Cleaning your PC from unnecessary files. How to clean your computer from unnecessary files using special programs and services

Almost all computers accumulate garbage over time, which negatively affects the performance of the operating system. In most cases, it depends on how often the user. It is from these actions that the system becomes clogged. This article will help you learn how to get rid of unnecessary files. The fact is that if you carry out this procedure at least once a month, the installed operating system will last a long time. And this is very good, because sometimes as a result of reinstalling the software, all accumulated information (documents, photos, videos, music) is lost. Probably each of us has had such cases when the OS crashed, destroying something valuable.

How to get rid of unnecessary files?

If you are an experienced user, then this is not difficult; it is enough to have several useful programs in your arsenal. Walking around the Internet, you will see that there are many of them, but “CCleaner” is considered the most effective. This program is in great demand due to its accessibility and fairly user-friendly interface. We will now find out how to clean your computer from unnecessary files using it.

Install the CCleaner program.
Launch it.
In the window that appears, in the “Windows” tab, check the boxes next to the lines with the names of the folders that need to be cleaned. Most often, these checkboxes are already checked automatically. And, if you are not such an experienced user yet, it’s better not to touch anything, leave everything as it is! Only experienced programmers can make changes.
Go to the "Applications" tab. Here, on the contrary, you need to uncheck the unnecessary checkboxes that are checked automatically: “Cookies” and “Session”.
Click the "Analyze" button. This way you can find out how many files will be deleted from the PC after the steps taken.
Click the "Clean" button and wait for the action to complete.

Now you know how to clean your computer from unnecessary files using the CCleaner program. But if you suddenly have any difficulties, or something is not clear to you, then do not try to get rid of the garbage yourself, you can only do harm. It is better to contact a specialist at the service center for help.

How to clean your computer's memory without installing special applications?

There is another cleaning option - using the built-in program. What's good about this method? The answer is obvious, because you don’t have to search for and download the program to your computer, because it’s already there. You can find it in two ways:

"Start" - "All Programs" - "System Tools" - "Disk Cleanup".
“My Computer” - right-click on “Local Disk C:” - select “Properties”, click the “Disk Cleanup” button.

The program has started. Now in the “Disk Cleanup” window that appears, check the boxes next to the files that need to be deleted. Click the "Ok" button. Usually, by default, there are already checkboxes next to the items “Trash” and “Temporary Internet files” - this is what is deleted safely. As you can see, everything is quite simple and useful for your PC.

Thanks to these simple steps, your computer will be cleared of all temporary Internet and operating system files, as well as files contained in the clipboard. We can't see them, but they take up enough space! Sometimes, after these actions, even several GB of memory may be freed up. I hope now you won’t have any problems with how to clean your computer of unnecessary files.

During its operation, the Windows 7 operating system accumulates a lot of garbage and unnecessary files. This is usually a consequence of system updates, unpacking archives and browsing the Internet. The system itself has standard utilities for removing junk, but they do not start automatically and periodically you need to clean it manually.

Manually deleting temporary files via the command line

Removing unnecessary files and directories from the hard drive is done using the internal “DELete” command. This can be done both from the operating system and when starting the computer when Windows 7 is not yet loaded.

To delete an individual file, enter the “DEL” command and the file name. To delete a group of files (for example, all temporary files that have the TMP extension), you can use the wildcard character: “DEL *.TMP”.

To delete temporary files via the command line, do the following:

In the same way, you can delete unnecessary directories, but instead of the “DEL” command, “DELTREE” is entered.

Using DOS wildcards - simple, but powerful and dangerous. This method requires precise knowledge of the location of files and directories - it is not entirely suitable for untrained users.

If you are not using any of the file shells in which directory files are visible, it is recommended that you view their listing with the “DIR” command before deleting files. For example, if you intend to delete all files with the TXT extension, before entering the “DEL *.TXT” command, you should play it safe and view them with the “DIR *.TXT” command.

Manually clearing the Temp folder

In the Windows 7 operating system, there is a separate folder for storing temporary files. It contains files and directories that remain after installing programs, unpacking various archives, and surfing the Internet. To remove them, do the following:

You can also get to this folder as follows:

Removing unnecessary files using the Disk Cleanup utility

Disk Cleanup is a program built into the operating system that removes unnecessary junk from your computer. With its help, you can find many files that have not been used for a long time. Removing them will increase the efficiency of your computer. All temporary and unused system files will be deleted and the recycle bin will be emptied.

