Good PC Cleaner ?

[nigel1]

I have read somewhere that there is an issue with Vista with regards to the system restore function. I think there is something like 15% of the hard drive used for system restore.
Think you can delete old restore points, image files etc, and also adjust the amount of hard drive used for restore.

[mrm]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Just Ran: CCleaner, McAffee Security Scan Plus, & Shaw Secure (F-Secure); and perhaps I’m loading faster than I was.
Thanks all, for your generous & informative help.

Gord,

What I am going to suggest is not for the average user, but works very well in most cases (exceptions being some funky hardware).

Get another, more stable operating system as a base to run your actual hardware (Linux is perfect for that) and run Windows inside a virtual computer. The most prominent advantage of this approach is the ability to switch to a clean backup copy of your 'windows PC' in case it gets infected or otherwise damaged beyond repair. Just make a backup once you install all programs you use.

Marius

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Just Ran: CCleaner, McAffee Security Scan Plus, & Shaw Secure (F-Secure); and perhaps I’m loading faster than I was.
Thanks all, for your generous & informative help.

If you haven't done it be sure and run the registry cleaner with CCleaner. Once you are done all of this, run your computers defrag program. You should run CCleaner ever couple of days and defrag the drive at least once a week. Get Superantispyware Free Edition and run it to be sure you don't have any spyware. Get the Iobit I mentioned and it will help tune up the computer. The freeware version will help a lot. Chuck

[Capt.Don]

Gord,
I use Glary Utilities. I've also used CCleaner and others. Glary Utilities is on my computers. In particular, I look at the startup manager and disable most things (Apple MobileDocuments, iTunesHelper, AppleSyncNotifier, ApplePhotoStream, ) Google Update, FlashPlayerUpdate, SunJavaUpdateSched, QuickTime Task, Skype... and others that I don't want/need to run at startup. The less crap running at startup (in my opinion) the better.

I also use Glary Utilities Registry cleaner - run this several times to remove dependencies. So far, it has not caused any problems that I'm aware of.

Depending on the OS (WinXP, Vista, Win7).... I've gone through and disabled several of Microsoft Services. There are some comparisons on the Internet talking about which services you can safely disable. You probably don't need Bluetooth, Certificate/Security, Distributed Transactions, Fax, HomeGroup, IKE/AuthIP, ICS, IP Helper, Net.Msmg, Net.Pip, Net.TCP, NetLogin, Offline Files, Parental Controls, Peer Name Resolution, Peer Networking, Performance Logs, Portable Device, Problem Reports, Remote Access, Remote Desktop, Remote Registry, Secondary Logon, Secure Socket, Smart Card, Software Protection, SPP Notification, Storage Devices, Tablet PC, Telephone, Thread Ordering Server, TPM Based Services, UPnP Device Host, Virtual Disk, VOlume Shadow Copy, Windows Activation Technologies, Windows Biometric Service, Windows CardSpace, WIndows Color System, WIndows Defender (?), Windows Error Reporting Service, Windows Event Collector, Windows Installer, Windows Media*, Windowsd Remote Management, Windows Time, Wired AutoConfig, WLAN AutoConfig, WMI Performance Adapter, WWAN AutoConfig... I'm sure there are others that I should disable too!

When disabling services (Control Panel - Administration - Services), shut them off and set them to Manual, one or two at a time. Keep track of what you've changed. Run the PC for a while, do things you normally do. If all works, move to the next batch. Be careful with this.

Lastly, with Win7, there are several scheduled tasks that I don't need/want, so I've disabled them too.

To me, less is better. I want to keep my several year old Dell PC running. When it slows down, I become concerned about programs running at startup and unnecessary services. If you compare Linux to Windows, considerably less hardware is required for the same functionality. It is all the Microsoft, Adobe, Apple and now Google crap software consuming our machines!

Good luck,
Don

[Cormorant]

Just another happy user of Iobit's Advanced System Care.
Download the free version here (and be ready to fend off their helpful offers to upgrade to the paid version):

Advanced SystemCare Free - Download.com

Also, a lot of Vista computers shipped with insufficient RAM. Google around a bit to see how much RAM your computer can take, and for $15-$20 you can usually double what you have. Speeds things up a lot. I just helped my parents "fix" their glacial Vista laptop with Advanced System Care plus a RAM upgrade. All better now.

[barnakiel]

We have been using CCleaner for a longer time now. I like it. Never any trouble.

We also use a defragler.

b.