How to clean your computer from unnecessary files? Remove unnecessary programs from your computer.

All computer processes consume resources. But not all of them are vital. There are many unnecessary applications that are absolutely useless and therefore need to be terminated. If the performance level of Windows 7 decreases, the first thing the user asks is how to disable unnecessary programs on the system.

Where do unnecessary programs come from on your computer?

Where do unnecessary programs and applications appear on the computer?

1. First, the source of pre-installed programs is the computer manufacturer itself. Therefore, even in a new car there are several dozen of them.
2. Secondly, unnecessary programs are often installed with drivers for peripheral devices - printers, modems and others.
3. Thirdly, there are “bonus” applications. They are installed if the user forgot to uncheck the boxes during installation of the required utility.

Often, program authors deliberately hide windows for canceling installation, depriving computer owners of the opportunity to abandon unnecessary software. In addition, many additional applications not only take up disk space, but are also added to startup.

Antiviruses and various cleaning programs do not identify “bonus packages” as unwanted. Therefore, you have to remove such software manually.

How to determine which programs and processes can be removed

By and large, when working with Windows 7, only those applications that ensure the operation of the system, user account and peripheral devices currently in use should be enabled - the rest should be stopped. By the name of the process you can find out its description and role in the system. It is recommended to study information about it before deleting it.

Example: There is a process "spoolsv.exe". It manages print queues on the system and interacts with printer drivers. Accordingly, if you are not currently using the printer, stopping the process is possible.

The following programs must be removed from the installed programs:

• [email protected];
• [email protected];
• AlterGeo Magic Scanner;
• Yandex.Bar;
• WinZix;
• Google Toolbar;
• Bing Bar;
• StartSearch;
• Update the Software;
• Speedbit;
• Ask toolbar;
• Ask.com;
• Gator;
• QIP Internet Guardian.

• A4Tech;
• Acer;
• Acorp;
• Asus;
• AVerMedia;
• BenQ;
• C-Media;
• Canon;
• Creative;
• D-Link;
• Defender;
• Dell;
• GeForce;
• Genius;
• Hewlett-Packard (HP);
• Java;
• Lexmark;
• Microsoft;
• Mobile;
• Motherboard;
• Mustek;
• nVidia;
• Realtek;
• Samsung;
• Toshiba;
• Wi-Fi;
• Wireless.

How to close unnecessary processes using Windows 7 tools

Uninstalling programs from the Start menu

Video - Uninstalling a program using Windows

Cleaning running processes through Task Manager

Task Manager closes the process that is currently running, but does not delete it. That is, the tool gives a temporary effect that will disappear the next time you turn on the computer. But this property also plays a positive role. If the user is unsure whether to remove a program, you can disable the process associated with it. And if problems arise during operation, it will be enough to restart the computer - the previously stopped process will start again.

Additionally, Task Manager allows you to see a brief description of the process or the name of the program to which it belongs. For example, the task name “mspaint.exe” does not provide a comprehensive answer about its purpose, but the description indicates the name of the famous Paint editor. This means that the process belongs to the graphical application of the same name.

Sometimes the information in the Manager is not enough to understand the role of the application. Then you need to find information about it on the Internet using the name or description of the process.

Applications that will help you find and remove unnecessary programs from Windows

PC Decrapifier

Available for free download on the official website - https://www.pcdecrapifier.com/download/free. No installation required, the program is portable. But a prerequisite is that Internet Explorer version 8 or higher must be installed on the computer. If it is not there, PC Decrapifier warns you about the need to install a browser.

During installation, a warning appeared stating that you need to update Internet Explorer to at least version 8

It can be downloaded for free on the official Microsoft website - https://www.microsoft.com.

When the condition is met, you can start using the program. To do this, click on Analyze. The system analysis process may take several minutes.

To run the program, you need to click on Analyze

As a result, the user will receive information about which programs can be “killed” forever and which are prohibited from uninstallation. This feature makes PC Decrapifier stand out from other similar utilities.

