Do we really need third party system utility suits for Win

While on Windows XP, Vista and 7, we used a a lot of system utility suits like System Mechanic, Tuneup Utilities and Advanced System Care

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I think you will find many on this forum did not use any of that stuff.

Ccleaner, probably, but that is all.

I would avoid System Mechanic, Tuneup Utilities, Advanced System Care and all like utilities. They weren't needed when they were introduced and they aren't needed now. Even those that are free are overpriced.

I haven't used them since the early XP time (before SP2). Since XP SP2 I don't use them anymore. In my experience they do more harm then good.

And in case you've got your system so screwed up that you might consider using them..... there's nothing like a fresh installation to fix those issues !

THpubs said:

How about simple tools like CCleaner?

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I don't use it because I don't need it. There are a few simple rules which I use to keep my system clean:

a)Never install software etc. unless I really do need it. I don't want to have 30 different browsers/ media players etc. IE works fine for me so I stick to 1 browser. As for a media player I use iTunes because I have an iPod.
b)If I want to try out new stuff (software, games, etc.) or if I have to install something in order to help a friend out I always use a Virtual Environment.
c)Configure the software right after the installation and make sure it's configured the way you want to. That way it does what you want.
d)Keep the installed software up to date.
e)The most important one ==> Think first, then think again, then reconsider, then.....if you are convinced you really want to, give a mouse click.

By simply following these simple rules I keep my system clean and fast. It won't get slow or get clogged with trash over time. I don't have to do reinstalled either. The only thing I have to 'delete and replace' now and then is the virtual test environment. But hey...that's what it is for .


Greetz,

Rover

CCleaner is fine to use, just don't use the Registry Cleaner unless you know what you are doing.

And don't use CCleaner Enhanced unless you really know what you are doing.

You still need to be careful of the options you pick, cause they can cause issues with some Win8 Store Apps.

But in general, CCleaner yes, the rest no.

CCleaner is not a fix all utility. It is to clean up the system of garbage files that get re-created as they are used, such as Temp Inet Files and Cookies, Recently Used Lists, Temp files, etc.

A lot of them are just Snake oil, IMHO. I don't use them or recommend using them. I'm sure there are some that are reputable but it seems most do more harm than good.

I have used CCleaner for years. It's registry cleaner works great, I've used it many times to help when working on systems.
As for the other types of "system tuneup" type stuff, they usually create problems, not fix them.

Sam

Im with SAM. I only like Crap Cleaner because its lightweight, and it just works. It does the things I used to do by hand very quickly and efficiently...

But it should be stressed that,,, for any Reg Cleaner, including CCleaners, if you don't know what you are doing, don't mess with it.
Reg cleaners can seriously mess up your system.

i dont use any third party software(system utility) unless i really really need that. For 90% of my music and video stuff i use Windows media player.

alphanumeric said:

A lot of them are just Snake oil, IMHO.

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Agreed.

I use CCleaner because it's handy for deleting temporary files while allowing me to keep certain cookies so that I can stay permanently logged into sites I use daily. Other than CCleaner, I don't use anything else.

I think registry cleaners are only good as a last resort to fix a specific issue. The registry itself is accessed so quickly that removing a few hundred unused entries from it makes no difference at all. But I remember once cleaning up spyware from a PC whose owner insisted I couldn't just do a fresh Windows install and even after all the spyware was gone, it wasn't working properly. I used a registry cleaner as a last resort and it must have removed entries related to the spyware as it did fix the problems. But I would say that the vast majority of people who run a registry cleaner are not seeing any benefit whatsoever, but they were the sort of people who are obsessive about system maintenance - even though what they're doing has no noticeable effects and runs a small risk of hosing their OS install or causing issues with software.