Since the System Folder has appeared on all Macintosh computers, it has been a dependable place to store and locate files. Files were not put there only by Apple software but also by other applications and even by the users themselves. However, for users of earlier versions of system software, this led to cluttered System Folders, whose contents were often difficult to maintain or decipher.
System 7 introduced a new organisation for the System Folder, facilitating file management for the user. This new organisation introduces a set of subdirectories to hold related files. One of these subdirectories holds all preferences files.
Over the last few months, I noticed I still had preferences files for applications I removed from my hard disk several weeks earlier. There's no harm in keeping these files, but they waste valuable harddisk space. So I decided to something about it and I wrote PrefsCleaner, an application that deletes all redundant prefs files in the Preferences Folder.
Before you start using this application, you should read this entire document file. If you don't want to read everything, at least read the “known bugs” section!
PrefsCleaner is system 7.0-dependent. If you aren't using system 7.0 yet, you will get a warning saying you need at least system 7.0 and the application will quit.
PrefsCleaner checks for each application, desk accessory, control panel and extension if it has a prefs file in the Preferences Folder. In this case the prefs file is marked. When the search is completed, there may still be some unmarked prefs files left. Those prefs files are considered to be redundant and can be deleted.
Unfortunately, things aren't as simple as that. Some prefs files have a different creator signature than the programs that created them. It's even possible that an application resides on a volume that is currently unmounted, so you don't want to delete its prefs file, although PrefsCleaner couldn't find the application.
To overcome these problems you can control PrefsCleaner's level of independence in the Preferences Dialog:
The Preferences Dialog has 4 areas: The Delete Area, The Advanced Area, The SearchOn Area and the BackgroundSpeed Area. Let's start with the Delete Area. When a prefs file's creator can't be found, there are three possibilities:
(1) When you want PrefsCleaner to delete these prefs files unconditionally, choose "Delete the preferences files".
(2) When the prefs files were created by some frequently used applications not on any of the currently mounted volumes, their modification dates are probably recent (i.e. the files have been modified in the last few days). We can assume that most applications update their prefs file when you quit them. By choosing “Delete prefs files older than xx days”, all prefs files that weren't modified in the last xx days will be removed. The default is 30 days (just like in PrefsCleaner 1.0), but you can change the value by clicking on the arrows. The number of days can vary between 1 and 199.
(3) When you're not sure what PrefsCleaner will find in the Preferences Folder (i.e. the first time you use PrefsCleaner), use the “Ask the user what to do” option. You will be presented a list of redundant prefs files and you can select the ones to be deleted. (See the paragraph on User Interaction)
The Advanced area has two checkboxes, enabling you to delete empty folders and to move files to the trash. If after deleting all redundant prefs files, one (or more) subdirectories in the Preferences folder become empty, they are redundant too. By selecting “Delete Empty Folders”, these empty subdirectories will be removed.
By selecting “Move files to trash”, the redundant prefs files will not be removed permanently. Instead, they are moved to the Trash. This permits you to undo any mistakes. To remove the prefs files, choose “Empty Trash” from the “Special” menu in the Finder.
The SearchOn Area determines where PrefsCleaner will search for creators. When you only want to check the startup volume, select “System volume only”. If you want to look for creators on all mounted volumes, including removable volumes and CDROMs, select “All mounted volumes”. As I mentioned earlier, PrefsCleaner checks the system volume for applications, desk accessories, control panels and extensions. All other volumes are only checked for applications and desk accessories.
Finally, there is a button named “Defaults”. It's an easy way to reset all the options to their default value.
By selecting “Ask the user what to do” you put PrefsCleaner in full interactive mode. This means that PrefsCleaner will require some additional user interaction: PrefsCleaner will only determine which prefs files are redundant, without deleting them. Instead, you are presented a list of redundant prefs files.
By <command>-clicking on one or more filenames, you can select the prefs files to be deleted. Only the redundant prefs files that you selected will be deleted, the other prefs files will be left unchanged.
Note1: When checking all mounted volumes, the search may take some time. However, you can switch PrefsCleaner to the background and continue your other work. If PrefsCleaner needs user intervention while running in the background, it will post a notification. In the BackgroundSpeed Area, you can set PrefsCleaner's background speed. If you select “slow”, your Macintosh will have more time available to dedicate to the foreground application.
Note2: When PrefsCleaner runs out of memory, you will get a dialog box advising you to quit the application and to enlarge the partition size in the Finder's “Get Info” window.
Note3: PrefsCleaner should now work for international systems too. Some applications look for a directory named “Preferences” in the active system folder to store their prefs files in. If you use an international version of system software 7, your preferences folder usually has a different name (e.g. “Voorkeuren” in Dutch) so those applications think there is no preferences folder yet and they make one called “Preferences”. At that point you have two preferences folders: the system 7 preferences folder and the “hard coded” preferences folder. PrefsCleaner now checks both.
