All posts tagged: cleanup

I tried Google Drive’s new AI cleanup tool to fix 14 years of storage clutter – here’s the result

I tried Google Drive’s new AI cleanup tool to fix 14 years of storage clutter – here’s the result

Published by skeptic

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Gemini can suggest Drive file moves and new folders. Organize My Files requires Workspace or Google AI access. The tool is useful but still feels limited and unfinished. I’m an Apple person. I’ve owned an iPhone since 2007 and a Mac since before that, so of course I’m also a longtime user of iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive. I pay $10 a month for the 2TB iCloud+ plan because I have 488GB of data sitting there, including nearly 40,000 photos. Don’t judge me. The real problem is that I’m also a heavy Google user, specifically Workspace apps. Also: I tested ChatGPT Plus vs. Gemini Pro to see which is better After 14 years of using Google Drive, I have 340GB of data stored there from all the Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Gmail messages I’ve created, not to mention file uploads. So I pay $20 a month for Google AI Pro, which gives me 5TB of storage and …

I found Android’s hidden resource monitor and stopped installing cleanup apps

I found Android’s hidden resource monitor and stopped installing cleanup apps

Published by skeptic

I used to have three cleanup apps on my Android phone. Clean Master (an old habit and since pulled from the Play Store), AVG Cleaner, which a friend recommended, and CCleaner, which I grabbed once when my phone felt slow. I uninstalled all three after spending 20 minutes in Android’s own Developer Options. Everything those apps were pretending to show me, Android already tracks in better detail and without a background process. Cleanup and RAM booster apps have been around since the early Android days, when phones only came with 512MB of RAM and memory management was still rough. That era ended a while ago, though, but the apps didn’t stop sitting on the Play Store, showing images of brooms sweeping away garbage and still doing nothing useful. Some can even make things worse. Android itself has its own resource monitors built in, and they’re better than these old apps. Related My 2-year-old Android phone felt too slow to keep— then I fixed it without upgrading I saved money by fixing my slow phone. Why …

A violent volcanic eruption triggered a rare atmospheric cleanup

A violent volcanic eruption triggered a rare atmospheric cleanup

Published by Jenni Sidey

A towering plume from the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption did more than blast ash, seawater and gases deep into the atmosphere. It also appears to have triggered an unexpected burst of methane destruction. This offers scientists a rare look at how one of the planet’s most powerful greenhouse gases can be broken down in open air. That surprise emerged from satellite observations of formaldehyde, a short-lived chemical that forms as methane oxidizes. In the days after the South Pacific volcano erupted on Jan. 15, 2022, researchers spotted unusually high formaldehyde levels inside the plume. They tracked the cloud for 10 days as it drifted toward South America. “When we analysed the satellite images, we were surprised to see a cloud with a record-high concentration of formaldehyde. We were able to track the cloud for 10 days, all the way to South America. Because formaldehyde only exists for a few hours, this showed that the cloud must have been destroying methane continuously for more than a week,” said Dr. Maarten van Herpen of Acacia Impact …

I wasted money on cleanup apps before realizing Windows had one built in

I wasted money on cleanup apps before realizing Windows had one built in

Published by skeptic

At some point, you might have opened your laptop to a “low disk space” warning and immediately turned to the internet for help. The answer is almost always the same: download a cleanup app. So you start searching for free tools that’ll clean, optimize, and boost your Windows PC, and grab CCleaner, or maybe IObit Advanced SystemCare, because the reviews looked convincing. Or perhaps you spring for AVG TuneUp because you already trust the brand from its antivirus days. The scans are fast, the results look alarming, and the “Fix Now” button is very tempting to click. What you might not know, however, is that Windows has had a built-in answer to this exact problem the entire time. It is called Storage Sense; it costs nothing, and it sits in your settings. Related I tested every major Windows cleaner and this is the only one I trust Most cleaners promise speed. I learned to value restraint. Buried in Settings is Microsoft’s best-kept open secret Unbothered and underrated Storage Sense is a built-in, automated disk cleanup …

I tried this free Windows cleanup tool to see if it’d speed up my PC – and it worked

I tried this free Windows cleanup tool to see if it’d speed up my PC – and it worked

Published by skeptic

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Winhance helps remove Windows bloat and unwanted apps. It surfaces hidden settings to optimize performance and privacy. It also makes Windows customization faster and easier. Does Windows increasingly feel sluggish on your PC? The more you use it, and the more apps you install and changes you make, the more cluttered it gets, which can hamper performance. Several Windows utilities claim to be able to declutter and optimize Windows so that it will run more smoothly. One such tool is Winhance. Also: If Microsoft really wants to fix Windows 11, it should do these four things ASAP With Winhance, you can see all the installed programs and built-in features in one shot, and then choose the ones you want to remove. You can review and change your privacy and security settings, battery and display options, notifications, and much more. You’re also able to customize and clean up the Start menu, Taskbar, and File Explorer. To …

