Wipe Free Space as a tool

[Aethec 0]

The problem with Wipe Free Space is that lots of users believe it will clean something and increase their computer's performance.

I think Wipe Free Space should be a tool in Tools, with a good explanation, and not as a checkbox in the Cleaner section.

[ident 0]

+1, very much agree. Running it as a checkbox every time ccleaner is run is pointles. which alot of users do because they are not fully aware what it actually does. As you stated.

[Nergal 0]

2

[JDPower 0]

+3

 

Can't see why it was ever put anywhere other than the tools section

[metalj 0]

+4

 

I suggested this a while ago.

Same reason.

[Aethec 0]

Bump...

A LOT of users think WFS should be used with a normal cleaning...

[marmite 0]

1

[Nergal 0]

HA I almost +1'd again

[Aethec 0]

Bump.

The number of users who use WFS as part of their daily/weekly cleaning is big. And they all think it will free up space, or increase their PC's performance, or both.

Just look in the CCleaner Discussion forum

[ident 0]

In the last few days i have witnessed 2 users post that they believe it will free up space.

 

A good quote today is "I am using this tool simply because it is how CCleaner works"

 

People think because the check is there to use it. I could guess the proportion of people who read the user guide would be less then 20%

 

The end of the day what is ccleaner? A junk cleaner which in theory gives the user more free space on there HD. Many people will think the more check marks that are checked the more space they will retain. IE always have WFS checked because they don't really understand what it is for. The name alone "Wipe Free Space" can sound appealing when on the hunt for more free space.

[Nergal 0]

In the last few days i have witnessed 2 users post that they believe it will free up space.

 

A good quote today is "I am using this tool simply because it is how CCleaner works"

 

People think because the check is there to use it. I could guess the proportion of people who read the user guide would be less then 20%

 

The end of the day what is CCleaner? A junk cleaner which in theory gives the user more free space on there HD. Many people will think the more check marks that are checked the more space they will retain. IE always have WFS checked because they don't really understand what it is for. The name alone "Wipe Free Space" can sound appealing when on the hunt for more free space.

Yup, this is also my worry. We've seen the same thing occur with the registry section "but it said there was something wrong with that entry, so there must have been"

Less people go into the tools section and click and run. If WFS is to stay in CCleaner (still in my opinion it should not) I'd like to also renew the call for it's moving to tools, where a longish explanation can be made of it's goals and purposes as well as a warning that over use is not advisable.

(Hey Ident, how'd you change your user type to Crabz LOL )

[mr don 0]

I agree. My thumbs up to add it to the tools. Waaaayyyy tooo confusing having it in the cleaner section, then having to checkmark the clean after you already checkmarked to wipe the space in order to even get it to run!

 

A simple way to add the drive you want to shred, then select # passes, & hopefully be able to shred multiple drives at a time!

[Aethec 0]

How many people will have to spend hours cleaning because they checked the WFS checkbox before it is removed from the Cleaner section ?

 

(sadly, the answer isn't blowing in the wind...OK, lame joke)

[Willy2 0]

Aethec,

 

I agree, WFS should be in the Tools section and I have an additional reason why it should. i.e. it wipes all System Restore Points (SRP). When Windows (i.e. XP, I don't know if this happens in Vista or W7 as well) detects diskspace is running (very) low it automatically starts to delete a number of things, e.g. SRPs and the internet cache. So, it can free up extra diskspace but a lot of folks simply don't want/need those SRPs to be wiped.

I came across this problem because I used WFS regularly in the last months and was wondering why I didn't have any SRPs any more.

 

In one regard WFS does make a difference. Take a look at the two pictures in the attachment. It shows a screen dump (thanks to Defraggler) before and after I used WFS on a non-system drive. The purple blocks in the oval depict the $MFT (according to DF).

[Aethec 0]

Resizing the MFT reserved is not necessarily a good thing - it will be used if there isn't any space left anyway, and having a fragmented MFT will degrade performance more than any other file.

[Willy2 0]

Aethec,

 

Again, I agree. I don't use WFS to intentionally resize and fragment the MFT, it's merely a side effect of using WFS.

 

The impact WFS has on the System Restore Points and the MFT are two very good reasons why the WFS option should be removed from the CC main screen. But don't move it to ""Tools"". I think it's better to move it to the ""Advanced"" section. And I think CC should always untick it after use.

[Willy2 0]

I took a thorough look at what happens with Wipe Free Space and it seems (!) Windows starts to delete SRPs when the amount of free diskspace on a drive drops below 1.0%. So, the Piriform folks could modify the WFS option in such a way that it would stop when the amount of free space drops/threatens to drop below, say 1.1% or 1.2%.

[JDPower 0]

I took a thorough look at what happens with Wipe Free Space and it seems (!) Windows starts to delete SRPs when the amount of free diskspace on a drive drops below 1.0%. So, the Piriform folks could modify the WFS option in such a way that it would stop when the amount of free space drops/threatens to drop below, say 1.1% or 1.2%.

And then people would complain about the 1.1% of recoverable files after wiping free space

[Willy2 0]

The comment Aethec made in post #1 of this thread - IMO - still applies for CC v3.00. Just remove the Wipe Free Space option from the ""Windows"" pane and move all the options (including the cleaning of the MFT) to the tools section. I think that in the current situation the confusion remains.

 

The discussion in this thread is also enlightning.

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=30444

Though I would move some info from this thread to the online documentation.

 

 

[JDPower 0]

The comment Aethec made in post #1 of this thread - IMO - still applies for CC v3.00. Just remove the Wipe Free Space option from the ""Windows"" pane and move all the options (including the cleaning of the MFT) to the tools section.

Agreed.

[ishan_rulz 0]

Agreed.

Agreed.