Is CleanMyMac worth it?

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Hello there

I am running Mac OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.4 and I feel like my computer has definitely slowed down and sort of lags from time to time than when I first got it, or to be more specific, than when I last made a fresh install of Mountain Lion (which was when it first came out).

It now takes a little bit of time to open and close applications, especially Chrome, Safari, iTunes and iPhoto, and I know that because it used to be much quicker when I first installed Mountain Lion.

I am using a mid-2010 MacBook Pro and these are the specifications:

Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 256 MB
Software OS X 10.8.4 (12E55)

The specifications are fairly low compared to today's computers, but I believe they are enough for a lag-free and snappy Mac experience, or am I wrong? I came across CleanMyMac and it claims to clear all registry related problems and such, as well as remove useless files and cache located on the computer. I am unsure about the safety of it, though, because in the past, I have had registry-cleaning applications on my Windows pretty much mess it up.

There's also one called Onyx which was recommended on Apple Support Forums:

https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11582/onyx

What do you guys think?

Thank you.
 
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I'd stick with Onyx. Run everything on the automation tab.
 
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Tarek
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Thank you. I installed Onyx and ran the verification steps. SMART Status appears to be ok and so does the Structure of Volume, however I got an error when checking syntax of the preferences files:

Screen Shot 2013-06-18 at 1.40.09 PM.png
 
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Tarek
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Okay I ran full animation and everything seemed to check out just fine. How often should I do that?
 

vansmith

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I came across CleanMyMac and it claims to clear all registry related problems and such, as well as remove useless files and cache located on the computer.
If a Mac application claims to clean the "registry," avoid it - there is no registry for OS X (it's a Windows specific feature) and if a developer claims to have an application to clean this, I'd be highly critical of their knowledge of OS X.

Okay I ran full animation and everything seemed to check out just fine. How often should I do that?
There's no magical schedule but I'd say every 6 - 8 weeks or so. Then again, there is no routine but "every once in a while" should suffice.
 
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If a Mac application claims to clean the "registry," avoid it - there is no registry for OS X (it's a Windows specific feature) and if a developer claims to have an application to clean this, I'd be highly critical of their knowledge of OS X.

CleanMyMac does not claim that it will clean the registry, of course. The misunderstanding may come from the CleanMyPC feature list. That's a product for Windows, and it does clean registry. In Windows.
 

chscag

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That's a product for Windows, and it does clean registry. In Windows.

And registry cleaners should normally be avoided in Windows. They actually can do more harm than good. There are a myriad of various registry cleaners for Windows, but the only one I have used successfully and does not do harm is CCCleaner from Piriform.
 

vansmith

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And registry cleaners should normally be avoided in Windows. They actually can do more harm than good. There are a myriad of various registry cleaners for Windows, but the only one I have used successfully and does not do harm is CCCleaner from Piriform.
It's truly amazing how temperamental the registry can be sometimes.
 
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Well Tarek put it this way. If the application was free it would still not be worth it!

Stick with Onyx as suggested.
 
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Tarek
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Onyx seems to have worked great for me. I feel like the OS is much quicker now, especially when opening and closing applications. Thanks for your help, guys, I appreciate it.
 

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