Cleaning The Crap Off Your PC

One of the great things about working with software programmers is learning about all the cool little utilities you might not otherwise have found at all (or, at least, not for a while).

Slightly fed up with having to take multiple steps to clean unwanted files off my PC — IE’s Internet Options to auto-delete temporary Internet files and cookies, Empty Recycle Bin to delete trashed files, manual cleaning of the Temp folder — I asked my co-worker if he could recommend something. I wanted “spring housecleaning” capabilities without having to install a program that chewed up a lot of hard drive or memory resources in its own right.

Enter CCleaner (allegedly short for “Crap Cleaner”). This little gem cleans the junk off your PC, helping it to perform better and faster. The user-selectable Cleaner settings find and purge:

• Temp files, URL history, and cookies from IE, Firefox, and Opera
• Download history from Firefox
• Autocomplete form history and index.dat from IE
• Files from Recycle Bin, Temp folders, and Recent Documents
• Log files
• Temp files and recent file lists from a long list of commonly used applications

Further, the user-selectable Registry and File Integrity scanners hunt for old and unused entries for things such as:

• Missing shared DLL files
• Unused file extensions
• ActiveX, ClassID, and ProgID issues
• Unused help files, application paths, and icons
• Invalid shortcuts

The user-friendly GUI lets you jump right into using CCleaner. Click one button (e.g., Analyze or Scan for Issues) to quickly identify the junk on your PC. Click another button (e.g., Run Cleaner, Fix Selected Issues) to clean house. Backup copies of your Registry can be quickly created before you fix issues, and all scans run in a mere couple of seconds. Each time it runs, it tells you precisely how much (KB or MB) you’re getting rid of. 

No matter how diligent you are about cleaning off your PC, you’ll be surprised by how much the Cleaner finds the first time you run it. And if you install and uninstall a lot of software (such as trial versions), you’ll love what the Registry Integrity scanner can do for your system’s performance (especially at startup time) when you allow it to run through your Registry with a fine-tooth comb.

Surprisingly, CCleaner is freeware. The developers do offer PayPal buttons to collect donations. Donations of any size are welcomed, but $20US will get you the latest releases before they’re available on the Web site. Given the quality and ease of use of this gem, I encourage giving these folks a donation.