Shankar Ganesh

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The 5 best, free tools to remove junk files

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Over the course of time, your computer gets accumulated with unwanted and unremoved junk files that are no longer necessary. These junk files remain unused by the operating system, but occupy much disk space. Removing these junk files is a piece of cake, provided you have any of these tools installed on your computer.

Remove Junk Files for free

Remove Junk Files – 5 Best, Free Tools

1. CCleaner – Download

CCleaner Junk Remover

CCleaner is one amazing tool to remove junk files from your system. It scans your hard drive for potential junk files that include IE cache, unused application files, shortcuts, etc. Registry cleaning and Start up program managers are inbuilt. An additional feature is the ability to uninstalled loaded programs from your computer from within CCleaner itself. All-in-all, CCleaner is one best tool to get rid of the junk, and optimize your PC for performance.

2. Revo Uninstaller – Download

Remove Junk Files using Revo

It should’ve been named something else. It’s more than an uninstaller, it comes packed with lots of tools to remove the junk out of your system. Revo Uninstaller got all that you need – an uninstaller, files remover, autorun manager, startup manager, file shredder. You name it. It’s a Swiss Army Knife that keeps your computer devoid of junk.

3. nCleaner – Download

nCleaner

nCleaner is new on the block, but it’s good. It has more powerful options than CCleaner. You can say that nCleaner is targeted at more advanced users rather than novices. nCleaner has a file shredder. Plugins can be added to enhance the functionality of nCleaner. System Tweaks can be performed using the inbuilt tweaker, which has more options than you can imagine.

4. Advanced Windows Care Personal – Download

Wincare

This is more of a PC Suite, and has loads of tools to optimize and remove the junk from your computer. Spyware scanner is one of it’s best features, and has a one-click mechanism to protect and secure your computer. Though a paid upgrade is available, the free tool is definitely worth the features it provides. But, I found it running slow on my computer. Mind you, it’s hungry on resources.

5. XP Safeguard – Download

XP Safeguard

XP Safeguard is another simple, but efficient tool that’s targeted at novices. With it’s appealing interface, XP Safeguard can remove junk files, and alter other settings on your computer that cause inconvenience.

Share your favourite tools and your experiences with them in the comments.

Written by admin

November 15th, 2007 at 5:53 am

Posted in tools

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  • http://techie-buzz.com Keith Dsouza

    Nice list of softwares Shankar, I liked XP Safeguard and will try and use it.

  • http://www.reviewsaurus.com ReviewSaurus

    nice list of softwares and most of them are cool :)

  • http://www.shankarganesh.com/ Shankar Ganesh

    @Keith: Do try it!
    @ReviewSaurus: Thanks Saurus :D

  • http://www.techdune.com rony john

    Great Tios and Helps from you shankar ..thanks

  • http://www.applelens.com/ Sumesh

    I think you’re having some prob with the heading “Remove Junk Files – 5 Best, Free Tools”. Check it.

    I use CCleaner, and it works fine. Maybe I’ll try others later. Btw, using these programs is risky, coz there maybe errors in removal. I’ve never had any probs, but who knows?

    PS: Please leave the “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” checkbox unchecked – its not nice to unknowingly subscribe. I believe Mark Jaquith (author of plugin) has provided the required option to turn it off.

  • http://techyantra.net Beta3

    Wow nCleaner seems to be awesome! Thanks dude

  • http://www.shivaranjan.com Shivaranjan

    The best part is that the CCleaner can clean your registry also in addition to your hard drive.

  • http://www.whoismadhur.com Madhur Kapoor

    I have tried only ccleaner , will check out the others too. Stumbled

  • http://www.teknobites.com ram

    Nice list of useful software. I used ccleaner it works well, others i haven’t tried so far

  • SCHNURRBART

    I like CCleaner, I find Easycleaner just as good or better. Ease of use puts Advanced Windows Care Personal on top for me. I have no problem concerning it running slow. Maybe it’s overkill but I run all of them. But, I’m finding if I run Windows Care it catches just about everything. You are right about the name Revo Uninstaller

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  • http://indyankk.blogspot.com Innovations & interesting Ramblings

    I have used CCleaner…Is there a tool that can clean up junk files and viruses ?

  • big d

    Wow…cool list of apps. I think most of us know and trust CCleaner. I’ve used it for the past few years and have had very few problems. It can sometimes be a bit slow (compared to some commercial products) when cleaning in secure delete method like 7pass NSA. I’d like to think thats because it is doing a complete and thorough scan. :-) In any case, I will try the NCleaner and the Revo Uninstaller. I like to have multiple cleaning applications. That way, if some items are missed by one, they might be detected by another. Works for me.

  • http://techmalaya.com Syahid Ali

    I won’t trade ccleaner for anything! It just works, fast and efficient too.

