Will Windows Disk Cleanup suffice on XP since Window Washer is no more?
On XP OS computers for Pro, Media Center, and Home Edition, I used Window Washer, even after XP reached EOS and those machines were removed from Internet use. I am looking for something to do the thorough cleaning job WW did, day in and day out. Is it the Windows Disk Cleanup utility since Webroot has no standalone product to offer?
Userlevel 7
Hello J-L, welcome to the Webroot Community!
There are a number of utilities that can be used, the WIndows Disk Cleanup being one of them. Do note that not all utilities will remove all of the same data, so you might want to check the settings to make sure the data you want to remove is can be.
Also, whie the standalone Windows Washer is no longer support Webroot DOES have this capabiity still in the System Optimizer that is included with several verisons of WSA. An advantage to using this over others like Windows Disk Cleanup is that it also uses the functionality of the Secure Erase feature. You can set it to simply remove the data with a single write pass, but you can also sest it for 3, or 7 passes making the erased data far more un-recoverable than a simple normal Windows delete can do.
The following Webroot versions have the System Optimizer:
WSA-Gamers Edition
WSA-Internet Security
WSA-Complete
WSA-Best Buy Subscription
I hope that this helps answer your quetions!
There are a number of utilities that can be used, the WIndows Disk Cleanup being one of them. Do note that not all utilities will remove all of the same data, so you might want to check the settings to make sure the data you want to remove is can be.
Also, whie the standalone Windows Washer is no longer support Webroot DOES have this capabiity still in the System Optimizer that is included with several verisons of WSA. An advantage to using this over others like Windows Disk Cleanup is that it also uses the functionality of the Secure Erase feature. You can set it to simply remove the data with a single write pass, but you can also sest it for 3, or 7 passes making the erased data far more un-recoverable than a simple normal Windows delete can do.
The following Webroot versions have the System Optimizer:
WSA-Gamers Edition
WSA-Internet Security
WSA-Complete
WSA-Best Buy Subscription
I hope that this helps answer your quetions!
Your reply is appreciated, and there's almost no hope that one washer product can match Window Washer. Other than user options to/not to delete Prefetch and %temp%, WW was perfect for me. It's a shame Webroot has no standalone washer as a replacement, as there are tens of thousands of XP equipment that are quite usable but now or soon to be phased out of Internet use as there is less and less support, but the movement at Webroot is away from standalone products. I moved my WSA Complete licenses to Windows 7 machines from XP. System Optimizer works well for me on those W7 machines, but one thing I would like is the counter/reset we had in WW. Adding WSAC seems an overkill since my XP computers never see the Internet. I use Revo Pro's Evidence Remover (for small HDD) and Unrecoverable Delete (for large HDD) whenever I need a write-over equivalent to a DOD, NSA, or Gutmann. To find something like Windows Disk Cleanup what search term might I use for Bing, or do you care to list some possibilities?
Userlevel 7
Hello again :)
I do not have a large list of such utilities, as I use the Optimizer, There are some members here who like CCLeaner, and recently I found one called Master Cleaner (I think that is what it was called) that seems promising but I have not yet run it.
You do have a good point about there not being a reset for the stats in the Optimizer. I know that the stats of scans run, threats found, etc can be reset, but I find no such option in the Optimizer. You might make a suggestion to add a reset ability in the Ideas section!
@ @ both may have some suggestions in addition to those I have mentioned.
I do see your point regarding XP computers that do not ever connect to the internet. Really, my personal opinion is that if a computer is used on the internet, XP must be replaced, and not just for security reasons. Today's software is just getting too big and bloated to be used on the old XP machines. BUT, that being said, I am sure there are a LOT of applications of non connected use for which XP excels. One example that comes to mind quickly is like one fellow that I used to provide computer repair services for. Hs business was run on an older machine, and it ran quite well. The software he used was proprietary, and they were still on DOS based databases.
Thank you for your reply and comments, I do appreciate it :)
I do not have a large list of such utilities, as I use the Optimizer, There are some members here who like CCLeaner, and recently I found one called Master Cleaner (I think that is what it was called) that seems promising but I have not yet run it.
You do have a good point about there not being a reset for the stats in the Optimizer. I know that the stats of scans run, threats found, etc can be reset, but I find no such option in the Optimizer. You might make a suggestion to add a reset ability in the Ideas section!
I do see your point regarding XP computers that do not ever connect to the internet. Really, my personal opinion is that if a computer is used on the internet, XP must be replaced, and not just for security reasons. Today's software is just getting too big and bloated to be used on the old XP machines. BUT, that being said, I am sure there are a LOT of applications of non connected use for which XP excels. One example that comes to mind quickly is like one fellow that I used to provide computer repair services for. Hs business was run on an older machine, and it ran quite well. The software he used was proprietary, and they were still on DOS based databases.
Thank you for your reply and comments, I do appreciate it :)
Userlevel 7
Hi David
Would not disagree with anything that you have posted and CCleaner is a very popular cleaner...and Master Cleaner is looking like a possible alternative, albeit simpler to use...which may be no bad thing for the less experienced user.
In terms of other possible candidates I would add Slim Cleaner to the mix...I have used that for quite a while and itnhas so far never let me down...worth a look.
But having saoid that there are a lotnof possible other candidates out there and so some research on site such as www.techsupportalert.com (which I would recommed as a keeper) is well worthwhile, followed by some experimentation with the recommended apps...makingbsure to make a full system backup in case of an issue or at the very least Creating a Restore Point prior to installation, etc.
Hope that helps?
Regards, Baldrick
Would not disagree with anything that you have posted and CCleaner is a very popular cleaner...and Master Cleaner is looking like a possible alternative, albeit simpler to use...which may be no bad thing for the less experienced user.
In terms of other possible candidates I would add Slim Cleaner to the mix...I have used that for quite a while and itnhas so far never let me down...worth a look.
But having saoid that there are a lotnof possible other candidates out there and so some research on site such as www.techsupportalert.com (which I would recommed as a keeper) is well worthwhile, followed by some experimentation with the recommended apps...makingbsure to make a full system backup in case of an issue or at the very least Creating a Restore Point prior to installation, etc.
Hope that helps?
Regards, Baldrick
Userlevel 7
It certainly helps me! Thank you for the help @ !
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