by Dave Moore, 09/27/2020
Like most computer repair guys, I have a software toolkit of sorts, comprised of my favorite programs. One of my favorites, which I have used for years, is called Ccleaner.
Ccleaner used to be called Crap Cleaner, but the program’s authors decided to change the name in the hopes of reaching a wider audience. As a result, Ccleaner has become one of the most popular computer maintenance utilities on the Internet, because it does exactly what it’s supposed to do: clean the crap out of your computer.
Ccleaner comes in both a paid and free version, but the free version does what most folks need. To get the free version, type ccleaner.com in the address bar of your browser and press the enter key. You will be directed to a website owned by Piriform, the makers of Ccleaner.
Click the green “Free Download” button and under “Ccleaner free,” click the green “Download” button. The download function should start automatically. Remember the file name, save the file to a location you can remember, and, when through downloading, double-click the file to install the program.
Say “Yes” to the “Allow changes” notice, and, on the Ccleaner Setup window that appears, do not click the Install button, just yet. Instead, click the tiny word “Customize.
In the next window called Install Options, uncheck both “Enable Intelligent Cookie Scan” and “Add Open CCleaner option to Recycle Bin.” Then, click the blue “Install” button. Uncheck “View release notes,” and click the red X to close the window. You can also close the “Thank you for installing Ccleaner” window that will appear in your browser. These instructions are my tried-and-true personal preferences.
The program will make an icon on your desktop that looks like a big, red “C.” Double-click it to start the program. Ignore the “It’s time for your PC’s health check” silliness, and instead, focus your attention on the left side of the program. You’ll see Ccleaner’s four main functions: Custom Clean, Registry, Tools and Options. Cleaner and Registry are the functions you will use most often.
Click Custom Clean. In the lists of pre-checked items that will be cleaned, add the following: If the browsers Microsoft Edge, Edge Chromium, and/or Internet Explorer are there, check everything under each one. Scroll down, and, under Windows Explorer check everything. Under System, add Windows Error Reporting and DNS Cache. Under Advanced, add Windows Event Logs, Old Prefetch Data, and Custom Files and Folders.
In the upper part of the section, click Applications. If the browsers Firefox and/or Google Chrome appear, check everything under each one. Under all the remaining sections, check everything. Say OK to any scary “Warning” boxes that may appear along the way.
NOTE: before you proceed, make absolutely sure you know all login usernames and passwords for all online accounts you visit. If you are having any browsers memorize and automatically fill in login information for any websites (an unsafe idea, but many people do it), that information will be removed and cleaned along with all the other items that have been checked, and you will need to re-enter it the next time you visit those websites. Otherwise, uncheck those items for each browser that has your logins memorized.
Make sure no browsers or email programs are open and running. When you are ready, all you have to do is click “Run Cleaner” to make it work; you can ignore the Analyze button. When you click “Run Cleaner” for the first time, a scary box pops up that says, “The selected files will be deleted from your PC. Are you sure?” Put a check mark in the little box that says, “Do not show me this message again,” and click OK. Say Yes to any messages about closing the Edge browser.
The cleaning function usually completes in a very short time, but if you have never before emptied the Recycle bin, deleted temporary files or cleaned out cookies, the process can last much longer. You may be amazed at how much crud is cleaned out of your computer.
Next week, we will look at the Registry and Drive Wiper functions of Ccleaner.
Dave Moore has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.org