[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Free File, Clean-Up Tools here

[herwan]

You keep extollingthe virtues of CCleaner,everytime I look into it to download it says it is not compatible with Vista. Am I wrong and how come.

[Flashorn]

Hey herwan!! If you are concerned that CCleaner is not compatible with Vista, well, READ this ::



http://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner-20



FLASHORN.

[SpiritWind]

Hi All :

Seems Steve Bass has not heard of "ATF Cleaner", developed by antiSPYWARE Expert "ATribune", and available at HIS website at www.atribune.org/content/view/25/2/ ; it is "safer" than CCleaner because of its dubious "Registry" cleaner .

[herwan]

Thanks Flashorn for guiding me to the right web page for CCleaner. The page I had been visiting said was for XP and older OS.

Again thanks.



Herwan

[Flashorn]

Hey herwan!! You're welcomed! I do quite a bit of "surfing" and tend to verify most if not all of the links and address' that are posted, so, it's no big deal. Anytime you need info. on something just ask and I will do my best to help.
On a side note , PLZ be careful with the registry cleaner of CCleaner or any other registry cleaner for that matter. Like Spirit wrote,ATF Cleaner is a much safer alternative.

If you really want to "Clean" your PC , well, Microsoft has a "Online" cleaner. http://onecare.live....-ca/default.htm . I use the Cleaner part of it. Which will in fact clean your registry and Temp Files. This a Free Service from MS. You can access it any time you want and as often as you like. The only thing you will have to agree to is a ActiveX Control. which will install. You can delete it from the "Add & Delete" section of your OS. if you do not want to use their service anymore.



FLASHORN.

[herwan]

Flashorn, again thanks. I have not been computin long (4 yrs) When I was on XP I ran CCleaner and was told to back up the registry nd was instructions on how to do this, which I did. Only once had to change back. But you say that ATF may be a better choice for someone of my experience??



Herwan

[Flashorn]

Hey herwan!! The ATF Cleaner does not clean out the registry but, cleans your Temp Files , which , over time will slow down your PC because of the volume it accumulates. To prevent your PC from slowing down most of us here use ATF Cleaner . I use it once a month but. if you do allot of computing , you can use it more often. It is Safe to use .Here is the address where you can read and download ATF

http://www.atribune....tent/view/19/2/ . It is a EXE. , so , it will not install . Simply double click on the exe. Here is a picture of what you get:: On the Main window at the bottom of the check mark list , Simply check the box "select all" . It only takes a few seconds and no rebooting is necessary. Once the main is finished , If you use either of the other browsers shown at the top of app. Click on Firefox or Opera and ATF will also clean out the temps files in there too. If you have any more concerns I'll be here for a while longer. just ask



FLASHORN.

!http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
1!

[Tunz]

I've not had anything but good experiences with CCleaner, though I did not use it for a long while because it had no support for Firefox, but that has been fixed for about a year or so now. I don't have to worry about the registry because I run ERUNT

[Flashorn]

Hey Tunz!! Yes, CCleaner is safe to use AS LONG AS YOU CAN RECOGNIZE the entries it is cleaning out. as far as ERUNT goes I did mention that in my DOC. But again , YOU have to know what you are doing. This is why we cannot recommend to everyone the use of such tools to members who are not aware or do not understand the implications of cleaning out the registry. One step at a time is the better solution.



FLASHORN.

[Tunz]

Your point is well taken Flashorn. CCleaner does offer to make a backup before cleaning up, which will reverse most ill effects of an overzealous cleanup, but if Windows wont even reboot into Safe Mode, a reg file is not going to be executable from the Recovery Console, even if you had the foresight to save it to the Windows directory, which is where ERUNT comes into play.

That said, if someone is inclined to tweak and optimize his or her system, then a setback like this is merely a learning opportunity. You can't protect everybody from everything.

[Flashorn]

Hey Tunz!! Yes, I know where your coming from and do understand your point of view but, having to learn the hard way myself, I will, If I can, try to help those that had the incline to ask. It's not always easy to ask for help especially if your not use to it.But, your right , not all the time.



FLASHORN.

[D2cabezas]

Hello, please try to quit laughing while you read this, BUT what is wrong with just using the tools that came with the system ( like "disk cleanup" and the procedures with " internet Options " on the control panel, assuming that the system is running with microsoft, just asking because the more extra stuff you burden your system with the more problems you invite. Of course I am saying this from the viewpoint of someone who cut his teeth on a NCR 500 system with punchcard program decks and vacuum tubes ( not so long ago ) Just asking,

[herwan]

Thanks to D2Cabezas for your reply to my questions on file cleanups. I do use disk cleaner and also clean out cookies and also clear out histories.My new Vista automatically does defrag. I recently downloaded Glary Utilities after hearing about it from another ezine but am afraid to use all of it, not being to computer literate as I am.

Herwan

[isolete]

Thank you very much

[JohnEB]

I would appreciate tools for handling duplicate files in a future column.

Thank you.

[cruftboy]

I'm sorry- but why did we all upgrade to Vista? I was hoping to NOT need stuff like this to simply keep up the health of my machine. Just dissapointed..

[LindaA]

I've had CCleaner on my computer in the past, but have always hesitated to use it because I'm afraid that, along with cleaning out stuff I DON'T want, it'll also clean out the things I DO want, so I don't use it.

[Flashorn]

Hey Linda!!



If you're afraid of using CCleaner, there are alternatives.

The one I and others here use is the ATFCleaner .

A very simple to operate temps file cleaner, it even lets you choose which files to clean.



Another place I like to visit Is WindowsLiveOneCare .

This is a free service from Microsoft. Once on the site you can use the Broom Option to clean out your

PC of temps files along with empty registry keys Safely.

All you have to do is accept the ActiveX control because that's how Windows operates.



Both do a superb job of cleaning out those excess files.



Give them a try and see for yourself.



FLASHORN.

[herbk98]

I've been using CCleaner on two XP systems now for 6 or 8 months, and am EXTREMELY pleased with it. It REALLY cleans out the crap. It is mind-boggling to me that such a useful program could be free!