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jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay

MVM

CCleaner vs. Eraser - Is one better than the other?

And if so, why? I've run CCleaner in the past, and as yet have installed anything on my new system. Before doing so, with either, I would like to know, technically and over all, what the differences are and which one would be the easiest one to work with, having only experienced CCleaner? Yes. I have looked at both of them and read the info on both, but having only used one, it's hard to compare.

craig70130
Premium Member
join:2004-04-27
New Orleans, LA

craig70130

Premium Member

I use ATF-Cleaner because it cleans temp files from all profiles, not just the one currently logged in.

ltsnow
Premium Member
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA

ltsnow to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
I use both. You might want to consider using Eraser 5.82 (older) because I find it works fine and does not have one of the problems that the new one has, i.e. way too many choices on the recycle bin context menu.

I use Eraser to erase the recycle bin and files. I use CCleaner to clean everything else.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

1 edit

jaykaykay

MVM

Doesn't CCleaner do the recycle bin too. As I recall, it did. Thanks re: the 5.82 version. I did read the thread re" the problems with the new 5.86.

I forgot to mention, I am not rinning Vista if it makes any difference to either tool. I am still running XP and will continue doing so for some time.

AB57
Premium Member
join:2006-04-04
equatorial

AB57 to ltsnow

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to ltsnow
said by ltsnow:

I use both.
I use neither.

MRU-Blaster, from Javacool Software, works quite well for me, thank you.
But it only concerns itself with certain specific areas of the Registry-- areas that you're highly unlikely to bork your machine by cleaning, yet areas that store privacy concerns-type info.

I'm quite capable of manually searching and cleaning my Registry on those rare occasions when I might feel the need to do so.
And I have Registry Mechanic, I'll grant you, which I bring up and scan with once every blue moon.

Spybot S&D will allow you to set up a folder to move files to that can then be securely shredded, as well.

That's my method and solution. But, to each their own.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay

MVM

Actually, MRU Blaster and any of Javacool's programs work very well and I think your thought about not borking a system is a good one. I've done it with CCleaner! I forgot to turn it off when downloading something and it took one of the files in temp. that I needed with it. However, MRU Blaster doesn't take care of some of the things I liked cleaned and I wouldn't run Registry Mechanic due to it's possibly removing something that should be there. Maybe 6 of 1 and a half dozen of the other in the way of reasons to run MRU Blaster as opposed to something else, but that isn't what I was asking about. I do like all of Javavcool's programs though. And they play nice with most everything.

ltsnow
Premium Member
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA

ltsnow to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
I use MRU Blaster, Spywareblaster, Eraser, and CCleaner. Have never gotten any spyware. I have tried registry cleaners, but have now come to the conclusion that they are more likely to cause problems than to make the machine faster. CCleaner's registry cleaner is not aggressive and has never caused me any problems.

AB57
Premium Member
join:2006-04-04
equatorial

AB57 to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
said by jaykaykay:

. . Maybe 6 of 1 and a half dozen of the other in the way of reasons to run MRU Blaster as opposed to something else, but that isn't what I was asking about.
No, it certainly wasn't. So my apologies for anything not directly related-- though that's also the reason I responded to ltsnow See Profile's post, and not yours.
said by ltsnow:

. . I have tried registry cleaners, but have now come to the conclusion that they are more likely to cause problems than to make the machine faster.
Exactly.
I used to use CCleaner regularly. I have no real specific issue with it-- I just got tired of seeing it want to clean stuff that I didn't want 'cleaned'.
The version I used had no option to ignore specific items-- specific file types, for example.
Just because I don't currently have any .ogg files on my computer doesn't mean I want that file association removed from the media player I have it associated with-- thereby necessitating my re-associating it the next time I open an .ogg file.
A minor annoyance, yet an annoyance nonetheless.
They may have an 'ignore' function for stuff like that now, I don't know.

I'm just stating one example here of my reasoning as to why the average computer user can easily do more harm than good when using these kinds of programs.

But again, to each their own.
The Snowman
Premium Member
join:2007-05-20

1 edit

1 recommendation

The Snowman to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay

Hi JKK

Eraser and CCLEANER are not even playing in the same ballpark........one is playing football and the other baseball.

CCLEANER...as it's name states..is a cleaner....temp folders...index dat...etc..etc......and it has the ability to "wipe" what it cleans.

Eraser.....as it's name states "erases"....files or entire "un-used space" on a harddrive....or if "pointed" at a particular file it can be used to "erase" (wipe) the file. Eraser is the type of program a person would used to erase "AFTER" using a program such as CCLEANER.

