Advice Request PC Cleaning Apps are a Scam!

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.

Are you use PC Cleaning Apps?

  • Yes

    Votes: 54 69.2%
  • No

    Votes: 24 30.8%

  • Total voters
    78
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hamo

Level 10
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Mar 30, 2014
468
PC Cleaning Apps are a Scam: Here’s Why (and How to Speed Up Your PC)

PC cleaning apps are digital snake oil. The web is full of ads for applications that want to “clean your PC” and “make it feel like new.” Don’t pull out your credit card — these apps are terrible and you don’t need them.
If you do want to “clean your PC,” you can do it for free. Windows includes built-in PC cleaning tools that can do almost all of what the average PC cleaning app will do for you.

Let’s Investigate a PC Cleaning App
So what do these apps do, anyway? Nothing.

Windows can remove junk files, clear Internet browsing traces, and defragment your hard drive without installing additional software.

Any System Utility offers a “free diagnosis,” which is little more than an attempt to scare people into thinking their computers have thousands of “issues” that can be fixed for an easy!
After running a scan, you’ll see an alarming count of the number of problems on your computer. It found 26267 issues on our computer. That’s an extremely alarming number — but what exactly is an issue?
  • Every browser cookie and history entry counts as a single issue.
  • Every temporary file counts as a single issue, no matter how tiny it is.
  • Invalid registry entries are considered issues, although they shouldn’t actually slow down your computer.
  • Our registry can be compacted a bit, but this shouldn’t make a noticeable different in performance
  • Every fragmented file counts as a single issue. MyCleanPC is measuring fragmentation based on the number of fragmented files, leading to a scary-looking 21.33% data fragmentation statistic. For comparison, the Windows Disk Defragmenter tells us we have 2% fragmentation.
Temporary files are not slowing down your computer, and neither are browser history entries or cookies. Registry entries are generally not a problem — there’s a reason Microsoft once created a registry cleaner of their own before discontinuing it and advising people not to use registry cleaners.

Yes, your computer can be slow because its file system is fragmented. You can fix this by running the Disk Defragmenter tool included with Windows — the Disk Defragmenter runs automatically on a schedule, anyway. Most people shouldn’t have to worry about defragmenting their hard drives anymore.

How to Actually Clean Your PC
https://www.howtogeek.com/162683/pc-cleaning-apps-are-a-scam-heres-why-and-how-to-speed-up-your-pc/
 
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D

Deleted member 65228

I don't go near such utilities. Waste of resources, time and money (usually). Another attack vector as well which I'd rather not have. I keep installations to a minimal, keep software up-to-date, disable what I don't need to use, clean browser data manually and that's that. Works perfectly fine.

If you understand how the Windows Registry works for starters, you'll know that most of the time "registry cleaning" isn't necessary. As for features like "defragging" of the hard drive, Windows already has built-in tools for doing such. There is even an automatic clean-up which cleans out a lot of junk for you, such as areas like the Recycling Bin, old Windows installations, etc.

Edit: CCleaner for the record is good and the registry cleaner they have is pretty safe usually but stuff like IObit Advanced SystemCare, I'd never pay for that stuff or go near it personally. CCleaner is the best one IMO though.
 
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TairikuOkami

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May 13, 2017
2,452
Windows Support webpage gives tons of suggestions, how to solve problems by cleaning various caches, temps, etc. Cleaning software does all of it, so it helps to prevent problems. Windows 10 update failed once, because of an obsolete reg entry, the fix was an update, which cleaned registry, people using reg cleaners had it taken care of. Cleaning a few hundreds of tracking cookies can have a significant impact on a browsing speed. I consider CCleaner as a security prevention tool.

Unfortunately there are many fakes, which claim to speed up computer by 600% (like IoBit). Cleaning can solve stuttering and similar issues, but it will not replace hardware. But those fakes and usually top in searches, because they pay for it and then people judge every other cleaning software based on those. There are many fake AVs as well, but that does not mean, that people should not use any AV. It all comes down to finding a legitimate software. Is it not necessary, but it can be useful.
 

Prorootect

Level 69
Verified
Nov 5, 2011
5,855
So why do I have to have other habits..... I'm used to shutting down the PC after each session, 3-4 times a day, maybe I have to finish with this too? To stop making 3-4 logins in MT per day? Recently my PC doesn't want to boot sometimes anymore, I'm going to do the restart several times sometimes, it doesn't always find the monitor, do the monitor tuning sometimes... Why?
I'm used to reading different topics here on MT, and on other websites, maybe I have to finish with, and be faithful to a single topic? About stunning images, or cats, or iframes javascript redirections? What would you kindly advise me, please?
Do not have to check A. tweets on Twitter anymore, would it be better, you think? For me?
Surely in this way I would have much more time, to do something for living...

Edit: Well, I've been joking around here and there... you're probably figuring it out.
 
