What clears on reboot that CCleaner doesn't?

[markfleener]

CCleaner does not appear to be clearing everything as it used to, or maybe I'm just now noticing that there is more to be cleared by rebooting a computer than CCleaner handles, even with all programs shut down, I am having to reboot the computer to clear memory.  What on earth is being cleared from my hard drive when i reboot the computer that CCleaner is not doing? 

Alienware 15R4

Windows 10 Home Version 10.0.19045 Build 19045

[lmacri]

59 minutes ago, markfleener said:

CCleaner does not appear to be clearing everything as it used to, or maybe I'm just now noticing that there is more to be cleared by rebooting a computer than CCleaner handles...

Hi markfleener:

Is Dell's SupportAssist program installed on your Alienware 15 R4?.  If SupportAssist is installed and you have not disabled automatic background scanning in the settings [Options (gear icon) | Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Set Your System to Automatically Run Scans and Performance Optimization] then the so-called "system optimization" scans (Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network) will also clean your system.

I uninstalled SupportAssist from my Inspiron 5584 because it was too buggy and consumed too much RAM and CPU, but before it was still installed I had this automatic scanning disabled (and NEVER ran Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network scans manually from the Home tab of SupportAssist) because these "system optimization" scans were too aggressive. For example, see my 12-Jul-2021 post in ex-jedi's Prevent Automatic Recycle Bin Emptying about the over-aggressive registry cleaner associated with the Tune Performance scan of SupportAssist.

59 minutes ago, markfleener said:

...even with all programs shut down, I am having to reboot the computer to clear memory. ...

When you say memory, do you mean that your system is consuming unusually high amounts of RAM after all your third-part programs are closed?  When you close your browser or a third-party program that should unload the program and free up memory (RAM), but that's quite different from the disk cleaning that CCleaner (and SupportAssist) perform where scans will actually remove unwanted / temporary files from your hard drive to free up space on your hard drive.

Open Task Manager, choose the Processes tab, and then sort by the Memory column to see what programs are consuming high amounts of memory (RAM).  The amount of RAM being consumed should increase when a program is launched (i.e., when it's loaded into memory) and then drop when the program is closed.  If RAM is not being freed up when you close a programs then it's possible that programs has a memory leak (i.e., where the memory being consumed by the program's .exe executable will only be freed up by re-starting the computer).

For example, when I open both Firefox and MS Edge at the same time I can see I'm using ~ 60% of my total 8 GB of RAM ....

...but when I close MS Edge my memory usage drops to ~ 56%.

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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2846 * Firefox v112.0.2 * Microsoft Edge v112.0.1722.64 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2303.8-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.27.262-1.0.1991 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * My  Dell v2.2.4 *CCleaner Free Portable v6.10.10347

[markfleener]

I had replaced SupportAssist with Alienware Update a couple years ago.  Someone did tell me that i need to get a RAM chip replaced, which i've yet to do, but i don't think that's the issue here, maybe, idk, i've just started noticing that the C drive icon goes from blue to red (getting full) as I browse the internet.  I just tried it again (the 2 attached pics), because it had turned red again just a few minutes ago, and simply shutting down the browser was enough to get the blue back, did not even have to run CCleaner, but last time I tried this, I had to reboot...  The browser had been on for a couple days, so yeah, it was probably bogging up a bunch of memory, but shutting it down and running CCleaner was not enough to clear the red back to blue, when I rebooted, there was about another 4GB that got cleared, bringing the red back to blue.  I realize the drive will eventually get so full that it wont turn blue again no matter what, but what could've possibly happened to make me have to reboot to get it cleared right?  The "page file" crossed my mind, i once learned of that acting as RAM, but on your hard drive, but i don't think that would have to do with this, idk?  I did use other programs besides my browser, like WMP, VLC, and ShotCut, not sure if those would cause this?

[lmacri]

2 hours ago, markfleener said:

...Someone did tell me that i need to get a RAM chip replaced, which i've yet to do, but i don't think that's the issue here, maybe, idk, i've just started noticing that the C drive icon goes from blue to red (getting full) as I browse the internet.  I just tried it again (the 2 attached pics), because it had turned red again just a few minutes ago...

Hi markfeener:

Your images show a lack of free disk space, not free memory (RAM), although that might also be a problem if you have a faulty RAM module on your motherboard.

The first thing you should do is use the TreeSize Free utility to check all the directory sizes on your hard drive and see which folders are using the most disk space.  TreeSize Free is basically like "File Explorer on steroids" and allows you to view the contents of hidden and protected folders that might not be visible in File Explorer.

1. Install JAM Software's TreeSize Free utility (available at https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free) .***
2. Launch TreeSize Free and click the "Run TreeSize Free as Administrator" button on the Home tab of the toolbar. Note that this button does not appear on my image below because I have enabled "Always Start This Application as Administrator" on the Options tab.
3.  Go to Home | Select Directory and then browse to the root of C:\ drive.
4.  Sort the Size column from largest to smallest to see which folders are using the highest amount of  disk space.  You can expand each folder and drill down to see the disk space used by each subfolder and file.

*** I prefer to use the Portable edition of TreeSize Free (TreeSizeFree-Portable.zip available <here>). Just save and unzip the .ZIP in any location (I unzip in a folder I created on a removable USB thumb drive called D:\TreeSize ) and double-click TreeSizeFree.exe to launch.

