Selecting cleanup items for Microsoft Windows

The Webroot software includes a list of cleanup items related to Microsoft Windows, such as the Recycle Bin contents and search history.

The Windows cleanup items work the same way on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista, unless otherwise noted.

To select Windows cleanup items:

1.	In the Icon panel, click Cleanup.

The Cleanup screen opens.

2.	Make sure Clean Windows items is selected and click Edit.

The Windows Cleanup Items screen opens. This screen includes tabs for the following Windows areas: Start Menu and Desktop, Windows System, and Microsoft Office.

3.	Click each of the tabs and select or deselect the options you want. Items with a check mark will be cleaned.

The following tables describe options in each of the tabs.

4.	When you’re done, click OK.

Options that are grayed-out and unselectable correspond to programs that are not currently installed on your computer.

 

Start Menu & Desktop cleanup items
Recycle Bin	Removes all files from your Recycle Bin, which contains files you have deleted using Windows Explorer. When you delete a file, it is stored in the Recycle Bin until you empty it.
Document history	Clears the history of recently opened files, which is accessible from the Windows Start menu. (This option does not delete the files themselves.)
Start Menu click history	Clears the history of shortcuts to programs that you recently opened using the Start menu. (This option does not delete the programs themselves.)
Run history	Clears the history of commands that you recently entered into the Run window, which is accessible from the Start menu. You must restart your computer after running a cleanup to completely remove items from the Run text box.
Find and search history	Clears the history of files or other information that you have searched for on your computer. Your computer stores recent searches and displays them when you start entering a new search that starts with the same characters. You access the search (also called find) from Windows Explorer or from your Start button. (This option does not delete any of files you’ve searched for.)
Start menu order history	Clears the history of the order that programs and documents are listed on your Start menu. You sort the programs and document lists alphabetically by right-clicking the list of programs and documents and selecting “Sort by Name.” (This option does not delete any of the programs or files themselves.)

 

Windows System cleanup items
Clipboard contents	Clears the contents from the Clipboard, where Windows stores data when you use either the copy or cut function from any Windows program.
Windows Temp folder	Deletes all files and folders in the Windows temporary folder, but not files that are in use by an open program. This folder is usually C:\Windows\Temp (Windows XP and Vista) or C:\WINNT\Temp (Windows 2000). You should not put any files here that you need to keep. The files in this folder can consume a lot of space on your hard drive.
System Temp folder	Deletes all files and folders in the system temporary folder, but not files that are in use by an open program. This folder is usually C:\WINNT\Temp (Windows NT), or C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Local Settings\Temp (Windows XP and 2000). You should not put any files here that you need to keep. The files in this folder can consume a lot of space on your hard drive.
MS Download temporary folder	Deletes the folder where Microsoft stores temporary files for Windows updates and service packs (msdownld.tmp). Once you install the update or service pack, you no longer need these files.
Temporary Windows Update files	Deletes all files and subfolders in this folder, but not files that are in use by an open program. Windows uses these files when you run Windows Update. After you install the updates, you no longer need these files. These files are normally in C:\WUTemp. You should not put any files here that you need to keep. The files in this folder can consume a lot of space on your hard drive.
Paging (swap) files	(Applies only to Windows XP.) Clears the paging file (also called a swap file) that Windows uses to store parts of programs and files that do not fit into memory.
Registry streams	Clears the history about recent changes you made to the Windows registry. (This option does not delete the registry changes themselves.)
Default Windows logon user names	Deletes the Windows registry entry that stores the last name used to log on to your computer. When the registry entry is deleted, you must enter your user name each time you turn on or restart your computer.
Memory dump files	Deletes the memory dump files (memory.dmp) that Windows creates when you receive certain Windows errors. The file contains information about what happened when the error occurred.
CD burning storage folder	(Applies only to Windows XP.) Deletes the Windows project files, created when you use the Windows built-in function to copy files to a CD. These project files are typically stored in C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning.

 

Microsoft Office cleanup items
Microsoft Access	Clears the list of files that you recently opened in these programs. (These options do not delete the files themselves.)
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Paint
Microsoft Powerpoint
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Outlook	Permanently deletes e-mail messages in the Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, and Deleted Items folders. Also deletes log files used for troubleshooting.