14 DAY TRIAL // Simple, easy and efficient. This is what an average computer user wants from a computer maintenance software. There are many jobs to be done if you want to keep your computer healthy, up and running. Defragmentation is one operation that should be on the weekly tasks of average users. This problem can be solved by simply choosing a "set it and forget it" defragmentation application.
And yet, despite the fact that defragging the files stored on your computer will increase the read/write speed of your HDD, there are other operations that need to run once a week. Deleting the cache of the web browser, cookies and Windows' temporary files are just some of the junk files that should be eliminated from your computer.
Clean Disk can become one solution for cleaning up some junk files from the computer. The price tag of the application shows $19.95 and the 30 days trial period will definitely allow proper testing of the program. There are no other restrictions of the evaluation version.
As soon as I began testing the application, I bumped into a bit of a nag. In order to select the volumes of your computer you want to clean a double click is required to include them in the scan. Most applications enable a single click for selecting the drives.
Taking a peek at the pictures below you can clearly see that the interface of the software is not the strong point. The code lines are dressed in a very old looking interface that makes me forget all about Vista stunning shell on the market.
There are three sections in the application window. In fact, each section represents a step into cleaning your computer of the unwanted files. First you get to select the drives you want to scan and clean. If one volume is not listed in the first section then using “New Path” button will let you add some more locations on your drive. I was surprised to see that cleaning locations in the local network can be added.
The next two sections cover the scan types. On the left, there are the currently selected scan types and if those are not sufficient, then you get to add some more from the right side window. The additional scan types available can be changed according to the users' needs. The file types available can be maneuvered any way you want, from adding some more or deleting the ones you do not need.
Creating sets of scan types is possible. The feature comes in handy especially when you plan on deleting different files from each drive. This way, you can create a set for each drive. Another proof of flexibility of the software resides in the fact that you can customize the file type you want to delete from your computer. New Type gives you the chance to that. A name for the scan type is required and typing in the patterns you want to be deleted or browse to a folder that you want to be emptied after the scan.
The list of additional scans available in the right hand window includes items like Borland C++ cleanup, broken shell links, empty directories, IE cache, history and cookies as well as for Firefox and Netscape. Zero sized files, Windows recent files list and temporary directories are included.
After the scan is complete the user is not kept in the blind and all the files that have been detected, together with the full path, extension, name and size are displayed. For a better management of these files, the software allows the user to explore the files and then decide which files can and cannot be deleted. The files are moved to the Recycle Bin just in case you change your mind and decide to recover one of the files. Moving the files into another folder is also possible.
A downside when it comes to selecting is that you cannot use Ctrl+A keyboard shortcut to select all the junk files detected. A context menu is available providing the Select All option. The same button is available in the top right corner of the window, but sometimes, using the shortcut is much more convenient.
The Good
Very easy to use and highly flexible in terms of customizing the search for files. The "safety net" will first send the files to Recycle Bin in case you want to recover one of the files. Taking a look at the files before wiping them is a good idea.
Pressing F1 (the traditional Help invoking key) will display tooltips that tell you what exactly the selected section is displaying.
The Bad
The interface needs a serious “face lift” and the fact that there are no keyboard shortcuts available may prevent power users from using it.
The price seems a little too much if you come to think of it as almost all these operations can be completed manually by actually going to those folders and deleting the junk.
The Truth
Editing and creating new scan types is definitely an asset. However, I will go on with using the free application I got accustomed to.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