To start cleaning, do the following:

Open the Start menu and click on All Programs.
Expand "All Programs"
Go to the "Accessories" folder, then "System" and run the "Disk Cleanup" utility.
Run the Disk Cleanup utility
Select the disk to clean and click OK.
Select the disk to clean
Mark the items you are interested in and click OK.
Check the items you are interested in and click OK

You can also access this utility in the following way:

Removing unnecessary programs using a standard utility

In addition to system garbage, long-forgotten programs or virus software may be installed on your computer. To remove them, do the following:

Open the Start menu and go to Control Panel.
Open Control Panel
Click "Uninstall a program."
Click "Uninstall a program" when categorized
Right-click on the program you don’t need and select “Uninstall.”
Remove all unnecessary programs
After regular uninstallation, go to the Program Files park on drive C and erase the folder belonging to the deleted application, if it is there.
Overwrite the remaining folders

How to clean a disk of junk on Windows 7 using third-party programs

Using specialized programs, you can clean your hard drive most effectively, maximizing the performance of your computer.

Wise Care 365;
Glary Utilities;
360 Total Security;
Your Uninstaller.

You can easily find all the above software on the Internet.

Wise Care 365

Wise Care 365 comes in free and paid versions. It cleans the registry, local disk, allows you to edit startup, optimizes the operation of many applications and the operating system itself. If you use it constantly, you can avoid various crashes and freezes on your computer.

Launch the program and click the "Check" button.
Immediately after starting the program, run a system scan
After completing the check, proceed to correct all errors found.
After receiving the scan results, correct any errors found
Go to the “Cleaning” tab and click on the big green button in the “Registry Cleaner” section.
Click on the "Cleanup" button to heal registry errors
Now open the “Deep Cleaning” section and run a scan.
Click "Scan" under "Deep Cleaning"
Then click “Cleanup” to fix any errors found.
Once the deep scan is complete, click "Cleanup"
Go to the “Optimization” tab and start defragmenting your hard drive.
Run hard drive defragmentation
Now disable autorun programs in the appropriate section.
Disable startup programs

Glary Utilities

Glary Utilities comes in free and paid versions. This program cleans and restores the registry, analyzes disk space, deletes temporary files, defragments the disk, and also has many other functions.

Launch the program, go to the “1-Click” tab and click “Find problems”.
Go to the 1-Click tab and click Find Issues
Wait until the scan is completed, go to the “Modules” tab and click “Erase traces”.
Click on "Erase traces"
Wait until the analysis is completed and click “Erase traces.”
Click "Erase Traces"
Mark the required items in the left panel and close the window. Then restart your computer.
Mark the items that interest you and close the window

360 Total Security

360 Total Security is a free antivirus program based on the Avira and Defender engines. This program does not conflict with other antiviruses and has a number of additional advantages. It allows you to clean the system of unnecessary files, optimize startup applications, search for vulnerabilities, compress the disk, and can generally speed up your computer.

Immediately after starting the program, run a system scan.
Run a system check
Once errors are found, click "Fix".
Click "Fix"
Go to the “Cleaning” tab and start scanning.

The accumulation of remnants of uninstalled applications, unnecessary registry entries, temporary files, logs that remain after updating Windows and programs, and other garbage reduces the performance of the computer. If all this is not removed, over time the PC becomes so slow and annoying that the user cannot stand it and reinstalls the system. However, after a couple of months everything returns to normal - the brakes, low FPS, and all sorts of glitches. Meanwhile, the problem can be solved simply - it is enough to do preventive maintenance 1-2 times a month using a computer cleaning program. We will talk about them today.

We have prepared a brief overview of the capabilities of the best Windows utilities that can speed up your system by up to 50-70% relative to the original level. All of them are free and designed for new users.

CCleaner is one of the most popular Windows cleaning utilities in user ratings. And one of the safest. Cleaning the registry and applications in CCleaner is configured in such a way that, even if you try, you will not be able to delete something important, thereby disrupting the performance of the system. In this part, the program can be used by novice users without fear. However, it also contains functions that it is better not to touch without proper knowledge. One of them is erasing disks. If you accidentally confuse it with Disk Cleanup (Windows' built-in optimization tool), you may lose some important data forever, as the program permanently destroys it.

