CCleaner - How to use it and why......

Disclaimer

CCleaner is developed and owned by Piriform Ltd. The name and logo are both registered trademarks and owned by Piriform.
This Blog Project is not linked in any way with Piriform Ltd. or CCleaner.

Introduction

CCleaner is a tool that is available in a paid version, but also in a free version.
I'm going to discuss the free version as I believe not many of us have actually bought this product, it's a great product, but its free version capabilities are more than amazing already.

CCleaner is a light-weight program that allows you to remove all of the temporary files and cache from all your installed browsers, delete various temporary files from applications and services such as Adobe software, Notepad++, Office, Paint.NET, FileZilla, LogMeIn, Skype, Sun Java, TeamSpeak, µTorrent, Windows Live Messenger, Many Media players, Marcomedia Shockwave, Microsoft Silverlight, 7-Zip, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, RegEdit, MS Paint, Game Explorer, and much more! (Those were just real examples) As well as many temporary files from Windows Explorer, the System (Windows) and other advanced unnecessary files using the Cleaner function.

The Registry function allows you to do a full scan on the whole registry of Windows and find broken, faulty, unused or empty registry keys and values. Running CCleaner to fix your Registry causes no harm to your system whatsoever and making a back-up of it first is not necessary.

Under the Tools tab, you're able to do various things:

• Uninstall - Uninstall programs in a correct way and delete empty entries that let you think you still have a program installed, while actually there are no more actuall files of the program on your system.
• Startup - Allows you to manage all of the programs and applications that startup automatically when you login onto your Windows user account.
• System Restore - Allows you to easily restore your system using a previously made System Restore copy, and manage these, as well as remove old ones.
• Drive Wiper - Allows you to wipe a drive or partition. In case there are personal, confidetial or secret files, you may securely wipe them by using multiple passes for more complex overwrites. (7 is a safe milestone)

Under the Options tab you may adjust the settings of CCleaner.

Settings

You can change the settings on how CCleaner should behave. You can adjust:

• The language
• Run CCleaner when your computer starts
• Add "Run CCleaner" option to Recycle Bin context menu
• Add "Open CCleaner..." option to Recycle Bin context menu
• Automatically check for updates to CCleaner
  This will give you the oppertunity to delete files in your Recycle Bin through CCleaner when you Right-Click on your Recycle Bin.
  
  If your computer does not run slower while running the Cleaner, it is wise to enable Secure Deletion.
  You can check the Secure file deletion and chose howmany overwrites CCleaner should make on the data it is deleting.
  A Simple Overwrite (1 pass) is the minimum in this situation, although Data remains recoverable until you overwrite the data
  with at least 7 passes, say officials.
  
  Cookies
  
  Since you've probably checked the item to remove cookies from your browsers in the Cleaner menu,
  it may be usefull to tell CCleaner which cookies it should NOT remove from the browser files.

Advantages of using CCleaner

Deleting these temporary files do not only free space on your primary drive, but also speed up both your real-time Operating System speeds, as well as reducing the start-up time of your computer. AClean registry will drastically decrease the amount of errors you may receive and will result in a more stable system.

Using CCleaner

I'm going to give you simple steps you should try to always follow, if you're an advanced user, you may customize the settings and use CCleaner in another way, but this is recommended for beginners.

1. Download CCleaner
   Download link | Official Piriform site
2. Install CCleaner by double-clicking or executing the downloaded .exe file.
3. Run the program CCleaner - You'll see this on your screen:

Menu - Cleaner

[list=1]

Start by ticking off or checking all the items in the Windows tab except for:
Windows Explorer - Network passwords
Advanced - Wipe Free Space

Next, navigate to the Applications tab.

Check all the items once again.
OPTIONAL: you can leave cookies or saved passwords blank in the browser you're using.

Click on the bottom right button Run Cleaner.
(There is no need to Analyze everything first. You can just start running the cleaner)

Menu - Registry

1. Check or tick off all the items listed on your screen.
2. Click on the bottom left button Scan for Issues.
3. Leave all the items after the scan checked.
4. Now click on the bottom right button Fix selected issues...
5. A popup screen will appear, asking you if you wish to backup the Registry files before continuing.
   Personally, I never do this, but in case you have no idea what you're doing, please back them up
   by saving the files on a location you will not forget.
6. A new screen will appear, this time click on Fix All Selected Issues.
7. Repeat these first 6 steps over and over until no issues with the registry are left on your computer.

Congratulations!

Now that you know how you can use Piriform CCleaner to clean up your computer, you should try to perform these new
actions you have learned, at least every week. Running the Cleaner and Registry cleaner after uninstalling software is also healthy.

Enjoy :)

comment are always welcomed :)