Such a variety of software tools can be found that interpret 'hard disk cleaning' from alternative points of view. One of the more common types is the computer cleaner, several are 'paid for' software and some are open source. But this is not all that these software tools can do, several of these can also perform drive 'washing', perform automated porn removal, find unlicensed software installed on the computer, and show where drive space is being used.

There are two key ways to clean a hard drive; one option is to go through all files and select the ones to remove, but remember there is the automatic method which can put technology to work for you. Cleaning the drive manually means walking through the directory tree, ie. drive areas and choosing what data files can go, and getting rid of them on a per item basis. Because you examine each file manually the risks are less than running a cleanup program but the process is time consuming and tedious. There are also automated programs that make delete/dont delete decisions based on fields such as the file accessed date, and use this information to build a list of the files that can be safely erased without involving the user.

A bit of thought will convince you why deleting excess or useless files, especially large ones, is a smart thing to do. How long you have to wait while accessing disk files and documents is partially a result of the number of files found in the file system. This happens because the FAT tables get large and the system has to do more work whenever it is asked to retrieve a file. Also keep in mind that disk files can be stored in multiple chunks instead of in one contiguous block and this negatively affects data read rates. Also in regard to your personal files, as the number of private files increases, the higher the likelihood is that somebody else using your PC might misuse your personal information. Regularly cleaning out your hard drives will make resources available again which can be put to better use.