Proper use of CCleaner can speed up your computer by 5-50%. The result depends on the initial clutter of the system and the amount of information on the disks.

CCleaner functionality

All application functions are divided into 4 groups, and groups into subgroups. The first group is “Cleaning”, includes sections:

Windows (Edge and Internet Explorer web browsers, Explorer, system components, etc.).
Applications (third-party browsers, multimedia, Internet applications, system applications, etc.).

Clearing both removes only temporary and unnecessary data, without affecting the main one.

The second group - “Register”, has no subgroups. Here is a tool for fixing registry errors and cleaning it from garbage.

The third group - “Service”, contains the following sections:

Managing startup programs.
Browser add-on management.
Analysis of disk space distribution.
Search for duplicate files.
System Restore.
Erasing disks.

The fourth group is “Settings”. It includes:

Basic settings of CCleaner.
Browser cookies (setting exceptions).
Inclusions (objects that are always subject to removal).
Exception (objects that the program should not process).
Monitoring applications (setting up auto-cleaning).
Trusted users.
Additional parameters (for experienced ones).

CCleaner supports many languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh. You can download it in both installation and portable versions. The latter can be launched, for example, from a flash drive.

Wise Care 365

Wise Care 365 is an impressive package of utilities for optimizing your computer, most of which are available for free (the application is available in two versions - free and premium, in the free version some items are blocked). Like CCleaner, Wise Care 365 scans the system for garbage, errors, incorrect (from the developers’ point of view) settings and makes it possible to fix them - both individually and “in bulk”.

With this program, the user can clean and optimize Windows without thinking about the purpose of a particular function. Just run the scan and click the “Fix” button after it.

Wise Care 365 functionality

Wise Care 365 features are also divided into groups. The first tab, “Check,” is intended for a comprehensive search and elimination of problems throughout the entire system. The following parameters are checked:

Safety.
Unnecessary files (temporary, cache, logs, etc.).
Invalid registry entries.
System optimization (presence of factors affecting performance).
Computer history (opening documents and visiting web resources through Internet Explorer).

After scanning, the program determines the PC’s “health” index and offers to correct errors with the click of one button.

On the same first tab there is a panel of additional utilities. Available in the free version:

Deleting files that cannot be deleted using Windows.
PC shutdown timer.
Recovering deleted files.
Memory optimization.
Uninstalling programs.

The second tab, “Cleaning”, contains several subsections:

Cleaning the registry.
Quick disk cleanup.
Deep cleaning.
Cleaning the system (unnecessary Windows components).

The third tab – “Optimization” – contains:

Subsection “Optimization” (here you can change registry settings to stabilize and speed up Windows, increase network performance, and shorten the time it takes to turn your computer on and off).
Disk defragmentation.
Registry compression and defragmentation.
Startup management.

The “Privacy” tab contains the following subsections:

Wiping the disc.
Overwriting files.
Password generator.

On the last tab - “System”, the application shows running processes and a list of PC equipment.

Wise Care 365, like Ccleaner, has been translated into Russian and is available in installation and portable versions.

Windows Cleaner

The Windows Cleaner utility includes tools for freeing the system from unnecessary files, registry entries and unused programs that can be launched manually and on a schedule. Among the optimization tools, only startup management is present here. There are no options here aimed at increasing computer performance (not counting cleaning tools).

Windows Cleaner saves a history of previously performed cleanings. If you accidentally delete an important registry entry or file, the program allows you to undo the last operations - perform a system restore to a checkpoint.

Windows Cleaner functionality

The Cleaning section of Windows Cleaner contains two tabs: Files and Registry. The first one contains a list of unnecessary file system objects, the second one contains registry entries. The program supports 4 cleaning modes:

Fast.
Optimal.
Deep.
Custom.

After scanning, Windows Cleaner displays a list of objects to be removed. Strange, but the user does not have the ability to remove any file or entry from it. You can only exclude an entire group of objects from scanning (temporary files, memory dumps, report logs, etc.).

The “Service” section contains the “Startup” and “Uninstall programs” tabs.

“History” stores records of previously performed operations.

In “Settings” you set the cleaning parameters according to the schedule: interval, time, mode.