The biggest problem I have noticed being made by people is their failure to completely "clean" the system "Before" doing a "wipe (erase). An I would venture to say that there are people in prison because of this.
JKK, think of it like your favorite melody.....one sweet note comes before the next nice note and put them all together and you have you melody.

Before I do a harddrive "wipe" I will use no less than four cleaners....never less... but sometimes more....then and only then would I use a program such as Eraser.
The Snowman

1 edit

1 recommendation

The Snowman to jaykaykay

Premium Member

to jaykaykay

Oh, one comment before I bow out......its important to understand that the type of "wipe" and "how many wipes" come into play when maintaining a totally un-recoverable object...towit..file or image.....

In recent years large strides have been made in the products used to "recover".......you will no doubt hear many opinions on this, however, if you were to use Eraser...for a real good "wipe" seven passes should suffice.....an less only if you do not have enough time to lose the use of the computer.....(speaking of the entire harddrive)

Pentangle
With our thoughts we make the world.
Premium Member
join:2006-06-01
Vancouver BC

Pentangle to AB57

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to AB57
said by ArgleBargle :
MRU-Blaster, from Javacool Software, works quite well for me, thank you.
Abie, I note that the database for MRU-Blaster is pretty ancient (3/2004). Is the program still being supported?

AB57
Premium Member
join:2006-04-04
equatorial

1 recommendation

AB57

Premium Member

said by Pentangle:

. . I note that the database for MRU-Blaster is pretty ancient (3/2004). Is the program still being supported?
There's really nothing that requires 'support'.
I'm not sure what all OS's it works on, but for XP, it cleans MRU lists, IE temporary files, and index.dat files-- files that require no support or updates to clean or remove.

EGeezer
Premium Member
join:2002-08-04
Midwest

1 recommendation

EGeezer to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
I have both, but only use CC and Spybot scans, (no tea timer) for normal cleanup. It's good at finding orphan registry entries and other junk. Since I only use the user profile for normal use and occasionally use Admin for install/other maintenance, the per-user thing is not an issue. I note that CC is also updated regularly.

I have no issues with spyware or viruses, as they've been thwarted or prevented long before they get to this stage *knocks on wood*. My cleanups are more on the housekeeping level.

Name Game
Premium Member
join:2002-07-07
Grand Rapids, MI

1 recommendation

Name Game to jaykaykay

Premium Member

to jaykaykay
CCleaner takes care of the dust bunnies..Eraser attempts to take the heel marks off the hardwood floor. Both are easy to work with..one takes longer than the other.

mers2
Premium Member
join:2004-03-20
USA

1 edit

1 recommendation

mers2 to Pentangle

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to Pentangle
There will be a new version of MRU Blaster coming out sometime after the next version of Spywareblaster is released per Javacool. The old version still works quite well and isn't really "outdated" IMO.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

1 recommendation

jaykaykay

MVM

The reason I responded to AB rather than leave that to whom she responded was to let all know that Javacool's programs, in general, are extremely good. I have run many of them for some time. Yes. I was shamelessly pushing those tools!

And NG and Snowman, thanks for the additional education. That's exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for and I got my answer in spades. That's not to say that I didn't appreciate the other responses. I did, but what I was looking for were differences and the technical reasons behind them. Due to my lack of education between the 2, I do hope others were educated too.

hayc59
Your a Daisy
Premium Member
join:2001-02-26

hayc59 to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
which one??
would love to check it out??
»www.heidi.ie/eraser/
»www.tolvanen.com/eraser/
»sourceforge.net/projects/eraser/

mers2
Premium Member
join:2004-03-20
USA

2 recommendations

mers2

Premium Member

said by hayc59:

which one??
would love to check it out??
»www.heidi.ie/eraser/
»www.tolvanen.com/eraser/
»sourceforge.net/projects/eraser/
The version at tolvanen.com is the old version up to 5.3 when it was discontinued by that author. I've always gotten my versions since then from heidi.ie, though I've stuck with one of the older versions as 5.85 and 5.86 apppear to have problems. Looks like sourceforge.net is the same program.

hayc59
Your a Daisy
Premium Member
join:2001-02-26

1 recommendation

hayc59 to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
thank you Mers2
OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

2 recommendations

OZO to AB57

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to AB57
I do not use CCleaner or other similar programs on a regular basis. I use another (more personalized) approach instead. I run a BAT file that does its job when I shutdown computer. It contains a collection of all keys/values in registry and folders/files on HD that must be removed as a part of regular cleanup process. It took some time to prepare it, but it's working well. This way I can fine tune keeping or removing every MRU or log file on my computer.
said by AB57:

I used to use CCleaner regularly. I have no real specific issue with it-- I just got tired of seeing it want to clean stuff that I didn't want 'cleaned'.
The version I used had no option to ignore specific items-- specific file types, for example.
Just because I don't currently have any .ogg files on my computer doesn't mean I want that file association removed from the media player I have it associated with-- thereby necessitating my re-associating it the next time I open an .ogg file.
A minor annoyance, yet an annoyance nonetheless.
They may have an 'ignore' function for stuff like that now, I don't know.
Here is a simple trick to avoid this problem. Create a folder that contains lot of empty files with extensions that you want to keep associations with. Registry cleaners won't even try to remove those associations from registry.

