Personal computers have been around since the 80’s and most of us have been using them for at least 10 to 15 years. You would think that, by now, operating systems and hardware would have evolved to the point where they were self-sufficient. Unfortunately we are not there yet. That’s just around the corner, along with flying cars that run on water. Until then, we must administer our own regular maintenance, which is something that we have written about many times here at JumpstartMyPC.com. One of the tools that we recommend for this regular maintenance is CCleaner (available on our Tools page).
“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. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! 
” - taken from the CCleaner website.
What does CCleaner really do?
CCleaner has several elements (cleaner, registry cleaner, uninstall and startup maintenance tools) but it’s true power is the Cleaner. This is the part of the software that allows you to delete the temporary files stored on your PC. These files were stored when browsing the internet or simply using the standard options provided in Windows. Believe it or not, Windows does not do this automatically, and failure to “clean” your system from time-to-time can result in a slow computer. How long this slowdown takes is really dependent on how often you use your PC and what you use it for.
Our recommendation is to run CCleaner once a week (at least) to purge these old files. The trick is remembering to do so. I admit, I will sometimes go a month or longer before I remember to perform my maintenance. The only things that get run regularly are the tools that I can schedule to run on their own, like Auslogics Disk Defrag (another great, FREE tool). Luckily, our friends over at the How-To Geek have created a detailed explanation of how-to set up CCleaner to run automatically on any schedule you desire. I just set up my Windows 7 system to run CCleaner once a week and now I will never forget again. We suggest you do the same. The article contains instructions for Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Updates
There is one flaw to this automatic process. Running CCleaner on a schedule like this does not handle software updates and CCleaner does not update on its own. The folks at CCleaner update their software regularly (I’m guessing once a month or more) and, like all software and operating systems, it is very important to keep your software up to date. There are some great softwares available to keep you informed of changes, but you will have to install those and set them up as well. Here a couple that we recommend:
Our Other Articles on PC Maintenance:
- Have You Tuned Up Your PC Lately?
- CHECK ENGINE – Consider this Your PC Maintenance Reminder
- Keep Your PC Healthy with Do-It-Yourself Basic Maintenance
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Tags: CCleaner, Freeware, Maintenance, Slow Computer, Temporary Files
