Best Free Browser Scrubber

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Last Update: Fri, 11/13/2009 - 14:45 — Brendan Bryson

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Introduction

When you browse the web you accumulate a huge amount of stored data. The sheer quantity is surprising; often gigabytes. Just what is and what isn't junk is a personal decision. For example, I regard the information stored in my browser's history as a valuable resource, but I know that many see it as clutter. That's why the flexibility to choose exactly what you want to keep or delete is a key requirement.

Discussion

If you exclusively use either Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Firefox, Opera 10 or now Google's Chrome then CCleaner is my top pick. It took the lead with version 2.0 and a complete rewrite including the ability to exclude specific files, folders and registry keys from the cleaning process. There are many other applications provide the ability to clean up browsers and your system, but when you take into account CCleaner's customizability, speed, ease of use, it's near-forensic thoroughness, portability and the number applications it can keep clean, then you have a clear winner. In addition to keeping your browser clean does a great job cleaning up your entire computer including Windows temporary files, Windows Registry, improved Add Remove Program interface, portability to run from a flash drive and the ability to completely erase your tracks by providing delete options to overwrite deleted files. It is updated frequently adding more & more support for new applications. See the related review Best Free File Cleaner for additional information on CCleaner.

Caution: One drawback of CCleaner is that it lacks the integrated ability to undo, create a checkpoint, or even backup prior to removing files or making changes. This is not a problem if you regularly backup or image your system but it can be easily overcome by using one of the many applications that exist for this purpose. For most users the easiest way to do this is to create a system checkpoint.

Another great pick for power users is Comodo System Cleaner. People who want to have control of every aspect of their browser are going to love this as there are options to clean things which other cleaners don't, like favorites and bookmarks. This may be useful if you are using a shared or public computer and want to clear all your tracks. Users must however be very careful and watch what they delete to prevent removing something they later need like browser history. However, never fear as there is a back up feature, something that CCleaner does not include. One drawback is that the system must be restarted after cleaning which can be a pain, however the settings can be changed so that a restart is not needed this turns off one of the three back up features registry protection. This may sound like something that you would not want to turn off but this is only one of the back up features included. The other back up features are create a restore point before cleaning & backup files before cleaning. These back up features included in Comodo System Cleaner restored all my files and settings except for my saved website passwords so it is by no means perfect. Comodo System Cleaner only supports Internet Explorer at the moment unless users are willing to update the application manually which requires users to delete a certain ini file and then update the application list manual. This will put some people off.

There is much more to this product than just a browser cleaner, there is also a registry cleaner, disk cleaner, secure file wiper & system tweaker and system information. The system tweaker & information tools were a nice addition allowing users to tweak certain system settings and to view advanced system information. The disc cleaner and registry cleaner like the privacy cleaner should be used with caution. I would not recommend the registry cleaner as it found way too many entries for my liking and you would need a considerable level of system knowledge to interpret these correctly. As always with registry cleaners make a back up before hand. If you have a problem with Comodo System Cleaner there is a forum dedicated to it over at Comodo Forum. The staff over there are very helpful and quick to answer any query that you may have. http://forums.comodo.com/comodo_system_cleaner_fileregistryprivacy_clean...

NOTE: At time of writing Comodo System Cleaner does not support Opera 10.