Only the first group of detected applications should be considered. To remove an unnecessary program, select it and click Remove Selected.

It is recommended to work only with those programs that are in the Recommended tab

CCleaner

The program is available for download on the Internet. For home use, the free version is sufficient, requiring installation on a PC or laptop.

At the very beginning of the installation, you can select a language. The user will also be asked to decide where to add the shortcut: to the desktop, to the Trash, or to the Start menu.

It is enough to choose only one place, for example, a desktop. As for other options, you need to check the automatic search for updates and uncheck the startup box in order to launch the program only manually and not load the system.

It is advisable that the program does not autorun, is automatically updated and has one shortcut, for example, on the desktop

To remove an interfering program, you need to:

• open the “Service” item, then the “Uninstall programs” tab;
• after that select the application;
• Click on the “Uninstall” button.

To remove a program, you need to open the corresponding tab, select the application you need and delete it

Video - Instructions for working with CCLeaner

IObit Uninstaller

The product is good because it not only removes an unnecessary application, but also cleans up even its “indestructible tails” on the hard drive and in the registry.

IObit Uninstaller is available for free download on the official website - http://ru.iobit.com/advanceduninstaller/. After launching the installer, you need to click on the “Run” button. No further action is required from the user - you can get to work.

1. To remove a program, you need to select it and click on the “Delete” button. It would be useful to look at the “Rarely Used” item.

   Convenient management - click and delete

2. In the next step, IObit Uninstaller prompts you to create a restore point. This step can be skipped if the user is sure that uninstalling the program will not have negative consequences for the system.
3. Next, you should delete all found files.

   The program has been deleted, which means you also need to get rid of its residual files.

4. When finished, it is recommended to close the IObit window and restart the computer.

Video - Cleaning the system of unnecessary applications with IObit Uninstaller

Periodically you need to check your computer and remove unnecessary programs and stop processes. The described tools will help maintain the car and reduce the likelihood that the owner will be unpleasantly surprised.

Over time, unnecessary programs inevitably accumulate on your computer. This is mainly due to the fact that many programs are installed to solve one specific problem. And after solving this problem, they are no longer needed.

How to remove unnecessary programs from your computer through Control Panel

The easiest way to remove unnecessary programs is to remove them through a special utility in the Control Panel. To use this method, go to the “Uninstall programs” section.

You can also open this utility using search. Open the Start menu and enter the phrase “Uninstall programs” into the search form, then run the found program.

After opening the “Uninstall Programs” utility, you will see a list of all programs installed on your computer. In order to remove unnecessary programs you need to find them in this list. After this, you need to select the found program with the mouse and click on the “Delete” button, which will appear above the list.

After this, the program installer will open and prompt you to remove it.

How to remove unnecessary programs from your computer using MyUninstaller

You can also remove unnecessary programs from your computer using special ones. There are quite a lot of such programs. For example: Revo Uninstaller, ZSoft Uninstaller, MyUninstaller and many others.

In this material we will demonstrate the process of uninstalling programs using MyUninstaller as an example. This program is completely free, it does not require installation and is very easy to use. You can download this program from .

After launching this program, it will analyze your computer and find all installed programs. The analysis may take 1-2 minutes.

After this, a list of all programs installed on your computer will appear in the program window. Here you need to select the unnecessary program that you want to remove and click on the button with the image of a trash can.

After this, the program installer will open and offer you to remove it.

Working on a computer involves installing a variety of programs. Some of them are used constantly, while others are installed for one-time use. But do not forget that any program takes up a certain space in the computer’s memory, and a device filled with many unnecessary programs works slower. Therefore, it is important to periodically clean your computer of unnecessary programs.