Windows Cleaner was developed in Russia. The official website contains reference information on working with the program in Russian, as well as a feedback form with the developer.

Glary Utilities Free

Glary Utilities Free is a free harvester application for optimizing your computer. Its set includes more than thirty utilities for all occasions, some of which are unique for products of this class or are found only in paid versions. For example, searching for and removing spyware (spyware), checking for updates to programs installed on your computer, encrypting files, optimizing memory, cutting and merging files, etc. A list of frequently used utilities is shown in the screenshot above.

Features of Glary Utilities Free

Glary Utilities Free functions are divided into 3 groups:

Brief overview.
"1-click".
Modules

The "At a Glance" section contains general program settings and Windows startup controls.

“1-click” contains tools for quick system optimization:

Cleaning the registry.
Correction of shortcuts.
Removing spyware.
Recovering (checking) the disk.
Privacy.
Deleting temporary files.
Autorun manager.

In the list of problems, next to each item there is an explanation. In addition, the user has the opportunity to prohibit the correction of any element by unchecking the checkbox next to it.

The “Modules” section contains all components (utilities) of the program that the user can run separately - as needed. This includes tools for cleaning, managing disk space, files, etc. In the bottom panel of all tabs of the main window there are shortcut buttons for some of them.

Glary Utilities Free has another interesting feature - creating a portable version of itself. The option is located in the "Menu".

WinUtilities Free

The functionality of the free version of WinUtilities Free, like Glary Utilities, is very diverse for applications of this class. It includes 26 system maintenance and cleaning modules. There is also a one-click Windows optimization function and its own task scheduler for performing scheduled operations.

Features of WinUtilities Free

The “Modules” tab of WinUtilities Free contains a list of all application components, divided into groups:

Maintenance (cleaning disks, registry, shortcuts, etc.).
Optimization (disk defragmentation, registry defragmentation, startup management, etc.).
Security (cleaning history, managing running processes, deleting and restoring files).
Files and folders (document protection, disk space analysis, duplicate search).
Registry (backup, search for partitions and keys, context menu manager).
System (launching Windows utilities, system management, task scheduler, setting automatic computer shutdown).

The “Maintenance” tab contains settings for quick scanning and system optimization with one click.

The “Tasks” section includes 4 scheduled PC maintenance options:

Disk cleaning.
Clearing history.
Cleaning the registry.
Disk defragmentation.

The Status section shows information about the product.

InfoMan

InfoMan is an easy-to-use information management manager on your PC. Consists of five modules that are launched separately. The cleaning module is used to search and delete temporary files according to the list of a program or user.

Other InfoMan modules are for:

Synchronize data in two specified directories.
Password storage.
Event reminders.
Application settings.

After launch, the program icon is placed in the system tray. Modules are launched from its context menu.

Advanced System Care Free

Advanced System Care Free is the latest program in our review for comprehensive computer maintenance from the famous developer IObit. In addition to cleaning and optimization tools, it contains tools to improve performance and protect various system components.

Features of Advanced System Care Free

As in the other applications reviewed, the functions of Advanced System Care Free are divided into categories:

Acceleration.
Protection.
Cleaning and optimization.
Tools.
Center of action.

The “Acceleration” tab contains tools to improve computer performance: turbo acceleration, hardware acceleration, etc.

“Protection” contains tools to improve security - video identification of the user’s face, anti-spying tools in the browser, safe web surfing, etc.

“Cleaning and Optimization” contains utilities for removing garbage from the file system and registry.

“Tools” lists all application modules plus other IObit products.

The Action Center provides tools to automatically update programs installed on your PC and download other IObit products.

In addition, Advanced System Care Free installs a widget on the system that is constantly on the screen and displays the percentage of RAM and processor load.

The applications included in today's review support all editions of Windows, from XP to Windows 10. We decided not to talk about programs whose authors limited themselves to supporting systems up to Windows 7, since they are not relevant today.

Over time, the system becomes full of garbage that slows down the operation of the laptop: unnecessary programs, temporary files, registry entries. You can clean the system and speed up its operation using built-in tools or special software.

How to clean the system

The main thing in cleaning your laptop from debris is regularity. If you have never tried to clean the system, then so much unnecessary data will accumulate in it that you can forget about normal operation. Many users immediately begin to think that the hardware no longer holds up, and they need a new laptop or at least a complete reinstallation of the system.

