Clean Computer

Baldur

penrhyn wrote: »

There is AusLogics disk defragger, and defraggler from the ccleaner people.

IOBit Advanced Systemcare is another free one.

IOBIT also do Smart Defrag - much more comprehensive than the Advanced System Care module.

hannoja

Another vote for Ccleaner :T

I like Easy Cleaner by Toni Arts too, which you can also get on Cnet.

JethroTull_2

I don't believe in all-in-one utilities so, what I use:
For disk cleanup
-Right click the drive in my computer, select Properties->disk cleanup

For spyware scans.
-Download and install Spybot and/or malwarebytes.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html

For anti-virus scans
I like AVG 8. Another good option is Avast or kaspersky.
http://www.avg.com
http://www.avast.com

For defrag I use Diskeeper 2009 pro
http://www.diskeeper.com
You can get 30 day free trial versions at the above link.

nads

Celia wrote: »

http://www.glaryutilities.com/

Simple easy maintenance :-)

Celia

my recommendation too. Truly amazing and free

GunJack

okay...all for free....

1. CCleaner, do registry AND normal cleanup
2. open My Computer, right-click on your HDD, select properties. CLick disk cleanup, let it analyse, and then ensure EVERYTHING on the list is checked, THEN click the options tab, and click to clean up old system restore points - you'd be suprised how much carp is stored in there, then ok through all boxes to perform the operation.
3. Defraggler does a great job, but can take a while to run (e.g. twice as slow as WinXP's own, but much better results).

4. If you are using XP, that's it !! If you're using Vista, once you've defragged, you'll need to do step 2 again, as vista creates even more backup copies as it's defragging.

This should pretty much give you all the free space available on your HDD. The other thing is to uninstall any old progs you don't use/need any more via control panel/ add/remove programs...but do this PRIOR to step 1.

moneypooh

I want to wipe a HD so I can sell a PC. I've heard that 'ghost' files can still exist even after deleting, how can I ensure that it's clean?? Thnx

Greensprout

moneypooh wrote: »

I want to wipe a HD so I can sell a PC. I've heard that 'ghost' files can still exist even after deleting, how can I ensure that it's clean?? Thnx

Sell it without the hard drive or buy a new one for it..

Keep the old one as storage for your next machine.. (To be 100% sure)

moneypooh

sorry not PC, it's a laptop

[Deleted User]

moneypooh wrote: »

I want to wipe a HD so I can sell a PC. I've heard that 'ghost' files can still exist even after deleting, how can I ensure that it's clean?? Thnx

The best way would be to run a single pass of the drive with DBAN then reinstall whatever operating system you have for it onto the new fresh, blank drive, ready for resale. Make sure you back everything you want off the drive first though, as once you press the button you can't turn back..