Files requiring manual cleanup

[oldandinthe way]

Recently discovered DVDshrink related analysis files going back over a year in a local settings directory.

Also discovered prefetch files for various applications which no longer reside on my system, and temporary directories from the installation of tools like FixVts.

Are there files that you manually delete on a regular basis to avoid cluttering your system?

Is there crap buildup from Nero, or IMGburn, or DVDDecryptor etc. ?

[redwudz]

DVD Shrink and some others can use the same folder for working files each time, overwriting to old files and this keeps the folders from growing too much. The Shrink analysis files don't take up much space, so I delete them a couple of times a year.

The worst offender is Internet Explorer. I run Window Washer and it deletes 10 or more MB each day from the IE temp folders. Window Washer or similar programs can be set to do a automatic delete of folder contents when you shut down your computer. It can do this on about any folder you choose.

I try to locate Shrink, Decrypter, and similar working folders where they are easy to find and clean if needed. Most are set to the root of the C drive. The only time I have seen large files accumulate with a program like ImgBurn is when it makes a ISO file and isn't set to delete it after burning.

Most any program like Nero or others can generate a log file, and they can accumulate, but again, not a lot of space involved.

[Mastertech]

Windows Washer is a pay program. A much better free program is CCleaner. The main download is adware (bundles the Yahoo Toolbar) but the other builds, the basic or slim version are clean:

http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds.aspx

This will delete temporary files that can take up extra disk space. It unfortunately includes a useless Prefetch cleaning option in the advanced section that is not enabled by default. Do not select this option since cleaning the Prefetch folder is a Myth and will REDUCE performance. Windows will self clean the Prefetch folder every 3 days at system idle times (+5 minutes) and the folder has reached 128 entries if Prefetching is enabled and working properly (it is by default). Make sure the Task Scheduler service is set to automatic. It is NOT necessary to ever clean the Prefetch folder and the extra prefetch files do nothing but take up a miniscule amount of disk space. CCleaner by default will recover plenty of disk space used by temporary files.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/SupportCD/XPMyths.html

[oldandinthe way]

I use Norton's cleaner so temp files in IE are not an issue.

After manually cleaning a years worth of DVD shrink analysis DVDshrink is running faster.

The prefetch files are not being cleaned by XP every three days. I found prefetch files for applications which are no longer on my system.

[Mastertech]

It only cleans them when it reaches 128 entries ever three days. The older ones do nothing and will eventually be cleaned. Look at how much disk space they use. It is nothing to worry about.