, the support & attention of the developer is excellent as far as I'm concerned.  When I think of the slow to arrive & generic responses I have received to queries to other software vendors & devs, Process Lasso also stands out. 
No 'Try formatting your HDD' here, (I won't mention Steam Support), just a real understanding of the PCs internal workings & effort to resolve any issues.

(Surprisingly) Process Lasso has a great free version which will take care of most peoples needs forever, for free.
Historically I've often just installed that & let it get on with things in the background.

-Fast-forward to versions 4&5 & multiple cores.

The biggest single issue I noticed was how Windows prioritized the 'wrong' processes & pushed resource allocation away from the extra cores that were now available.
Windows itself also seems to be a resource hog.  I have often seen the OS quite determinedly take on resources it didn't need & just sit on them (as far as I was concerned).
Whilst Windows obviously requires resource access, equally obviously it cannot be optimized in the lab for every possible soft- / hard-ware configuration out in the wild.  The consequence is an OS that isn't always friendly to the end-users' needs.
As an example - code written to run on a single core could benefit from not being forced to Core 0, where it inevitably bottle-necks with every other bit of software. 
Take code written for a single core & Windows determination to push certain resources with certain priorities & you have a recipe for slow-downs & even freezes on new hardware. 

The question I repeatedly asked was how can I make my stuff play together properly & use the 'redundant' cores?
Process Lasso has been & is a way of taking control back from the Windows OS. 
I've realized I can use Process Lasso to directly out-maneuver problems. 
In it's latest form it has more functionality & is slicker than ever & if you want you can do some interesting & useful things with it. 
More than just seeing what's going on behind the scenes.
More than simply giving Windows the thrashing it so richly deserves. 

I personally don't know how to manipulate Windows to behave as I would like in all cases.  Even if it were possible for me to strictly script an environment, it would be time-consuming & probably never be dynamic enough to justify the effort.
Process Lasso, on the other hand, does.  I can let it 'script' my resource environment on-the-fly.  Furthermore I can interact with Process Lasso to structure that scripting operation to my needs of the moment.  (But that is optional, as the Process Lasso droid is always on its' A game.)

Windows has never allowed that kind of direct interaction or flexibility to the user AFAIK. 

......But if it's free & it works why buy it?  Isn't that just spoiling a win/win situation in a recession?

Unlike many pieces of software where you don't get a choice, you just have to pay up & take pot-luck, Process Lasso has made me grateful for its' existence to such a degree that the only sensible option was to find the $s to buy it.

I bought a lifetime license because it not only made the new multi-core PC run properly, it has also helped solve what would have otherwise been mind-numbing & costly dead-ends.  (i.e. Where existing software purchases would have ceased to be usable).
Additionally I don't want the developer to disappear/abandon the project for financial reasons, simply because I cannot foresee a time when I won't need PL. 

What I characterize as the lateral logic that is applied by Bitsum to the Windows environment has given me tools to examine & manipulate what's going on 'under the hood'. 
I can now make better assessment of my OS environment.  Whether I need to trace & kill a malware process, crush an unruly exe or just give Windows a kick in the pants, Process Lasso helps me do it. 

In my 15+ years experience of building & troubleshooting PCs, PCs old, new & virtual run better with Process Lasso.

As a test, I would ask people to use Process Lasso for a month or so & then uninstall it for at least a week to see what I'm talking about. 
When you start asking why the PC isn't doing what it's told, ask yourself if you can afford not to support Process Lassos continued existence...

You don't need to be a power user to appreciate Process Lasso, you just need to try being a happy user & see what that is worth.

[keesue]

You don't need to be a power user to appreciate Process Lasso, you just need to try being a happy user & see what that is worth.

Indeed...

