How to Select Files Before Cleaning with Deep Clean

Deep Clean in Easy System Utility searches a selected drive for temporary files, logs, crash reports, backups and older files that may be stored outside the normal Windows cleanup locations.

Once the scan has finished, the results are displayed in a table so you can decide which files should be removed. Deep Clean does not automatically treat every result as junk. You remain in control of the files selected for cleaning.

This guide explains how to review Deep Clean results, select individual files and avoid removing anything you may still need.

Run a Deep Clean analysis

See also: How to Clean Your PC Automatically When Windows Starts Article

Before you can select files, you need to scan a drive.

To begin:

1. Open Easy System Utility.
2. Select Deep Clean from the left-hand menu.
3. Choose the drive you want to scan.
4. Select the file types you want to find.
5. Click Analyze.
6. Wait for the scan to complete.

Deep Clean can search for file extensions including:

• .tmp
• .temp
• .log
• .dmp
• .mdmp
• .chk
• .wer
• .bak
• .old

The Analyze button only searches for matching files. Nothing is removed during the analysis.

Understanding the Deep Clean results

Files found during the scan are added to the results table.

The table can show information including:

• File Path
• Size
• Type
• Status

The file path is usually the most useful detail because it can help you work out which program, game or Windows component created the file.

The file size shows how much storage each result is using. This can help you focus on larger files when your main goal is to free disk space.

The type column shows the file extension found during the scan, while the status column is updated when Easy System Utility attempts to clean the selected file.

Why you should review the results

See also: How Automatic Cleaning Works in Easy System Utility PRO Article

Deep Clean searches by file extension rather than only checking known temporary folders.

This means the results may include files stored inside:

• Windows folders
• Program installation folders
• Game directories
• User profiles
• Project folders
• Backup locations
• Old software folders
• Temporary directories

A .tmp file inside a temporary folder may be straightforward to identify, while a .bak file inside an important project folder may still be needed.

The extension alone does not prove that a file is safe to delete.

Reviewing the results helps reduce the risk of removing a useful backup, recovery file or diagnostic report.

Select files individually

The safest way to use Deep Clean is to select individual files after reviewing them.

Look at each result and ask:

• Which folder contains the file?
• Which program appears to have created it?
• Is the related program still installed?
• Is the file recent?
• Could it contain recovery information?
• Is it connected to a current problem?
• Is it using enough disk space to be worth removing?

Tick the file only when you are comfortable deleting it.

Leave uncertain results unticked. There is no need to remove every file found during the scan.

Using Tick All Files

See also: How to Save Cleaning Selections in Easy System Utility Article

Deep Clean includes a Tick All Files option that selects every result in the list.

This can be useful when you have already reviewed the results and are certain that all of them can be removed.

It should not normally be the first button you press after a large scan.

Selecting every result without checking the paths could include:

• Active program logs
• Recent crash reports
• Important backup files
• Recovered file fragments
• Temporary project data
• Files still required by a game
• Older versions kept for recovery

For a small and clearly understood results list, Tick All Files can save time. For a larger scan, selecting files individually is the safer approach.

Using Untick All Files

The Untick All Files option clears every current selection.

This is useful when:

• You selected everything by mistake
• You want to start reviewing the list again
• You changed your mind before cleaning
• You want to select only a few larger files
• The scan returned files you do not recognise

Unticking the results does not remove them from the table or from your drive. It only stops them from being included when you click Clean.

Review temporary files

See also: How to Include a Custom Folder in Easy System Utility Cleaning Article

Files ending in .tmp or .temp are commonly created while Windows or another program completes a task.

Older temporary files inside recognised temporary folders may no longer be needed.

Be more careful when a temporary file is stored inside:

• A document project
• An image or video editing folder
• A software installation folder
• A game directory
• An active update folder

The file could contain unsaved work, installation data or information still required by a running application.

Close related programs before selecting their temporary files.

Review log files

LOG files record activity, errors and diagnostic information.

A log may be useful if:

• A program keeps crashing
• Windows is reporting an error
• You are troubleshooting an update
• Technical support has asked for the file
• You are checking what happened during an installation

Older logs created by software you no longer use may be suitable for removal.

Many log files are small, so deleting them may recover very little disk space. Check the Size column and focus on unusually large logs where appropriate.

Review crash dump files

DMP and MDMP files are normally created after a crash.

They may be useful when investigating:

• Blue screen errors
• Driver failures
• Application crashes
• Game crashes
• Windows problems

If the issue has been fixed and you no longer need the crash information, an older dump file may be selected for cleaning.

Keep recent dump files when you are still troubleshooting or may need to send them to support.

Dump files can sometimes be large, so removing old ones can free a noticeable amount of disk space.

Review Windows Error Reporting files

WER files contain information collected by Windows Error Reporting.

Older WER files may no longer be useful after the related problem has been resolved.

Keep them when:

• An application still crashes
• You are investigating repeated errors
• You need information for technical support
• The report relates to a current Windows issue

The standard Clean section also includes supported Windows Error Report locations. Deep Clean may find additional WER files elsewhere on the drive.

Review backup files carefully

Files ending in .bak require extra care.

A BAK file may be:

• A backup of a document
• A copy of a database
• A previous program configuration
• A website backup
• A saved project version
• A recovery copy created before an update

Before selecting one, check whether the original file still exists and whether the backup may be needed later.