First of all, I would like to thank the people who sent me a letter or a note with useful suggestions and comments. As far as I can tell, there are no bugs in PrefsCleaner 1.1 (send me a note if you have encountered any problems!).
Nevertheless there are some pecularities to be taken into account. Some files in the Preferences Folder have a creator that differs from the program that originally created the file. In that case, PrefsCleaner has absolutely no idea where such a file originated from and consideres it as a possible candidate for deletion. This problem was reported by several persons. At the moment, I am aware of two such situations: the QuicKeys extension files and QuickMail files. PrefsCleaner 1.1 is aware of the QuicKeys extensions and treats them correctly. Unfortunately, I have no access to QuickMail software so QuickMail files are still treated as possible candidates for deletion. In PrefsCleaner 2.0, I will add a window for exceptions to solve this problem once and for all.
If you think you might have such files in your Preferences Folder, use PrefsCleaner in interactive mode (i.e. select the “Ask the user what to do” option) and use the “Move files to Trash” option. If you have any problems afterwards, you can still drag the orphaned prefs files from the Trash folder back into the Preferences folder.
• 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 (Aug 1992):
Internal versions, used for comparing several search strategies. Never released. At that time, I didn't even have a name for the application.
• 1.0 (September 1992):
First official release of PrefsCleaner. It contains the basic stuff (i.e. everything you need but nothing more) to clean-up your preferences folder.
• 1.1 (March 1993):
- Fixed a bug causing the application to crash unexpectedly. (Thanks to David L. Edwards for reporting the bug)
- QuicKeys extensions are recognized and treated correctly. (Thanks to William H. Pittman for reporting the problem)
- Fixed some minor (cosmetic) bugs in the user interface. (Thanks to Judd Stiff for sending me the “SoftPolish” log)
- Improved internal memory management.
- Added some options in the PrefsCleaner preferences dialog.
- Improved the “Progress indication” in the console window.
- Added international system support.
PrefsCleaner 1.1 has been tested for quite some time now on a Mac SE/30, a Mac IIx, and a Mac Quadra 700 and it appears to be bug-free. These are some of the features I plan to include in future versions of PrefsCleaner:
- a “Never Delete” option, enabling you to prevent certain prefs files from ever being deleted.
- an “Investigative Mode”, enabling you to look at file attributes associated with a prefs file (e.g. Name of the application that created the file)
- a completely rewritten document file.
- Report generation, giving you an overview of what is in your preferences folder, which applications the prefs files belong to, which prefs files were deleted,...
If you would like to see anything changed or added in a future version, feel free to write me. I'll see what I can do.
This software is distributed under the shareware system. There is a significant difference between shareware and public domain software: public domain software is free, shareware isn't. This means that you have to pay for it, just as you have to pay for commercial software. The most important difference is that a shareware program is distributed through low-cost distribution channels, without fancy packaging and advertising. This system allows you to evaluate software before you decide to pay for it. Support the shareware system by paying your shareware fee!
You can try out PrefsCleaner for two weeks. If you decide to keep it you have to pay $15. If you don't keep it, at least give it to all your friend before you erase it!
If you live in Europe, you can send cash (dollars or Belgian franks (BEF)) or a Eurocheck. The Eurocheck must be made payable in Belgian Franks (BEF). The fee is 450 BEF.
If you live outside Europe, you can send cash (dollars) or an International Money Order . Please do not send any checks because cashing a foreign check is often more expensive than the amount it was written for. If you send cash, consider the following steps: wrap a piece of paper (the registration form) around the money and put it in a firm envelope. Send the letter by air mail.
My address is:
Luc Pauwels
August Wautersstraat 14
9140 Temse
Belgium (Europe)
If you have any problems with PrefsCleaner and you want to send me a bug report, be sure to include the Macintosh model and system version. A list of system extensions and cdevs may be helpful too. Describe the problem clearly: What happens? Under which circumstances? Is the problem reproducible? (if possible, try to include a description saying how to reproduce the problem) Any suggestions for future versions and/or comments are welcome too!
You can distribute this software by giving it to friends, upload it to a BBS or to on-line services like Compuserve and AOL. You may also send it to any ftp site. Basically you can distribute it any way you like, as long as you don't ask any money for it, other than a small charge related to distribution costs (cost of a disk, postage or download fee). PrefsCleaner must be distributed together with this unmodified document and the registration form in the original compressed archive this product came in.
You may not sell this product or bundle it with any other products (commercial or other) without explicit written permission by the author of this software.
You may not modify PrefsCleaner or this document in any way.
THIS SOFTWARE COMES 'AS IS'. THE AUTHOR MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE PERFORMANCE OF PREFSCLEANER. THEREFORE, THE AUTHOR CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS OF DATA CAUSED BY THIS PRODUCT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.
