This is the last of a three part series covering the removal of spyware from your computer.

To call CCleaner an application that defends against spyware would be incorrect. Nevertheless, CCleaner is good, freely available program that removes many of the “junk” files that slow your computer down. While doing this, CCleaner removes many of the file and registry entries that AdAware and Spybot leave behind.

You’re probably wondering at this point what exactly does the “C” in “CCleaner” mean. Let’s just say that it doesn’t stand for “Corruption” in either sense of the term; the “C” doesn’t stand for “Corruption” and neither does the program. “Crap Cleaner”, there, I said it, is currently at version 1.27.260 and can be downloaded at www.ccleaner.com. From there you can find your way to the download page in order to get this handy little application.

As you will note, they do solicit donations via PayPal and have plenty of ads all over. Donating to small software companies that make your life a little easier is always encouraged, but the ads on the page are best avoided. Click on one of the download links to proceed to the next page where clicking on the downward-pointing green-colored will get you “CCleaner”.

Launch the installer, select your language and proceed to click on the “Next” button, etc until you get to the Install Options window. Select the potions that best suit your tastes here.

Installing the Start Menu Shortcut should go without saying, but leaving the desktop icon option checked will add one more thing to your desktop; your choice. Adding the option to the Recycle Bin menu seems to be a bit of overkill, and could complicate matters for some novices, but is handy all the same. Automated update checks are a good thing if you want to keep up with the latest version. It also rewards the user with the opportunity to see the donate button and the ads again.

Adding the Yahoo! Toolbar is something, again, that is a matter of personal taste. It would only appeal to those people who want it and don’t already have it. It appears that the makers of “CCleaner” must get some sort of compensation from Yahoo! to have this checked by default. So, rapid button clickers beware, this program will install the Yahoo! Toolbar unless you uncheck this option. Click on the “Next” and “Finish” buttons to complete the installation.

Upon launching the application, you will be presented with a tan-colored bar with four icons; Cleaner, Issues, Tools, and Options. By default the Cleaner button will be selected. The “Windows” window pane to the right of this button will have a list of check boxes and the majority of those will be selected. Read the categories and entries listed. If you don’t understand what each box is referring to, it would be best to leave it alone. Otherwise, leaving the options the way they are is a reliable method of removing junk file from your computer. Important: Before clicking on the “Cookies” checkbox it may be best to finish reading the article.

To the right of the “Windows” tab under the heading “Cleaner Settings”, located next to the “Cleaner” icon, is the “Applications” Tab. Click on this to review the remaining cleaning options. Listed here will be some of the applications installed on your computer that accumulate files that, after some time, will slow your computer down. Once again, read the categories and entries, change what you think is necessary. Once you reviewed these options click on the “Analyze” button at the middle bottom of the main window. Sometimes this can take several minutes to run so be paitient.

This will list all of the files that are safe to remove based on the option you have selected in the “Windows” and “Applications” window panes. You probably won’t recognize most of the files that are listed in the main window, but don’t worry, the program does not (by default) eliminate files critical to the proper functioning of the operating system. Now click on the “Run Cleaner” button in the lower right-hand corner of the window to remove some “junk” from your computer.

Now click on the “Issues” icon on the left side of the window. Now you will see a new listing. It is safe to leave these as they are. Fine tune these options if you want, but that may defeat the purpose of cleaning unwanted registry entries and hidden files from your computer. At the bottom of the window, click on the “Scan for Issues” button to continue. After the search for issues is complete, you will see a list of files that are safe to remove. You will also notice that all of the entries have been check marked by default.

Upon clicking on the “Fix selected issues” button in the lower right-hand corner, you will be prompted to backup changes to the registry. This is a fail-safe that allows you to restore changes you make here. Generally not necessary, but not a bad decision either. Next you will see another window pop-up. To continue, just click on the “Fix All Selected Issues” button. Again, you will be prompted to acknowledge that you are sure that you are sure that you want to execute these changes. Scary as that may sound it is generally safe to proceed straight through all of this button clicking. Now close the pop-up window by clicking on the “Close” button.

Briefly review the options under the “Tools” window. It would be highly advisable to leave this alone unless you are comfortable with changing the programs on your computer. You will see two buttons on the “Tools” navigation console, “Uninstall” and “Startup”. The uninstall area is similar the Add-Remove program in the Windows Control Panel. Same function here, nothing really new. Here it is useful for removing programs and cleaning the junk up that is left behind.

The other button, “Startup”, opens a window that novices just shouldn’t use. However, for users that are adept with computers, this window does allow you to remove many of the applications that slow down your computer by loading themselves into the computers memory at startup. Eliminating unnecessary entries will make your computer run better. Again, only change these entries if you are certain of what you are doing.

Now, about those Cookies. Clicking on the “Options” icon on the main navigation panel will reveal four new areas, of which, the “Cookies” area will be the only one that will be reviewed here.

Click on the “Cookies” button. Now you will see two panels in the main window. For lack of a better term, this is a Cookie Manager, a good one at that. For those who don’t know, cookies are those files that websites use to track your preferences. Surely if you use Yahoo! or Hotmail, frequent a favorite shopping site or just subscribe to an online service that requires identification you will want to keep these cookies. Cookies can either be used to help us or to spy on us. The idea is to keep the good cookies and get rid of the bad cookies.

The two panels are simple to understand. The panel on your left will be populated by all of the cookies on your computer the first time you run CCleaner. Simply select the cookies you want to keep then click the left-pointing arrow in the middle of the screen to safe the cookie. Use the same process, instead using the right-pointing button if you change your mind about keeping a cookie.

It is relatively safe to use this rule-of-thumb when managing cookies: If you don’t recognize it, delete it. If it turns out that you needed a cookie that you accidentally deleted, it will show up again the next time you visit the site as CCleaner does not block cookies.

Now that you’ve reviewed your cookies selections, click on the “Cleaner” icon. Now check the “Cookies” checkbox under the Windows heading. (If you use a browser other than Internet Explorer, be sure to select the “Cookies” checkbox under the “Applications” heading as well.) Now click the “Run Cleaner” button again. This time, CCleaner will remove those cookies you elected to delete.

Keeping your computer free of malware and clutter is as important to your computer as changing your oil, plugs and filters is to your car. Basic regular maintenance on your computer can lower your frustration level, and, more importantly, keep your private information out of the hands of those who don’t need it. AdAware, Spybot, and CCleaner are three free, relatively easy-to-use programs that can greatly assist the user in achieving this goal. They help us get back to whatever it is you got the computer for in the first place.


Richard Horvath, Infinity Prime Media, LLC or the Times SWLA are in no way responsible and do not accept any responsibility for errors, accidents, or computer or data failure or malfunction that may occur with the use of any of the software mentioned in the preceding article.