See priyakansal's TreeSize Free image in their 28-Jun-2022 thread 15 R4, SA Generating 150GB Log Files showing that their hidden, protected C:\ProgramData\Dell\SARemediation folder of their Alienware 15 R4 had grown to over 145 GB.  This sometimes happens when Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery v5.5.5.x (also known as Dell SupportAssist Remediation or Dell System Repair) is installed.  This is the folder where Dell SupportAssist Remediation stores system repairs points (also known as system snapshots) and this folder should not grow more than ~ 15 GB to 20 GB in size, but on some Dell computers older system repair points are not purged when the maximum folder size is reached and this folder can grow to more than 200 GB in size.

I'm not saying that a similar bug in a Dell / Alienware program is responsible for your lack of disk space - for all I know you might store a huge number of large music and photos / video files in your C:\Users\<yourusername> folder that takes up lots of disk space -  but TreeSize Free should at least tell you what folders are using the most disk space.

I have a 250 GB SSD in my Inspiron 5584 and the TreeSize Free image below displays all my folders that exceed 1 GB in size .  TreeSize Free shows that I'm currently only using 110.9 GB of disk space in total, and that my C:\Users\ folder accounts for 37.3% (41.3 GB) of that 110.9 GB of used disk space.  If I expand my C:\Users\ folder I can see that the music files in my C:\Users\<myusername>\Music subfolder use over 20 GB of disk space, which is about what I'd expect.  Note that I do not have Dell SupportAssist Remediation v5.5.5.x installed on my computer so my C:\ProgramData\Dell folder is relatively small.

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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2846 * Firefox v112.0.2 * Microsoft Edge v112.0.1722.64 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2303.8-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.27.262-1.0.1991 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * My  Dell v2.2.4 *CCleaner Free Portable v6.10.10347 * TreeSize Free Portable v4.6.3.508

[markfleener]

Nah, i don't save up on them system restore points for nothing, screw that crap, and that stuff wouldn't cause what i'm experiencing, you're in lalaland

 

[Nergal]

5 hours ago, markfleener said:

you're in lalaland

Please remain on a civil basis with members who are using their free time to answer your question.

Friendly is a good tactic

Love,

Moderator Nergal

[nukecad]

Frankly that C: Drive does not have enough freespace available, and it will give issues until you do something about that.

On a HDD it is recommended to have around 15-520% freespace so that Windows itself can work properly.
Windows needs that freespace to Optimise the drive, needs space for the Pagefile, for Windows Updates, and so on.

38.48 GB is only 8% of your drive free, which is why Windows complains (and turns your bar red).
Even the 52.1 GB is only 11%  free, and that's not enough because that freespace will quickly get used again.

Without enough freespace on the disc then as you have found Windows will need frequent reboots/restarts to operate as it should.

You need to remove some applications or data from the drive onto another drive, or to get a biger drive to use for the C: drive.

Your screenshots indicate that you have around 400GB used for applications and data other than Windows itself.
Do you have a lot of video, images, or games on your C; drive?
(If/when gaming are you 'saving game' to the C: drive?)

What is taking up the disc space may not be at first visible to you, so lmacri was simply trying to help you with working out what is taking all that space up.

BUT - Just using CCleaner to remove temporary/junk files is not enough in your situation, because as soon as you start using the computer again the temporary files will build up again, and you'll quickly run out of diskspace again.

[markfleener]

It's not really giving me issues as you say.  I'm just trying to learn more.  So CCleaner doesn't delete temporary files from the browser, even after closing browser?  I think you're wrong about that.  I suspect maybe ShotCut might be causing such an issue, but not my browser.  I thought someone could simply answer what it is that is cleared from memory on reboot that CCleaner is not doing itself, but I guess not. 

 

 

 

[redwolfe_98]

22 hours ago, markfleener said:

am having to reboot the computer to clear memory

ccleaner does not free up memory.

after doing scans with my antivirus programs, i notice that "task manager" shows that my compupter is uising more memory than usual. the only way that i know of, to free up that memory, is to reboot my computer.

ccleaner's not freeing up memory is not a deficiency in ccleaner.

 

[markfleener]

Clearing memory is like CCleaner's main function.   No, I don't think this is a RAM issue, although, I had wondered about the page file. 

[nukecad]

I think you have a missundestanding about the 2 types of computer 'Memory' 

What is cleared from 'memory' (Random Access Memory) is not your real issue here.

Your issue is what can be cleared from 'storage' (Storage Memory).

Although both are commonly referred to as just 'memory' they are different things.

A restart will clear your RAM but will not clear what is stored on the drive. (There is a bit of overlap there though with the pagefile which is temporary RAM put on the drive for a while to free up actual RAM).

CCleaner clears temporary and junk files from Storage Memory (the drive) but not from RAM.

However you have that much other stuff stored on the drive and so what can be cleared from storage by CCleaner can only be a temporary help - As we have being trying to say will you have to move or delete a lot of that 'other stuff'. Lmacri was trying to help you find just what that 'other stuff' on your drive might be.

You say that you want to learn so please calm down and look at what is being explained, that is the way to learn.