ATF & TFC. Help with these cleaners please

[Wendykins]

Okay, I hope I am going the safe route now in cleaning up my computer. I have downloaded ATF Cleaner for Windows Vista and TFC as instructed.

Firstly with ATF Cleaner for Windows Vista.

When opened, it shows 10 little square windows to the left of each title I show below. These windows are either to be checked or not. What ones should I check and be safe to delete?

I have not used it yet because I do not want to check the wrong boxes and delete them. I know they have a technical support address at the bottom of the program, but I just thought I would ask in here for any information first???

These are the titles it shows: -

Windows Temp
Current User Temp
All Users Temp
Cookies
Temporary Internet Files
History
Prefetch (Disabled)
Java Cachet
Recycle Bin
Select All

So which ones are safe to check and why? :slap:

Then we have the TFC (Temporary File Cleaner). This program just asks you to close all open programs and then you just press its start button. Then I am assuming it is safe to delete all the temporary files it picks up? Is this the case??

Many thanks for your answers in advance.

Wendykins :bow:

 

[Wendykins]

ATF & TFC cleaners

Tashi, could you or somebody help me with this please. I have already asked this question but had no responses.

Okay, I hope I am going the safe route now in cleaning up my computer. I have downloaded ATF Cleaner for Windows Vista and TFC as instructed.

Firstly with ATF Cleaner for Windows Vista.

When opened, it shows 10 little square windows to the left of each title I show below. These windows are either to be checked or not. What ones should I check and be safe to delete?

I have not used it yet because I do not want to check the wrong boxes and delete them. I know they have a technical support address at the bottom of the program, but I just thought I would ask in here for any information first???

These are the titles it shows: -

Windows Temp
Current User Temp
All Users Temp
Cookies
Temporary Internet Files
History
Prefetch (Disabled)
Java Cachet
Recycle Bin
Select All

So which ones are safe to check and why?

Then we have the TFC (Temporary File Cleaner). This program just asks you to close all open programs and then you just press its start button. Then I am assuming it is safe to delete all the temporary files it picks up? Is this the case??

Many thanks for your answers in advance.

Wendykins :thanks:

 

[tashi]

Hello Wendykins,

I have downloaded ATF Cleaner for Windows Vista and TFC as instructed.

To clarify.

That's up to you. Both tools were developed by respected members in the security community. ATF TFC

http://forums.spybot.info/showpost.php?p=384299&postcount=12

ATF-Cleaners options are fairly straight forward and its simplicity is part of its charm.

Plus instructions.
http://www.atribune.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=25

Remember,

"NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt."

"This will remove all files from the items that are checked so if you have some cookies you'd like to save. please move them to a different directory first."

Personally I haven't experienced any problems removing temp files and emptying the recycle bin. I do click NO so I can save passwords.

Best regards.

 

[Wendykins]

Thank you to your reply

Hi tashi,

Thanks for the response. I have now taken the plunge and used both of them.

With ATF, I just clicked "Select All" under "Main" then simply just clicked the "Empty Selected" button. I did not get a prompt of any type that you mention below.

Remember,

"NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt."

This prompt never came up that you mention. I just did what I mentioned above and this did not seem to cause any problems. I did not lose any passwords as far as I am aware because I used my usual password to gain entry to these forums and there was not a problem.

Was I supposed to see this prompt at some point? Bearing in mind that I am using Vista Ultimate?

"This will remove all files from the items that are checked so if you have some cookies you'd like to save. please move them to a different directory first."

I was not prompted to do this either and I just emptied all the checked items. The only one I could not empty was "Prefetch" which was disabled. This is mentioned on the ATF Website regarding a Vista OS.I am not quite sure what you mean by this anyway. To what directory would I put them?

Personally I haven't experienced any problems removing temp files and emptying the recycle bin. I do click NO so I can save passwords.

As I have said, I have used both ATF and TFC and have not experienced any problems so far. Regarding clicking no to save passwords as you mention above, as I have said, I saw no such prompt and just emptied everything that was checked.

Anyway now that is done, on another note, have you any information or comments on the free software "Purge IE”? Is this worth having or by having the free cleanups ATF and TFC, it is not necessary?

Thank you

Wendykins

 

[tashi]

Hello Wendykins,

Anyway now that is done, on another note, have you any information or comments on the free software "Purge IE”? Is this worth having or by having the free cleanups ATF and TFC, it is not necessary?

As shown on their webpage, apparently it is a pay for program with a 15 day free trial.
"Registration involves the purchase of a license. The price for the single-user license for PurgeIE Pro is $29.95 USD or $19.95 USD for PurgeIE."

As to whether it is necessary, perhaps use the free programs you already downloaded and then decide if you need more "stuff"

Best regards

 

[Wendykins]

Hi tashi,

Thank you for your response and valuable advice.

You did not answer the question about the prompt that I may get when using ATF.

I mentioned in my previous post that I did not get this prompt for saving passwords nor did I get any prompts for saving cookies elsewhere that you also mention I would get.

Do you think these prompts are not meant to show in Vista, which is my OS? And that is why they do not show?

Thank you

Wendykins

 

[tashi]

Hello Wendykins,

As it is not our software and I haven't experienced the same as you, I'm not on Vista, if another member has no input you might want to contact the product's support.

Cheers.

 

[Wendykins]

Hi tashi,

good point!

I will be changing to Win 7 very soon I will be saying goodbye to Vista.

Thank you for all your previous help

Wendykins

 

[doug1947]

Hi Wendykins,

the notation: NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt......Which Tashi mentions, only appears if your have selected to delete files relative to FireFox and/or Opera.

For Firefox the exact warning option reads:
Are you sure you want to delete your Firefox saved password? Yes / No

It does not appear in the "Main" program selection.

Allowing Firefox saved passwords to be deleted, doesn't harm your passwords.
It simply clears the "Remember Me" or "have browser remember login password information", which some people like to use to make it automatic when logging into websites that require password protected login.

If you allow ATF Cleaner to delete saved passwords, then the first time you return to a site that requires username and password, you will have to manually enter username and password, because your browser cache (that previously saved "remember me") just got emptied by ATF Cleaner.

I always recommend that users " log in with username and password manually" anyways, and I do not recommend to have a browser, whether IE, Opera or Firefox, to "remember" your username and password.

Why? because your Firefox or Opera or IE browser is directly interacting with the internet and with websites. If a website is corrupted with a trojan, it might be able to capture your username and password directly from your browser.
Better safe than sorry... even if it takes a little more work to manually log in.

Best Regards