AB57
Premium Member
join:2006-04-04
equatorial

1 recommendation

AB57

Premium Member

said by OZO:

I do not use CCleaner or other similar programs on a regular basis. I use another (more personalized) approach instead. I run a BAT file that does its job when I shutdown computer. It contains a collection of all keys/values in registry and folders/files on HD that must be removed as a part of regular cleanup process. It took some time to prepare it, but it's working well. This way I can fine tune keeping or removing every MRU or log file on my computer.
Thanks, OZO.
Excellent suggestion, except I rarely reboot my machine-- once every 7-10 days or so.
So MRU-Blaster comes in quite handy for me.
said by OZO:

said by AB57:

. . Just because I don't currently have any .ogg files on my computer doesn't mean I want that file association removed from the media player I have it associated with-- thereby necessitating my re-associating it the next time I open an .ogg file.
A minor annoyance, yet an annoyance nonetheless.
Here is a simple trick to avoid this problem. Create a folder that contains lot of empty files with extensions that you want to keep associations with. Registry cleaners won't even try to remove those associations from registry.
And here's an even simpler trick, from my point of view-- don't run Registry cleaners.

Again-- not that I have any specific axe to grind with CCleaner at all, it's just that that's the way I prefer to play it.
I used Regseeker for a long time, and loved it. And it has a permanent 'ignore' option for any file it finds.
But even that app I finally quit using and uninstalled.

Thanks for the thoughts and advice, however. Those are both good suggestions.

spy1
Welcome to Amerika
Premium Member
join:2002-06-24
Charlotte, NC

1 recommendation

spy1 to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
  
jaykaykay - "The Snowman" hit the nail on the head with his post.

CCleaner is excellent for cleaning all manner of things - even over-writing - or "erasing" - them up to seven times if you set it to do so. (See screenshots).

If you use/run MRU-Blaster, that's fine, too (I do here).

One program I use that sticks out due to the fact that it does NOT over-write/"erase" what it deletes is Index.dat Suite - »support.it-mate.co.uk/?m ··· datsuite - and since I don't consider something "gone" until it's irretrievable forensically, that's why I do exactly what Snowman said - I run a three-pass wipe on free-space with Eraser after "cleaning up" with CCleaner (and the like).

Trying to set up Eraser to "clean" like CCleaner does would be a very time-consuming, hit-or-miss process - when you could do that part much more easily by checking the applicable boxes in CCleaner, then let Eraser "erase" the previously deleted stuff.

Happy cleaning - but beware, it can turn into a totally useless obsession (present company excepted, of course! ). Pete
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20 to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
I'm confused. You need Eraser (or something like it) to erase everything on your old computer's drive? And you need CCleaner to clean your new drive. Do I have that right? Then why are you asking for comparsions? They do two different things.

I would never use either of those. When I wipe my old drive (so I can use it for True Images now that I have a much larger main hard drive), I will just use SeaTools for DOS which anyone can download for free. It is outstanding and free to anyone. You don't have to have Seagate drives to use it.»www.seagate.com/www/en-u ··· seatools

With my old XP Dell that I had to send back to Dell, I used a trial of Acronis Drive Cleanser. »www.acronis.com/enterpri ··· dex.html
It is outstanding also and offers a variety of standards for obliterating the data on the drive.

As for cleaning my current drives, I don't do that. If I ever think about it (maybe twice a year) I run the best and safest registry cleaner ever created. I use the last free version of RegCleaner, but you can buy a newer version. Far superior to CCleaner which borked my Windows once. I think CCleaner is a total waste of one's money. Most of what it does, you can do yourself easily or use free programs to do those things and the registry cleaning it does is dangerous. Use RegCleaner instead ...either the last free version or a current paid version (jv16PowerTools commercial version »www.macecraft.com/).

RegCleaner (last free version) is the only registry cleaner advised for use by Avira support techs in the Avira forums which I found noteworthy. I'm not sure it will work on Vista though but you are using XP currently and it will work on XP (the free version) in compatibility mode. I'm sure the current paid version needs no compatibility mode.

