Are these free PC cleaners I see advertised really legit ?

They're legit but that doesn't mean they don't come with adware or spyware. There are no set laws saying adware and spyware is illegal. Secondly, these sites don't perform anything you can't do yourself. If people spent 50 bucks on a 2 week college computer course, they wouldn't have anywhere near the problems they do. Some community colleges even give these classes for free.

90% of the PC cleaners that are advertised out there don't do what they claim. Use CCleaner, it's free but it's legit.

They don't actually work; many, such as "Malware Protection", pretend that your computer is infected with a virus, and then force you to end up paying to fix a virus that isn't really there. They are typically just money-making schemes, and not a single one of them advertised will actually help protect your computer.

The junk on TV/Cable is absolute rubbish.

Remember: the Hollywood hucksters will do anything for money, and they think their viewers are all idiots. It's the same mind-set politicians have.

I have used numerous 'free' ones. Never more.

Computer was in worse shape after when I ran one.

Which ones?

Please edit your question to clarify exactly what you mean by "free PC cleaners" ?

Please be more specific or just think about this:

Why would anyone pay good money, real money, to advertise a product that they are giving away for nothing?

Think about it.

It's a bunch of God damn horseshit. If you want to get ye a good anti-virus program to get rid of viruses an' spyware an all here this ol' stuff, go to the store an' BUY some, don't get some horseshit fer free off'n the internet.

malware bytes

avg antivirus

c cleaner are the 3 free pieces of software that do a good job for me

The only good one is CCleaner at the Piriform website.

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner