Best 10 Cleaner Software for XP

The marketplace is crammed with software programs designed to help you free up resources and declutter and protect your system. With so many choices available, knowing which products to use can be confusing. I’ve put together ten products I’ve found interesting and helpful. You can’t go wrong with them.

1.System Mechanic: http://www.iolo.com/sm/index.cfm

Iolo Technologies publishes System Mechanic, an award-winning collection of tools that help clean your system. Some of its tools fix shortcuts, clean and optimize the Registry, defragment disks, optimize memory, remove duplicate files, block pop-ups, and remove some spyware. This is one great set of tools!

2. Window Washer: http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/windowwasher/index.php

Window Washer is a system cleaner that helps maintain your privacy. It removes information collected with browsing, such as your cache, cookies, history, deleted e-mails, and so on. It also cleans your Recycle Bin, program run histories, recent documents lists, and the like...

3. Spring Cleaning: http://www.aladdinsys.com/win/springcleaning/index.html

Spring Cleaning, from Aladdin Systems, is a comprehensive system cleaner. It uninstalls and removes unwanted programs, cleans the Registry, finds and cleans duplicate files, removes plug-ins, and eliminates cookies. It also includes complete undo capability to protect against accidental file erasure.

4. McAfee VirusScan Professional: http://us.mcafee.com/root/package.
asp?pkgid=145

VirusScan is one of the largest selling anti-virus programs. It automatically scans e-mail, attachments, and downloads, then immediately starts cleaning infections. The Professional version of the software comes with a two-user license (to protect two systems), system cleanup functions, and a security file eraser.

5. Norton Antivirus Professional: http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_pro/

Norton Antivirus protects e-mail, instant messages, and other files by recognizing and removing viruses automatically. The software also recognizes and alerts you to the presence of spyware and other hacking programs. It includes advanced tools for data recovery and secure file deletion, plus a license for two computers.

6. Spybot Search & Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org

Without a doubt, Spybot S&D is the best spyware detection and removal software available. To top it off, it’s free. Constantly updated, the software recognizes and removes a huge number of spyware programs from throughout your system. With the recent addition of the TeaTimer, it can even provide real-time continuous protection against surreptitious spyware activities.

7. Popup Ad Filter: http://www.meaya.com

Popup Ad Filter, from Meaya Software, works with Internet Explorer to block ads while you’re browsing the Web. It can be configured to allow pop-ups from specific sites and logs all the sites from which pop-ups were blocked. The filter’s easy to install and easy to use.

8. Super Ad Blocker: http://www.superadblocker.com

Super Ad Blocker prevents not only pop-up, but also spyware, pop-under, messenger, Flash, and floating ads. Includes capabilities to clean your cookies, cache, and browser history. Includes the ability to generate graphic reports on the quantity and type of ads blocked. Designed to work with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

9. Cookie Pal: http://www.kburra.com

Cookie Pal, fro m Kookaburra Software, allows you to decide what types ofcookies you want to accept and what type you don’t. It works with a widenumber of browsers and e-mail programs to give complete protection against unknown sites.

10. ZoneAlarm: http://www.zonelabs.com

Zone Labs created ZoneAlarm as personal firewall for Windows systems. It stops intruders from accessing your PC, essentially making your system invisible to hackers. The Pro version includes a pop-up blocker and rudimentary cookie management capabilities. It also analyzes incoming and outgoing e-mail to identify and quarantine potential viruses.