What programs need to be removed

1. Automatically installed apps with really useful programs - browsers, file managers. These applications often not only take up disk space, but are also set to autorun. This significantly slows down the computer's startup and operation.
2. Programs whose license has expired . Most specialized programs have a limited license period or have a free trial period. After a certain period, the program will no longer work, therefore, you need to either purchase a license again or delete the program. If you are not going to use it in the next few months, the second option is preferable.
3. Unused programs downloaded previously to perform one or two tasks . Often this file converters, various photo editors, players. In some cases, training programs and applications.

Try to check your computer every 2-3 months for unnecessary programs and remove them.

A fairly easy and quick way to clean your computer. To remove programs this way, you must follow these steps:

1. Open the “Start” menu using a special icon in the lower left corner or using the “Win” button (sometimes the Windows logo is shown on the button instead of an inscription).
2. Find and launch “Control Panel”.
3. Select “Programs” – “Uninstall programs” when viewing in “Category” view. When viewing mode “Large icons” or “Small icons” - “Programs and Features”.
4. Select the required program from the list and click on the “Delete/Change” button, which is located at the top of the table.
5. Next, you will be asked to confirm the removal of the program. In some cases, a reboot will be necessary to complete the process. You can confirm the deletion or postpone.

Removing using special shortcuts

There are two ways to find this file:

1. Open “Start” and find the folder of the required program. Open it, find and run the “Uninstall” file. Confirm deletion and, if necessary, restart the computer.
2. Click on the shortcut and open the context menu using the right button. Select "Properties" from the menu. Then go to the “Shortcut” tab and look at the “Working Folder” item. Open the folder at the specified address, which contains the “Uninstall” file.

Cleaning using uninstallers

CCleaner

To work, you need to launch CCleaner and select “Tools” in the menu on the left. Then all you have to do is look through the list of programs installed on your computer and select the one you need. In the menu on the right, select “Uninstall” and then confirm the removal of the program.

CCleaner is a free program that does not take up much space on your computer.

Revo Uninstaller

1. Open Revo Uninstaller.
2. In the dialog box provided, find the program you want to remove and right-click on it.
3. Then select "Delete".
4. The program will begin analyzing the program, after which the application uninstaller will start working.
5. In the “Uninstall a program” dialog, select the necessary actions with the application. If you are prompted to restart your computer, refuse it by clicking on the “Restart later” button. Why reject the reboot? So that Revo Uninstaller can scan the system and find the files remaining after uninstalling the program.
6. After removal, select the scanning mode, preferably in the “Advanced” mode.
7. Wait for the scan to finish. It may take from 5 minutes to half an hour, depending on the amount of memory on your computer.
8. When the scan is complete, look at the results displayed in the "Remaining Registry Entries Found" window.
9. Mark all entries and click "Delete".
10. Check and delete entries in the Remaining Files Found window.

Other popular applications

• IObit Uninstaller;
• Uninstall Tool;
• ZSoft Uninstaller;
• Absolute Uninstaller;
• Advanced Uninstaller PRO.

How to properly remove programs? (video)

Having purchased a brand new laptop, it is difficult to resist the temptation to quickly try it out. As a result, not a day passes before dozens, or even hundreds of a wide variety of applications, services and other software products for every color and taste appear on an exhausted PC. Of course! You need to install an antivirus, and install a normal media player, and preferably more than one, but also Skype, and a couple of browsers for yourself, and you can’t remain without text programs, photo editors, dictionaries, encyclopedias, translators, ICQ I want to. By the way, you won’t be able to remove unnecessary programs automatically, so how does the computer know which software is unnecessary for you.

Everything would be fine, but a month or two passes, or even less, and an uncontrollable desire appears to get rid of all the software junk that has accumulated on the computer, and as quickly as possible: after all, absolutely everything gets boring. But installing programs and uninstalling them is not the same thing, even if you call yourself a master or a Jedi of software installation. Everything seems to be clear there - you launch the application and follow the built-in prompts until the installation of the utility is completed. But with deletion or uninstallation the situation is more complicated, because simply pressing Del won’t do it here.

