Computer Clean up tool

[Bruno]

When you computer gets to running slow what is your go to cleanup tool. I like and use Glary and CCleaner but maybe there is something better out there. I run Spybot and Malaware bits when checking for viruses. Thanks for your input.

 

[Freedom56]

If you don't have an SSD, consider replacing your system drive with an SSD. Clone the drive first and then swap it out. It's an easy and inexpensive upgrade.

 

[jim584672]

I would not recommend any "cleaner". If your system is that bad that you notice it, do a clean reinstall.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I would not recommend any "cleaner". If your system is that bad that you notice it, do a clean reinstall.

This. I am on a computer that is about 4 years old (and was a $250 re-man when I bought it) and it runs around the same speed as when I bought it.

Perhaps the OP should avoid nefarious websites.

 

[OldShooter]

When you computer gets to running slow ...

One common problem is accretion of programs in your startup file. Many are obnoxious but harmless, running once at startup to check for new versions of their app programs. Others can run as monitors, eating little nibbles of CPU time. Often the goal of these is to provide an instant-looking startup of an application program. IIRC MS Edge is in the latter category.

Regardless, there are very, very few startup programs that you actually need to have running. Type "startup apps" in the search box and review the list that MS gives you. Turn off everything that you are not absolutely sure you need. If you turn off something that you do actually need, you will soon find out.

Occasionally, a nefarious app will re-instantiate itself despite your best efforts. If you can figure out the module that is running, like "badguy.exe", just rename it "badguy.exe.hide". That will solve most problems.

A simple reboot often helps, too. Windows allocates memory to apps and some apps "forget" to return it when they terminate. This eventually builds a bunch of dead memory, lost to the OS. A reboot will fix this.

I use Glary from time to time for tidiness but I have never noticed speed improvements.

Virus detection type programs that run continuously in the background are probably your biggest speed reducers. IMO these are unnecessary. If I use them at all it is on a run-and-done basis.

 

[USGrant1962]

Those apps mostly just delete junk files to recover drive space and they are fine for that purpose. That is not what is slowing your computer - it is crap running in the background. Spend some time with "add or remove programs" and "startup apps" doing some cleanup. Also clean up unused extensions in your browser.

 

[target2019]

Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.

Users do things cause a friend told them so. It's like lemmings.

How old is the computer? What is the processor? Is the dirve SSD? How much built-in RAM?

 

[Qs Laptop]

Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.

Users do things cause a friend told them so. It's like lemmings.

How old is the computer? What is the processor? Is the dirve SSD? How much built-in RAM?

Good questions to ask. I would add: How full is your hard drive?

 

[scrabbler1]

Once in a while, my browser (Google Chrome) starts running really slowly. I keep my Task Manager open all the time so I can see if any applications (not limited to Chrome) are unexpectedly using a lot of memory. If Chrome is using a lot of memory (more than 1 GB), I simple close it and restart it. Chrome remembers the websites my multiple browsers were in, so I can get back to where I was in each of them. But the memory usage drops a lot, so the speed returns to normal. Why was Chrome using excessive memory? I think it was due to some websites taking up a lot of memory every time a new ad appears in them, possibly creating a brand new screen which takes up new memory.

I agree that having too many start-up programs can either delay the start-up or overall performance of your PC. Preventing any non-essential programs from starting up is a good idea although you should be careful de-selecting ones you are unfamiliar with. See which programs were recently added to the start-up list; that is often a source of trouble.

 

[Sunset]

I use a vacuum cleaner to remove all the dust bunnies, so my machine won't overheat. It beeps when it starts to overheat from being dusty.

 

[Bruno]

How old is the computer? What is the processor? Is the dirve SSD? How much built-in RAM?

For sure its like me OLD. Maybe the year to upgrade. Its a Dell inspiron 3650 with a intel i5-6400 with 12 ddr ram and 202 GB used and 715 GB free. For sure the next one will have a SSD HD. I just hate moving everything.

 

[Qs Laptop]

For sure its like me OLD. Maybe the year to upgrade. Its a Dell inspiron 3650 with a intel i5-6400 with 12 ddr ram and 202 GB used and 715 GB free. For sure the next one will have a SSD HD. I just hate moving everything.

That's not too old. The hard drive is not full. You have sufficient RAM.

As other have said, check out what programs and apps are starting up when you boot the computer. Eliminate those you don't use very often.

Maybe run Windows built-in disk cleanup if you haven't already. Then run Windows disk defrag.

 

[Sunset]

For sure its like me OLD. Maybe the year to upgrade. Its a Dell inspiron 3650 with a intel i5-6400 with 12 ddr ram and 202 GB used and 715 GB free. For sure the next one will have a SSD HD. I just hate moving everything.

Your computer has a faster processor and the same ram as mine. While mine is older it's still plenty fast and I even run virtual machines on it.

