This module searches all the drives selected in drives for duplicate DLL files. These "dynamic link library" files with the extension .DLL are used to store standard program components and functions and make them available to any programs that need to use them, and to Windows® itself as well.
Many application programs install their own copies of important DLLs in their own program folders to make absolutely sure that the libraries with the functions they need will be accessible.
As a result, most computers have multiple copies of identical or similar DLLs in various locations. In fact, you only really need one copy of the latest version of each DLL file, ideally in one of the Windows® system folders where it can be accessed automatically by all programs. (When a program requests to access a DLL Windows® first looks in the program's own folder and then in the Windows® and System folders.)
Important Notes:
This module is for experienced users only:
| · | Redundant DLLs cannot be identified automatically with 100% certainty. Since DLLs contain essential Windows® and application functions identifying and deleting redundant DLLs is potentially hazardous. Please only use this module if you're sure you know what you're doing. At the end of the day, it's much better to have a few unnecessary DLLs on your hard disk than to risk program and Windows® malfunctions!
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Never delete red items:
| · | Never delete items marked in red in the Results/Details screen. These are items that DLL Cleaner has reliably identified as critical for your system and deleting them will almost certainly cause problems.
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Empty the Recycle Bin before deleting anything:
| · | When DLL Cleaner deletes items it moves them to the Recycle Bin so that you can recover them if necessary. If the Recycle Bin is empty before you start it's much easier to find the items you want to recover.
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Why it's difficult to be sure whether duplicate DLLs are redundant:
DLL Cleaner only searches for DLLs that are stored both in one of the Windows® system folders and at least one other folder. Since you only need the newest version in the Windows® directory you can (almost) always safely delete all other copies and older versions of these DLLs.
However, it is also important to understand that some applications (particularly older ones) sometimes expect to find a specific older version of a DLL in one of their own program directories. Such applications can behave in unexpected ways if they are unable to find the expected DLL or if they find a newer version instead. Please see the chapter on Security for further details.