Solved Disk cleanup suggestions manual or in a program

[loninappleton]

Recently I started to run the Everything search tool from voidtools.com which shows all files on any disk attached.

I'm wondering if in Win7 there is a series if suggestions to clean out the deadwood without removing
actual in-use programs: things like the AppData and Roaming areas which seem to contain a lot of temp files.

There are tools like Blackbird for the OS and the standard DiskCleanup in Win 7. But I never knew exactly what Disk Clean Up cleaned up anyway.

Since I am moving to an SSD and in the future an M.2 boot drive I want to conserve space and backup time which wasless of an issue on an HD.

Any manual suggestions to delete excess files safely or tools that might do the same?

 

[Paul Black]

Hi loninappleton,

Recently I started to run the Everything search tool from voidtools.com which shows all files on any disk attached.

I'm wondering if in Win7 there is a series if suggestions to clean out the deadwood without removing
actual in-use programs: things like the AppData and Roaming areas which seem to contain a lot of temp files.

There are tools like Blackbird for the OS and the standard DiskCleanup in Win 7. But I never knew exactly what Disk Clean Up cleaned up anyway.

Since I am moving to an SSD and in the future an M.2 boot drive I want to conserve space and backup time which wasless of an issue on an HD.

Any manual suggestions to delete excess files safely or tools that might do the same?

Disk Cleanup - Extended

I recommend that you run my my batch script from here => Useful Batch Files - Extended_Disk_Cleanup.bat.

Check the appropriate boxes for the items that you want cleaned and press [OK].

I hope this helps!

 

[RoWin7]

Glary Utilities also has a good cleanup. After installation, click on the broom icon.

 

[Paul Black]

Glary Utilities has a good cleanup. After installation, click on the broom icon.

Yes, I use Glary Utilities and CCleaner, and have done for years!

My Disk Cleanup - Extended is mainly for users that don't wish to download and install third-party software. It also allows you to choose what you want to delete!

 

[RoWin7]

The other 2 let you choose also, although I don't recommend CCleaner anymore. And yours just says "Running Disk Cleanup Extended," there's no choice of options.

 

[loninappleton]

Thanks for answering. Yes things like CCleaner are to be avoided. I've read about those in the past:
ok to run their scan if I remember right according to Major Geeks (a trusted site from my usage of it who provide a detailed suite of techniques designed for virus cleaning.) CCleaner will want to clean things it thinks it ought to even if you don't-- often older things it thinks are 'foreign'. That's what I got out of the background on it anyway.

These tools you suggest I had not used so I'll give it a whirl on an old disk for practice.
Maybe there are other things users will recommend.

 

[loninappleton]

Yes, I use Glary Utilities and CCleaner, and have done for years!

My Disk Cleanup - Extended is mainly for users that don't wish to download and install third-party software. It also allows you to choose what you want to delete!

I was looking at the search on Glary Utilities. It shows Glarysoft also offers a registry cleaner.
I'm always a sucker for those (CCleaner etc.) Is The Glary Reg Cleaner safe, or have manual control.
My thought is you can look at things and know if it's one of your programs or not. Revo Uninstaller is in my toolbox as well.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi loninappleton,

I was looking at the search on Glary Utilities. It shows Glarysoft also offers a registry cleaner.
I'm always a sucker for those (CCleaner etc.) Is The Glary Reg Cleaner safe, or have manual control.
My thought is you can look at things and know if it's one of your programs or not. Revo Uninstaller is in my toolbox as well.

[1] NEVER run any registry cleaner [although most of then have a backup option]!
[2] It is of NO benefit and can cause serious and irreparable damage.
[3] If you need to look at the registry then use command line and REG Query.

 

[loninappleton]

Hi loninappleton,



[1] NEVER run any registry [cleaner although most of then have a backup option]!
[2] It is of NO benefit and can cause serious and irreparable damage.
[3] If you need to look at the registry then use command line and REG Query.

Ok. Confirming what I thought.

 

[Paul Black]

Ok. Confirming what I thought.

 

[RolandJS]

I use thingies like ccleaner, winutilities, etc., much more like Chuck Connor Rifleman, less than Doc Holliday Shotgun. Cautiously, carefully, surgically, specifically, just like many others in here do. I even have my favorite registry cleaners from Auslogics, Wise, jv16PT, not for speed and performance gain [there isn't any], rather, to get rid of specific dust bunnies in my registry hive. **True enough, use such things very carefully, never haphazardly**

 

[RoWin7]

When I was using CCleaner, I always omitted the reg cleaner.

I think a version they sent out was buggy, and their customers lost faith in them.

Paul, I used your Disk Cleanup Extended, and after 1/2 hour it was still running, so I left the house. Don't know how long it took. It's s.l.o.w.

 

[loninappleton]

Since these are just questions, RolandDS could say more about those registry 'dust bunnie' tools?

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RoWin7,

Paul, I used your Disk Cleanup Extended, and after 1/2 hour it was still running, so I left the house. Don't know how long it took. It's s.l.o.w.

It obviously depends when you did the last disk cleanup.

The disk cleanup extended is a more thorough and advanced version of the standard disk cleanup.
If you hadn't run a disk cleanup for a while, then it will be quite slow [as will Glary Utilities & CCleaner, I have tested it] because of the accumulation of files etc.

If you run it again, it will fly through the program.

 

[RolandJS]

Dust bunnies, to me, are registry items: pointing to non-existant directories or programs, invalid for whatever reason. While neither speed or performance is enhanced, I figure why let those un-needed registry items "gather dust" in the hive?

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RolandJS,

Dust bunnies, to me, are registry items: pointing to non-existant directories or programs, invalid for whatever reason. While neither speed or performance is enhanced, I figure why let those un-needed registry items "gather dust" in the hive?

I still stand by my comments below . . .

[1] NEVER run any registry cleaner [although most of then have a backup option]!
[2] It is of NO benefit and can cause serious and irreparable damage.
[3] If you need to look at the registry then use command line and REG Query.

The exception to this of course is that if you are an advanced user then I agree it is safe [mostly!] to remove/delete any errant registry entries [with a registry backup FIRST]!

I hope this helps!

 

[RoWin7]

Hi RoWin7,

It obviously depends when you did the last disk cleanup.

The disk cleanup extended is a more thorough and advanced version of the standard disk cleanup.
If you hadn't run a disk cleanup for a while, then it will be quite slow [as will Glary Utilities & CCleaner, I have tested it] because of the accumulation of files etc.

If you run it again, it will fly through the program.

I ran Glary about 2 weeks ago.

 

[RoWin7]

Hi RolandJS,
I still stand by my comments below . . .
The exception to this of course is that if you are an advanced user then I agree it is safe [mostly!] to remove/delete any errant registry entries [with a registry backup FIRST]!
I hope this helps!

I avoid reg cleaners, but I do use Revo for all my uninstalls, so there aren't a lot of dust bunnies in my reg. Reg cleaning is one of those things websites, even reputable ones, bludgeon you with when you're looking for some other tool.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RoWin7,

I ran Glary about 2 weeks ago.

Very strange, no one else has ever reported this issue!

It does take a little while to process. If you actually check what it does, I think there might be items that Glary Utilities & CCleaner don't address.

In your particular case then, just run what is best and suits you [it is definately not the same for everyone else]!

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RoWin7,

I avoid reg cleaners, but I do use Revo for all my uninstalls, so there aren't a lot of dust bunnies in my reg.

I wouldn't be without Revo Uninstaller, especially the Advanced Scan option [scan for leftover items].