How to clean up PC

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Most PC activity leads to temporary files being created. These include temporary Windows files, application files and logs, pages and images saved on the hard drive during web browsing (called browser cache) and other similar items often referred to as junk files or PC junk. Temporary files are meant to be automatically deleted once they are not needed anymore, but oftentimes such files are left over due to some malfunction or interruption, such as a forced program or system shutdown, an application crash, etc. Over time, these unneeded files might accumulate on the hard drive and limit the amount of available disk space, as well as potenially reduce hard drive efficiency. Junk files can be cleaned out and their accumulation can be prevented with special software designed to detect and eliminate PC clutter.

The article provides details on the symptoms and causes of junk file accumulation, as well as ways to clean up a PC.

Ways to clean up a PC

Advanced PC users may be able to clean up PC by locating the Windows and user temporary folders, as well as folders that store web browser cache for every browser installed on a PC, and then manually cleaning out all unneeded files from these locations. However, since there is always a risk of mistaking a crucial system file for an unneeded temporary file and causing malfunctions through its removal, whenever a user is in any doubt of their technical skills or knowledge, they may use special software that is meant to detect and safely remove only the true junk files without requiring any special skills.

The following steps may clean up a PC:

The same application can be used to run preventative measures to reduce the chance of this or other system issues appearing in the future.

Symptoms of junk file accumulation

The most common symptoms that accompany the presence of too many files on a PC hard drive are issues related to the lack of disk space. Such malfunctions include failed software downloads or installs, file copying issues, virtual memory malfunctions and similar. Some symptoms of a cluttered hard drive may not be attributed to it right away, such as longer antivirus scans or disk defrags, which happen because antivirus programs and defragmenters have to process more data, a lot of it being PC junk. Another symptom may be a certain level of fragmentation that cannot be reduced by defragmenting, because there is no consecutive free space large enough to place the defragmented files.

Causes of junk file accumulation

Among the most common causes of computer junk accumulation are application and system malfunctions. For instance, temporary files that are supposed to be deleted upon program close get left over when the program crashes and is force-closed using the Task Manager. Web browser cache accumulates with heavy internet use – there is usually a time scheduled for cache cleanup, but the cleaning sessions may not be frequent enough for heavy internet users.