How to use CCleaner: setup, features

CCleaner has probably been heard by many users. Some experts recommend this utility for comprehensive cleaning and maintenance of the operating system. But in order for the program to be effective, you need to know how to use it correctly. Only in this case can success be achieved. Proper configuration of CCleaner will allow you to use the software with the best result. That is why it is worth considering in detail the process of working with the program. That is what we are going to do now. But first, by tradition, some general information.

What is CCleaner

CCleaner is a software product from Piriform, designed to clean and optimize the Windows operating system. The utility has rich functionality and excellent job.

The program features include:

• Disk Cleanup. The product cleans the system partition (and not only) from various garbage. This category includes program cache, temporary files, remnants of various applications, downloaded OS update files, and more.
• Registry Cleanup. The program is able to clean the registry from all garbage. The tool quickly searches for and removes erroneous entries, eliminates the "tails" of remote programs and optimizes the registry.
• Startup control. The tool can remove unnecessary programs from startup. This allows you to clear the RAM and speed up the system startup after turning on the PC or rebooting it.
• Uninstall programs. The product includes a tool that helps you properly uninstall any program. After that, no “tails” remain in the registry.
• Erase discs. The utility can correctly delete files from disks. If you select the "Erase disks" option, then all sections will become pristine. No one will guess that they once had something.
• Delete duplicates. CCleaner quickly searches for copies of files and immediately deletes them. This frees up space on your hard drive. This is especially critical for the system partition.

All of the above is the core functionality of CCleaner. A cleaning setting will only be required upon first use. Then all the settings will be applied automatically. This is just the time to set the initial parameters for cleaning and we will move on. There is nothing complicated about it. Moreover, the user does not have to repeat this procedure.

Initial setup of CCleaner for the "seven"

Configuring CCleaner for Windows 7 is significantly different from that in the "top ten." Therefore, it was highlighted in a separate heading. In principle, to work with the "seven" the program does not even need to be properly configured. The only thing that needs to be done is to exclude browser cleanup if you do not want to re-enter (and remember) all passwords. Also clearing the web browser involves deleting the entire browsing history. It is unlikely that anyone will like it. Everything else can be left as it is.

Setting registry cleaning for the "seven"

Now about the Windows registry. No doubt it needs to be cleaned. At least once every few months. And if you click on the appropriate button, you can see that the program itself has marked the categories needed for high-quality cleaning. And touching them is not recommended. Here everything should remain as it is already configured. Setting up CCleaner to properly clean Windows 7 does not differ in any specific features. But with the "top ten" everything is different. About this in the next chapter.

Initial setup of CCleaner for "tens"

And here we have to work a little on the cleaning parameters. Configuring CCleaner for Windows 10 should begin with the exclusion of cleaning certain categories. It is highly recommended that you uncheck the "Organize the Start menu" checkbox. The fact is that Windows 10 has a peculiar Start menu, and if this option remains on, after cleaning this component may not start at all. You should not risk it, especially if your version of CCleaner is not adapted to the "top ten". It is also worth unchecking the item "Windows Services". "Ten" reacts extremely painfully to the fact that someone delves into its system services. Some of them may then not work. As a result, the entire operating system begins to function very badly.

It is also recommended that you uncheck the "Thumbnail cache" and "Quick access lists" checkboxes. If you clear these categories, then the operating system will start to work very slowly. And nobody needs this. In principle, this is where the CCleaner setup for proper cleaning of Windows 10 is finished. Now you can start working with the application. There is nothing complicated about it, but we still decided to consider this issue in more detail and described the cleaning process in subsequent chapters. So it will be more reliable.

System Cleanup in CCleaner

So, let's move on to the features of working with CCleaner. Utility setup completed. Now you can start cleaning. First you need to start the application using the appropriate shortcut on the desktop. The main program window with detailed information about the system will launch. Now you can proceed to the general cleaning of the operating system (including disks). The algorithm of actions will be as follows.

1. Switch to the tab "Cleaning", which is located on the left side of the window.
2. We tick off the necessary categories for cleaning and click on the "Analysis" button.
3. The program will begin to search for problems. After completing the search, it will give detailed statistics. Now you need to click on the "Cleanup" button.
4. During cleaning, the utility will try to fix all problems. it turns out this is not the first time, so if necessary, the process should be repeated.

This is how the basic cleaning of the operating system of any garbage occurs using a software product called CCleaner. Setting up cleaning during subsequent use of the application is not required. Now you can move on to another operation.

Clearing the registry in CCleaner

Now let's move on to the Windows registry. There is nothing complicated here either. The cleaning itself takes place automatically. The user only needs to select the desired categories. And the cleaning instructions are as follows.

1. Go to the "Registry" tab. It is located on the left side of the window. immediately under the item "Cleaning".
2. We mark all the necessary categories in the corresponding window and click on the "Search for problems" button.
3. After analyzing the degree of registry clutter, you will see the results of the check. Now click on the "Fix problems" button.

This completes the registry cleanup. After completing this procedure, it is highly recommended that you restart your computer or laptop. Only then the registry will return to normal. Now let's talk about startup of the operating system.

Startup control

Now consider the question of how to manage startup using this wonderful software product. This is useful for the OS, as it facilitates its loading and frees up the computer's RAM a bit. The algorithm of action is this.

1. Go to the "Service" tab. It is located directly under the "Registry" item.
2. Next, click on the "Startup" button.
3. The program will display a list of applications that start with the OS. We click on the right mouse button.
4. In the context menu, select the "Delete".
5. Repeat the steps for other programs.

After all the manipulations, you can restart your PC or laptop and see how much faster Windows starts loading. The increase in download speed should be palpable. However, do not prohibit startup of system applications. Such as Windows Defender. Because of this, the OS may be unstable.

Uninstall programs with CCleaner

The software product has a powerful tool for the "correct" removal of programs. It allows you to uninstall applications so that they do not leave traces in the registry and other corners of the Windows OS. This is much better than using the System Tools and Features system tool. To uninstall a utility, do the following.

1. We launch the program and go to the "Service" tab.
2. Here we click on the "Uninstall programs" button.
3. A list of installed applications appears. Choose the right one and click on the name with the right mouse button.
4. In the context menu, select the "Delete".
5. Follow the recommendations of the program to remove.
6. We repeat all the above steps for all the necessary utilities.

After removing programs in this way, nothing will remain of them. Especially after reboot. In this regard, CCleaner works as clearly as in cleaning mode. It is recommended to use this utility to uninstall programs from the OS.

Conclusion

So, above we examined a very useful and high-quality software product from Piriform under the name CCleaner. This application is configured only once: at the first start. Everything else is done automatically. This program is ideally suited for the comprehensive cleaning of the Windows family of operating systems. Any versions are supported.