SlimCleaner - CNET

[FanInAZ]

A FB friend just posted this link. What do you techies think?

http://download.cnet.com/SlimCleaner/3000-18512_4-75279939.html?tag=rb_content%3Bmain

[MOtorboat]

So. We just need to apply this and Slim goes away?

[slim]

Wtf?

Mods, I think this is a personal attack.

[Tned]

I've used other registry cleaners in the past, like System Mechanic. When they work, they sometimes work well. When they don't, they can fubar your system. You can have one that has a great reputation, and then they release an update which you use, that has some bugs or bad algorithms and screws your system up.

As a rule, I just don't use them anymore. If my system is dragging to the point I feel I need to use one, I reload the OS and start from scratch.

[MOtorboat]

I've used other registry cleaners in the past, like System Mechanic. When they work, they sometimes work well. When they don't, they can fubar your system. You can have one that has a great reputation, and then they release an update which you use, that has some bugs or bad algorithms and screws your system up.

As a rule, I just don't use them anymore. If my system is dragging to the point I feel I need to use one, I reload the OS and start from scratch.

Thanks, I was actually about to download that. Maybe I shouldn't. I tend to trust CNET, should I not?

[weazel]

CNET can be trusted. They make sure there's no malware on the files being posted.
I like CCleaner, its a good app to quickly do things you should normally do.

[BroncoJoe]

ccleaner is one of the best, IMO. I don't do the updates until they've been out for a while.

[Tned]

Thanks, I was actually about to download that. Maybe I shouldn't. I tend to trust CNET, should I not?

CNET is usually one of my sources for reviews on electronic reviews. It should be noted that any given review is only as good as the editor that reviewed it. That said, if you are careful about the registry cleaning, it will probably be fine. Also, as BJ said, be careful about updates. Anything that does system cleaning can create chaos on your machine with one bad update.

It wasn't clear to me from the review exactly what it did with software inventory/updates (web browsers, flash, etc.).

If it doesn't automatically bring you to the latest version, another site/program to check out is ninite.com.

It is a great one click update tool for major programs. Including some that people might not always update as often as they should. You can go through and choose from dozens of programs like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Putty, Adobe Reader, Filezila and many, many more, as well as plugins like Flash, Shockwave, Java, etc.

After you choose everything you want to install/update, you download an installer, which you can save to your desktop or wherever. Then, on a regular basis (you could also add it to your task scheduler), you run it, and it will check all of the apps/plugins you've chosen and update any that need updating.

[OrangeHoof]

If you have an installation CD, a backup drive and a little know-how, you can save all your programs and files, reformat the hard drive and re-install everything. Of course, if the problem is actually hardware, this won't fix the problem but if your problem is a balky hard drive or the files are so badly fragmented that your drive can't access them quickly, then wiping the hard drive and starting fresh can do wonders. I wouldn't recommend it though unless you know what you're doing.

I've tried registry cleaners and sometimes they work well but repeated use sometimes just makes matters worse.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Negative comments on the following in regards to SlimCleaner

http://askbobrankin.com/will_slimcleaner_optimize_your_pc.html

From article:


Or just give me CCleaner, the tried-and-true free system cleaner that works. It's a mere 3.5 MB download, compared to Slimcleaner's 10 MB or so. It's easy to understand what CCleaner does; it erases temporary files and cleans your registry. It's not all clear whether Slimcleaner cleans the registry; some reviews say it does while others explicitly say it doesn't. The developer doesn't say.

My son installed CCleaner on my computer, and nightly, before turning off my computer, I run CCleaner. It is a free download.

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

[Tned]

The Cnet review says it suggests registry entries that can be removed, but allows you to choose whether or not to remove them. The problem is that 99% of the population will have no clue whether or not to say yes or no to suggested registry deletions, so typically the choice the make is to delete all the suggestions, or after reading the warning, deletes none.

Cleaning the registry can help improve performance of your machine, and can also screw it up royally. Hence the reason I have stopped using registry cleaners and instead reload the OS periodically.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

My son also downloaded rkill on my computer, when I gave him access to my computer, because I had more than one virus.

explains rkill
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/rkill/