  • http://www.shankarganesh.com/ Shankar Ganesh

    @Rony John: Thanks.
    @Sumesh: I’m fixing the checked option right now. Speaking of the title, it was modified on purpose :) Not that much risky, though you should be a little aware of what you are deleting.
    @Shivaranjan: Yes of course it does. That’s yet another reason to love CCleaner. :)
    @Beta3: Indeed it is.
    @Madhur: Thanks for the stumble.
    @Ram: CCleaner is great, but you can always try these alternatives.
    @SCHNURRBART: Hehe, thanks for dropping by.
    @Innovations: I’ve not heard of just one tool that does both :S
    @Big d: Thanks for sharing your experiences. Yeah, even I have 2 of these installed over here on my computer.
    @Syahid Ali: Hehe yeah, CCleaner is one useful tool that rocks.

  • http://nematzz.blogspot.com nematzz

    I love CCleaner and use it all the time along with another program that wasn’t mentioned here. I don’t know if you just don’t like it or never heard of it.

    It’s called SuperCleaner and it’s by Soft Bay Software. Here’s the URL:
    http://www.southbaypc.com/SuperCleaner/

  • http://www.online-tech-tips.com Aseem Kishore

    Great list of tools! Haven’t tried most of them out, will do so now.

  • Charles More

    I linked to this page from a forum I visit regularly, and I just had a distressed phone call from a friend who tried nCleaner having followed my link.
    He’s using Windows XP Pro: the McAfee SiteAdvisor Firefox plugin flags the nCleaner site with a red indicator, which made him wary, but he decided that – since I’d linked here, he’d trust that it would be OK.
    When he installed and ran the application it disassociated all of his Start menu shortcuts, and near emptied his entire start menu. He couldn’t launch any of his application from the desktop, and resorted to reinstalling most of his software to sort it all out.
    Whether this is the extent of the changes that the program made is unclear – I hope that it won’t have done anything more insidious; I feel like a complete jerk for getting him into this mess. I just had a look at the reviews on Download.com, and they’re similarly damning:

    http://www.download.com/3000-2094_4-10707055.html

    Did you actually try nCleaner out on your own system? It really doesn’t seem like a very safe product, and I’d seriously reconsider leaving it your list.

  • voxpop

    I use ccleaner and advanced windows care v2 and like them both. Especially cc cleaner

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  • http://www.sizzledcore.com Haris

    Awesome post!!! Great tools.. Thanks :)

  • http://www.technarf.com/ Tech Narf

    CCleaner is the best when it comes to removing junk! :)

  • http://pravin.insanitybegins.com pravin

    Neat list. Will check some of these tools out.

  • http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/category/bills-web/ Bill Webb

    I use CCleaner, with Easycleaner to back it up. I find that Ec will always pick up a bunch of registry junk that CCleaner misses.

    I prefer to stick with well-known products for this sort of thing since, as someone noted above, they can do you a mischief if they delete the wrong thing. I’d rather have a few items missed than lose a critical file.

    All my confidential files are on a TrueCrypt volume. If I want them out of there, I delete them with AxCrypt’s shredder. It’s quick, and any remains are going to be encrypted again anyway.

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  • http://www.nirmaltv.com Nirmal

    I have used only CCleaner, will check out others. Nice list anyways.

  • http://jalaj.net/ Jalaj

    Nice list… and Equally nice is your new blog theme.

  • http://www.shankarganesh.com/ Shankar Ganesh

    @Nematzz: Thanks for sharing the info.
    @Charles: Thanks for the heads up. But I’ve to tell that though I did a scan and a clean up using nCleaner nothing really went wrong. May be we should wait till nCleaner gets more popular.
    @Haris: Glad you liked it.
    @TechNarf: Yes, it’s still the best tool for most people.
    @Pravin: Thanks for dropping by to comment :) Your blog is just awesome.
    @Bill Webb: Thanks for sharing your views.

    “I prefer to stick with well-known products for this sort of thing since, as someone noted above, they can do you a mischief if they delete the wrong thing. I’d rather have a few items missed than lose a critical file.”

    I completely agree with what you said there.
    @Aseem Kishore, Nirmal: Do try the others :)
    @Jalaj: Thanks, I was testing themes :)

  • http://www.sizzledcore.com Haris

    @Shankar: You’re welcome! CCleaner simply rocks! I would recommend it to anyone :)

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  • http://www.gowfb.com/Living-Room-Furniture-Recliners-c-59_206.php?cPath=59_206 Recliners

    Thanks so much, I was trawling the net for just such information, and since so many people have endorsed CCleaner, I think I’ll try that one.

  • http://www.techpub.info high tech

    CCleaner is the best when it comes to removing junk! :)
    don’t think so

  • harold

    Another vote for ccleaner :)

    In the top 10 at
    http://www.topfreeware.net

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  • http://fedupofjunk.com jess

    ii am fed up of havin viruses and it aint easy and most of the time you have to pay and if its free its rubbish and dont work

  • http://www.digeus.com Meona

    I use Junk Files Cleaner from Digeus Inc.
    It is the top junk cleaner utility now.

    here: http://www.digeus.com/products/junkcleaner/

    it both saves money and time.
    It speeds up general system performance and free up valuable space on any hard drive.

  • http://yosmedia.blogspot.com/ yos

    i use ccleaner and revo uninstaller.
    both of them very useful to remove any junk files on my harddisk