What is the secret of this cunning process and how to effectively get rid of unnecessary applications on your computer?

Option #1: Use Windows Tools

Perhaps the easiest way to get rid of software junk on your computer is to use the uninstaller built into Windows. Finding it couldn’t be easier: you just need to go to the “Start” menu, click the “Control Panel” tab, and then, depending on the version of Windows you are using, select either the “Add or Remove Programs” item (for Windows XP):

or "Programs and Features" (for Windows 7):

However, on computers with Windows 8, the search is even easier: all you need to do is press the +X keys, and then select the “Programs and Features” section from the list that appears:

One way or another, further actions, and the principle of uninstalling applications using the system uninstaller are the same for all versions of Windows. So, in order to get rid of a utility or other software installed on your computer once and for all, you need to find it in the list of programs that opens, click on it, and then click the “Delete” button:

After this, all that remains is to give the system the go-ahead to remove the program and wait for the uninstallation to complete. In some cases, however, Windows may also offer to restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

Option number 2: Uninstall using the built-in uninstaller

Having considered the first option, perhaps we could stop: the method is good, why hide it? However, unfortunately, uninstalling programs using Windows system tools is not always possible. The fact is that the uninstaller built into the system is not always able to detect all applications installed on the computer; accordingly, it becomes impossible to remove them using the standard method. Trouble? Wrong word. However, there is a solution for this case too.

In particular, you can remove a program from a PC using the uninstaller built into it. How to detect it? To get started, either look in the program folder on drive C (Program Files), or open the Start menu and look for it here. At the same time, in order to understand that this is the very uninstaller in question, you need to carefully look through all the labels and find the one that contains one of the following words:

• Uninstall;
• "Uninstallation";
• "Delete";
• "Uninstall";
• "Delete".

Accordingly, to remove the program, you only need to click on this shortcut so that the uninstaller completes its mission and rids the computer of unnecessary software. It should be noted that no matter how convenient the second option may be, it does not always work either. It happens that no matter how much you look for the uninstaller in the program directory, you still cannot find it.

Here it would seem to use the first option, but it suddenly turns out to be useless. What to do in this case? In response to this question, many “computer geniuses” advise looking into the program folder, find there executable files starting with “unin*”, run and follow the instructions.

How to do this? It's simple! There are two options.

Option A) If the program is running, you can easily find it through the task manager; to do this, press the three hot keys Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

And select the appropriate item:

You can also launch it by right-clicking on the taskbar (this is the strip at the bottom where you can see open programs), and in the menu, we find the item that is already familiar to us:

1. Go to the “Applications” item and select our program.
2. Right-click and select “Go to process”.
3. The process of our program stands out.
4. Right again and the item: “Open file storage location.”

Option B) If you have Windows 7 or 8, to remove an “extra” program, just left-click on its shortcut on the desktop, then right-click and select: “File location” (left mouse button).

Of course, the application will stop working after such manipulations, but it will remain hanging in the registry editor, clogging up the computer’s memory and slowing down its operation. A disservice and nothing less. What then happens? Keep the application as a keepsake? This is possible, of course, but it is better, in our opinion, to use one of the special uninstaller programs.

Option number 3: Uninstall using special programs

In the matter of choosing uninstaller programs, it is worth admitting that there are also some little tricks. The fact is that among the many similar utilities available for downloading from the Internet, there are quite a few that, after installation, turn into yet another piece of junk software, which is also not so easy to get rid of in the future.

The question arises, how to choose that one and only program that you can trust without a drop of doubt with the fate of your PC? The answer is simply simple - evaluate its advantages before downloading and installing. In particular, it is desirable that the uninstaller be:

• free;
• simple and easy to use;
• functional;
• effective.

Based on these criteria, we can highlight in the TOP 5 best uninstaller programs such as CCleaner, Revo Uninstaller, Uninstall Tool, IObit Uninstaller and ZSoft Uninstaller, which meet all of the above requirements.

