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Five free programs to keep your Windows computer running like new

As our lives have become increasingly digitized, our computers have become the central hub for all our information and activities. But with all that use comes clutter, which can slow down our machines and even put us at risk for security breaches. That's why it's essential to regularly clean up our computers. Fortunately, there are several free tools available to help you keep your Windows computer running like new.

Five free programs to keep your Windows computer running like new

The first tool(s) I recommend is Storage Sense / Disk Cleanup, which are built into Windows. These tools will scan your computer for unnecessary files, such as temporary files and system files, and give you the option to delete them. To access Storage Sense or Disk Cleanup, follow the instructions below.

How to open Storage Sense in Windows 11

  1. Left-click on the Start Windows logo key button to bring up the Start menu.
  2. In the list of pinned apps on the Start menu, left-click on Settings.
  3. Scroll down the right-hand column and left-click on Storage.
  4. In the right-hand column, left-click on Storage Sense.

How to open Disk Cleanup in Windows 11

  1. Left-click on the Start button Windows logo to bring up the Start menu.
  2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
  3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
  4. Left-click on Disk Cleanup.

How to open Storage Sense in Windows 10

  1. Left-click on the Start Windows logo menu and left-click on the Gear (Settings) icon. It should be the second icon up from the bottom.
  2. Left-click on the System category
  3. In the left-hand column, left-click on Storage. All of the storage options will appear in the right-hand column.

How to open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10

  1. Left-click on the Start Windows logo button.
  2. Scroll down the list of programs to Windows Administrative Tools and left-click to expand.
  3. Left-click on Disk Cleanup. If you have more than one (1) drive, you will be prompted on which drive you want to clean up.

For complete details on Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup, click on the link below for your version of Windows.

Clean up Windows 11 with Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup

Clean up your Windows 10 computer using the Storage feature

Clean up Windows 10 with Disk Cleanup

Another great tool is Adwcleaner, which is designed to remove adware and other potentially unwanted programs from your computer. Adware can slow down your machine and even put you at risk for malware infections.

Adwcleaner can also detect and remove pre-installed software (bloatware), requires no installation, and is easy to use. For more information on Adwcleaner, check out the following artilce.

Clean up your Internet browser with AdwCleaner

Autoruns is another valuable tool for cleaning up your computer. This tool allows you to see all of the programs set to run when you start your computer and allows you to disable any that you don't need. This can help speed up your machine and reduce the amount of clutter on your desktop.

Autoruns is one of the free utilities included in the Sysinternals Suite from Microsoft. Check out the following links for more information on Autoruns and Sysinternals Suite.

Autoruns for Windows

Troubleshoot your computer and more for free with Sysinternals Suite from Microsoft

CCleaner is a popular and powerful tool that can clean up your computer's registry, temporary files, and other unnecessary data. It also includes several other features, such as a file shredder and a program uninstaller.

CCleaner also includes a software updater and a duplicate file finder and can manage System Restore points. For more information on CCleaner, check out the following article.

Clean up and optimize your computer for free with CCleaner

Finally, Revo Uninstaller is an excellent tool for removing programs that you no longer need. Unlike the default Windows uninstaller, which can leave behind files and registry entries, Revo Uninstaller will completely remove the program and all of its associated files. This can free up valuable space on your hard drive and help keep your computer running smoothly.

Revo Uninstaller has a cool feature called Hunter Mode that allows you to find a shortcut or link to the program you want to uninstall. For more information on Revo Uninstaller, check out the following link.

Revo Uninstaller

In conclusion, cleaning up your computer is an important task that can help keep your machine running smoothly and reduce the risk of security breaches. You can easily clean up your computer by using free tools such as Storage Sense / Disk Cleanup, Adwcleaner, Autoruns, CCleaner, and Revo Uninstaller and enjoy a faster, more secure computing experience.

Clean up and optimize your computer for free with CCleaner

Updated August 20, 2023

Do you want to clean up and optimize your computer but don't know where to start? Maybe you want to clean out all of the temporary Internet files for security purposes. Or clean up all of the temporary files from other applications to free up some space on your hard drive. You can do all of this and more for free with CCleaner.

The Custom Clean tab inside of CCleaner
The Custom Clean tab inside of CCleaner

CCleaner from Piriform is a complete system optimization tool for Windows. It cleans out temporary Internet files from most browsers (Edge, Firefox, Chrome, etc.) and cleans out various Windows files (recent documents, temporary files, search autocomplete, etc.). It can also repair multiple areas of the registry.

The Registry Cleaner tab inside of CCleaner
The Registry Cleaner tab inside of CCleaner

CCleaner can also rename, delete, repair, or uninstall programs listed in the Add/Remove Programs section in the Control Panel and the Apps & features section of the Settings app. It can even manage the system restore points. Here's a quote from Piriform's website:

CCleaner is our system optimization, privacy, and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities, such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! Cleans the following:

Microsoft Edge
Cache, history, cookies, download history, form history, saved passwords, recently typed URLs.

Firefox
Cache, history, cookies, download history, form history, saved passwords, recently typed URLs.

Google Chrome
Cache, history, cookies, download history, form history, saved passwords, recently typed URLs.

Opera
Temporary files, history, cookies, super cookies, download history.

Safari
Temporary files, history, cookies, super cookies, form history.

Other Supported Browsers
K-Meleon, Rockmelt, Flock, Google Chrome Canary, Chromium, SeaMonkey, Chrome Plus, SRWare Iron, Pale Moon, Phoenix, Netscape Navigator, Avant and Maxthon.

Windows
Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files, Log files, Clipboard, DNS Cache, Error Reporting, Memory Dumps, Jump Lists.

Registry Cleaner
Advanced features to remove unused and old entries, including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more...

Third-party applications
Removes temp files and recent file lists (MRUs) from many apps including Windows Media Player, eMule, 7-Zip, Microsoft Office, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and many more...

100% Spyware FREE
This software does NOT contain any Spyware, Adware or Viruses.

CCleaner is available in three editions: Free (no support), Professional / Professional Plus, and CCleaner Cloud (business). For more information on CCleaner, follow the links below:

Speed up your PC with CCleaner

CCleaner Cloud for business

Free computer diagnostics

Repairing a PC can sometimes be expensive, and that is why we offer free basic in-shop diagnostics. Give one of our professional and experienced technicians a call at (602) 795-1111, and let's see what we can do for you.

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Here at Geeks in Phoenix, we take pride in providing excellent customer service. We aim to give the highest quality of service  from computer repair, virus removal, and data recovery.

Bring your computer to us and save

Repairing a computer can be time-consuming. That is why we base our in-shop service on the time we work on your computer, not the time it takes for your computer to work! From running memory checking software to scanning for viruses, these are processes that can take some time.

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If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at (602) 795-1111  and talk with one of our Geeks. Or you can send us a message from our contact page , and one of our Geeks will get back to you as soon as possible. Or you can stop by and see us. Here are our hours and location.

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