Running low on disk space--but don't want to delete songs from your precious music collection? Wise Disk Cleaner 4 trolls your computer for files you won't miss, such as temporary and index files. When started, a wizard prompts the user to modify the filters used to select files for deletion. This is what differentiates Wise Disk Cleaner from others: Instead of cleaning only preprogrammed folders, it scans your whole hard drive and deletes files by their extensions, finding files that other cleaners may miss.
After a few minutes scanning on my Vista laptop, it promised to remove a whopping 12 GB of data, almost 10% of the hard drive. It seems scary at first to delete such a large amount of information, but there is a handy option to remove files to the Recycle Bin first so they can be restored in case of computer breakdown. Alternatively, you can set the program to be more selective and delete fewer files.
Despite its promises Wise Disk Cleaner was able to remove only about 500 MB, which was quite a disappointment. Most egregiously, large Windows temporary files could not be removed. CCleaner, another more popular freeware cleaner, had no problems with this and removed a full 12 GB. The author claims that this bug has been fixed in the newest version, but I was not able to confirm this on the PC in question.
Assuming this was just an isolated bug (and to be fair, this problem did not recur on a quick test of two other PCs), Wise Disk Cleaner is a good program which performs its basic function well. It is very customizable, has a clean interface, and is fast. Still, this may not be the best option for many users. Unless you need to exercise tight control over your cleaner, opt for a simpler and more intuitive program such as CCleaner.
Note: During installation, you will be prompted to install the Ask Toolbar, so be sure to decline if you don't want it. Also, a Pro version is available for $20, and most notably adds the option to move unwanted files to a specified folder instead of deleting, as well as more advanced criteria for creating filters and selecting files to delete. While these features may be well appreciated by power-users, for most the upgrade will not be worth it.
--Gabe Gralla
Reviewed by: winterhart14
Reviewed by: jbold2015
Reviewed by: mathion
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