A few months ago, I was introduced to a great utility called CCleaner. CCleaner is a freeware application for Windows that helps you keep your computer running in its best condition. Following is a quick summary of the features offered by CCleaner.
Clean up
The main feature of CCleaner is to clean all of the unnecessary and temporary files from your computer. It analyzes all of your temporary directories, your cookies, your recycle bin, etc. and finds all of the files you no longer need.
The first time I ran the tool, it found somewhere around 10 gigs of temporary files on my computer at work.
Registry cleaning
CCleaner is also capable of backing up and cleaning up your Windows registry. Every time I run CCleaner, it seems to find unused file extensions, incorrect links, etc. in my registry, so I try to use it at least once a month.
Startup management
CCleaner also offers the ability to manage your startup processes. As we all know, all computers are prone to enabling rogue startup programs that can really slow down your computer. CCleaner allows you to remove any entries you no longer want automatically running every time you boot your computer.
In the old days, it was really easy to manage this, as all startup programs were added to your “startup” folder in the start menu. However, now it’s extremely rare that any of your startup programs actually show up in that folder. Some of them show up in the adminstrator’s startup folder and most of them are actually added to your registry.
With CCleaner, you don’t need to worry about where they’re stored, as you can view and remove all of them within this one utility.
Uninstall
As if the features mentioned above weren’t enough, CCleaner also offers you the ability to manage all of the programs you have installed on your computer from one interface.
Windows has been trying to do this for years, with the “Add/Remove Programs” utility in the control panel (in Vista, it’s called “Programs and Features”, but it’s the same thing). For the most part, it’s been successful. Unfortunately, though, Windows only seems to include those utilities that come with their own uninstallers. I’ve had quite a few experiences where Windows didn’t give me the option to uninstall some software I had installed.
Back when I was using Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, I actually bought a program called “Window Cleaner”, which was built specifically for uninstalling applications. With Windows 98 and my old copies of Windows XP, I purchased and ran Norton SystemWorks, which offered the same features. Now, though, I don’t any of those commercial applications. CCleaner does a better job of recognizing installed applications and uninstalling them.
Conclusion
CCleaner is a fantastic utility. Honestly, I don’t see any reason why any Windows user would not download and install the application. The functionality offered within CCleaner is on par or above most commercial applications available on the market; and it’s completely free.
Last year, I purchased a subscription to Norton 360 for my antivirus and optimizaton needs. This year, however, with CCleaner installed, I have no need for all of the bloat that comes with Norton. I can get antivirus functionality from many sources (including a version of Symantec I get for free from work), and I no longer have a need for all of the optimization features built into Norton.
I give this utility a 5 out of 5, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone.
2 Responses
i used cc cleaner once. once. it stripped out a lot of useful things. how did i know? it changed the way the screen looked, for one. so i went over to the recycle bin and begged for everything to be put back where it was.
and deleted. ccleaner.
ha, downloaded it again, during which firefox froze … hmm