[Jeremy Collake]

Submitted via email:

... I was just complementing you on Process Lasso 6xx. It is a very worthwhile program. I mess around with alot of programs such as [some application] etc. and most of them will screw up ones system after awhile. I have a 3 year old eMachine 250 with only 1 gig of RAM with Windows 7 and Process Lasso works great on it. It seems to smooth the system out. Have not tried anything but Pro Balance Settings so far. I will try the Multimedia setting when I use Skype this evening. Just wanted to let you know that I like the Program. It WORKS. Running your Beta now. Thanks [xxx].

[AtlBo]

Windows native optimization has always been completely inadequate.  To the best of my determination, it would take on a heavily used system running XP, Vista, or 7 2 to 5 years for adjustments to be made at the core level of run-time of the OS.  This is just one adjustment.  Windows works like a champ out of the box until you change ANYTHING.  It's all down hill from there.

Add ProcessLasso.  PL is causing these core changes to happen at an almost alarming rate on my PC .  The snappy responses are amazing.  I have the Options->General->Recheck settings every... option set to 250 milliseconds on a core2duo HP, and I can't believe the difference.  I am monitoring temps of the CPUs and graphics card, and they are excellent.  The GPU has gone up from 60 to about 65 degrees, but it's rated for a maximum of 95 degrees.  The CPUs are cruising at right around 40 degrees.

Well, I finally installed this on my father's Pentium 4 1.7 GHz.  He is flying around the net now and can't believe the improvement.  I can't either.  I've never witnessed anything associated with computers like what PL does for a P4.

20 years ago I started hoping someone would write something that forces MS optimization routines to come to life.  I knew it was in there somewhere to bring out.  Thanks bitsum...I now have a dream machine!

Anyone with any question about this software...please try it.  Windows is the executioner of your PC and life without this.  Believe me your PC problems aren't your fault.  PL is the proof...

[Jeremy Collake]

Thanks AltBo .

[Jeremy Collake]

User review received via email:

BTW, Process Lasso already worked for me.  i use CrashPlan (another awesome product) for backups, and a series of moving files around and created symbolic links ended up with CrashPlan traversing a recursive directory structure!  instead of grinding my machine to a halt, it just got noticeably slower, and i was easily able to determine the culprit.

[AtlBo]

As a test, I would ask people to use Process Lasso for a month or so & then uninstall it for at least a week to see what I'm talking about. 
When you start asking why the PC isn't doing what it's told, ask yourself if you can afford not to support Process Lassos continued existence...

You don't need to be a power user to appreciate Process Lasso, you just need to try being a happy user & see what that is worth.

bertie97...I can't explain to you what it's like to fight off the thought of a single second without Process Lasso in the system tray.  Honestly, I don't think anyone could possibly try PL and then turn it off for an minute much less a week.

I don't boot very oftenly, leaving the PC to rest in stand by.  If I had to boot without it being set to autostart on Windows start up, I would seriously lose my mind.

PL is way better than imagined if anyone is looking for advice on whether to try it or not.  I have tested the temperatures, and with the "Options->General Settings->Check processes every..." setting set to 250 ms, there is barely any change in them.  There is also very little additional core usage.  The reason...sensible data management.  Anyway, these are additional resources that you should spend and that make your PC run perfectly.  That, as Bertie97 menitioned, is peace of mind.  And what is the price for having your PC work for you?

Whether you've kicked the idea of software optimization or had poor success from other methodologies of the type, PL is the masterpiece program you've been waiting for when it comes to optimization.  I don't know what's in it, but I do know it adds much needed routines to the native routines of Windows.

Enough gushing.  If you need proof, check the PC help boards.  Now when I visit, I visit to help.  I just wish they would let me recommend Process Lasso as heartily as I would like.  Honestly, those boards break my heart now.  PL is the long term answer...the permanent one...for PC health and stability...

Please quit breaking my heart and install PL!

[hanemach_gt]

These came during the September 2012 Polish Giveaway Promotion:

[...]

