If you use your computer regularly then it’s likely you leave a clutter of files behind. These temporary or even unwanted files have the possibility of slowing down a computer or even cause serious conflicts with software programs that are installed.

When dealing with unwanted files on your computer it’s important to remember these files can provide information to what a user has been doing on the PC. From installing software to browsing website the temporary files on a computer can provide a wealth of information about someone.

I have already posted about the free software called ATF Cleaner. This is a great tool to help remove temporary files but today I want to post about another free utility called CCleaner by Piriform Ltd.

CCleaner is a light program with some very basic but yet powerful features.  It removes unused and temporary files from your computer and also has a registry cleaner.

The Windows components that it can clean include: Temporary File Cache, URL History, Cookies, Hidden Index.dat files, Last download file location, Recycle Bin, Clipboard, Windows Temporary files, Windows Log files, Recent Documents (on the Start Menu), Run history (on the Start Menu), Windows XP Search Assistant history, Windows XP old Prefetch data, Windows memory dumps after crashes and Chkdsk file fragments.

By simply clicking on the Analyze button the software will scan these locations for files to delete. You can then proceed to select the location you wish to delete. Exclusions can also be added to certain locations can be left untouched.

It also has a registry cleaner and although I have been in IT for over 10 years the registry is one location that can be delicate to work with. CCleaner makes dealing with the registry easier.

The registry cleaner in CCleaner will check: File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help File references, Application Paths, Icons, and Invalid Shortcuts.

Note: Before deleting anything in the registry its good practice to back it up first or even create a System Restore point, something else that CCleaner can do.

I have been using CCleaner for a while now and it can be surprising how many unwanted files you gather within a couple of days so run it often or even set it as an automated task.

Click here to download CCleaner for free