Security

File and folder optimization is much less risky than editing and cleaning up the registry. In most cases it is very unlikely that applications or your Windows® system will malfunction or stop working completely when Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6 deletes files and folders identified as redundant.

Redundant files identified by their extensions

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6 identifies some file types as redundant on the basis of their filename extensions. This is almost always safe, but only almost. For example, for reasons best known to the programmers the Eudora® e-mail program has an important file called donotdel.tmp (this is included in the Exceptions list and won't be deleted by Drive Cleaner). If either you or an unknown program use extensions like .tmp and .bak for crucial files Drive Cleaner will identify them as redundant.

If this happens simply locate the files in question in the Recycle Bin and restore them. (Yet another good reason to check everything thoroughly before emptying the Recycle Bin -- see below.)

This risk is particularly high for older applications written before the current conventions were established, especially DOS programs.

All deleted files are stored in the Recycle Bin

Files deleted by Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6 can always be recovered. Rather than actually deleting files directly, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6 simply moves them to the Recycle Bin, where they are stored until the bin is actively emptied by the user.