Just sharing some goodies with you all...I've been into computers for years and these programs have proven themselves time and time again.
Here are two free programs that us computer guys use religiously to free up space on our own systems, as well as our customers' computers as well. Both are totally free and DO NOT contain spyware. I posted them on my horror forum and the first 2 people freed up over 1GB each.
Crap Cleaner
http://www.ccleaner.com/
CleanUp
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/
Close all other windows when running these applications. With Crap Cleaner, you can hit the 'analyze' button for a preview of how much junk it will remove...then you simply hit the 'Run Cleaner' button to finish the job. Then you can click on 'Issues' on the upper left of your screen to remove junk registry files. With CleanUp, it's just a matter of hitting the 'CleanUp!' button.
You can customize each to delete only what you want to have deleted...I run them both at their default settings. Totally safe to use! I've removed up to 4gb on systems with just Crap Cleaner alone. If you have a lot of junk files built up, it may appear that the program isn't doing anything...just let it keep running until it displays a list of files to be deleted.
Some of you will be amazed at just how much crap you have on your systems. Oh...keep in mind, it will delete your browser history, so don't come crying to me when you hit the dropdown arrow in your address bar and your recently visited sites aren't there.
Some spyware programs...
Be sure you use the update feature of each program before you run your scans.
Adaware
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=pop
Microsoft Antispyware Beta (will not work on Windows 98 or lower)
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/s...re/default.mspx
Spybot
http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Dest...14.html?tag=pop
The following are NOT free, but they have a fully functional trial version that you can use to give your system a good cleaning.
SpySweeper
http://www.webroot.com/land/freescan_download.php?rc=4259
Ewido
http://www.ewido.net/en/download/
Be sure to run the two cleaners I posted above before running the spyware programs...the result is MUCH less files to be scanned (less time). Also, turn off system restore (ME & XP users) before you clean your system. Some spyware/viruses can be saved in restore points.
NEVER do searches for spyware programs to install...there are so many fake programs that actually add more spyware, but look like they're getting rid of some.
I'll add my favorite FREE antivirus program to the list.
Avast Home Edition
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
It requires a free registration, but it's fast and you won't get spam.
http://www.avast.com/i_kat_207.php?lang=ENG
My 2nd favorite.
AVG
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
FYI, if you're currently using Norton...I (along with all of my computer buds) HIGHLY recommend you uninstall it right now and install either Avast or AVG. Norton is not free, it misses viruses all of the time (I've seen it dozens of times), and it's a resource hog.
You can use this trial defrag program until it expires as it's fully functional as well.
PerfectDisk
http://www.raxco.com/products/downloadit/p...00_download.cfm
Quick registration with no spam.
Time to free up some system resources by eliminating unwanted programs from starting up every time your computer is turned on/rebooted.
Autoruns
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html
It shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
Use these two sites to help determine whether or not you need to have each process running upon system boot.
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
http://www.processlibrary.com/
If the processes don't show up in either of those, do a google search...if it doesn't show up in google, you probably don't need it.
Free popup blocker:
http://www.panicware.com/product_psfree.html
A FREE Office suite comparable to Microsoft Office...some people actually like it better.
http://www.openoffice.org/
Free image manipulation program.
The Gimp
http://www.gimp.org/
For you IE users...give Firefox a try. 9/10 computer geeks prefer it.
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
I really hope you guys take the time to try these programs...you'll be glad you did and I'll feel better about taking so much time to post them up.
Here are two free programs that us computer guys use religiously to free up space on our own systems, as well as our customers' computers as well. Both are totally free and DO NOT contain spyware. I posted them on my horror forum and the first 2 people freed up over 1GB each.
Crap Cleaner
http://www.ccleaner.com/
CleanUp
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/
Close all other windows when running these applications. With Crap Cleaner, you can hit the 'analyze' button for a preview of how much junk it will remove...then you simply hit the 'Run Cleaner' button to finish the job. Then you can click on 'Issues' on the upper left of your screen to remove junk registry files. With CleanUp, it's just a matter of hitting the 'CleanUp!' button.
You can customize each to delete only what you want to have deleted...I run them both at their default settings. Totally safe to use! I've removed up to 4gb on systems with just Crap Cleaner alone. If you have a lot of junk files built up, it may appear that the program isn't doing anything...just let it keep running until it displays a list of files to be deleted.
Some of you will be amazed at just how much crap you have on your systems. Oh...keep in mind, it will delete your browser history, so don't come crying to me when you hit the dropdown arrow in your address bar and your recently visited sites aren't there.
Some spyware programs...
Be sure you use the update feature of each program before you run your scans.
Adaware
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=pop
Microsoft Antispyware Beta (will not work on Windows 98 or lower)
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/s...re/default.mspx
Spybot
http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Dest...14.html?tag=pop
The following are NOT free, but they have a fully functional trial version that you can use to give your system a good cleaning.
SpySweeper
http://www.webroot.com/land/freescan_download.php?rc=4259
Ewido
http://www.ewido.net/en/download/
Be sure to run the two cleaners I posted above before running the spyware programs...the result is MUCH less files to be scanned (less time). Also, turn off system restore (ME & XP users) before you clean your system. Some spyware/viruses can be saved in restore points.
NEVER do searches for spyware programs to install...there are so many fake programs that actually add more spyware, but look like they're getting rid of some.
I'll add my favorite FREE antivirus program to the list.
Avast Home Edition
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
It requires a free registration, but it's fast and you won't get spam.
http://www.avast.com/i_kat_207.php?lang=ENG
My 2nd favorite.
AVG
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
FYI, if you're currently using Norton...I (along with all of my computer buds) HIGHLY recommend you uninstall it right now and install either Avast or AVG. Norton is not free, it misses viruses all of the time (I've seen it dozens of times), and it's a resource hog.
You can use this trial defrag program until it expires as it's fully functional as well.
PerfectDisk
http://www.raxco.com/products/downloadit/p...00_download.cfm
Quick registration with no spam.
Time to free up some system resources by eliminating unwanted programs from starting up every time your computer is turned on/rebooted.
Autoruns
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html
It shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
Use these two sites to help determine whether or not you need to have each process running upon system boot.
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
http://www.processlibrary.com/
If the processes don't show up in either of those, do a google search...if it doesn't show up in google, you probably don't need it.
Free popup blocker:
http://www.panicware.com/product_psfree.html
A FREE Office suite comparable to Microsoft Office...some people actually like it better.
http://www.openoffice.org/
Free image manipulation program.
The Gimp
http://www.gimp.org/
For you IE users...give Firefox a try. 9/10 computer geeks prefer it.
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
I really hope you guys take the time to try these programs...you'll be glad you did and I'll feel better about taking so much time to post them up.