How to Clean Your Computer Without PC Cleaning Apps

July 24, 2015

The Web is full of ads for apps that want to clean your PC and make it run like new. But before you get sold on one of these apps, it’s important to know that you can clean your computer for FREE. If you have Windows on your workstation PC, then you have built-in cleaning tools that do just as much, if not more, than what the average PC cleaner can do.
Here are some of the things that PC apps claim they can do when you purchase the full version of their product:

  • Remove junk files
  • Clear Internet browsing traces
  • Clear unneeded registry entries
  • Defragment your hard drive

To get you more comfortable with buying the product, many apps will offer a free diagnosis where their software runs a quick scan on your gaming PC, identifying all the “problems” that you have. It’s likely that you’ll have thousands of them! Again, you may be quick to dig out your credit card to fix these issues, but the truth is that many of these “issues” aren’t affecting your computer in the first place.
Bottom line: Don’t believe all the hype with PC cleaning apps. There are simple, effective and free ways to clean your gaming computer and have it running like new again. Let’s take a look.

  • Run the Disk Cleanup tool that is included with Windows. The goal of this tool is to free up space on your hard drive, delete temporary files and other unnecessary junk. To find it, tap the Windows key, type in Disk Cleanup and press enter to launch the tool. You may even schedule a regular Cleanup for your system.
  • Clear your browser history. On most browsers, it’s just a few clicks away. Check the necessary boxes to clear out your cache, cookies, download history and browsing history from the beginning of time. For more information on how to clear your browsers, click here.
  • Run the Disk Defragmenter that is included with Windows. If you use a solid state drive, this step isn’t necessary.
  • Uninstall software that you never use, including startup and browser plug-ins.
  • Run an antivirus program on your computer to check for viruses or malware.

There are so many things you have to buy, this is one situation where you can take care of your computer for free. PC cleaning apps may sound enticing, but don’t fall for the hype. By following the tips above, you can clean off your gaming computer and speed it up using the tools that Windows provides.

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