Ccleaner worthless?

Johannes said:

I have the free version of ccleaner, but I was told by a supposedly savvy computer user, that it is a useless piece of software and not worth taking up space.
I am aware of the history deleting capabilities of the browsers, but I thought the Ccleaner did a better job of it.

Windows 10 Version 22H2

Why?

Depends on how you configure it and not to use all functions. Still has some value, i.e. junk registry entries.

Compumind said:

Why?

Depends on how you configure it and not to use all functions. Still has some value, i.e. junk registry entries.

I am technically very challenged, therefore I used only the basic function of the ccleaner and did not configure anything.
Last week I uninstalled it to check if it made a difference with another problem that propped up after a windows update.
However, it did not make a difference with that issue, so I am re-installing it.

Johannes said:

However, it did not make a difference with that issue, so I am re-installing it.

If it was a browser's issue, a browser reset should do, otherwise a repair upgrade to avoid a complete reinstall.

I heard from a friend who knows a PC expert who read somewhere that connecting to the Internet can cause problems. Should I leave my PC unplugged?

Passenger Chi said:

I find it very useful for registry cleaning and cookie management.

Needless to say, DO NOT check flipping everything before cleaning.

Registry cleaning in itself is useless , it does nothing for performance and the disk space recaptured is minimal at best and you always run the risk of deleting something important which CCleaner is not above doing, I have had it happen. I no longer clean the registry. Use a good uninstaller and your registry should stay fit.

The rest can be cleaned with your built in Windows tools / disk cleaner or .bat files , third party cleaning tools, no matter who makes them do more harm than good.
I used to have to re-install or refresh my system every six to eight months when I used third party cleaning tools , since I stopped I have not had to do a refresh or re-install in over two years.

To be honest, ever since Avast bought CCleaner, it is complete garbage. Back in the day when it was owned by Piriform it had it's place and uses, without forced ads and nag screens. I used to sing praises for CCleaner years ago, today , I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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f14tomcat said:

I heard from a friend who knows a PC expert who read somewhere that connecting to the Internet can cause problems. Should I leave my PC unplugged?

Depends .... does your friend wear a tinfoil hat?
Seriously though , anything left connected to the internet could see potential problems , have I ever seen it? No , But there are those that think trouble is just lurking right outside their firewall or router and that is just not true.
The best rule of thumb I can give anyone is , while on the internet, don't roam where you don't belong and don't do anything you should not be doing and you will be fine. I know people still running Windows XP and Windows 7 and have known some to run without any Antivirus and never had a problem. The problems arise when you go fooling around in the seedy areas of the web or run "questionable" software.

If you are THAT worried about it , unplug the Ethernet cable from your computer or disconnect the Wifi after you are done using your pc , it won't hurt anything.

Dark Knight said:

Registry cleaning in itself is useless , it does nothing for performance and the disk space recaptured is minimal at best and you always run the risk of deleting something important which CCleaner is not above doing, I have had it happen. I no longer clean the registry. Use a good uninstaller and your registry should stay fit.

The rest can be cleaned with your built in Windows tools / disk cleaner or .bat files , third party cleaning tools, no matter who makes them do more harm than good.
I used to have to re-install or refresh my system every six to eight months when I used third party cleaning tools , since I stopped I have not had to do a refresh or re-install in over two years.

To be honest, ever since Avast bought CCleaner, it is complete garbage. Back in the day when it was owned by Piriform it had it's place and uses, without forced ads and nag screens. I used to sing praises for CCleaner years ago, today , I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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Depends .... does your friend wear a tinfoil hat?
Seriously though , anything left connected to the internet could see potential problems , have I ever seen it? No , But there are those that think trouble is just lurking right outside their firewall or router and that is just not true.
The best rule of thumb I can give anyone is , while on the internet, don't roam where you don't belong and don't do anything you should not be doing and you will be fine. I know people still running Windows XP and Windows 7 and have known some to run without any Antivirus and never had a problem. The problems arise when you go fooling around in the seedy areas of the web or run "questionable" software.

If you are THAT worried about it , unplug the Ethernet cable from your computer or disconnect the Wifi after you are done using your pc , it won't hurt anything.

Thank you for your concern, but my post was very, very tounge-in-cheek. Intentionally a bit weird and off the wall in keeping with the entire thread.

Berton said:

Other files I like to remove are *.ini as in desktop.ini and *.thn for Thumbnails.

That will destroy any custom Icons you have assigned to folders and kill the magic of some system folders like User files and User pictures etc

f14tomcat said:

Thank you for your concern, but my post was very, very tounge-in-cheek. Intentionally a bit weird and off the wall in keeping with the entire thread.

Kind of thought that after posting it , but I PROMISE, the information will be useful to someone

Johannes said:

I have the free version of ccleaner, but I was told by a supposedly savvy computer user, that it is a useless piece of software and not worth taking up space.
I am aware of the history deleting capabilities of the browsers, but I thought the Ccleaner did a better job of it.

Windows 10 Version 22H2

i wouldn't touch that with a 20 yard pole ,let alone download it

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