McAfee Quickclean 2006 Version 6.0
- Easy-to-use utility software that optimizes PC performance
- Identify and safely remove unused, redundant, and unwanted information
- Permanently erase files containing sensitive personal and financial data
- Privacy controls help remove confidential info related to surfing habits
- Extensive e-mail cleanup support for MAPI-compliant e-mail programs
Rating: 5 of 5
This Program Works Very Well
Rating: 1 of 5
Cannot make program work satisfactorily & no support
I purchased my copy directly from McAfee. In attempting 2 build a database 2 identify unnecessary files, it hangs the computer & QuickClean must be stopped using CTRL/ALT/Delete. I attempted 2 access support online & was informed that support was not available 4 this product. I located the support forum & posed a question, describing the problem. Nearly three weeks later, a McAfee rep replied with some suggestions that did not work. While I have been a satisfied McAfee Anti-Virus customer, my experience with QuickClean 6.0 is so disappointing that I don't think I would gamble on any other McAfee products.
Rating: 4 of 5
a Review of McAfee's QuickClean 2006 v.6.01.0003
I bought this program at the promotional price of $ 19.99. At the current exchange rate that is about $ 25.00CAD.
No indication that this is subscriber service unless you carefully ready thru the agreement. Probably lasts one year, after which you will have 2 renew the service at the full price. I think they should give this info right upfront in bold letters so you can decide whether you're willing the fork over the money each year. This is also a phone-to-cancel scheme, iow they will charge your credit card automatically unless you specifically tell them not to, with a minimum of thirty days notice before the charge occurs. Don't forget 2 diarize it.
Download was smooth, as was the install. I did not like the fact that they tried 2 tack on another $ 9.99 2 the invoice 4 an extended download option, a type of insurance that allows you 2 download the product 4 a full year instead of the usual 30 days. But everybody is looking 4 the extra buck I suppose.
Courting with this product is a bit like a one night stand. You may come away with more than you bargained for. When you install this product, you also get the "benefit" of the McAfee SecurityCenter. Since I already have a free Security suite provided by my cable ISP, I don't need McAfee's product(s). The problem is now that the SecurityCenter Update Engine is continually checking the Internet. So, you will have 2 close it down each time. Although the intent may be good, this is not what I signed up 4 when I decided 2 purchase the QuickClean 2006 program. By creating a new shortcut 4 the Uni.exe file, I can open QuickClean directly, but in so-doing, it also loads the SecurityCenter again into the tray. To stop the automatic updates, select Options in the SecurityCenter & then select "Disable automatic updating". However, McAfee warns in their Support pages that this will not entirely stop the updates. I am also not clear on what will happen 2 the QuickClean startup after I decide 2 un-install the SecurityCenter program. I guess that information was conveniently overlooked. You also have 2 take steps 2 keep it from being automatically downloaded again. All that info is available in the Support pages. Have fun!
The QuickClean Summary maintains stats about the Total disk space recovered, monitoring status, drive information (pie graph) & your recent activities in this program.
The Disk Cleanup tab contains four functions: Quikly Clean My Computer, Search 4 Unnecessary Files on My Computer, Securely Clean My Computer (shredder) & Explore My Computer.
I tried the Search 4 Unnecessary Files & was presented with a choice of drives 2 clean. After that, a set of check boxes 4 the types of files 2 look for: Junk files, Non-Critical files & Multimedia files. This process takes a fairly long time, because it needs 2 walk through all the files on the drive. Go 4 a quick coffee! Watching the progress bar advance is like watching paint dry.
After you get the results 4 each of the categories, you can see the list of individual files. The Junk files were all selected 4 deletion by default. You can uncheck individual files which you are not sure about. I like that, even though it is a tedious procedure. The ability 2 sort each of the columns was helpful.
When I selected 2 search 4 Multimedia files, it presented me with more than 8500 files, including all my pictures stored on the drive. None of them were selected though! You want 2 be careful here. You can choose 2 Select All, Clear All or make a manual selection.
The same process occurs 4 Non-Critical files. As far as I could determine, most of the files shown could be deleted because the last character of the 3-char file extension was an underscore. Be careful.
The Explore My Computer function is a folder browser & will help you discover which folders are taking up large amounts of space. You can't look inside the folder. So, I would use it in conjunction with Windows Explorer 2 explore the folder before you decide 2 get rid of it.
