many loops/iterations to get all the files?

[david1611]

I have a question regarding the settings and possible adjustments that I can use. I've been using this for a while and it works okay. The issue I have is it seems to get into loops where after the initial cleaning is done, using custom clean. I have to keep cycling through to remove files. Most of these tend to be related to Internet Explorer and cache files or mru files..

I have the latest version installed 6.10 I use the default settings. And I'm running Windows 7.

 

To recap what I'm saying here, is I'll run the cleaner it'll come up with a list of files to delete and then it deletes them. I'll analyze again and it comes up with others I'll delete those and then it ends up coming up with a continual Loop where new files pop up delete them new files pop up delete them.. as mentioned a lot of these seem to be cached files thumbnail cache files.

After many cycles sometimes 50 or 60 times doing this it will end up with no files to delete but it's a long cycle to get there. Any ideas improvements I can make?

 

 

[nukecad]

What you are seeing is normal. It's just how a computer works.

You clear (delete) files, Windows recreates some of them and puts then straight back - but they are now empty, they have been cleaned.

You don't suddenly 'clear them all' after multiple goes - what happens if you do that is simply that Windows stops recreating them while it tries to work out why something keeps removing them. They will be back again in a couple of minutes.

Have a read of this, particularly from  "Windows files that re-appear straight after cleaning:"

 

 

[david1611]

Well that makes me feel a little bit better. A couple of more comments. In the past I have cycled through until ultimately no more files showed?? This time not so for some reason. I just assumed it was like delayering an onion it would delete a file and then it would show something that was buried underneath it that wasn't visible until you deleted the previous file??

 

Any comments or suggestions on tuning the cleaner as mentioned I leave the default settings on not sure if I could tune in a little bit better any thoughts on that. Thank you

[nukecad]

CCleaner uses 'recurse' functions to clean layers like you describe, cleaning the 'children' files down.

As for tuning Custom Clean, well that's your choice of what you want to customise. The default options are what many would want, then they might add others for apps they use, and untick things for apps that they don't.

One trick that you can do us to right-click each of the ones that aren't ticked and in the menu that pops up 'Analyze' it. If something is found to be cleaned then you have to decide.

eg. If you analyze one of the Windows Downloads options it may well find files to remove, but only you can decide if you want to do that. (Most times you wouldn't want to, which is why they are not ticked as default).

[david1611]

Thanks for the feedback I appreciate the information. The reason I mentioned the loops too was in the past I did reach a point where it wouldn't cycle any more files to be removed??

A little history,

Typically I go a few months without cleaning it, and then it starts to bog down, the little circle starts circling, everything takes a long time to pop up or change websites or whatever...

I clean it and then everything is back to normal speedwise.

This time not so, that's why I was asking about the advanced features.

Does CC Cleaner work on malware, spyware?? Or just cleaning out the trash.

Also people have mentioned in the past for spyware malware you usually have to run two different tools because there aren't too many that will get out everything so you run two or more to get everything??

Along that line are there any that you can recommend I've used Spybot in the past seems to work okay.

[nukecad]

CCleaner is not an antivirus or antimalware tool, it's basically a junk file cleaner.

Windows Security/Defender is as good as most that you can buy for your Antivirus, some will team it with Malwarebytes Premium anti-malware which works in a different way for 'layers' of protection.
Because it works differently Malwarebytes Premium can be run in real time alongside Windows Defender, or another antivirus.
(Normally you shouldn't try to run 2 Antivirus apps at once in real time, they will clash).
Or you can just use Malwarebytes Free as an on-demand scan.

As you touched on above there are different tools for different jobs, so sometimes you want to use more than one tool.

Personally I use the built in Windows Security/Defender as my antivirus, and run a weekly on-demand malware scan with Malwarebytes Free,
I also have Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension running in my browser.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/
https://www.malwarebytes.com/browserguard

Then I'll ocassionally run a scan with ADWcleaner, that isn't a junk cleaner like CCleaner or an antivirus/antimalware - instead ADW removes any junkware, adware, etc. that may have sneaked onto your machine, it can even remove some of the Windows bloat.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner

[david1611]

Thanks again I really appreciate your feedback.

I think I mentioned it initially but I'm using Windows 7 so would the Windows Defender still be up to date??

[nukecad]

Sorry, I'd forgotten that you'd said Win 7.
It would have been Windows Security Essential for Win 7 - if you had installed it.
It wasn't there by default like it is in later Windows versions.

However like Windows 7 itself MSE is no longer supported.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/what-is-microsoft-security-essentials-c25ad47a-7d15-8072-1438-b07dffcbbb20
 

Quote

Microsoft Security Essentials reached end of service on January 14, 2020 and is no longer available as a download.  Microsoft will continue to release signature updates (including engine) to service systems currently running Microsoft Security Essentials untill 2023. 

 

PS. You are aware that you can still (usually) upgrade Win 7 to Win 10 for FREE?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

(If the machine is capable you can upgrade it to Win 11).