A COUPLE OF DISAPPOINTMENTS. WE DO IT OURSELVES.

Recently I read the newest version, 4.0(i), had overcome the worst of these dangers. So I downloaded the trial version to give it a whirl the past couple weeks. It has improved in several regards, particularly in examining the Windows Registry. and deleting suspicious or superfluous items. At that task it performs better than Norton’s SystemWorks’ One Button Checkup.

However, there remain serious problems. Let’s look at the first option on System Mechanic Pro’s Main Page:

There are problems with all of these. “Get rid of Junk Files,” as with One Button Checkup, wipes out your cookies as well as useless internet files accumulated during surfing. It also eliminates *.tmp files and scores of others.

“Eliminate Duplicate Files” was once a useful function. Why have 10 versions of the same dll (dynamic link library) on your system? Unfortunately it has been discovered there are good reasons. Some programs won’t run with an updated version of a dynamic link library. Now the new standard Windows architecture is to allow each program its own version of crucial libraries.

“Clean up your tracks” cleans up your document history and similar files that are of marginal interest to real hackers. It’s mostly a waste of time..

Lastly, our Google toolbar is preventing web pop-ups; we don’t need another program to do it.

I’m not going to spend time on every option. Some are dangerous, possibly eliminating files your computer needs to run. Others perform useful functions that One Button Checkup already does, and more simply.

“System maintenance” mimics One Button Checkup. Optimize is mostly tweaking your settings, a real time waster. It also defragments your hard disks, a function built into Windows XP. If you want an excellent third party hard disk optimizer I’ll suggest one in a future column.

All in all buying the whole suite for the excellent registry cleaner isn’t worth the time you’ll waste, the functions you’ll duplicate, and the risks you’ll take. I’ll continue to look for a first rate stand alone registry cleaner.

In the meantime, we’ll get our hands dirty eliminating internet clutter without eliminating cookies. These instructions are only accurate for Windows 2000 and Windows XP. I hope you aren’t running an older version of Windows.

First open Windows Explorer. In Microsoft’s own words:

To open Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.

Navigate to C:// Documents and Settings. In my case we navigate to H://Documents and Settings:

Note the cursor on My Computer in the left hand frame. Click it.

Bringing up this screen:

In this case I not only clicked the box to the left of the description, but the description as well. That puts the contents in the right frame. It’s unlikely you’ll see anything so complicated. In most cases you’ll have to worry only about All Users and Your Name. In my case Dennis Turner. Repeat the steps for All Users.

Click Your Name. (In this case Dennis Turner). Then click Local Settings.

You can see there’s 60 MB tucked in there, all dregs from surfing the net. Double click temp. Select All from the Edit Menu, then press the Del key in the lower right hand corner. Do the same thing with the Temporary Internet Files Folder. Then do it with All Users.

I’ve come across an application called Cookie Cop 3. I had played with the first version years ago, and found it unsatisfactory. It allows you to select which cookies to allow on your computer. I’ll play with the latest version for a while and let you know the result.

Dennis Turner