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tim one

Level 21
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Malware Hunter
Jul 31, 2014
1,086
I'm using Kerish Doctor, and I believe that it is one of the few reliable and honest cleaners but yes, most often, these apps can be a snake oil.
A skilled user can do a large part of the Windows maintenance without resorting to third party utilities.
What I like of KD, is the excellent implementation of algorithms and the programming capabilities of its devs.
 

Sunshine-boy

Level 28
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Apr 1, 2017
1,759
I'm using Kerish Doctor, wise disk cleaner(a portable version that i create by Cameyo)and Recently added Clean Master for PC(Cheetah Mobile)!
Clean master is a decent cleaner!it uses Ai and I love it
There are places that windows not gonna clean for me like SoftwareDistribution folder but I have the clean master for those places.
 

tim one

Level 21
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Malware Hunter
Jul 31, 2014
1,086
I'm using Kerish Doctor, wise disk cleaner(a portable version that i create by Cameyo)and Recently added Clean Master for PC(Cheetah Mobile)!
Clean master is a decent cleaner!it uses Ai and I love it
There are places that windows not gonna clean for me like SoftwareDistribution folder but I have the clean master for those places.
Yes Clean Master for PC scans in depth finding tons of trash and without any problems according to my experience :)
 

Flengo

Level 2
Verified
Oct 19, 2017
52
Most cleaning "apps" tend to try and intimidate/scare non-technical by using language that makes cache, cookies, temporary files and registry keys seem like much bigger problems than they really are - I'd consider these types of cleaning "apps" pretty much scams.

My go-to cleaning utility would be BleachBit as it doesn't go over-the-top, is open-source and doesn't try and manipulate its users into paying for something they don't need.
 

hamo

Level 10
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Mar 30, 2014
468
For who still use those tools, Ask yourself "why I use this tools?"
If your answer is something like (habit, like it, OR I use it without any problems :eek: assuming it did), So you Waste of your PC resources.

Give a try to not use any tools for only one week, and you will know the true.

@Sunshine-boy : SoftwareDistribution, normal user don't know what is this folder, and tools did not check it by default. I can do it by myself without Waste of your PC resources. All tools have a service that run in background automatically.

It is so easy to take care of my PC manually every week Waste of your PC resources.

Edit: If you still need to use those tools, Never Ever try to change its default sitting, If you did the error will begin.
 
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5

509322

Cleaning out your user's profile is not a scam. A bit better clean than what Windows' built-in cleanmgr.exe does is not a scam. Claiming your cleaning utility will heal a system better than factory original is a scam.

CCleaner free is sufficient for removing annoying browlock infections - you know, the ones where your browser is locked and tells you that your system is infected and to call the Microsoft or other support number to remove the infection. I get them on a regular enough basis.
 

roger_m

Level 41
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Dec 4, 2014
3,014
I use Advanced SystemCare Pro, Clean Master for PC Pro, Kerish Doctor and Wise Disk Cleaner. They all work very well and are not scams.

But, it is not essential to use tools like this and you never ever need to clean the registry. In exceptionally rare cases, cleaning the registry can fix problems or speed up a computer. But, 99% of the time, you won't see any benefit from cleaning the registry.
 
D

Deleted member 178

Windows won't remove those huge Windows Update backup files, installer backup, etc...
You need a cleaner for it or know where they are located, if not you will end with a system bloated with gigas of junk files.

Seems little concerns at first sight but when you will do system images, then you will understand.
 

Deletedmessiah

Level 25
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Content Creator
Well-known
Jan 16, 2017
1,469
I have not used many but CCleaner and Wise Disk Cleaner cleans more than cleanmgr, they're way faster and have never caused me any issue. Run cleanmgr after using Ccleaner or Wise Cleaner and you'll find only a few KBs or MBs of files to clean, which shows these PC cleaning apps does work. There are snake oils out there but many good ones too.
 
5

509322

Windows won't remove those huge Windows Update backup files, installer backup, etc...
You need a cleaner for it or know where they are located, if not you will end with a system bloated with gigas of junk files.

Seems little concerns at first sight but when you will do system images, then you will understand.

Cleanmgr now gives the option to remove the Windows Update .old, but there is nothing wrong with cleaning up the system as long as the user understands that any paid utility isn't going to make it perform like new again. They should learn how to clean install and optimize their system on their own - like you learned over the years - right ? No utility did that for you.
 

Prorootect

Level 69
Verified
Nov 5, 2011
5,855
Lockdown wrote:
"CCleaner free is sufficient for removing annoying browlock infections - you know, the ones where your browser is locked and tells you that your system is infected and to call the Microsoft or other support number to remove the infection. I get them on a regular enough basis."

- How do you do this 'get on regular basis'? For tests maybe.. - Could you pass me the links, please? - in another topic for iframes javascript redirections, here page 3: Block Iframes, JavaScript, Redirections
 
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