Author Topic: CCleaner Or Not? (Read 29,453 times)

siouxdax · « **on:** September 23, 2008, 05:26 AM »

Hello all:
I'm needing to remove an entry on my Add/Remove Programs list that just won't go away no matter how many times I "uninstall" it. I found CCleaner (ccleaner.com) as a possible freeware utility to remove it from the registry. Is this a good idea or not? Is there something better out there? I don't want to fiddle with my registry any more than I'd have to. CCleaner also touts to be able to remove unnecessary files, which I would like, but I'm nervous about doing things like this.

Any help, suggestions, etc are much appreciated.

Kind Regards,
Daniel In Tulsa

PhilB66 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 23, 2008, 05:34 AM »

All you need to know is @ http://windowsxp.mvps.org/AddRemove.htm ;

4wd · « **Reply #2 on:** September 23, 2008, 05:37 AM »

RevoUninstaller - It'll also try to remove any files or registry entries left by the program.

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** September 23, 2008, 06:04 AM »

i dont know about that particular function in ccleaner, but it is a good program.

mwb1100 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 23, 2008, 06:05 AM »

If you are going to use CCleaner then yoiu should consider going to the 'Other Builds' download page: http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds

The normal CCleaner installer includes the Yahoo Toolbar (although the toolbar installation is optional). The Portable or Slim builds do not.

Paul Keith · « **Reply #5 on:** September 23, 2008, 08:00 AM »

For unnecessary files, I too find Revo to be the best because of it's multiple settings. It's a bit slow because of trying to detect these additional files though but I haven't found anything better out there.

tymrwt33 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 25, 2008, 02:33 AM »

I use a combination of Revo Uninstaller for uninstalling Apps, and CCleaner for daily cleaning of garbage. CCleaner is highly customizable, but I use it in the default mode, and it is much more effective than the Windows disk cleaner, and much faster. It does have a registry cleaning function as well.

lanux128 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 25, 2008, 02:49 AM »

if you are removing just an entry in Add-Remove list, then Nirsoft's MyUninstaller would be handy.

siouxdax · « **Reply #8 on:** September 25, 2008, 06:17 AM »

Hello all:
Firstly, my apologies for my delayed reply; it's been hectic as all hell at this end. I take all of your suggestions as pure gold. I've come to trust all those here at DonationCoder. I know you wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. So I'm going to sift through all of the suggestions and take action. I just can't stand my Add/Remove list to be untidy.

Again, thank you all.

Kind Regards,
Daniel In Tulsa

4wd · « **Reply #9 on:** September 25, 2008, 11:37 PM »

Quote from: mwb1100 on September 23, 2008, 06:05 AM

If you are going to use CCleaner then yoiu should consider going to the 'Other Builds' download page: http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds

I would also suggest going here and either download winapp2.zip, (need to register), or copy/paste out of the code box.

It will add a lot more programs to the list that CCleaner can do.

siouxdax · « **Reply #10 on:** September 25, 2008, 11:52 PM »

Well folks, I've sifted through the various programs and have decided to use CCleaner. I like that it is freeware and that it has scads of options. I'm not saying that the rest are crap; I just find CCleaner simple and easy to use. I'm pretty nimble with certain aspects of my PC, but things like this, such as messing with the registry, I need a program to metaphorically hold my hand.

I thank you all for your input. You folks are a wonderful, and trustworthy group. You rock!

Thanks again...

Kind Regards,
Daniel In Tulsa

Ehtyar · « **Reply #11 on:** September 25, 2008, 11:58 PM »

Thanks 4wd. There is a direct link on that page though that does not require registration to access.

Ehtyar.

jsfaint · « **Reply #12 on:** October 08, 2008, 08:16 AM »

Myuninstaller may be a good choice for you, CCleaner is another function..

xangelo · « **Reply #13 on:** October 08, 2008, 05:45 PM »

I've found that if I use CCleaner, it tends to remove some registry entries that I don't want to, primarily my license for IDM. This itself isn't really an issue as CCleaner offers you to chance to ignore it, but when I'm in a hurry, I tend to just hit apply to all.

ajlixx · « **Reply #14 on:** October 09, 2008, 03:36 AM »

actually, there is a tiny application for removing left-over uninstall information from registry

FixUninstall

siouxdax · « **Reply #15 on:** October 09, 2008, 05:02 AM »

After using it for a while, I've found that CCleaner is great for tidying up my Add/Remove control panel. I like being able to correct misspells and general typographical cleanup. Thanks again folks!

