Computer Cleanup with Glary Utilities
Also see: Books on Computer Maintenance from Amazon.
Recently I've been helping a number of local households to install and use a program called Glary Utilities.
This is a program you can run periodically to do a general clean-up of accumulated errors, junk files, dead links and so forth to help with the speed, reliability and efficiency of your machine.
I run Glary about once a week on my main computer. Most local users I know could benefit by running it about once a month, depending on how actively they are using their computer and the Internet.
The program is available in a paid and free version from glarysoft.com on the Internet. Glary is similar in certain respects to other computer cleaner programs available. I've put it to use on my own machines based on the positive results reported by other members of our computer club in using it.
Sometimes running Glary can save time by doing multiple clean-up tasks all in one sweep. Sometimes it can help make other tasks go a lot faster.
Typically I've found the Glary Utilities program takes about 10-15 minutes to do its work when activated manually, depending on how much mess has accumulated on a machine.
Here are the key tools that Glary Utilities incorporates:
Registry Cleaner - This tool analyzes more than a dozen of different areas in your registry,and can identify up to 18 types of errors. It can also thoroughly scans the Windows registry for errors, invalid entries, Regedit optimization, etc.
Shortcuts Fixer - This tool finds "dead shortcuts" such as links on your computer that point to old locations where moved files or uninstalled program features used to be located.
Spyware Remover - This tool is a good double-check to your regular anti-virus anti-malware software. If your active security software is doing its job, this Glary feature will help confirm that when you view the results.
Disk Repair - This tool is a good supplement to the disk repair options built into Windows, and runs as part of the Glary suite automatically if selected in default list.
Tracks Eraser - This tool is for privacy protection, allowing you to erase all the history tracks safely and completely. This helps keep your surfing private and also frees up wasted hard drive space
Temporary Files Cleaner - This tool is comparable to the Tools - Internet Options "delete temporary internet files" in Internet Explorer, and the comparable "Clear History" options in Chrome and Firefox.
Startup Manager - This tool helps clean up or clear out the list of programs that start up automatically when Windows opens, which can help speed up your computer as it goes from booting up to loading your Windows session.
Glary also has a software updater built in, and an optional program called Malware Hunter. I don't choose to use these extras myself but they are available for free the same as the basic utilities tools built into the utilities program.
I've found their download and installation process to go pretty quick and smooth, if you're comfortable with installing your own software. In running the program for myself and Windows users, I usually rely on the 1-Click Maintenance option on the main program screen.
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