The Internet Cleanup tab contains four functions: Delete My Browser's Temporary files, Remove Web Site Cookies, Delete My Old E-mail Messages & Delete Internet Applications Used by My Web Browser.
I tried Delete Temporary files. Most of the file descriptions had no meaning 2 me. None of them were automatically selected. Since they were all temporary in nature, I decided 2 act uncharacteristically reckless & selected them all. After that, I even deleted them all. Now, that's living on the edge!
Next, I tried Delete Old E-mail messages. After an overview, the program analyzes the computer which took a bit of time. I decided not 2 wait & clicked on the Cancel button, but did not get a response. That's always very re-assuring. You can select the messages by size, date & description. I wasn't sure which email folders the messages were taken from. So, I picked a few & did a search in Outlook Express. It appears that it only cleans up Inbox.
I should point out that during each step in the process, the program always pointed out the current step. So, it is difficult 2 get lost & you can always go back or quit.
The Remove Programs tab contains two function: Remove a Program from My Computer & Remove Application Remnants.
The Remove Programs seems 2 be the weakest of the 10 apps. I had higher expectations. When they say Remove Program, they don't mean Application but the actual .exe file with some associated files. Perhaps I didn't quite know how 2 use it. Anyway, it takes lots of effort 2 get rid of something. At least, you can blame nobody but yourself when things go wrong.
I tried it out on an old folder containing various files from a previous printer installation. I wanted 2 delete all files in it. It listed eleven files & when I checked with Windows Explorer, these were .exe files only. You pick a single item, click Next.(It did not allow me 2 select all .exe files in the folder). The program tells you it is examining the computer. It then lists a bunch of associated files, if any, which you can choose 2 delete or not. Next it goes 2 Restore Point Options & then wants your confirmation 2 delete the chosen files. And finally, it shows you the results (or the havoc you have wreaked). It then wants 2 update the SmartLinks database which contains a record of each file on your computer. I decided 2 cancel a few times before I allowed it 2 make a new version. It takes a fair bit of time 2 scan 160 GBs.
During any of the cleanup procedures, I never felt that I had lost control. Each current step in each of the functions was clearly labeled. I could stop any time. For the price, I think it's an excellent program if you don't mind 2 make most of the decisions yourself. This program (or bundle of programs) does not seem much better than what I have used on previous computers. It feels pretty much the same. But it is a reasonably good start when you are totally overwhelmed by the sheer number of files on your computer & the lack of identity of most files. We'll see what happens in a year's time when it is time 2 renew. Perhaps self-destruct?
And I still want 2 get rid of the SecurityCenter annoyance. McAfee, take note!
To McAfee's credit, they did send me an email with the purchase details advising me that if I was dissatisfied with their product, they will issue a refund within 30 days.
No indication that this is subscriber service unless you carefully ready thru the agreement. Probably lasts one year, after which you will have 2 renew the service at the full price. I think they should give this info right upfront in bold letters so you can decide whether you're willing the fork over the money each year. This is also a phone-to-cancel scheme, iow they will charge your credit card automatically unless you specifically tell them not to, with a minimum of thirty days notice before the charge occurs. Don't forget 2 diarize it.
Download was smooth, as was the install. I did not like the fact that they tried 2 tack on another $ 9.99 2 the invoice 4 an extended download option, a type of insurance that allows you 2 download the product 4 a full year instead of the usual 30 days. But everybody is looking 4 the extra buck I suppose.
Courting with this product is a bit like a one night stand. You may come away with more than you bargained for. When you install this product, you also get the "benefit" of the McAfee SecurityCenter. Since I already have a free Security suite provided by my cable ISP, I don't need McAfee's product(s). The problem is now that the SecurityCenter Update Engine is continually checking the Internet. So, you will have 2 close it down each time. Although the intent may be good, this is not what I signed up 4 when I decided 2 purchase the QuickClean 2006 program. By creating a new shortcut 4 the Uni.exe file, I can open QuickClean directly, but in so-doing, it also loads the SecurityCenter again into the tray. To stop the automatic updates, select Options in the SecurityCenter & then select "Disable automatic updating". However, McAfee warns in their Support pages that this will not entirely stop the updates. I am also not clear on what will happen 2 the QuickClean startup after I decide 2 un-install the SecurityCenter program. I guess that information was conveniently overlooked. You also have 2 take steps 2 keep it from being automatically downloaded again. All that info is available in the Support pages. Have fun!
