do any "Speed up your old computer by clearing out junk" programs work?

[FreeStateRifle]

A lot of the cleaners simply clean out the recycling bin, dead/dupe files, prefetch and browser files so they tend to offer a very temporary boost in performance.

The best free boost you'll get is by holding the windows button and tapping R.

Type in msconfig and hit enter

go to the startup tab and disable the non-essential boot services then restart the computer.

If you're really trying to squeeze performance, you can hit the windows button and type "performance." You can change windows from default "let windows decide" to "performance" or a custom mix by unticking features you don't particularly care about. It's predominantly cosmetic features that will change the way windows/tabs transition/look/their animations that you don't typically notice until you take them away.

You can also youtube how to speed up your browser since the browser tends to be a massive resource hog.

defrag your hard drive if you're still using an RPM drive. Hit windows key and type in defrag then open and run it. It's going to take a few hours but can help with retrieving/opening files.

You can also purchase a small USB drive and use it in "readyboost" mode which somewhat acts like adding additional RAM. Just plug it in, right click on the USB drive and go to properties then enable readyboost. You don't need a lot, a 8GB drive would suffice, anything bigger would be a waste of money. I would not recommend storing anything on it and use it solely for readyboost.

[ldsnet]

Yes the cleaners can work, but if a modern computer, cleaning up will only fix a few speed issues (unless you have malware or a virus causing your slow down issues).

Ideally, if you don't have a SSD, installing a new drive and a clean install will get you a much faster system than any of the cleaner programs by themselves.

I doubled my RAM and installed a 1Tb Solid-State drive and reinstalled a clean Win 10 install; The whole process only took a few hours and saved my older laptop for another few years before it gets replaced.

I love Linux, but even after decades of use, I don't recommend it for normal home desktops or users.

[Kokopelli]

CCleaner should help some. Use the free version.

Go to Black Viper and follow the guide to disable any unnecessary services.

Install an SSD.

Check that your BIOS settings are set for optimum performance. (First boot device is primary drive, etc.)

Update BIOS and device drivers.

Open Task Manager > Startup and disable unnecessary programs.

Good luck!

[SactoDoug]

First have Windows check for system integrity. Click Start, search "cmd", then right click on CMD.exe and run as admin. Then type in "SFC /scannow" and hit enter. That will do a full system integrity check on your Windows install and repair any files that are faulty.

Next updating Windows and most of your apps. In the admin command prompt type in "winget upgrade". That will give you a list of everything that needs to be updated. If you want to update everything, then type in "winget upgrade --all". If you want to go one-by-one and choose which ones to update then use "winget upgrade --interactive".

[Epaphroditus]

A trick I used to do for old machines was pull the HDD and install it into a second system then run defrag on the drive then replace it into the original system.

[mblat]

^^ This. With GNU/Linux, we don't have such nonsensical problems as "having to clean the registry". And we avoid a bunch of other problems as well.

The only reason, in my view, to hold on to Micro$oft Window$ is either A.) a masochistic streak, or B.) you play certain games that aren't (yet) available on GNU/Linux (e. g. through Steam).

And the fact that OpenOffice (and any and all of its derivatives) sucks. It really does.
But if you can do your document processing online with google or similar, then yes. It is hard to see the reason for Windows.

[dC0m]

Best to clean up yourself.
If that is not an option for you try a free version of CCcleaner, although it won't do anything that you can do yourself and Microsoft does not recommend it due to the possible deletion of the registry that may be needed:

https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner

If you do use it make sure you back up the registry when prompted to do so.

+1 for CCleaner; been using it for nearly a decade now and while it's extremely basic in function, it gets the job done.

The best free option is to back up your files on an external HD, and give your system an OS wipe (format and reinstall) - quick, easy, and most cost effective without any additional software involved.

[Dragunov]

Best way is to learn to understand how this crap works, and learn how to get rid of it manually. I have YET to find any method that works better than this, and I've been fixing computers since 1977.

[Dragunov]

+1 for CCleaner; been using it for nearly a decade now and while it's extremely basic in function, it gets the job done.

The best free option is to back up your files on an external HD, and give your system an OS wipe (format and reinstall) - quick, easy, and most cost effective without any additional software involved.

Avast AV.
CCleaner.
Adware cleaner.
Your Uninstaller.

If you're going to use third party cleaners, these work best, but still not as good as a good 'ole. "get yer hands dirty" elbow grease.

I haven't had a virus, since 1991, nor adware since around that same time.

[C.G.]

I haven't had a virus, since 1991, nor adware since around that same time.

My last and only one was the MSWord virus, courtesy of Kinko's, probably about the same time.

[arrix]

And the fact that OpenOffice (and any and all of its derivatives) sucks. It really does.
But if you can do your document processing online with google or similar, then yes. It is hard to see the reason for Windows.

That's because you should be using LibreOffice.

[C.G.]

That's because you should be using LibreOffice.

Yup, I've been using it for several years now without any issues.