Periodic maintenance is by far the best way to keep a computer working correctly over the long term. However, no matter how attentive we are, there will always be a temporary file or a stray log that slips past our cleaning. Clean Master presents itself as a solid option for tracking down those fugitive items, while also scanning the Windows Registry for orphaned entries.
The Cost of Neglect
For years, I have tried to "evangelize" users into taking control of the maintenance process and dedicating a couple of hours each month to improving their systems' performance. The computer is one of the devices that demands the most attention in a home, and that has not changed even with new operating systems and new hardware. The problem is that the effects of poor maintenance are cumulative: the computer "falls to pieces," takes an eternity to do anything the user asks, and the overall experience borders on miserable.
Clean Master in Action
Fortunately, there are many tools that allow us to automate (to a certain extent) or simplify a maintenance session. The classic CCleaner is one of our flagship applications, but we are always looking for additional software to complement its work. One of the most interesting examples we have found is Clean Master, developed by the folks at Cheetah Mobile. Clean Master is also available for Android devices, so anyone interested can bring part of its benefits to smartphones and tablets. However, the desktop version is more complete, detecting and eliminating all kinds of digital junk, including browser temporary files, Steam logs, obsolete Windows Update remnants, and of course, lost chains left in the Registry after some uninstalls.
Limitations and Verdict
If there is a drawback to Clean Master, it is that it does not offer any kind of advanced options, beyond details about the detected files and the possibility of ignoring them. The program does not close, but rather minimizes to the system tray when not in use, so a right-click on the icon is necessary if you want to end its process completely. I admit that Clean Master works quite well, and that it detected several things that completely escaped CCleaner (even with the CCEnhancer patch included), but I am convinced that it is better to assign this program a complementary role.
