nCleaner 2.3.4

Overview

nCleaner includes a number of modules for helping to improve the Windows system. There is a Windows Registry Cleaner, a Startup Manager, a Free Space Shredder, a Junk file locator, a System Adviser and a System Resource Monitor.

The cleaner module uses plug-ins to access more then 90 third party applications. These include Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, ICQ, Skype, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. Old registry entries, junk files and unnecessary caches and log files can all be removed from installed applications to free up to 2GB of space on the most cluttered of systems.

The Free Space Shredder can handle situations where files have previously been removed from the hard drive but were not securely overwritten to protect old data. Such drive space appears as free space but still retains data, so the Free Space Shredder can overwrite all parts of the drive marked as free to remove the possibility of the data being recovered by a third party.

Installation

The installation performed well without any issues. There were some additional options during installation, like whether to add secure shredding as a context menu item within Windows Explorer. This can be disabled if necessary.

No malicious software was included in the installation.

nCleaner requires Windows 7 or earlier. It will install on Windows 8.1 but it does display a security advisory within the application relating to a change in login procedures compared to earlier versions of Windows. Therefore, it is best to stick to Windows 7 and earlier versions of the Microsoft Windows OS when using nCleaner. 

Interface

The main interface is a clean-looking one with options for Clean System, Find Junk, Tweak and Startup Manager. Unusually, a detailed explanation of each of these features is covered below the label.

There are also several other options including a Real Time System Monitor, Shred Free Space, Settings and the Log.

Pros

• De-clutter by cleaning data files, log files and more from over 80 third party applications
• Manually add files or folders for cleaning with the next regular cleaning process run
• Fix Windows registry errors and inconsistencies
• Optimize performance across Windows
• Monitor the system for performance and security issues
• Startup Manager to determine what programs have permission to launch when Windows does
• Access Windows Services. Start, Stop or Disable
• Maintain a log file of all actions

Cons

• Other software like CCleaner supports more third party software when cleaning up data on the drive
• Does not work satisfactorily with Windows 8/8.1

Alternatives

CCleaner is likely to be the best alternative which sports a much longer list of plug-ins for more recent programs, plus a Startup Manager, Windows Registry cleaner, and more. 

Conclusion

nCleaner is an adequate program, browser and chat program cleaner, with real-time monitoring and registry clean-up included but it lacks support for the latest programs.