A BAK file found inside an old program folder may be unnecessary. A BAK file inside a current work folder could be important.

Do not select backup files simply because they are old or large.

Review OLD files

An OLD file is often a previous version kept when Windows or another program replaces a file.

It may be safe to remove when:

• The related program is working normally
• An update completed successfully
• The file belongs to removed software
• You no longer need the previous version

Leave it unticked when it is stored inside an active Windows or application folder and you are not sure why it exists.

An OLD file may be kept so the previous version can be restored if something goes wrong.

Review CHK files

CHK files can be created when Windows repairs a drive and recovers file fragments.

They may appear after:

• A power cut
• An unexpected shutdown
• A drive being disconnected incorrectly
• File system corruption
• A disk check or repair

If files recently went missing, CHK files may contain recoverable data.

Keep them until you have finished investigating the drive and attempting any recovery.

When the computer is working normally and you do not need the recovered fragments, older CHK files may no longer be useful.

Check the file path

The path provides important context about a file.

For example:

• C:\Windows\Temp\example.tmp is located in a Windows temporary folder
• A .bak file inside a current project folder may be a valuable backup
• A .dmp file inside a crash report folder is probably diagnostic
• A .log file inside an old uninstalled program folder may no longer be needed
• An .old file inside an active application folder may be kept for recovery

When the folder name is unfamiliar, leave the file unticked and investigate it before cleaning.

Check the file size

The Size column helps show which results are using the most storage.

If your aim is to free disk space, concentrate on larger files you can clearly identify.

Removing hundreds of tiny log files may recover less space than removing one old crash dump.

A large size does not make a file unnecessary. Backup and recovery files can also be large, so the path and purpose should still be checked.

Close related programs

Before cleaning selected files, close any program connected to them.

This helps prevent:

• Active files being skipped
• Temporary working data being removed too early
• A program recreating the file during cleaning
• Unsaved work being affected
• Files remaining locked

Save your work before closing applications.

Browsers, game launchers and messaging programs may continue running in the Windows system tray after their main window has closed. Check the tray before beginning the cleanup.

Run Easy System Utility as an administrator

Some results may be located inside protected Windows or program folders.

To give Easy System Utility additional permission:

1. Select Start ESU as administrator.
2. Approve the Windows User Account Control prompt.
3. Return to Deep Clean.
4. Run the analysis again.
5. Review and select the files.

Administrator permission may help Easy System Utility access protected locations.

It does not make every result safe to delete, and it cannot remove a file that Windows or another program is actively using.

Start with a smaller scan

You do not need to search for every supported file extension at once.

A smaller scan is often easier to review.

For example, you could begin by searching only for:

• .tmp
• .temp

You could then run a separate scan for crash information using:

• .dmp
• .mdmp
• .wer

A third scan could be used for files that require more careful review:

• .bak
• .old
• .chk
• .log

Separating the scans makes the results less crowded and helps you focus on one type of file at a time.

Select files based on what you are trying to achieve

Your selections should match the reason you are using Deep Clean.

Freeing disk space

Focus on large files you recognise and no longer need, such as old crash dumps or temporary files left by removed software.

Investigating crashes

Keep recent DMP, MDMP, WER and LOG files until the problem has been diagnosed.

Removing leftovers from old software

Look for results inside folders belonging to programs or games that are no longer installed.

Checking for old backups

Review BAK and OLD files carefully. Confirm that the current version exists and works before removing an older copy.

Cleaning temporary data

Check TMP and TEMP files inside recognised temporary folders, particularly when they have not been modified recently.

What happens when you click Clean?

After you have selected the files you want to remove, click Clean.

Easy System Utility attempts to delete each selected result and updates its status.

Some files may not be removed because they are:

• Currently in use
• Locked by Windows
• Protected by permissions
• Being scanned by security software
• Stored on a read-only drive
• Changed after the analysis
• Already removed by another process

A failed result does not mean that every other selected file also failed.

Review the Status column after the cleanup to see what happened.

Can Deep Clean files be restored?

You should treat files removed through Deep Clean as permanently deleted.

Do not select a file on the assumption that it can easily be recovered later.

Before clicking Clean:

• Check the path
• Check the file type
• Confirm that you no longer need it
• Keep important backups
• Leave uncertain files unticked
• Save any open work

This is particularly important when selecting BAK, OLD and CHK files.

What if you are unsure about a result?

Leave it unticked.

Deep Clean is there to help you find files, but you are not expected to remove every result.

Keeping an uncertain file is usually safer than deleting it to recover a small amount of storage.

You can investigate the folder, check which program owns it or return to the scan later when you know more about it.

A safe way to select Deep Clean files

A careful Deep Clean process looks like this:

1. Select only the file extensions relevant to your search.
2. Run Analyze.
3. Review the path, size and type of each result.
4. Identify the program or Windows component connected to it.
5. Close related applications.
6. Tick only files you understand and no longer need.
7. Leave backup, recovery and diagnostic files unticked when they may still be useful.
8. Click Clean.
9. Review the Status column when the cleanup finishes.

Deep Clean gives you more control than automatically removing every matching file. Taking a little time to review the results helps you free disk space without unnecessarily deleting files that may still be useful.