Użytkownik grr napisaÅ,:
My current system is W7 PRO 64-bit, 4Gb RAM, Intel i5-2.53Ghzâ€"Don’t be surprised as to why I still require Process Lasso with this config..lol. If you have more than 150 Mozilla tabs, or downloading a video using Vdownloader, or are working on a 100 page word document, or have 15 Chrome tabs open, and have a virtual XP OS running in VMware- You NEED Process Lasso.

The installation is pretty simple and it allows you to choose how Process Lasso should start up and instruct it to handle the processes of the current computer user/all users.

The interface of Lasso has remained the same since version 3. The real-time graph in the upper part of the interface gives a very quick visual health of your system with respect to: Processor Use, Responsiveness, Process Restraint and Memory Load.

This is useful not only on low end computers, but also in multi-core environment, when the load is high. You may argue what could Lasso do when one is already have a multicore processor such as Intel i5 or i9. For those having multicore the CPU affinity feature is very useful wherein users can limit programs to specific CPUs â€" keeping the others free for use by other processes. See below how I could assign/remove CPU affinity for a process:

The Core optimization technologiesinclude default priority classes, default CPU affinities, disallowed processes, keep running processes, per-process power schemes, a process watchdog, and process

instance count limits. Using these you will have better control on how the programs should utilize your computer’s resources effectively and leverage best utilization of multicore. For example, you could choose on what CPUs/cores a process should run, as well as what their CPU priority class and I/O priority class should be.

Another multicore (real/logical core) feature in Lasso is HyperThreaded Core Avoidance. This feature was made available only in Process Lasso v5, and helps you reap the benefits of HyperThreading feature of your processor.

Let us talk about another great feature which was refined in version 5- “Default Power Profiles / Power Profiles per process”. Microsoft have already provided some power schemes in Windows using which you could set a particular power profile for your system. But using Process Lasso you could do even better. Now it is feasible to switch back-and-forth between power profiles based on processes.

Yes, with Lasso when the specified processes are started, you can automatically switch to a particular power profile. When the process closes, Lasso would automatically revert back to the previous profile. Again all power profiles, even custom ones, are supported.

Additionally, the Energy Saver profile introduced with version 5.1 allows you to save electricity without compromising performance. Here, Lasso switches to a lower power profile when you are idle, thus saving power/electricity. Once active, the profile is switched back to the original profile.

You could access Energy Saver from Options>Power. It is disabled by default.

It might seem to you that Process Lasso is not designed for a novice user, but I would say that you install & then forget about it. Once installed, it never bothers you. It keeps working on its own, without requiring any input(s) from you. DO NOT get frightened with the list of options provided in the menu. Truly speaking, I never changed the default settings ever.

[...]

My experience with Lasso has been great, and since 2010 I have been recommending Process Lasso to one & all.

The Good:

1. Small setup file and quick installation

2. Install & FORGET about it. It does not require anything. Works good with the default settings.

3. Could be installed for either only current user or All Users.

4. Nice GUI/interface

5. Very good support/response from Developer

6. Continuous improvements & availability of new versions.

7. Separate installer for 64-bit OS.

8. Works good on both 32 as well as 64-bit OS. Tried on 32-bit XP, 64-bit W7.

9. DOES NOT interferes with antivirus, security suites â€" whatever the case may be

10. Has PRObalance & Gaming modes â€" adjusts the CPU in case we are playing FULL screen games or one/more working applications require more CPU. All this without freezing!!

11. Updates are available from both the website (support section using your login/password) and from within the program GUI>Updates.

12. Fully utilizes my i5 processor due to CPU intensive applications/programs â€" using its ‘ProBalance’ technology. I was able to check this while monitoring the CPU usage from “All CPU Meter” Gadget on W7.

13. Has 2 tabs -one for all running processes & other for just currently active process.

14. Provides almost every information on the process such as: name, user, associated-application, file/path, priority, CPU usage, memory usage, status, CPU affinity and a lot more. You could choose to select what you want to view.

