Have you heard of CCleaner? CCleaner is a free application for Windows that optimizes your system.  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. It also has a really good registry cleaner that works really good.  I have fixed many customer computers just by using CCleaner, you wouldn’t believe how much crap that builds up after time that just causes your computer to be slower and generate more errors.  That’s why it’s called CCleaner, AKA “Crap Cleaner”  It’s cleans the crap out of your computer.  For more information about CCleaner, other applications they make and other stuff, check out their website at ccleaner.com.

Download Now

Tips for installing and screenshots

I recommend uncheck the highlighted options.  If you want ‘Run CCleaner’ options for the Recycle Bin, that’s your decision, I don’t find it useful so I don’t uncheck it, however if you change your mind it can always change it in the settings pane.  The shortcuts is your decision too, I don’t like too many desktop icons, the less the better.  You don’t need the Yahoo! Toolbar since it’s awful and slows down your browser.

Very clean interface as you can see, looks really nice.  It shows the vital specs of your system as well.  There is many options for Windows and Applications that it will check and clean.  The main option is selected when you start the application up which is the cleaner pane.

This is the Registry cleaning pane. 

This is the settings options/settings pane where you can configure CCleaner to do a normal file deletion or if you have something to hide, the Secure file deletion.  Also as you can see you can add the options for the recycle bin.

The Tools pane, this is really handy.  I use this instead of MSCONFIG.  You can clean up your start ups.  Disable them and delete the entrys.  Do this at your own risk, I’m a computer professional so I know what i’m doing.  You can also uninstall applications from your computer, whats really great is you know how you have a program you removed buy the icon and name is still listed in the Add or Remove programs in windows and it wont let you remove it.  Well here you can remove that entry and even uninstall some apps that windows wont let you remove for some reason.  You also have the System Restore points that you can delete too, also do this at your own risk.

All you do is hit Analyze and it searches your computer for crap to remove and once it’s finished, may only take a second for a few minutes depending on how much crap is on your computer. After that you just hit Run Cleaner and it asks, are you sure? and you hit OK and it cleans it and your done that part. Next is the registry. (Below)

I use Windows 7 which is a really clean operating system I only get few of these at a time, I can go for months with out running ccleaner and sometimes there will be none and other times there will be a couple or a few entries.  Anyways,  This the registry cleaning process.  You hit scan for Issues and also depending how much crap is on your computer it may take a second or a few minutes.  But once that is done hit Fix Selected issues and this screen will pop up, if you have more than one there will be an option to fix all issues.  Or you can go through each one and hit fix issue.  Now do this at your own risk because you are dealing with the registry and it could cause problems, but I been using it for years and it never has caused any issues with me.  But, it will ask if you want to backup the registry, and again its your decision.