Alternatives for CCleaner

[file3456]

Download the latest winapp2.ini from this repo and place it in the same directory as ccleaner.exe.

GitHub - MoscaDotTo/Winapp2: A database of extended cleaning routines for popular Windows PC based maintenance software.

I'll give it a shot and post back.

Edit-

So it adds more programs for cleaning to the Applications list. In Ccleaner when you select the Applications tab it will take a while to load and give you more options.

 

[Muted]

In short: All that CCleaner does is searches for known Microsoft Windows temporary storage directories (after it searches for existing Microsoft programs).

This is what the entire list ("Windows" | Temp. IE files, History, Cookies, Recently Typed URLs, etc) is all about.
The "Advanced" sub-menu reference ("Windows Event Logs" (capped at a minimum of: 1MB per type of log), Old Prefetch Data (based on timestamp data from files), Menu Order Cache, etc) is more of the same.
The "Applications" are just a list of commonly known programs (based on research data). This is why odd programs will not show (computers aren't voodoo magic, after all).

A lot of the times: People don't understand what a cache is or what it's for. Sometimes programmers will create 'caches' under the guise of false marketing or perhaps ignorance. Sometimes it's for a specialized corner cache. The average consumer or user will presumably be unaware of what's what and how to weigh their options and how to make an educated decision (not to imply there's a high importance, of course).

CCleaner being owned by company XYZ doesn't change the underlying source code of the program. The functionality is all the same. They have the rights to the source code and most likely haven't modified it too much (only adding the addition of advertisement of their other products). They more than likely hired on (or contracted out) the original writers of the program.

The program itself is incredibly simple though, so that may not be true. The maintenance of the software is incredibly low.

What the "Registry" 'cleaner' bit does is runs through the Windows Registry (sloppily at that!) and checks any listed directory path and checks for the existence of the listed directory path/file. If one does not exist: It'll let you know and asks if you'd like to 'clean' (delete) it from the registry.

I don't know if CCleaner itself has the administrative privileges necessary for checking certain registry hive entries (that are otherwise hidden / inaccessible). There's no harm (despite all the propaganda from the internet over the years) in using a 'registry cleaner.' Being able to access a centralized data-center (small at that!) is one of the most powerful tools for tweaking (modifying) or tailoring your OS for your own needs (remember: Windows is a general purpose operating system).

I am sure that CCleaner ignores a lot of potential paths, entire sections and other bits from the Windows registry to prevent accidental 'uh-ohs' on specialized setups of Windows (so they (CCleaner) don't get barked at with 'bad reviews').

Perhaps later in the year, if there's enough demand from this forum: I will invest the time into writing a completely open source and freeware Windows distro cleaner (deleting temporary files, 'caches,' bad paths found in the Windows registry and other common things).

Open source means that the source code (more than likely C++17) will be available to download and review (along with the binary (executable) file).
Freeware means that I will NOT be charging any money. It is 100% free to the end user to do with what they see fit.

 

[billmcct]

CCEnhancer add additional applications and other windows options to CCleaner. If you use it read the added options before enabling.
You should run the program on a regular basis since the added options change.
https://singularlabs.com/software/ccenhancer/download-ccenhancer/

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...CCleaner being owned by company XYZ doesn't change the underlying source code of the program...

Actually, it can and was. Shortly after AVAST acquired it, CCleaner was caught harvesting user data. The option to block that had been turned off and it became impossible to close down CCleaner once it started. That kind of activity requires a change in the programming. AVAST has since pulled that version.

CCleaner v5.45 Pulled Due to Anger Over Usage Data Collection

 

[Muted]

Actually, it can and was. Shortly after AVAST acquired it, CCleaner was caught harvesting user data. The option to block that had been turned off and it became impossible to close down CCleaner once it started. That kind of activity requires a change in the programming. AVAST has since pulled that version.

CCleaner v5.45 Pulled Due to Anger Over Usage Data Collection

If you read the entire post and don't cherry pick it: You'll put what was said back in context.

I was unaware that AVAST pulled that stunt for small gains.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If you read the entire post and don't cherry pick it: You'll put what was said back in context.

I was unaware that AVAST pulled that stunt for small gains.

I didn't see anything in the article to support your allegation. Where did you read that?

 

[Muted]

They have the rights to the source code and most likely haven't modified it too much (only adding the addition of advertisement of their other products).

With the exception of the alleged data mining and mild invasion of privacy: That is quite accurate.

Software changes hands like you change under garments.

 

[billmcct]

There is also ACleaner. A cCleaner alternative.
ACleaner: free internet tracks eraser and registry cleaner.

 

[RoWin7]

Just removed CCleaner, installed Glary Utilities. It sucked up about twice the amount of junk that CCLeaner had, and it's very fast. And I like the utilities at the bottom.

