Cleaning out PC junk with CCleaner

RIVER BENDER - October, 2008

In the past the usual way to clean out junk in your PC was to use Microsoft's built-in software by going to Start/Run and typing "cleanmgr" without the quotes. By checking all items of junk on the list this did a pretty good removal job. The only problem was it was rather slow doing it.

A better method found by NBCUG members is to download a free program called CCleaner (formerly called crap cleaner) available at http://www.ccleaner.com/.

According to their website: "CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!”

To get CCleaner go to http://www.ccleaner.com/ and click on "Download CCleaner Now." Next click on "Download from FileHippo.com.” In the green area click on "Download latest version." As you do this you may get a popup saying that your information bar has alerted you to security-related condition. If this happens close the popup warning and click on the yellow information bar and select "Download." Now select "Run" and download will begin. When finished select "Run" again. Follow the instructions in the Setup Wizard and when you get to Install Options, I suggest you only check "Add Desktop Icon" and delete all other options unless you really want them. Click on "finish" and you're ready to use CCleaner.

To use CCleaner click on the new desktop icon to start cleaning. Notice there are 19 checked items to be cleaned out. These are safe default items and I suggest you use them. Later, if you wish, you may google what the remaining items are and decide if you wish to remove them. You have a choice to either "Analyze" what to remove or go ahead and "Run Cleaner." Analyzing let's you see in advance exactly what will be removed, after which you can "Run Cleaner." I run CCleaner almost daily, especially after browsing the web. You'll be surprised how the megabytes pile up.

An added feature of CCleaner is the Registry Cleaner made available by clicking "Registry" on the left. Cleaning a Registry is risky because a mistake could make your PC inoperable. The first time I did this there was a ton of entrees to be removed and it was scary. Fortunately it gives you the option to save changes in case you want to undo the deletions. Since then, I've gotten more confident in the program and don't bother with backup. I should mention that I found an article rating CCleaner's Registry cleaner OK but not as effective as other programs that cost.

The other nice feature is "Tools" which allows you to quickly uninstall software or add/remove items to the Start Menu, which heretofore one had to go to Start/Run and type "msconfig" followed by selecting the Startup tab.

By the way, the latest version of CCleaner at the time of this writing was V2.11.636. You may want to update yours.