A special feature of CCleaner is that to uninstall an application installed on a PC using it, just after starting the program, open the “Service” tab in it, select “Uninstall programs”, and then after clicking on the unnecessary software shortcut, click the “Uninstall” button:

In addition, this utility is also good because it can be used to customize the startup menu, fix registry errors, clean your computer of junk files, restore the system and perform other equally useful functions (details).

When looking for a portable uninstaller program that does not require installation on your computer, you cannot help but pay attention to Revo Uninstaller. This program is available today in two versions - paid (Pro) and free (Freeware). The professional edition of Revo Uninstaller, of course, is endowed with a large number of functions, the benefits of which can be assessed, if desired, in a trial period (30 days; details).

At the same time, the completely free version of Freeware looks quite decent. In particular, to remove programs using it, you only need to perform 3 steps;

In addition, this portable version has other useful functions, for example, setting up programs to start automatically or quick access to system utilities - command line, system restore, defragmenter, etc.:

Compared to Revo Uninstaller Freeware, another absolutely free portable uninstaller, IObit Uninstaller, looks no worse. In the latest version of this program, in particular, it is possible to remove not only programs installed on the computer, but also browser extensions (add-ons):

So, to start the process of uninstalling an unnecessary application, you only need to click the Uninstall / Quick Uninstall button opposite it. It is worth noting that IObit Uninstaller does not provide any other functions other than uninstalling programs, which, however, does not in any way affect its value, given that the utility does not require installation and takes up only about 15 MB of memory.

The seemingly unremarkable ZSoft Uninstaller utility is in fact a merciless program killer. With its help, you can detect and remove even hidden and not completely deleted applications, using a single “Delete” button:

In addition, it allows you to create a list of applications that will be protected from being deleted from your computer, clean your hard drive of junk files, and also delete the cache in Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer:

Among similar programs, the utility also looks good Uninstall Tool. In particular, to uninstall applications installed on Windows, its developers have provided as many as 3 modes:

• “Uninstallation” - allows you to remove programs using their built-in uninstallers;
• “Forced removal” - makes it possible to remove damaged programs;
• “Batch uninstall” - provides for the simultaneous uninstallation of several programs.

Accordingly, to remove applications using the Uninstall Tool, you only need to mark the program in the list, and then select the appropriate uninstallation mode:

In addition, this program has other useful properties. For example, with its help you can easily configure autorun settings or get quick access to frequently used Windows system tools:

The only inconvenience is that you can use this program for free only within 30 days after downloading and installing it on your computer.

Of course, if you wish, you can also use other well-known uninstallers to remove software from your computer. Here, as they say, the choice is entirely yours! Choose the best option and easily remove unnecessary applications from your PC!

Last time we looked at it, but this time I’ll tell you how delete computer junk manually, by using Windows tools and programs.

1. First, let's look at where garbage is stored in operating systems.

In Windows XP

We go in and delete everything in the folders: Windows temporary files:

• C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\History
• C:\Windows\Temp
• C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp
• C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\History

For Windows 7 and 8

Windows temporary files:

• C:\Windows\Temp
• C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp
• C:\Users\All Users\TEMP
• C:\Users\All Users\TEMP
• C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Temp

Browser cache

Opera cache:

• C:\users\username\AppData\Local\Opera\Opera\cache\

Mozilla cache:

• C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ folder\Cache

Google Chrome cache:

• C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Bromium\User Data\Default\Cache
• C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache

Or enter it in the address chrome://version/ and see the path to the profile. There will be a folder there Cache

Temporary Internet files:

• C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\

Recent documents:

• C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\

Some folders may be hidden from prying eyes. To show them you need.

2. Cleaning the disk from temporary and unused files using

Standard Disk Cleanup tool

1. Go to “Start” -> “All Programs” -> “Accessories” -> “System Tools” and run the “Disk Cleanup” program.

2. Select the disk to clean:

The disk scanning process will begin...