Reinstalling will solve the problem, there will be no garbage left, but you can speed up the system in a less radical way, which does not involve deleting user data from the laptop. Even cleaning with the built-in tools will have a huge positive effect. But in order not to forget anything, let’s create a clear sequence:

Cleaning the desktop. Remove unnecessary files and shortcuts to unused programs.
Checking documents, including downloaded torrents. A typical situation: I downloaded a season of a series, watched it, and left it as dead weight on the disk. Delete - the more space, the faster the system works.
Uninstall unused programs.
Cleaning the disk from temporary files.
Cleaning the registry using CCleaner.
Checking the startup list.

If the file is not deleted, use the Unlocker utility. It independently unloads from memory the processes that are occupied by the file, helping to quickly clean the system of data that, when deleted, gives the error “Unable to delete. The file is being used by another program."

Uninstalling programs

Try to ensure that only the applications you really need are installed on your laptop. It is better to clean the system of software “garbage” in order to free up space and slightly increase performance. There are several ways to remove a program:

Through the “Uninstall a program” applet in the control panel.
Using your own uninstallation file, Uninstall.exe.
Using the capabilities of the Revo Uninstaller utility (there is a free version).

The third option is preferable, because Revo Uninstaller removes the program completely, including erasing entries in the system registry. After standard uninstallation, traces remain that are not beneficial to the system.

After uninstallation, Revo Uninstaller will offer to clean the system of remaining debris. Select a mode and click Scan.

The program will show the remaining files and folders. Select them and click "Delete".

With advanced scanning, you can erase entries in the registry, so that the application will be destroyed without a trace.

Deleting temporary files

A lot of temporary files accumulate in the system, clogging up memory, which need to be gotten rid of.

The same operation can be performed using the free cleaning utility CCleaner:

Deleting temporary files will empty the Recycle Bin, so make sure there is nothing useful in it before you start cleaning your system. Additionally, you can clean up system files:

Another list of data that can be deleted will be generated. Among them will be old updates, which sometimes take up a lot of space on your hard drive. After generating the list, click “Ok” to clear it.

Cleaning the registry

A huge amount of garbage also accumulates in the system registry - entries about programs that were deleted long ago. If you uninstalled using Revo Uninstaller, then there will be no entries left, but it won’t hurt to clean the registry in any case - there are still incorrect extensions or incorrect firewall rules. Manual deletion is out of the question: it is too time-consuming and dangerous - you can erase the wrong entry and get errors in the system. The registry should be cleaned using CCleaner:

If you have never performed such a procedure before, you will immediately notice that the system has become faster and more stable.

Setting up autorun

To speed up your laptop boot time, you need to clear the startup list. It adds programs that are loaded with Windows. The more applications there are, the longer it takes to launch them. To clear the startup list of garbage:

In the standard startup list, you can only disable programs, but you cannot delete them. If you want to literally clean your startup of junk to speed up your system, use CCleaner.

Since you have opened the “Tools” tab in CCleaner, use another convenient laptop cleaning function – duplicate search. Everything is simple here: run the search, look at the result, select which version of the file you should get rid of (usually they are completely identical and created at the same time), and click “Delete selected”.

Each one accumulates a large amount of garbage as it works. This includes tmp directory files, registry entries created by programs but not used, logs, logs. All this helps reduce the speed of the computer. This article will provide information on how to speed up application response times and make working with the OS more comfortable.

If you do not perform these actions regularly, the speed of opening context menus, folders, and launching programs will slow down. The free space on your hard drive will decrease all the time, which will lead to freezes or even the inability to load the operating system.

Windows built-in tools

The story about programs that can clean your computer should begin with the built-in utility. It works less efficiently than third-party products. It is worth paying attention to for users who rarely work on a computer, as well as those who do not have the rights or ability to install software. The utility is included by default with all modern versions of Windows. To run it on any OS, just enter the line “cleanmgr” in the input field of the “Run” window. Now all that remains is to click on “OK”. The main utility window will appear on the display. It needs to indicate which partition the program will continue to work with.

HDD analysis will continue for several minutes. Its speed is affected by the size of the hard drive, the percentage of defragmentation, and the time that has passed since the last time a similar operation was launched. When the scan is finished, the utility will provide a superficial report and prompt you to select groups of files to delete. Next to each item there is a checkbox, and opposite it is written the number of megabytes of information occupied.