Communities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest : NPR

Communities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

An aerial view shows damage from a tornado, on Saturday in Lena, Ill. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Scott Olson/Getty Images Communities across the Upper Midwest are cleaning up after tornadoes and severe weather impacted the region over the weekend, damaging and destroying dozens of homes and knocking out power for tens of thousands. “Numerous” severe storms were tracked across parts of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. At least 66 tornado reports were submitted in multiple states including Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa, the NWS Quad Cities IA/IL office said Sunday. No deaths have been reported from the severe weather and tornado outbreak. In Marion Township in Minnesota, about 30 homes were damaged and a dozen have significant damage because of a tornado, according to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office. The tornado also damaged at least 20 homes in Stewartville and there is a temporary shelter in Rochester for people displaced by the storms, according to MPR News. “Tornado disaster recovery continues to occur at …

My Windows 11 storage was filling up constantly until I found these hidden cleanup tools

My Windows 11 storage was filling up constantly until I found these hidden cleanup tools

Published by skeptic

My Windows 11 machine used to constantly bug me with storage issues, and no matter what I tried, I always felt like I was running out of space. After going through many settings, I discovered some hidden cleanup tools that made a lot of difference for me. Now, those frustrating “storage is full” warnings are gone, and the laptop runs smoothly without slowing down like it actually was. All in all, my laptop feels faster, lighter, and way more responsive. Related I ran one Disk Cleanup command and recovered 20GB of Windows Update files I didn’t know were there Quickest 20GB I’ve recovered on my PC. A quick disk clean can solve a lot of issues Clear it out and speed things up Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf Cleaning up your disk on Windows 11 is one of the simplest ways to free up storage and get rid of unnecessary files that are hogging space. Beyond reclaiming storage, it can also make your system feel snappier and more responsive. In my case, my laptop wasn’t just …

Researchers develop plant-based cleanup for harmful antibiotics found in rivers and fish

Researchers develop plant-based cleanup for harmful antibiotics found in rivers and fish

Published by Jenni Sidey

Antibiotics meant to heal are leaving a quiet trace in rivers, sediments, and even the fish people eat. A new study from researchers at the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture at the University of São Paulo reveals how deep that trace runs, and how difficult it may be to erase. The research focused on the Piracicaba River, a major waterway in São Paulo state. The team tracked antibiotic residues across water, sediment, and fish. They also tested whether a floating plant, Salvinia auriculata, could help reduce contamination. The findings show a system under pressure. Antibiotics appear across the ecosystem, shift with the seasons, and move into living organisms in ways that are not always predictable. Percentages of EFX and CAP in water throughout the experiment. (CREDIT: Environmental Sciences Europe) Tracing Pollution Through a River System The researchers collected samples near the Santa Maria da Serra dam, close to the Barra Bonita reservoir. This area gathers pollutants from across the river basin. Sources include treated sewage, household waste, aquaculture, pig farming, and agricultural runoff. They …

Fly-tippers to be forced to join ‘clean-up squads’ – and made to ‘pick up the bill’ | UK News

Fly-tippers to be forced to join ‘clean-up squads’ – and made to ‘pick up the bill’ | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Fly-tippers in England could be forced to carry out unpaid clean-ups of streets, parks and dumping hotspots under new plans announced by the government. So-called “clean-up squads” will see fly-tippers given conditional cautions by local authorities, making them clear up waste for up to 20 hours. Currently, fly-tippers are only punished after conviction, often after lengthy court proceedings. You need javascript enabled to view this content Enable javascript to share Share Court grants a restriction order to close Epping waste site The government hopes this plan will speed up enforcement. The measure is part of a major 10-point plan being unveiled by the Environment Agency on Friday, aimed at tackling both low-level fly-tipping and large-scale organised illegal waste crime. Image: EA staff block the illegal waste dump site in Epping, Essex Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “If you dump rubbish on our streets, you will be joining a clean-up squad and picking up the bill, not the taxpayer. “We are clamping down on these criminals, making sure those responsible clean up and pay up. This …

Graffiti towers agreement clears a path for cleanup

Graffiti towers agreement clears a path for cleanup

Published by Sam Flores

Downtown Los Angeles’ infamous eyesore is one step closer to being cleaned out. The skyscraper known as the Graffiti Towers — officially the Oceanwide Plaza development — has reached a bankruptcy exit agreement that paves the way for a potential sale, court records show. A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday signed an order approving the agreement, which was filed on Jan. 28 and resolves various disputes between creditors. Lawyers for Oceanwide argued in the Jan. 28 court filing that the agreement would put an end to “value-destructive litigation” and allow Oceanwide to focus on selling the project and confirming a plan. “A prompt sale and eventual completion of the Project is a major priority for the City and the public at large, particularly with the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” Oceanwide’s lawyers wrote. The settlement is a “critical step” toward selling the property, which will allow for the “permanent removal” of graffiti and “permanent elimination of safety concerns at the Property,” they continued. The real estate broker managing the sale, Mark Tarczynski of …