Let Windows take care of Windows

CountMike said:

Some programs that are supposed to clean junk up introduce more junk, so you end up cleaning junk by adding junk. Vicious circle. Disk cleanup is already there and is capable of cleaning junk made by windows itself and updates. Even if you don't do it manually automatic maintenance will do it for you at some time. Windows.old for instance is deleted after 10 days. Storage sense does that and more. For 3rd party junk, prevention including proper uninstall program is the key.

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Yeah, Windows is like the average home which is not as clean as a clean room for processing silicon wafers, for example. If you expect that kind of clean, then you are making yourself unhappy for no good reason, IMHO.

Haydon said:

I am not against computer maintenance, but IMHO some people are trying way too hard to be better than Windows in taking care of Windows, thereby creating never ending problems for themselves

Why not intervene only when it's really necessary?

The 'really necessary' requires a judgement call, of course, but "if it's not broken, don't fix it" ought to be a sensible dividing line, no?

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The forum would be very quiet then.

For what it's worth, I've gained a vast knowledge of Windows over the years being overly aggressive..., and making stupid mistakes along the way!

People like me will contribute to the forum when they have something broken about windows, or want to update or install windows, add hardware, make a program work right. I dont do anything to the PC for the sheer joy of fixing things, I would rather it just work, but it often enough just does not without help.

sdowney717 said:

People like me will contribute to the forum when they have something broken about windows, or want to update or install windows, add hardware, make a program work right. I dont do anything to the PC for the sheer joy of fixing things, I would rather it just work, but it often enough just does not without help.

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Sure, you are one of the good guys

The bad guys have enthusiastic house parties that need extra clean ups that need further clean ups etc

I basically only tweak the things that Windows allows me to through the settings. For cleanup I use Ccleaner because it goes much faster than the built in tools. When I uninstall something, I run Ccleaner cleanup and then the registry cleaner which I consider to be totally safe. So safe that I never backup the registry before allowing it to do it's thing. I have never had a problem.

The one version of Windows that was an exception was Windows 8. That UI was unusable for a desktop keyboard and mouse guy (what the heck were they thinking?) so I did use Classic Shell to get a Start menu and look of Windows 7 back. 8.1 was acceptable and to me, the Start Menu of Win 10 is the best ever. Win 11 just needs a few changes to be just as good but I'm waiting for Microsoft to do that.

Haydon said:

... The bad guys have enthusiastic house parties that need extra clean ups...

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That's half the fun!
If I didn't experiment once or twice a day, I'd be bored out of my skull!

I should add that Windows is used by billions of people in billions situations. It's supposed to be "one size fit all". True, for vast majority of users modern computers are much too powerful, most users don't use even 10% of their machines potential (much like we humans only use less than 10% of our brain's potential). This means that some will find it justifiable to trim Windows leaving only those parts that fit their purpose. In fact, Microsoft does it as well in all kinds of specialized terminals (ATMs, cashier's, etc.). This does require significant skills and knowledge since by some reason Microsoft likes to make things so interconnected that very often disabling a service can lead to unintended consequences that show up only a year later (and in the absence of proper documentation such cases are very hard to troubleshoot, as we know all too well here). However, if you know what you're doing or it's simply your hobby to tinker with computers - why the hell not?

unifex said:

However, if you know what you're doing or it's simply your hobby to tinker with computers - why the hell not?

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The issue is that the average user gets the wrong impression that they should tinker too. They would be a lot happier not doing it.

unifex said:

....some will find it justifiable to trim Windows leaving only those parts that fit their purpose....

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Actually, Windows 11 can do that for you, trimming those that you don't use. Well, for store apps at least.

Haydon said:

The issue is that the average user gets the wrong impression that they should tinker too. They would be a lot happier not doing it.

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Agreed, at least until they know what they`re doing.

Edwin said:

That's half the fun!
If I didn't experiment once or twice a day, I'd be bored out of my skull!

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Try Volcano Snowboarding -- or Glacier Mountain Biking !!

Cheers
jimbo

Haydon said:

The issue is that the average user gets the wrong impression that they should tinker too. They would be a lot happier not doing it.

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Not really, average users don't tinker. Think of your dentist office running Windows 7 - that's the typical average users, they don't really care (and often don't even know) which OS they are on and even what an OS is. Remember, nobody on this forum is an average user, average users don't know what forums are.

Bree said:

Actually, Windows 11 can do that for you, trimming those that you don't use. Well, for store apps at least.

Turn On or Off Archive Apps in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable archive apps for your account or specific accounts in Windows 11. To save storage space and Internet bandwidth, Microsoft Store apps you do not use frequently will be archived automatically. Your files and other data will be saved. The next...

www.elevenforum.com

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Well, Store apps are not part of Windows so that does not count. Disabling all of them is the first thing I do on a new machine - there is nothing productive there, I'm not even sure why anyone is paying attention to that.

unifex said:

Not really, average users don't tinker. Think of your dentist office running Windows 7 - that's the typical average users, they don't really care (and often don't even know) which OS they are on and even what an OS is. Remember, nobody on this forum is an average user, average users don't know what forums are.

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unifex said:

Well, Store apps are not part of Windows so that does not count. Disabling all of them is the first thing I do on a new machine - there is nothing productive there, I'm not even sure why anyone is paying attention to that.

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The point is that there are people/serial posters on this forum who would be better off if they left Windows alone.

Edit: And the irony is that they get responses on how to do it even 'better' which in the greater scheme of things leads them further astray

jimbo45 said:

Try Volcano Snowboarding -- or Glacier Mountain Biking !!

Cheers
jimbo

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Someone mentioned Mountain Biking? xD

Haydon said:

I am not against computer maintenance, but IMHO some people are trying way too hard to be better than Windows in taking care of Windows, thereby creating never ending problems for themselves

Why not intervene only when it's really necessary?

The 'really necessary' requires a judgement call, of course, but "if it's not broken, don't fix it" ought to be a sensible dividing line, no?

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Yes.. this is so true. The vast majority of users don't know more than the staff at MS who create Windows.. so.. DON"T mess with it.

Haydon said:

... there are posters on this forum who would be better off if they left Windows alone...

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Perhaps there should be a caveat when signing up for this forum:

PLEASE NOTE: This forum is comprised of many power users who often post different methods of aggressively manipulating the Windows operating system! If you DO NOT wish to be coerced by their actions, then don't sign up!

There are average users who are looking for support, let them sign up, I would say. Sharing is one of the greatest benefits of the net.

The issue is that they see others letting their dogs sing and dance, and they then try letting their dogs sing and dance, too.

Haydon said:

There are average users who are looking for support...

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Haydon said:

... they then try letting their dogs sing and dance, too...

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Like they say:
"The worst bug is often the one sitting at the keyboard"
Caveat emptor I always say!