We actually had a thread like this, but it's 3 years old and the IT sector has changed a lot during that time so I decided to make a new topic instead. :P
I was wondering what kind of PC health software you can recommend. With PC health software I mean programs that clean your registry, remove temporary crap and perform other maintenance tasks on your PC. I used to use TuneUp Utilities, but it's commercial software and I am kind of getting the feeling that it's using up a lot of system resources even though I only set up a schedule to run some general maintenance once a week. I'd prefer some free software that does its job well, doesn't mess up stuff and can be scheduled to run.
I've tried the newest CCleaner and I don't like it. The first thing it did was mess up my installation listing (it removed TuneUp Utilities from Windows' listing list of installed programs and I had to force-uninstall it using CCleaner) and it deleted my session in Opera so I had to put up all my usual tabs again after restarting Opera (I didn't configure it to mess up Opera in this way, it was supposed to keep my settings).
I just use Advanced System care once a month or even longer periods. Works fine for me and does most important things; removing spyware, fixing the registry and removing temporary files.
I'm quite happy with it.
Then I used to have some advanced disk defrag program, but I've reinstalled Windows and forgot its name. I'll see if I can find it.
I personally use Ashampoo's WinOptimizer, though it is a commercial product. I too have used TuneUp Utilities, and my opinion is mixed about it. CCleaner gave me the same problems, breaking things, removing uninstall keys, removing shortcut icons on my desktop, etc., so I agree to steer clear of it.
I do almost nothing. Windows finds a way to sneak in some updates about once a week, but other than that, no external programs. I run a defrag maybe once a year just to keep my hard drive in order. Surprisingly enough, my computer (an HP Pavilion Laptop) runs like new even though it is over three years old. I have not experienced any hardware or OS problems over its lifetime. Apparently though, I am a special case, because nobody else I talk to has similar experiences.
I was running WinXP for over 3 years with just running TuneUp once a week. Obviously no Windows updates. They tend to mess things up. >_>