14 DAY TRIAL // File clutter in your system is always bad news. The results can in some cases be devastating to computer performance and in the best case scenario the only impact will be on the disk space. Worst case scenario, all the useless jumble gathered by temporary files, cache folders and various lists will make a muddle out of the operating system and lead to performance crawls and even re-installation of the operating system in order to regain lost performance.
The implications stemming from the situation would require restoration work, this resulting in lost time and effort and running the risk of not doing too good a job. So a software solution is in order in this case, a solution that can automatically empty the folders crawling with temporary files and useless items slowing down the read/write process.
Plenty of apps are capable of doing this and even more, but CleanAfterMe is the smallest of them all (the executable is only 30KB). It does not have a complicated interface or a complex set of options and it is as simple to use as checking the desired boxes and hitting the “Clean Selected Items” button.
CleanAfterme is absolutely free and requires no installation. A simple download and extraction of the archive will do to get the software up and ready to be put to work. The interface is nothing fancy and only the strictly essential is made available. And that consists of a list of areas CleanAfterMe can clear of useless items, an information window, a path to the selected location, cleaning log, and the action-starting button (Clean Selected Items). It also sports a cleaning report button that shows the sections that have been selected and dusted of clutter.
There are six main areas CleanAfterMe can sweep unwanted files from and these cover both the operating system and three of the most used web browsers on the market: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Unfortunately Chrome is not included in the list although at the time of this review it covers a larger market share than Opera.
The System sections present in CleanAfterMe include Windows Explore areas like Recent Folder, NetHood Folder (it contains the list of recently-used network resources), a list of last accessed files in Run dialog, Save/Open Dialog Box MRU or MUI cache. The application did a wonderful job with removing the traces from these locations, leaving everything pristine clean.
The General Windows section of the program contains the temporary folder of the OS, Recycle Bin, Windows Clipboard and the last logged-on user name. Cleaning these areas went with no trouble at all. Sure, there will be failures when it comes to removing all the files in the temporary folder, but no matter what application is used for the job this location will still contain at least two files.
CleanAfterMe can also deal with not so used locations of Windows. Thus it can eliminate event log files in Vista for Application, Security and System as well as the last key opened in Windows Registry Editor.
For the three web browsers the program can clean there will invariably be cache, cookies and history. With Internet Explorer however there are slightly more options available. If for Opera only cache, history files and cookies can be eliminated, for Firefox there is also form history and for IE the app is able to carry off the last 20 typed URLs, auto-complete forms (IE7) and auto-complete passwords (IE7).
That is all CleanAfterMe can expunge from the system re-gaining free space, covering your tracks and eliminating traces. But there is more to this little app. In some cases it can provide a brief description of the selected area and a path link that can be opened automatically. However, these go only for some of the areas, not all of them.
After cleaning user-selected folders the software displays the results of the action in the lower part of the interface. During our testing almost all of them were successful and only with the files still in use the log showed failure notification. The report also displays the path to the location of eliminated items.
CleanAfterMe is not a snazzy application all frilled up and painted in appealing colors. It is as plain and simple as possible, keeping everything as uncomplicated as can be. Neither are its options some new invention in system cleaning. It doesn't even comprise a large set of areas to clean up but it gives a helluva hand in effacing files and registry entries automatically created by Windows during a normal computer work session.
It takes little to complete the job at the end of which it provides a report with all the actions taken and their result. Failure generally appears due to the use of that specific file and it is not CleanAfterMe's fault.
Of course, more options could be added, such as a duplicate finder or searching and cleaning a user-defined set of file types and this is the major downside of the software. But every functionality added until now works great and without errors.
The Good
Its portability feature adds to its value as it permits usage on any computer, when run from a removable device, without leaving any trace in the registry.
The Bad
Allowing user input would increase the value of the application tenfold. It would also be nice to have a safety net and be able to revert the erasing activity in case you rush into deleting and then realize that you initiated the action a moment too soon.
The Truth
It would be great if all the data were purged from the system the moment CleanAfterMe is closed and not on the spot. There is room for a myriad of options but for now users will have to be satisfied with its current features and cleaning abilities.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