You really NEED to upgrade to an SSD, and it is easy to do. To make it easy I'll suggest the following: Buy a 1 TB SSD , they come with software to clone your existing disk.
If your computer takes a Crucial 1TB P2 NVMe PCIe M.2 Internal SSD , this will be a little faster than the conventional disk looking SSD.

After cloning, take out your original disk, put in the SSD. Turn on computer and enjoy !

 

[qwerty3656]

you can run these from the command prompt in windows:

sfc /scannow

dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth

 

[OldShooter]

Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. ...

It doesn't take a crack diagnostician to know that the lawn needs mowing once in a while.

 

[Golden sunsets]

I don't want to horn in on a thread that isn't about my issue, but I think my recent experience might qualify.

I'm fairly certain the age and capacity of my computer is not the issue and I believe it is SSD. What has been happening to me increasingly is a page, usually a bank, won't fully load. It looks abbreviated and is essentially useless. Sometimes it's a retailer website, with lots of potential items to buy, that won't entirely load.

I've tried emptying the browser history, cookies, cache and it works better again for a day or two, but then exhibits the same symptoms. Any thoughts on the cause and a solution?

 

[Bruno]

If i was going to install a SSD should i spend the money for a M.2 SSD. Seems like that is the new thing out there.

 

[easysurfer]

I don't want to horn in on a thread that isn't about my issue, but I think my recent experience might qualify.

I'm fairly certain the age and capacity of my computer is not the issue and I believe it is SSD. What has been happening to me increasingly is a page, usually a bank, won't fully load. It looks abbreviated and is essentially useless. Sometimes it's a retailer website, with lots of potential items to buy, that won't entirely load.

I've tried emptying the browser history, cookies, cache and it works better again for a day or two, but then exhibits the same symptoms. Any thoughts on the cause and a solution?

Have you tried loading with a different browser?

I use Firefox as my main browser but seems sometimes it stalls. I that try with Chrome or Edge and the page loads. One of these days I'll think about demoting Firefox. May be sooner than later if it keeps on stalling.

 

[Golden sunsets]

Have you tried loading with a different browser?

I use Firefox as my main browser but seems sometimes it stalls. I that try with Chrome or Edge and the page loads. One of these days I'll think about demoting Firefox. May be sooner than later if it keeps on stalling.

I haven't tried that. I have used Chrome exclusively for years. If I switch do you suggest Firefox as the next best? Or Microsoft Edge? How about Internet Explorer or is that considered obsolete?

 

[easysurfer]

I haven't tried that. I have used Chrome exclusively for years. If I switch do you suggest Firefox as the next best? Or Microsoft Edge? How about Internet Explorer or is that considered obsolete?

I wouldn't use Internet Explorer as that is obsolete.

I've had times recently when Firefox not working, to use Edge and that seems to work fine. So if you don't care about Microsoft wanting you nudge you to use Edge as default, I'd give the nod to Edge.

For me with Firefox, I've had times where pages don't seem to load or hangs. I'd turn off the add ons, then back on then that temporarily resolves the problem only to happen again weeks down the road.

 

[W2R]

What has been happening to me increasingly is a page, usually a bank, won't fully load. It looks abbreviated and is essentially useless. Sometimes it's a retailer website, with lots of potential items to buy, that won't entirely load.

I've tried emptying the browser history, cookies, cache and it works better again for a day or two, but then exhibits the same symptoms. Any thoughts on the cause and a solution?

I don't really know! This hasn't yet happened to me. I use Microsoft Edge and Windows 11, version 22H2. I install updates immediately whenever any update is available.

 

[Qs Laptop]

If i was going to install a SSD should i spend the money for a M.2 SSD. Seems like that is the new thing out there.

Does your motherboard have a compatible slot to insert an M.2 SSD drive?

 

[Bruno]

Does your motherboard have a compatible slot to insert an M.2 SSD drive?

It seems like i posted without seeing what was required. Looks like the M.2 are installed into like RAM Slots. Maybe a SSD would be faster than me.

 

[Sunset]

It seems like i posted without seeing what was required. Looks like the M.2 are installed into like RAM Slots. Maybe a SSD would be faster than me.

They are both SSD, just different kinds.
The nice thing about buying a SSD and making your old computer go much faster is that in another 5 years when you replace it. You can move the 1 TB SSD to the new computer for a fast second drive. In 5 years all new computers will have SSD (IMHO).

I will state I said get a 1 TB SSD, that is so you can clone your existing disk without complications, a larger SSD would be a waste of $$$, and a smaller one might make the clone operation complex.

 

[SecondAttempt]

For sure its like me OLD. Maybe the year to upgrade. Its a Dell inspiron 3650 with a intel i5-6400 with 12 ddr ram and 202 GB used and 715 GB free. For sure the next one will have a SSD HD. I just hate moving everything.

Dell has some pretty good tools available. You might visit their website and see what you can get for free. "SupportAssist" comes to mind. It is not specifically a "cleaner" but it will help identify some problems.