Even harmless registry cleaners are a waste of time. Removing even hundreds of entries doesn't speed up your machine. And I think Revo does a great job of cleaning up after every uninstalled program, including registry entries.

 

[RoWin7]

With the exception of the alleged data mining and mild invasion of privacy: That is quite accurate.

Software changes hands like you change under garments.

That's true of many products. Someone on a forum was wondering if a certain candy from her childhood was still being made, so I looked up its history in Aunt Wiki. The company had changed hands about 9 times, and while the brand name remains, the candy is quite different from the one she knew. The recipe had been changed. And it's now smaller, whereas software changes in the other direction.

I wonder if any company has ever improved on a program by making the new version smaller.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RoWin7,

Just removed CCleaner, installed Glary Utilities. It sucked up about twice the amount of junk that CCLeaner had, and it's very fast. And I like the utilities at the bottom.

Even harmless registry cleaners are a waste of time. Removing even hundreds of entries doesn't speed up your machine. And I think Revo does a great job of cleaning up after every uninstalled program, including registry entries.

I have used CCleaner [excluding the registry cleaner], Glary Utilities [excluding the registry cleaner] and Revo Uninstaller for years. The first two I use once a week for a good cleanup. As you pointed out above, running registry cleaners is pointless as it doesn't affect the overall performance and more often than not it causes serious problems, especially if you didn't backup the regidtry first. Revo is excellent because it also gets rid of all the leftover items. These three are very good for keeping your computer clean and running smoothly!

 

[Muted]

That's true of many products.
...
I wonder if any company has ever improved on a program by making the new version smaller.

Harddrive space/Specialized instructions ('raw/dumb performance of the CPU')/RAM utilization are all combintory and each have trade-offs.

A smaller file size (given X constraints under Y conditions but only under Z range) will perform (total execution time) worse than that of a larger version.

There are more factors at play than you'd first think.

4096 byte size reading limitation means: An additional ~8ns hdd read hit may perform (on average) far better than using a special instruction set call and keeping the file size under 4kB (due to the cache hit on the CPU).

 

[RoWin7]

You missed my point. I was talking about removing features that are useless or faulty in an attempt to simplify. We probably use 10% of the features in some of our programs.

 

[Muted]

You missed my point. I was talking about removing features that are useless or faulty in an attempt to simplify. We probably use 10% of the features in some of our programs.

Oh! You meant feature creep ('bells and whistles' is the tangible expression)!

Personally: I tend to use the bulk of features provided in complex programs (typically front end utilities to the CLI tools).

CCleaner in particular is an exception; I disable the automation bits.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

You missed my point. I was talking about removing features that are useless or faulty in an attempt to simplify. We probably use 10% of the features in some of our programs.

I've seen "feature creep" (also known as "feature bloat") destroy many good programs, such as Nero Burning ROM.

I haven't seen any new features come to Glary Utilities in the past few years. I probably use only 10% of its feature set which doewsn't bother me any.

Ccleaner, on the other hand... I won't even allow it on my computers anymore.

 

[RoWin7]

I used Glary the first time last week, and I'm pleased with it. Faster than CCleaner, and does more kinds of cleaning

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I used Glary the first time last week, and I'm pleased with it. Faster than CCleaner, and does more kinds of cleaning

It's also less aggressive than CCleaner. I've never had a problem with it.

 

[Muted]

It's also less aggressive than CCleaner. I've never had a problem with it.

As far as creating a free program to implement the same strategies (sanity and practicality aside):

A potential configuration file could be written as such:

{OS}
Windows 7

{TITLE}
Firefox

{PATHS}
0001=C:/FF/History

{EXCEPTIONS}
{EXTENSIONS}
0001=html

{FILES}
0001=MyPasswords.sql

To assist with the psychological impact of ultra space conservation in mind: I could create a managed options ini file as well that would enable opting for a compact/compressed binary format of a database (see above).

To ensure an easy and fast growth rate: There could be a user-driven database generation (denoted by a simple and automated index-based txt file) that's chalked full of individual user specified OS/program + version/path (excluding exceptions).

... Think of it as a grass-roots campaign or word-of-mouth.
The only majorly logged data would be conflicts (excluding drive partition paths) of: Title/Version vs OS

To better explain: Windows 6 installs Google Chrome to path X whereas Windows 7 installs it to path Y and includes an extra node Z.

I could also add a category system (system utility, web browser, game, etc). This would further simplify the indexing system.

To prevent errors is senseless; ergo: User rating system.
After a certain point of negative conflicts (assumed malicious/invalid data): The GUI notes that the given index has an XX% chance of being wrong for the listed OS.

Adding filters and a solid yet simple UI design is a cinch!

All free of cost of course.