CCleaner Question

When I look in ccleaner (in admin) under "Advanced", on the list under Windows to the left of the main pane, and then under HotFix Uninstallers, it shows "359.5MB". Can I (SHOULD I?) "clean" this? That seems unnecessarily large to me (and this PC only has a 20Gig HD).

Thanks in advance ...

 

No leave them alone, and best to stay out of the Advanced area Glen.

 

I always sweep all the garbage off in one go. The only option I haven't check marked all the time is "Wipe freespace". I also use the registry cleaner once or twice a week.

 

Ok, thank you, but isn't this taking-up a great deal of space (on such a small hard drive)? I think it's almost seven years worth of "stuff" that, well, I would think at least five or six years of which could be purged? I suppose I'm mainly hoping to learn something here at least ...

Hmmm. Seems I have a conundrum.

 

CCleaner is not dangerous. Don't worry. Don't do things that makes you uncomfortable - leave those options unchecked if that's how you feel. Or let Microsoft clean you PC for you: http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

Note there's a special link for Vista.

 

Thank you, but just so I understand, are those "Hotfix Uninstallers" in there (on my PC) in case I want to (need to?) get rid of a Hotfix from MS?

I really try to steer clear of an extra stuff from MS, such as the 'onecare.live'. I'm sure I've used it (once or twice) over the years, and if memory serves me, it just seemed to be problematic in some way, shape or fashion.

I'm thinking it's "ok" to clean those unistallers - but then I do also respect "Cat_w_9_lives' opinion too - hence, my "conundrum" (?).....

 

Now that's wrong. OneCare Live online is excellent.

 

Glen, I love Ccleaner and been using it for years without a issue, odds are 99.9% that you can delete without a problem... but all PCs are different and there is a slight chance you will have a problem.

Do you really need the space, you have to decide if you want to take the chance, most likely will be fine.

 

My understanding of this removal is that you will no longer be able to remove Hotfixes if you have a issue in the future with a prior one, since I've never had an issue with a Hotfix I have no history to go by but still think you're better off leaving it alone until we get more info. Hope that helps Glen.

 

If you say so then I Trust that-that's the case.

It may have just been the same issue that I'm concerned about in this thread, and that I just saw it as 'too large' of a program for this PC.

Thanks again ...

 

Thank you - and yes it does help.

I really feel the same as you and Cordialis, that it would probably be just fine, but have decided to not do this - for now ... not without more info.

Thanks again!

 

The hotfix uninstallers are there so you can 'uninstall' a windows update incase a new update causes things to go awry. How well it works in uninstalling them I don't know. It is up to you, if you have all the latest updates and it's been running ok, Nuke them. If you like to have a backup plan 'justin' case' leave them, 359M isn't going to make or break you on your small drive, unless you have the *Low disc space* warning popping up. I bet you are eating up way more than that in restore points, but that's a personal call again if you want to delete all the old ones.

*I've been deleting everything in CCleaner everyday for a long time, never once a hiccup*

 

Thank you for the reply.

Please let me ask though, if things (Windows) seems to be working well-enough currently (and has been for some time now), isn't that evidence that I will not have to roll-back on any Hotfixes downloaded/installed years ago? And then, by building a new cache of Hotfixes from this point on, won't that protect me with future Hotfixes issued by Microsoft?

Thanks again, and in advance ...

 

After installing updates, I always do a double-reboot, as problems usually seem to come up on the second reboot. e.g. on my old computer, Windows Update kept overwriting the working video drivers with broken ones. If this helps any. Always do a backup anyways.

 

I agree. I nuke them. But, here's a suggestion which might increase your comfort level with this. Wait for awhile, perhaps a week or two or longer if you wish, after installing hotfixes before removing them via CCleaner.

 

Thank you very much.

Now, this is going to sound/seem pretty pathetic, but I am really not sure how to do a proper (effective) "Backup". I suppose it's the whole "virtual" thing. I'm old-school (very old), and was schooled that actual, physical hard-copy "back-up's" are the only sure way to have anything saved. You know, as in making a copy, and filing it in a file cabinet. Doesn't backing-up on a PC lend itself to being "lost" if the PC becomes "broken" (etc.). - or does "backup" mean on an external device (HD or CD's, etc.)? And if I have all my original software CD's from MS, isn't that sufficient for restoring the basic OS?

I think maybe I have become lazy and over-confident with "System Restore".

Thanks again ...

 

Thank you also, for the reply!

 

Your original software disc from MS will work fine for reinstalling. You should also be saving a backup of your pictures, documents and other files at the very least. A backup of the whole system would save you the time it would take to set up your PC according to your preferences after a re-installation. You are right about backing data up to external media as the best option.

 

Thank you very much! And since this PC has only a 20GB hard drive, I would only need an external device to match that (small) amount, correct?

 

I do redundant backups -- to my portable 40gig hard drive, to burnable discs (either CDs or DVDs depending on your drive), and online (e.g. Google Documents.) Sometimes to my flash drive, but not as much as it's smaller. That way, if one fails, I have others. Instead of online backups, you could also have one off-site in case your house/apartment catches on fire or floods badly or some other disaster.

I recommend getting a flash drive -- those things are really tough, I've had one even go through the wash and survive. And also dropping like 6 feet to the ground which was concrete (I had it around my neck and I was on a ladder when the string broke). Also if you go for an external drive, make sure to get a reliable brand (I recommend Western Digitals, although Seagates are also decent) and make sure it's not plugged in when not in use (power surges), and also keep it a few inches off the floor in case there's flooding. And if transferring stuff from one drive to another, wait a month or two before deleting off the first drive, as most drives will fail within that time. (The bathtub curve.)

 

ALL EXCELLENT suggestions/advice! Thanks!

 

I think that comment needs some clarification. You mean, if a new drive has any defect in it, that will probably show up during the first month or two, right?

 

Yeah. Most of them show up as soon as you turn it on, but there's a few duds.