Lightening · « **Reply #16 on:** October 12, 2008, 04:12 PM »

I use CC cleaner on a regular basis and it's a good basic tool. For those rougher issues, I use Max Registry Cleaner (not free) which seems to do the trick. Also, Heidi "Eraser", which is free, will attempt to get rid of it. Another way is to "search" the name of the file or program, when it comes up, it will tell you exactly where it is. Then go to the file and delete it.

capture · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2008, 06:52 AM »

I have been using CCleaner for a few years now. I like it. I have some leftover reg entries from an old LexMark printer and no matter what I do I can't get rid of them.

Also, if anyone has any new wonderful ways to totally erase Adobe Read 8 and 8.1 from my computer I would be most appreciative. I've tried ALL the techie forums and it still won't uninstall - No installer - uninstaller found. I tried going in in safe mode to delete the files..... no go... Did not work.

I've been using FoxIt as a PDF reader and it's leaner and cleaner than Adobe Reader, but I can't get rid of the Adobe Reader Program........ grrrrrrr.

Thanks,
Claire
Chemainus, BC Canada

bugis · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2008, 01:14 PM »

I stopped using Ccleaner on my Vista machine a few months ago.

It tended to undo explorer folder settings regardless of what options I used for cleaning (only disk cleanup, never the registry). Don't know if that was a bug specific to my Vista config, or a known problem. I probably need to download a newer release and see if it still occurs.

Darwin · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2008, 01:47 PM »

Welcome to DC, capture

We're practically neighbours!

I don't bother with these cleaner programs much anymore, beyond running them to see what's hanging around. A lot of software drops installer/uninstaller files into Temp folders. Even if they don't, if you're not paying attention while running the likes of CCleaner you run the risk of deleting files that are required for the continued use or the uninstallation of various applications... Thus, I am pretty circumspect when running cleaning applications (or at least in letting them delete anything).

As for Acrobat Reader 8 and 8.1, have you tried searching for an installer and running it? This works for me sometimes when I'm trying to remove a particularly obnoxious application - just run the installer and select "uninstall" or "remove" if those options exist. If they don't, just install and then run the uninstaller after a reboot. ALWAYS select a Custom install if you have to do the latter to avoid having the installer mess up your file associations and startup behaviour.

ceemeister · « **Reply #20 on:** October 26, 2008, 01:16 PM »

Sometimes the best way to uninstall an app is to REINSTALL it first. This will recreate the uninstall information that other cleaners (or manual attempts at removal) sometimes erase. You can then easily uninstall it through the Windows Add/Remove tool (Start->Run appwiz.cpl).

Note that this may not work unless you have the original install files (setup) for the same version as currently installed. Trying to install a later version may be disallowed without uninstalling the old one, which is the problem you're having. That's why I like to archive my install software to DVD after I upgrade to later versions, at least for the most important apps.

This won't always save you - I still have some machines on my network at the office that have old installations that can't be removed due to missing uninstall info. One of these is Windows Defender -- when the uninstall info was wiped it won't even allow itself to be reinstalled on top of itself, rendering this tip useless in this case. Fortunately it can be effectively disabled, since we're using another security app that makes Defender redundant.

mouser · « **Reply #21 on:** October 26, 2008, 01:44 PM »

ceemeister is quite right, and it's a good trick to be aware of

especially if you accidentally delete some of the files manually, or use a 3rd party removal tool that doesn't remove all of the junk. in these cases often the best thing to do is reinstall the program, then remove it using the add/remove control panel.

Darwin · « **Reply #22 on:** October 26, 2008, 03:29 PM »

So, Capture, did you ever get this issue resolved? Let us know how you made out and what you've tried that either did or did not work.

sttrebo · « **Reply #23 on:** October 26, 2008, 04:52 PM »

I like CCleaner for most things, but I have found on a couple of occasions that it deletes my Palm USB driver. Which forces me to uninstall/re-install the Hotsync software. Anyone else see this?