15. Available options for processes include: terminate, set priority/CPU, power scheme and others. I have used some of these and it always worked fine for me. If you are not aware please DO NOT mess up.

16. Ability to import/export the configurations for future/reuse.

17. It has 16 languages. So it’s Multi-lingual.

18. The offline help file which describes things in PLAIN ENGLISH


Please count me in.

Thanks,
Grr


Użytkownik  vhick napisaÅ,:
Process Lasso is a wonderful program that can optimize your running programs. Process Lasso uses Microsoft API to optimize its priority so its really safe to run in your system. Process Lasso can be used out of the box but if you read the documentation, you can tweak its settings as you wish.

Some of my tips:
1. If you run programs in the program, lets say you scrape or test a set of proxies to the background. Add it to watchdog and change its cpu affinity to other cores. Don't change the cpu priorities because it will slow that finish its task.
2. Exclude process if needed. Just right click on the process in the main UI and then exclude from restraint.
3. If you have a program that constantly crash, include it in "keep running" so that it automatically restart.
4. Games is process intensive so be sure to include it in "classify as a game".

I know there are so many option in this powerful software. The main cons here is the interface. Just take time to read the documentation and its really easy to use.

Thanks for the giveaway!

[...]

[Jeremy Collake]

Received by email:

As a license user of Process Lasso I wanted to thank you for a outstanding piece of software. My laptop has never run better since I have installed your software. I am one satisfied customer and will be recommending your product to other associates of mine. Keep up the good work, you have one of the best applications on the web today.
- Regards Axxxxxx

[karstenr]

Using Process Lasso in an enterprise environment.

In my company we run a Citrix XenApp solution based on Windows terminal server and several years ago had a lot of problems with users hogging CPU resources, to the detriment of other users on the same server. Citrix has its own CPU fair sharing system, but it is really bad and with Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft also introduced one, but again not very good.

Searching for something better we stumbled upon Process Lasso and after a short test we bought it and implemented it on all our Citrix XenApp servers. In our production environment we currently have around 250 servers, serving some 3000 concurrent users.

When installed as a service Process Lasso turned out to be very effective at ensuring, that CPU is shared fairly among all users. A lot of processes you would normally not associate with high CPU loads, like Outlook or Acrobat Reader, can easily use enough CPU that it affects the other applications the user is running and in worst case other user's applications. Multi thread applications like Excel can be particularly nasty, as it will happily use every available bit of CPU it can get its hands on, which will literally kill an entire server and make it unresponsive. After introducing Process Lasso we very rarely see stalls or hangs caused by CPU load, even with all the Internet Explore processes frequently using lots of CPU due to flash banners usually .

Being able to exclude process from ProBalance is also very valuable, as we do not want certain applications like our ERP system (SAP) to be restricted.

I have yet to hear about any other product that comes close to what Process Lasso does and for the price this really ought to be standard in any Citrix XenApp installation. The support is outstanding and request for new features are handled swift and very professionally.

Today I can't even imagine running our Citrix XenApp installation without Process Lasso on it, since it would have a huge detrimental effect for the experience our users have using the system. So if you have never thought about using Process Lasso in an enterprise environment, especially in a terminal server environment, I can highly recommend trying it out.

Karsten Rechnagel
System Administrator
Solar A/S

[Jeremy Collake]

Thank you so much Karsten!

[arcanum]

Hi,
My friend streams NHL. Full HD. It takes about 50% cpu time, but i can surf on the net etc, because of PL
I already have lifetime license, but i do like to donate. Is there any way to donate. One-man Coder Jeremy needs some support.

[BenYeeHua]

Hi,
My friend streams NHL. Full HD. It takes about 50% cpu time, but i can surf on the net etc, because of PL
I already have lifetime license, but i do like to donate. Is there any way to donate. One-man Coder Jeremy needs some support.

Yup, it is under the page here.
https://bitsum.com/about/