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DougiePhresh

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 7, 2011
136
280
I have had my MBP since the summer of 2010 and I just ordered an SSD (http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/memory-storage/MZ-7PC128D/AM) for it just because I thought it was time for a slight upgrade. Since I will be installing a completely new piece of hardware into my beloved machine I wish to keep it as clean as possible of junk files and folders and whatnot (also I am going from 250GB to 128GB, so I would like to keep on top of it to save as much space as possible). This was my first Mac and I tried to keep it clean from the beginning, but as I was new I probably let a few things fall through the cracks. I have been doing a little research and have been using AppCleaner for quite awhile to uninstall items, but as for clearing out old files from apps that I have already deleted I have no idea? I just downloaded and ran/used Disk Inventory X and it seemed to work. I was thinking about buying MacKeeper, but from what I have read it is mostly targeted towards scared Windows converters (like myself) who worry too much (again, myself) I was wondering if MacKeeper is worth the $38 or not or if there is a free app that is just as effective?

Thank you so much!
 
I have been doing a little research and have been using AppCleaner
In most cases, app removal software such as AppCleaner doesn't do a thorough job of finding and removing files/folders related to deleted apps. For more information, read this and this. If you just want to delete the app, drag the .app file to the trash. No other software needed. If you want to completely remove all associated files/folders, no removal apps will do the job.

The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion:
I was thinking about buying MacKeeper
I recommend you stay away from MacKeeper completely. You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Some remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.

These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. Some of these apps delete caches, which can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.

Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance.

Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

 
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