Clean or Clutter ? That is the Question

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by John Bull, Feb 6, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. John Bull

    John Bull Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2009
    Posts:
    904
    Location:
    London UK
    I would appreciate lots of replies on this matter, it seems to be a traditional mind bender.

    I recently downloaded COMODO System-Cleaner. The name is self explanatory.
    It looks good, it sounds good, it smells good and COMODO even say it is good. Well they would.

    So now I have this visually attractive system installed and a lovely icon staring at me on my desktop. But there my fascination ends. It is like an unexploded bomb that I dare not touch.

    In my engineering days, the old hands used to say "If it is working OK - leave it alone". Some truth in that, I have the scars to prove it.

    Now, the question I put to the more experienced punters in this game is as follows :-

    Is it better to have a cluttered, slow system that works or a fast clean system that does not ?
    Can this COMODO magic lantern really be the answer to a maidens prayer ?

    John Bull
     
  2. andyman35

    andyman35 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,336
    CSC is actually a pretty decent product,however you need to keep vigilant as to what 'junk' you're actually deleting.It does create backups though in case of issues.Personally I prefer the less thorough but very safe approach of Ccleaner.
     
  3. Pedro

    Pedro Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2006
    Posts:
    3,502
    There are a few things you can do with a Windows OS to clean it up a bit and leave it running faster. Automatic registry cleaners are not among them, and on top of that - as you have observed - they can seriously cripple a system.

    It's not that they completely useless, it's mainly that they should not be used by the general public imo, for general use.
    Should you use one for whatever reason, you need to review every item before it deletes/ fixes it, as andyman35 suggests.

    System running slow? First thing i do is fire up Process Explorer.
    Explorer is heavy, or booting is slow? Autoruns first stop.
    Last defrag was a long time ago? It's probably good to have a go at it. MyDefrag works for me.
    AV constantly screwing with you? Get another one! :D
     
  4. dcrowe0050

    dcrowe0050 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2009
    Posts:
    378
    Location:
    NC
    CCleaner. It is all you need.
     
  5. GlobalForce

    GlobalForce Regular Poster

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2004
    Posts:
    3,581
    Location:
    Garden State, USA
    This visually attractive system John has an equally attractive recovery option to match should the exploding commence - yes?
    Heck and if not I'd reckon a retired engineer whose interests include :D "just living" ought to have enough time for a reinstall.

    Go ahead - PULL THE TRIGGER!
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2010
  6. Greg S

    Greg S Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2009
    Posts:
    1,039
    Location:
    A l a b a m a
    I've found this to be true also. I'm using it in Win 7 and find it much more useful than crap cleaner. Most of the time, if I use a reg cleaner, I open the found keys/values up in regedit and visually inspect and search the net for more info if it's not clear to me that it needs removing. After I'm satisfied, I manually delete it myself.
     
  7. John Bull

    John Bull Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2009
    Posts:
    904
    Location:
    London UK
    I am truly grateful for all the responses. I do need your help on this subject in order to comprehend the logic of blanket cleaning.

    If I engaged a contractor to clear my garage, he would do it, but then I would find that many items I needed had been chucked away on the garbage tip.
    I would really need to examine all the "junk" before it was disposed of to ensure that no wanted items were scrapped.

    Same with a PC clag-up with redundant useless files etc. The CLEANER goes through it`s chonking and produces a list of "crap". How on earth am I supposed to know whether it is really crap or vital to some program in my computer. It is not the same as looking at a spanner and deciding if you need it or not - these lists are simply Gobbledygook and mean absolutely damn all to ordinary users.

    Then if we press the delete button and all this "crap" is erased, we find that half our systems no longer work.

    It looks to me that relying on somebody else to decide what is rubbish in my home is about as useless as trying to open a bottle of beer with a knife and fork.
    John Bull
     
  8. philby

    philby Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2008
    Posts:
    944
    I understand your concern that something critical will be removed - so why not image your system drive before 'pulling the trigger'?

    philby
     
  9. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2008
    Posts:
    3,798
    Why don't you make a full system backup first, then try it? No software works the same on every PC, no matter how much they test it.
     
  10. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2004
    Posts:
    10,639
    Some of the items that these programs clean should be self-explanatory like your browser's cache or Window's TEMP folder.

    You can tell the cleaner program what is ok to clean, if you're not sure then don't clean it. It's like telling your contractor to only empty out any trash bins and to only throw out food that is obviously rotten.
     
  11. John Bull

    John Bull Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2009
    Posts:
    904
    Location:
    London UK
    I am so pleased with the replies so far.

    The COMODO Forum : Disgruntled users say this :-
    http://forums.comodo.com/comodo-sys...-cleaner/system-cleaner-problem-t49704.0.html

    COMODO`s High Command proudly say this :-

    Comodo System Cleaner is the world's first cleaner to harness the power of 100% safe cleaning. It utilizes the revolutionary innovation of SafeDelete, a feature that allows users to safely recover any files deleted in error. This advancement eliminates risk from the process of PC cleaning. Because CSC is entirely risk-free, it can clean deeper and more thoroughly than any other cleaner available. Picture a messy room. It may be littered with trash, but it also contains your valued possessions. Your goal is obvious: get rid of the trash, keep your valuables.
    =====

    Do I smell something rather unpleasant with this very professional looking package ? There appears to be a conflict between COMODO`s strategic optimism and user experience.

    If I was to pick my way through a minefield on the basis of COMODO`s advice, I would probably go AWOL.
    John Bull
     
  12. captainron

    captainron Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Posts:
    77
    I never had a problem with a registry cleaner in XP. I've heard of a lot of BSOD's using them in Windows 7. Keep in mind that deleting registry entries doesn't reduce the memory footprint of the registry or improve performance. On a very old machine, you probably could get a performance gain if you first removed a ton of registry entries and then compacted the registry which would reduce the memory footprint. A lot of folks with 256mb ram when XP came out claimed a performance boost this way. Days are different not just since normal machines have 2gb ram these days, but also Windows 7 claims the registry is improved to where the registry is self-maintaining. I asked on a Windows forum what this meant and never got a clear answer but it is clear a lot of Registry cleaners and especially compactors cause BSOD's in Windows 7 so I wouldn't mess with them in that OS.

    If you were to use a registry cleaner, I would use ccleaner. I wouldn't use any other automated cleaner. jv16 power tools does have a nice feature though. Suppose you uninstall adobe from add/remove programs and delete its folder in c:program files. There will still be a ton of adobe entries in the registry. JV16 allows you to see and only delete the adobe registry keys. Or keys leftover from an uninstalled AV, or whatever. Pic below:

    http://www.georgedillon.com/freeware/screencaps/jv16.gif

    This method of being able to really select particular registry entries to remove IMO is wiser than using an aggressive and automated registry cleaner that can easily delete a needed registry key.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.