To check the boxes next to the names of all groups. Click "OK" and confirm your intention. To remove more unnecessary information from HDD partitions, in the main utility window you need to click on the “Clean up system files” button. Using the approach described above, you will have to spend no more than 10 minutes to complete all the steps. As mentioned earlier, standard Windows tools are ineffective, which means that during the scan the utility did not find all the garbage.

Third Party Products

One of the most popular programs for optimizing PC performance is CCleaner. Many users prefer it, as you can use this tool literally in a couple of clicks. The application interface is as simple and clear as possible, so even an inexperienced user will not need to study the reference manual.

Installation

CCleaner is an absolutely free product, so you should download it only from the official resource. In addition to the opportunity to get the latest version of the utility, you will know for sure that you will not infect your PC with a virus. The program requires installation before cleaning the computer. After launching the installer, Windows will warn the user about the danger of executable files downloaded from the world wide web. Do the following:

Select "Yes".
A window will appear on the display. In it you need to select the language that is preferable to use in the interface.
After clicking on “Next”, preliminary settings will be available to the user. All parameters will be clear to any user who has at least once installed programs in Windows.
Now all that remains is to click on “Install” and wait for the process to complete. Installation is quick. It will take one or two minutes.

How to clean up your computer: deleting temporary documents

In the main window of the program there is the inscription “Cleaning”. After clicking on it, the utility will perform an analysis, the function of which is similar to that organized in the built-in tool. The columns on the left indicate the names of groups of files that will subsequently be deleted. Some of them are checked by default. Check the boxes next to unnecessary files. Click on "Analysis" and wait while the application collects data. The completion time of a function is affected by the amount of garbage on the system.

After scanning, a window with a detailed report will appear on the screen. In it you can view the location of all documents being deleted and the amount of data being freed. To clean your computer, click on the appropriate button. Files important for the operation of the operating system will not be deleted. However, if you don't want to get rid of your browser history or Windows error logs, it's worth examining the report first and carefully reviewing the names of the groups that are flagged.

System registry

In general, the speed of a computer depends little on the garbage in the registry. However, disorder in it negatively affects the stability of specific programs. Partitions and records should be cleaned when utilities that were functioning normally suddenly began to fail. If it is impossible to install new applications due to errors during the installation process, it makes sense to optimize the registry:

Click on the icon labeled “Registry” in the left block of the program.
Without unchecking the boxes, click on “Search”.
The utility will begin scanning, which will last several minutes.
After it is completed, click on "Fix".
CCleaner will offer to create a backup copy of the data, which it will later erase.
After selection, a window will appear on the display with detailed information about the partitions and keys to be deleted. There is a “Fix” button in it, which you should click on.

Service

The "Tools" section of the CCleaner utility provides the user with several tools for manipulating operating system settings, installed applications, and hard drive partitions. The main features of this section that are worth paying attention to are programs and management of startup entries.

It includes those applications that run either with Windows or after the user logs in. Startup should be cleared of unnecessary or rarely used programs. It is unlikely that you will be able to speed up your computer using this method, but the OS loading time will be noticeably reduced. The application uninstallation function is completely similar to the standard Windows tool. The advantages of CCleaner are greater visibility and quick access to functionality.

Revo Uninstaller

Revo Uninstaller differs from most programs aimed at removing garbage from a computer's HDD. While most utilities erase already accumulated data, Revo Uninstaller combats one of the reasons for PC clutter - improper software removal. During its operation, the application monitors the activity of programs, remembers which files were created after each specific one, and what data was written to the registry and changed in it.

By removing a program using Revo Uninstaller, the user can be 100% sure that there is no debris associated with it left on the computer. Utilities installed before being equipped with the application in question are also uninstalled without leaving any tails. This is possible thanks to the built-in complex analysis system. The user just needs to click on the “Uninstall” item, and after scanning, check all the inscriptions. Anyone who likes to fully control the operation of programs will be able to study the detailed report. It records all paths to files and registry settings that will be deleted.

Conclusion

Remember: cleaning your computer once is not enough. Windows of any version requires regular service. The more programs are installed in the operating system, the more often work is done on the PC, the less frequent maintenance should be.