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CCleaner is a great freeware utility for freeing up disk space
Image: Screenshot of CCleaner running on the wa0tda ham shack PC.
Free software tour: A free junk remover.
Last week we talked about the free file recovery utility called "Recuva" by Piriform Ltd. Today we introduce a great freeware disk cleanup utility made by the same folks. It's called "CCleaner".
John, N1IWT, mentioned that he uses CCleaner when he told me about Recuva. I had been using CCleaner myself for a long time and knew it to be an effective disk cleaning tool.
Here is the overview from the CCleaner website:
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. 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. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner.
The fact of the matter is that most of us are not very good at housekeeping. Sometimes my ham shack is a mess, because projects and things that I am meaning to work on collect faster than I have time to tend to them. My computer is not that much different. Temporary files, deleted files, unused installation files and all sorts of other junk collect on the hard drive because I just don't have time to go through all of the fiddling around to find them, move them to the recycle bin in Windows, and then do a final deletion. Sometimes there are unused program files taking up a lot of space and they have made entries to the Windows registry that slow the computer down. This is the sort of thing that CCleaner can do for you. It can perform a semi automated cleaning, getting rid of a lot of stuff that you will never use and certainly do not need cluttering your hard drive. Your computer will be happier because it will have more hard drive space and the Windows registry will be leaner and meaner and faster.
One thing you should know, however, is that a program like this is not for novice computer users. You sort of have to know your way around the Windows computer before you trust any kind of maintenance software to delete files from your hard drive. If you know what you're doing, and are confident in your computer skills, I recommend CCleaner as a worthwhile addition to your computer utilities. It is for Windows computers, not for Mac or Linux.
You can find CCleaner online (see the handiham website.)
Now if only there were something automated to clean up my ham shack for me, I would be all set!
Next week: State of the program. Where we stand during these hard economic times, and what we can expect in services.
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Handiham Manager
wa0tda@arrl.net
