CCleaner is a fantastic, free, registry and file cleaner for Windows. If you don’t know, crap (the first C in CCleaner) builds up on your Windows machine over time, and can use up gigs of free space and slow your machine down terribly. This is where CCleaner comes in.

Step 1: Download and Install

CCleaner is available free of charge (and free of spyware) from FileHippo – Download CCleaner. When you install be sure to let it check for new versions when it runs, as there are often small improvements.

I choose not to add shortcuts anywhere, but add the context items to my Recycle Bin. Then I right click that to run it as seen in the image.

Step 2: First Run of Cleaner

The first time you go through the CCleaner process its going to take a while (unless you have a clean install). Choose to Open CCleaner through your Recycle Bin and go to the first tab, the “Cleaner Tab”.

This could take a few minutes up to 30 minutes from my experience, and will delete temp files, broken shortcuts, and more. If you are worried about losing data, go through the applications and Windows list to untick anything you don’t want cleaned.

Then say “Run Cleaner”.

Step 3: First Run of Registry Checker

The cleaners purpose is obvious, to delete files you don’t need that build up over time. The registry one is more complicated. For those of you who don’t know Windows machines keep what is called a “registry”. This is a store on the computer of all the settings the machine requires to run (and more).

As you install, uninstall, move, and change things on your system it can become outdated and bloated – and the bigger it is the slower you go.

Switch to the Registry tab and say “Scan for Issues”.  Once this is done, you can select to “Fix selected issues…” and it will popup and guide you through fixing them – I have always clicked Fix All, and never had a problem.

Step 4: Maintainance

Do this every month. Check for updates to CCleaner and let it run. After your first run it will only take 5 or so minutes to make sure everything is hunky dory and keep you speedy.

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