The QuickClean Summary maintains stats about the Total disk space recovered, monitoring status, drive information (pie graph) & your recent activities in this program.
The Disk Cleanup tab contains four functions: Quikly Clean My Computer, Search 4 Unnecessary Files on My Computer, Securely Clean My Computer (shredder) & Explore My Computer.
I tried the Search 4 Unnecessary Files & was presented with a choice of drives 2 clean. After that, a set of check boxes 4 the types of files 2 look for: Junk files, Non-Critical files & Multimedia files. This process takes a fairly long time, because it needs 2 walk through all the files on the drive. Go 4 a quick coffee! Watching the progress bar advance is like watching paint dry.
After you get the results 4 each of the categories, you can see the list of individual files. The Junk files were all selected 4 deletion by default. You can uncheck individual files which you are not sure about. I like that, even though it is a tedious procedure. The ability 2 sort each of the columns was helpful.
When I selected 2 search 4 Multimedia files, it presented me with more than 8500 files, including all my pictures stored on the drive. None of them were selected though! You want 2 be careful here. You can choose 2 Select All, Clear All or make a manual selection.
The same process occurs 4 Non-Critical files. As far as I could determine, most of the files shown could be deleted because the last character of the 3-char file extension was an underscore. Be careful.
The Explore My Computer function is a folder browser & will help you discover which folders are taking up large amounts of space. You can't look inside the folder. So, I would use it in conjunction with Windows Explorer 2 explore the folder before you decide 2 get rid of it.
The Internet Cleanup tab contains four functions: Delete My Browser's Temporary files, Remove Web Site Cookies, Delete My Old E-mail Messages & Delete Internet Applications Used by My Web Browser.
I tried Delete Temporary files. Most of the file descriptions had no meaning 2 me. None of them were automatically selected. Since they were all temporary in nature, I decided 2 act uncharacteristically reckless & selected them all. After that, I even deleted them all. Now, that's living on the edge!
Next, I tried Delete Old E-mail messages. After an overview, the program analyzes the computer which took a bit of time. I decided not 2 wait & clicked on the Cancel button, but did not get a response. That's always very re-assuring. You can select the messages by size, date & description. I wasn't sure which email folders the messages were taken from. So, I picked a few & did a search in Outlook Express. It appears that it only cleans up Inbox.
I should point out that during each step in the process, the program always pointed out the current step. So, it is difficult 2 get lost & you can always go back or quit.
The Remove Programs tab contains two function: Remove a Program from My Computer & Remove Application Remnants.
The Remove Programs seems 2 be the weakest of the 10 apps. I had higher expectations. When they say Remove Program, they don't mean Application but the actual .exe file with some associated files. Perhaps I didn't quite know how 2 use it. Anyway, it takes lots of effort 2 get rid of something. At least, you can blame nobody but yourself when things go wrong.
I tried it out on an old folder containing various files from a previous printer installation. I wanted 2 delete all files in it. It listed eleven files & when I checked with Windows Explorer, these were .exe files only. You pick a single item, click Next.(It did not allow me 2 select all .exe files in the folder). The program tells you it is examining the computer. It then lists a bunch of associated files, if any, which you can choose 2 delete or not. Next it goes 2 Restore Point Options & then wants your confirmation 2 delete the chosen files. And finally, it shows you the results (or the havoc you have wreaked). It then wants 2 update the SmartLinks database which contains a record of each file on your computer. I decided 2 cancel a few times before I allowed it 2 make a new version. It takes a fair bit of time 2 scan 160 GBs.
During any of the cleanup procedures, I never felt that I had lost control. Each current step in each of the functions was clearly labeled. I could stop any time. For the price, I think it's an excellent program if you don't mind 2 make most of the decisions yourself. This program (or bundle of programs) does not seem much better than what I have used on previous computers. It feels pretty much the same. But it is a reasonably good start when you are totally overwhelmed by the sheer number of files on your computer & the lack of identity of most files. We'll see what happens in a year's time when it is time 2 renew. Perhaps self-destruct?
And I still want 2 get rid of the SecurityCenter annoyance. McAfee, take note!
To McAfee's credit, they did send me an email with the purchase details advising me that if I was dissatisfied with their product, they will issue a refund within 30 days.
($4.99)
Buy McAfee Quickclean 2006 Version 6.0 Now!
On the other hand, you might be able 2 download a disk cleaner that meets your needs 4 free. Try Goggling one up.