CCleaner by Piriform

CCleaner – at one time previously called Crap Cleaner – is a system optimization tool. It is designed to scan your local drives or custom directories to find junk that can be safely removed from your computer.

What is CCleaner for?

CCleaner is a comprehensive optimization tool for Windows. Over time, as you use a computer it starts to get bogged down by all the junk littering your local drives and system directories. For example, every time you install an application on your computer, it creates a registry entry for that particular app in the system registry. A lot of times when you uninstall the application, it doesn’t remove those registry entries, or it doesn’t remove all of the entries it creates initially.

CCleaner has a registry cleaning tool that can delete those unnecessary registry entries, which can come from uninstalled apps, file extensions you no longer use, codecs, and much more.

Of course, the registry cleaner has a backup tool so that you can revert to a previous image – system version – in case something goes wrong when you delete a registry entry.

The most important aspect of CCleaner is that it can clear your browsing history across a variety of applications and web browsers. Through a “smart” cleaning function it learns your habits and tries to clear only cookies and old files that you no longer use or for places you don’t visit often.

Why Would You Want it?

Plain and simple, CCleaner is a free optimization tool that can help you keep your computer running in tip-top shape. When you first buy a computer the operating system is generally speedy and responsive. Over time, it can “slow” down after extensive use. That’s because the local directories fill with unnecessary files which this application can clear out.

Keep in mind, nothing is going to speed up your computer as much as upgrading the internal hardware or installing more memory (RAM). However, this app can certainly make a difference on machines that don’t receive regular cleanings.

The user interface is relatively easy to understand and every function is simple to activate. As the application is performing a clean you’ll get regular updates on deleted content, and an estimate of how much longer the process will take.

The best feature is that it is freeware, meaning it’s absolutely free to download, install, and use. You can’t beat that.

Anything I Should Be Aware of?

One particular problem that we have with CCleaner is that it doesn’t automatically update itself. There is an option to receive notifications any time an update is available, however, you have to actually navigate to the official site and download the new version. Then, obviously, you must install the new update manually.

This isn’t a serious issue, but it can be a hassle at times.