CCleaner

J_B

Flash32 said:

J_B said:

JJ_Egan said:

Been using CC for years and years and never ever had a problem .Especially not with the registry .

Neither do i see any avast stuff bundled .

I concur.

Not my words - see https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-now-detects-ccleaner-as-a-potentially-unwanted-application/  In skilled hands registry "cleaner" programs might (might) be OK.  Personally, I have never noticed any improvement after using these - but I have had hours of work fixing machines that have become unusable because people have trashed the registry and can't restore from the so-called backup that the program created..

Well, there you go

Been using it since the year dot and all of a sudden, this week, I'm told it's the pits!

Never known anyone to report an issue with it ... till this thread.

Elmer_BeFuddled

Still using v4.14.4707 here, pre Avast takeover. Never had an issue, including the registry cleaner, but then I look through it. What I like is I can add (or remove) programs to the clean up list(s) quite easily. And it has a light "footprint".

TheRightOne

As usual, erroneous advice given.
They download CCleaner from the wrong place and then complain about the result of their own folly.
Which would you choose?
https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/builds
Allow me to assist...never the first on that list.
Registry cleaner? Who suggested to use that function? No one. Yet we have a whole post here dedicated to it. Misleading once again.
People rely on the Tech forum for good advice on technical matters. Please raise your game; this is poor.

Once you have installed the version that tells you there are no added programs bundled with it and have run it, you need to go in to Options to adjust the settings for best performance. I may post screenshots of mine to assist.

TheRightOne

Oldbiggles said:

When running "CCleaner Free" there is always a message "1 startup app to disable". Anyone have any idea where this might be so that I can delete it.

JJ_Egan is the only one who gave you any useful advice. It appears that you have automatic cleaning or some such enabled and CCleaner is suggesting that you stop a suggested application/process from starting up with Windows when you start the computer.

JJ_Egan

CC does a very lite registry clean with the option to backup up .

wongataa

There is no need to clean the registry.  Orphaned/unused registry entries will have no impact on performance.  There is always a risk in the cleaner deleting something it shouldn't and that causing problems.

JJ_Egan

Never ever happened to me over many many years  but i do know my way round a registry .

John_Gray

JJ_Egan said:

Never ever happened to me over many many years  but i do know my way round a registry .

This would lead to the question, "Even though a file/registry cleaner has not screwed up your PC, can you point to any verifiable positive benefit you have derived from using it?".

Over all the years that PV16, CCleaner, and the like, have been available, I've never seen any scientific, non-anecdotal, evidence that any actual non-trivial advantage has been achieved by their use.

pbartlett

I have used CCleaner every day for many many years - it is set to run on power-on.

I use it to clear cookies and browser history across all my browsers.

I have never in  the whole of that time asked it to do anything to the registry.

Oldbiggles

JJ_Egan said:

Never ever happened to me over many many years  but i do know my way round a registry .

Thank you everyone. I had no idea about the cleanup app in search and once again I've learned things I didn't know. I too have been using CCleaner for several years before my PC with Windows XP gave up and died on me. I've kept going with it after I bought a new PC with Windows 10 installed. I must say I was much happier with the ease of using Windows XP, but I suppose we have to move on.