Apps from 3rd parties

[sodakman]

I have an HP Envy desktop with Windows 11. Is Glary Utilities safe to use on this PC, specifically the tracks erasure & disk cleaner features?

[RickMtl · Accepted solution]

Yes,  Glary Utilities are safe/  I've used them for many years.

You can download the portable version and then run a utility when you need it without installing the entire suite.

Also look at CClean.com too as I also use that too.

Note: when installing ANY program, always select customer and NOT recommended.  READ each screen as almost all programs try to install 'crapware' (extra junk you don't want/need).  Cleaner will recommend their browser, other will install a PRO version as a trial, just opt out of extras.

[sodakman]

the main reason i was inquiring about Glary Utilities was that they had a "defraggeler" button & when i clicked on it a pop up notification said something to the effect that using that particular service it would damage & shorten the life of the digital hard drive. i immediately exited the program then posted my question to the forum.

[RickMtl]

Sorry, I made a typo in the previous post, the app I mentions is CCLEANER and the website is CCLEANER.COM (not cclean,com)

SSD  (solid state drives) have no moving parts.  They wear out by reading/writing to sectors, the more you read/write, the faster it wears.  Don't worry, most SSD will outlast your PC 🙂

There is no need to defrag SSD.  With older spinning media, defrag helped performance.  Use Glary for other apps (finding duplicate file, what's taking up space, etc.) but ignore defragmenting with ANY application, it is not necessary and will very slightly reduce the life expectancy of your SSD.

[sodakman]

Thanks for the info; I recently bought this HP after running with Dell for the last ten years. Went through 2 hard drives plus other problems(mostly sound driver issues). Finally decided to give someone else's PC a try. My local computer wizard said not to use the registry cleaner on my Dell but it seemed to perform better when used. Any thoughts on using this feature in regards to the modern HP? I have an open mind & are willing to listen to other points of view and informed opinions since I haven't a clue for the most part on what to do or not to do to maintain the health & longevity of this HP. I used CCleaner on my old Dell ( the free version) but Glary utilities seems a bit faster and doesn't constantly ask me to upgrade or try their other products with obnoxious pop ups. Anyways thanks for letting me vent my frustrations on a topic I obviously know little about.🧀😵

[RickMtl]

Hi,

I have no issues with even a 10 year old PC.  It doesn't matter the brand.  I always junk spinning drives and install an SSD.  They are super cheap (I bought a 1TB, 2.5" Crucial brand for $80 Cdn - under $60 US) and can extend the life of any PC (or Mac) by another 5+ years.

What I usually do is backup the user data and wipe the enter drive and start with the latest version of Windows (or macOS) and do a clean install.  Here is the important part...

ALWAYS partition your drive, be it PC or Mac.

Here is what I do...

C_Drive partition 40-45% of total drive capacity for Windows and all the programs, application, utilities etc.

D_Drive partition 40-45% of total space for USER DATA, I remap default folder for documents, music, pictures, videos, download to the 😧 partition

E_Drive 10-20% of space for all my installation files, drivers, utilities, BIOS updates, etc.

This way I can boot from a USB key, wipe the C_Drive and reinstall Windows in 3-15 minutes.  Then I let Windows update do its thing.  Since I have the install files already on the E_Drive, I can quickly have a clean new 'factory install' in 1-2hr (depends on extra apps).  If it is the basic stuff (AV, zip utility, PDF reader, image viewer, remote access for support options), I can setup and restore data pointer (Outlook PST files, wifi, printers, bookmarks, etc) in just over an hour.

The clients can't believe how fast it performs now.

I never upgrade OS, ie never Win10->Win11, and I usually wipe reinstall major versions (Win22H2->Win23H2) and I find that faster that waiting around for Windows Update and the many reboots.

Nothing beats a clean install.  If your current system is slow/sluggish, upgrading to a newer Windows won't fix it and will usually magnify the problem.

Finally, don't listen to marketing people who say 'you must upgrade hardware if you have a CPU older than 8th gen', this is complete BS.  I've installed Windows 11-23H2 on a first gen Intel Core CPU (google RUFUS) and Windows 10 on the 16 yr old Core 2 Duo tower.  True, they won't be blazing fast, but for most users (email, browsing, office apps), they are perfectly fine.

Same for Macs.  I have a 2008 MacBook Pro and installed the latest Sonoma mac OS on it and it is fine.

I even installed macOS on my old HP EliteBook (Core 2 Duo, ie 15 yrs old) just to see if it can be done, it can be done!

You should see the looks on millenials faces when the recognize macOS and then see an old HP Elitebook - lol.

They always ask, 'How did you do that?'

I would NEVER pay for a new MacBook Pro ($3500+ are they crazy), I'd get a $1200-1500 high end laptop and install Sonoma

Hope this helps many people. 🙂