»www.321download.com/Last ··· dex.html

Grail Knight

Premium Member
join:2003-05-31
Valhalla

2 edits

2 recommendations

Grail Knight

Premium Member

quote:
I think CCleaner is a total waste of one's money.
I think you are confused again because CCleaner is freeware.

Funny how running CCleaner and Regseeker have not caused any issues over the years on my computers. Sure there has been a software bug on occasion but those are fixed pretty quickly by either vendor from what I have seen.
quote:
If I ever think about it (maybe twice a year) I run the best and safest registry cleaner ever created. I use the last free version of RegCleaner, but you can buy a newer version.
The best IN YOUR OPINION which just may not be the opinion of others.

Personally I like the manual cleaning approach and use Regseeker for deep cleaning.

Edit* Eraser BTW can be used for just general cleaning Mele.

Right-click any file and select "Erase" and it is overwritten as many times as you have it set for. Seven times is how I have it set.

If data is very sensitive you should encrypt it first then erase it. If on the outside chance the file was ever recovered it would still be encrypted.

Edit* Correct spelling of; first
Grail Knight

Grail Knight to The Snowman

Premium Member

to The Snowman
quote:
Before I do a harddrive "wipe" I will use no less than four cleaners....never less... but sometimes more....then and only then would I use a program such as Eraser.
A hard drive wipe infers you are wiping the entire hard drive so why clean it first?

Did you mean that when you are doing routine cleaning (after uninstalls, tmp fils, logs, mrus etc) you run the 4 cleaning programs then run eraser free space eraser utility?

Thanks

cork1958
Cork
Premium Member
join:2000-02-26

cork1958 to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
CrapCleaner and Registry Cleaner are the only things I use regularly.

I also have a program called Resplendent Registrar for removing those tough to remove registry files.

Grail Knight

Premium Member
join:2003-05-31
Valhalla

1 recommendation

Grail Knight to jaykaykay

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to jaykaykay
I do not believe one is better then the other and used in conjunction with one another are very powerful.

CCleaner is IMO for general purpose cleaning. You know what CCleaner is capable of doing already.

Take that to the next level with Eraser. Any files you may have created (.docs, money backups, quicken backups, email, attachments, images etc)can be best handled IMO with Eraser.

Right-click erase (Seven times myself). Eraser is great IMO for hard drive data security be it wiping the free space or disposal of a hard drive or prepping it for reuse.

When I perform a full cleanup session I run Regseeker, CCleaner, MRU Blaster, Eraser Free Space Wipe, then defrag.

Everyday use I run CCleaner & MRU Blaster. Sensitive files I have created I encrypt using Axcrypt then eras. (Banking, personal email etc...)
The Snowman
Premium Member
join:2007-05-20

The Snowman

Premium Member



___________________________________________________________

"Did you mean that when you are doing routine cleaning (after uninstalls, tmp fils, logs, mrus etc) you run the 4 cleaning programs then run eraser free space eraser utility?"

____________________________________________________________

GK, yes, to your question. About the same as you stated that you are doing.

An by the way:

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Grail Knight

Premium Member
join:2003-05-31
Valhalla

Grail Knight

Premium Member

Thanks.

I thought that was what you meant but did not want to guess your intent.

Happy Holidays yourself.

Bubba17
Less is More
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join:2006-09-21

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Bubba17 to Mele20

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to Mele20
said by Mele20:

As for cleaning my current drives, I don't do that. If I ever think about it (maybe twice a year) I run the best and safest registry cleaner ever created. I use the last free version of RegCleaner, but you can buy a newer version. Use RegCleaner instead ...either the last free version or a current paid version (jv16PowerTools commercial version »www.macecraft.com/).
I too used RegCleaner for a goodly spell and agree with your quality assessment. Now, the paid version is being called "RegSupreme". I wasn't aware of Avira's forum endorsement but know it is probably the most suggested registry utility by Don, and others, at KL's forum also.

I bought access to jv16PowerTools, which is a tremendous utility suite.

Reliably safe usage of either MaceCraft product simply entails 3 steps:

1) Selecting "Normal" scanning, instead of "Aggressive" (which adds MRU/Data scan and ActiveX/COM/DCOM/OLE/DDE scan).

2) Allow the program to "select all" suggested cleaning instances it discovers from the scan, via pull-down selection.

3) Select "Fix", instead of "Custom Fix" or "Delete", which allows the cleaner to repair/or delete, where applicable.

It is, virtually, bullet proof. Course, I always select, and would suggest to anyone using such utils, to allow the program to make a backup prior to cleaning.

Other cleaners I regularly use in conjunction with jv16's are "Registry Mechanic", which is also very safe and I can highly recommend .. and, CCleaner.