Not too long back, CCleaner was regarded as one of the most efficient tools for cleaning junk from your computer. However, its reputation has taken a hit in the last few years. First, in 2017, the program was hacked to circulate malware. Then, in 2018, the product was heavily criticized after it included forced updates without permission and enabled a data collection option that activated itself after rebooting. To make matters worse, the software ignored user preferences on whether to install new versions automatically.
And besides, CCleaner keeps sending annoying prompts for users to upgrade to the paid version. All this combined made the app an unreliable inconvenience, and you would be better off without it. You can easily find better cleaning tools elsewhere, including some built-in options in Windows itself.
2. QuickTime
Apple's QuickTime is a media player that has been around for what seems like ages. While the program still receives updates on macOS, the company hasn’t supported the Windows version since 2016. Curiously, though, Apple continues to offer QuickTime for Windows on its website.
Interestingly, after Apple announced the deprecation of QuickTime for Windows, Trend Micro found some serious frailties in QuickTime for Windows. Unfortunately, it’s almost certain that Apple won’t be patching these issues now. Hence, having the app on your Windows PC is risky.
See Also: What To Do When Windows Will NOT Boot
3. Java
Java is a media runtime app that allows access to rich media content, such as web applications and games, on particular websites. Java on desktop and the Java plugin for browsers are the two main components of the program. In its initial days, Java was considered revolutionary and worked smoothly on all systems. Things have changed significantly now. Java’s browser plugin has had many security problems and suffered countless attacks over the years. Moreover, Java doesn't automatically install updates, which leaves it more vulnerable.
Current statistics have shown that under 0.02 percent of websites use Java today. The HTML 5 standard and other developments in technology have rendered Java pretty useless. Also, most modern browsers have built-in support for the kind of features Java once used to offer. If you uninstall it, you will probably not even notice a difference.
4. Microsoft Silverlight
Microsoft Silverlight is a web framework similar to Adobe Flash and Java. It was released in 2007 and allowed users to play videos and other content on their browsers. While it wasn’t as popular as Adobe Flash or Java, Silverlight was considered reliable and was even used by Netflix and for the streaming of the 2008 and 2010 Olympics.
Back in its heyday, the program was used by many, but now less than 0.03 percent of websites use Silverlight. What’s worse is that popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox don’t even support it anymore. Currently, Silverlight only works with Internet Explorer, which is a built-in feature of Windows 10. So, feel free to remove Microsoft Silverlight from your Windows PC.
5. Bloatware
Apart from having unwanted software preinstalled (known as "bloatware") from the manufacturer, your Windows PC also includes a good amount of bloatware on its own. Games like Candy Crush Saga and default apps like Money are probably the ones that you don’t need at all.
Then, there are some preinstalled branded programs like photo apps and consumer apps that are splattered on the Start screen. These unwanted bloatware apps eat up space and serve no purpose. Remove these applications to declutter your Windows PC and give it some breathing space.
That being said, some of the default Windows 10 programs, like the Mail & Calendar apps, are actually useful.
6. Toolbars
Annoying toolbars in browsers were once a common problem. But modern versions of Chrome and other browsers have mostly got rid of them. Despite that, though, some of these unwanted toolbars and extensions forcibly sneak their way into your Windows PC and make the options to opt-out difficult or intentionally confusing or misleading.
Take a proper look at your programs list and search for toolbars like the Bing Bar, Google Toolbar, Babylon Toolbar, Ask Toolbar, or the Yahoo! Toolbar. Most third-party toolbars are completely unnecessary and you should uninstall them.
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