Cleaning the cache

So, every now and then I like to give my computer a bit of a spring clean. Having only a relatively tiny hard disk (150GB) it's necessary especially when I find I've less than 1GB of free space left.

CCleaner is great for clearing out unwanted/unused files (e.g. temporary internet files, cookies etc.) and can free up a good bit of space depending on the status of your system.

Duplicate Cleaner   is another great tool. You specify which folders you wish to search, and it points out any duplicate files. The search can be filtered based on filename, file size, modification date etc. It may be especially useful if you tend to move files around, but forget to delete the original, or if you contain lots of duplicate documents or music files.

WinDirStat is handy for helping to see what files are taking up the most space, giving a nice colour-coded visualisation of various file types and their sizes, with direct links to the files for easy deletion.

*These are all free tools available for Windows.