Windows 7 Cleanup Utilities

Keeping Windows 7 Running Fast

Windows 7 is a better resource manager than all the other retail versions of Windows so far. It is still Windows however, and there is a lot of waste built in to the system. A well used computer will soon accrue enough fragmented files, broken links and redundant registry entries to start slowing it down.
Fortunately, because of its compatibility with Vista and XP, Windows 7 has no problem with most of the third party cleaning tools out there. There are plenty to choose from, most of them free, but we are going to look at three specific programs that are proven to play well with 7. They are CCleaner, Defraggler and EnhanceMySe7en.
CCleaner has been around since the days of Windows XP, and has been going from strength to strength ever since. It is currently the most well known system cleaner because it is easy to use, quick to work and does a good job.

CCleaner and Defraggler

CCleaner works well with Windows 7 and can clean out the registry or temporary files in no time. It also has an uninstall facility that seems to handle removing programs much better than Windows does. All in all, this is a great tool, and best of all, it’s free!
Defraggler is a play on words from a 1980’s Jim Henson show called Fraggle Rock. In this guise however, it is a hard drive defrag utility that works many times faster than the one built in to Windows.
While not being made by Microsoft, it has an uncanny resemblance to the Windows System Tools, which makes this very easy to pick up and use. All you have to do is select a disk by highlighting it at the top, then click the Analyze button in the bottom left. A progress meter will show you how it’s doing and it will present a result for you to use. If a disk needs defragmenting, simply click Defrag next to the Analyze button at the bottom. Then leave it to do its thing.

EnhanceMyse7en

The last cleanup utility we are going to look at is a system cleaner and so much more. EnhanceMyse7en is a complete suite of tools built especially for Windows 7. There is a Vista version too, which offers just as much to play with.
This tool is so powerful that you can literally change the way your computer runs, all from one interface – everything from cleaning the registry, emptying recycle bins and defragmenting a hard drive. There are also tools that change how menus look, how quickly they appear, it lets you control startup items, stop and disable services, monitors for hard drive errors and a host of other things.
The toolset is so comprehensive that it takes an afternoon to try them all and figure out what they do. Needless to say it the ideal tool if you want to get under the hood and squeeze as much potential out of your system as possible.
While these three tools aren’t the only ones available, they are in my opinion the best. They are also tried and tested with all versions of Windows 7 so far, even the RTM. If your system is starting to get a little sluggish, break out one or all of these utilities and have a spring clean. The results will be significant.