3. A window will open with information about the amount of space occupied by temporary files:

Check the boxes next to the partitions you want to clear and click OK.

4. But this not all yet. If you installed Windows 7 not on a blank disk, but on top of a previously installed operating system, you probably have space-consuming folders such as Windows.old or $WINDOWS.~Q.

Additionally, it may make sense to delete system restore checkpoints (except the last one). To perform this operation, repeat steps 1-3, but this time click “Clean up system files”:

5. After the procedure described in step 2, the same window will open, but the “Advanced” tab will appear at the top. Go to it.

Under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean.

3. Files pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys

The files are located at the root of the system disk and take up quite a lot of space.

1. The pagefile.sys file is system swap file(virtual memory). You cannot delete it (it is not recommended to reduce it either), but you can and even need to move it to another disk.

This is done very simply, open “Control Panel - System and Security - System”, select “Advanced system settings” in the “Performance” section, click “Options”, switch to the “Advanced” tab (or press the win + R key combination, the command “execute” will open and there type SystemPropertiesAdvanced) and in the “Virtual Memory” section click “Change”. There you can select the location of the paging file and its size (I recommend leaving “Size as selected by the system”).

4. Removing unnecessary programs from the disk

A good way to free up disk space (and as an added bonus, increase system performance) is to remove programs you don't use.

Go to Control Panel and select “Uninstall Programs”. A list will appear in which you can select the program you want to remove and click “Delete”.

5. Defragmentation

Defragmentation of a hard disk, carried out by a defragmenter program, allows you to organize the contents of clusters, that is, move them on the disk so that clusters with the same file are placed sequentially, and empty clusters are combined. This leads to increase speed access to files, and therefore to some increase in computer performance, which at high level fragmentation the disk may turn out to be quite noticeable. The standard disk defragmenter program is located at: start>all programs>standard>utilities>disk defragmenter

This is what the program looks like. In which you can analyze disk, where the program will show a diagram of disk fragmentation and tell you whether or not you need to defragment. You can also set a schedule for when the disk will be defragmented. This is a program built into Windows; there are also separate disk defragmentation programs, for example which you can download here:

Its interface is also quite simple.

Here are its advantages over the standard program:

1. Analysis before disk defragmentation Do a disk analysis before defragmenting. After the analysis, a dialog box is displayed with a diagram showing the percentage of fragmented files and folders on the disk and a recommendation for action. It is recommended to carry out analysis regularly, and defragmentation only after appropriate recommendations from a disk defragmentation program. It is recommended to perform disk analysis at least once a week. If the need for defragmentation occurs rarely, the disk analysis interval can be increased to one month.
2. Analysis after adding a large number of files After adding a large number of files or folders, the disks may become excessively fragmented, so in such cases it is recommended to analyze them.
3. Checking that you have at least 15% free disk space To defragment completely and correctly using Disk Defragmenter, the disk must have at least 15% free space. Disk Defragmenter uses this volume as an area to sort file fragments. If the amount is less than 15% of free space, Disk Defragmenter will only perform a partial defragmentation. To free up additional disk space, delete unnecessary files or move them to another disk.
4. Defragmentation after installing software or installing Windows Defragment drives after installing software or after performing an update or clean install of Windows. Disks often become fragmented after installing software, so running Disk Defragmenter can help ensure peak file system performance.
5. Save time on disk defragmentation You can save a little time required for defragmentation if you remove junk files from your computer before starting the operation, and also exclude from consideration the system files pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys, which are used by the system as temporary, buffer files and are recreated at the beginning of each Windows session .

6. Remove unnecessary things from startup

7. Remove everything unnecessary from

Well, I think you know for yourself what you don’t need on your desktop. And you can read how to use it. , a very important procedure, so don’t forget about it!