One of my favorite applications is CCLEANER formally known as Crap Cleaner which can be found at http://www.ccleaner.com. If a client is experiencing viruses or spyware issues. CCleaner is the first application that I run. Although its not a malware removal tool, its useful to get files off of the computer that don't need to be there to make things like malware scans run much faster.

The main function of using CCLEANER is to clean out your Internet Cache which are files that you accumulate while browsing and Temporary files which are created by applications as you run them.

Why cleanup your Internet Cache?

Internet Cache is only supposed to take up a small portion of your hard drive, but with drives getting so large the cache sizes are huge. Ultimately they do cause problems when web sites are not configured correctly and you are unable to see dynamic content properly. Also, it will clean up cookies including tracking cookies. Note: This cleanup is not a forensically sound cleanup. If you're looking to completely hide your tracks, look elsewhere. A skilled person can still be able to figure out what your Internet habits have been

Why aren't temporary files, uh temporary?

Temporary files are created as you go while running software. For example, when you're opening and editing a document, typically your word processor will open a copy (or multiple!) of the file. Unfortunately, many times your applications will either close before it can clean up because of a crash, or they just neglect to because their applications are poorly written.

Many times both of these locations are used by malware writers as well because its a sure location that the end-user will have the ability to save files to it.

CCleaner is a great way to keep your computer in top shape. Add Ccleaner to your toolkit to be used with other maintenance tools.