Hi,
I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a bloated registry from
affecting system performance, I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry entries and defrags the
registry by doing something to "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.

I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so apparently I've been doing
this safely (backing up the registry before making changes). I'm trying a new
app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up the registry, but
doesn't have a defrag function.

Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or correcting invalid/unused
registry entries also result in a reduction of the total size of the registry
files?
--
Gary

A "bloated registry" does not affect your system performance (except in
your head).
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est
R.I.P Usenet: 1980-2008 (PC Magazine)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326848,00.asp

GaryG wrote:
> Hi,
> I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a bloated registry from
> affecting system performance, I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry entries and defrags the
> registry by doing something to "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
>
> I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so apparently I've been doing
> this safely (backing up the registry before making changes). I'm trying a new
> app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up the registry, but
> doesn't have a defrag function.
>
> Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or correcting invalid/unused
> registry entries also result in a reduction of the total size of the registry
> files?

On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Hi,
> I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a bloated registry from
> affecting system performance,


"Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at all.


I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry entries and defrags the
> registry by doing something to "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
>
> I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so apparently I've been doing
> this safely (backing up the registry before making changes).


No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter of your having
been lucky. Not everything a registry cleaner does necessarily causes
problems, but the risk of problems is always there. Backing up the
registry is certainly good to do, and will help you if you experience
some kinds of problems, but will do nothing to help you if the problem
the registry cleaner causes is an unbootable computer.



> I'm trying a new
> app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up the registry, but
> doesn't have a defrag function.
>
> Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or correcting invalid/unused
> registry entries also result in a reduction of the total size of the registry
> files?


The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the registry doesn't need
to be defragged (other than the normal defragging it gets when you
defrag your entire drive).

You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such registry
cleaning programs. None of them can help you at all, and all of them
have the potential to hurt you severely.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Ken and Leonard,
Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your advice. Everywhere I
look today there are apps for sale that maintain the registry. I will no
longer use them.

One question though, because my PC no longer performs as it used to (and it
is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm to blame. Is it possible that I've
muddled my registry? Is there a way to tell?

To address the gradual performance decrease I have experienced, would it be
reasonable to try a "shotgun" approach, doing a "repair install" or
reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web site
- (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a "repair install"
provided by someone who identifies himself as having been an MS MVP from 2001
to 2007, so I think I can trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure. Would
this seem to be a reasonable option to try?
Thanks Very Much, Gary
--
Gary


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

> On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> > I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a bloated registry from
> > affecting system performance,
>
>
> "Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at all.
>
>
> I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> > couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry entries and defrags the
> > registry by doing something to "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
> >
> > I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so apparently I've been doing
> > this safely (backing up the registry before making changes).
>
>
> No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter of your having
> been lucky. Not everything a registry cleaner does necessarily causes
> problems, but the risk of problems is always there. Backing up the
> registry is certainly good to do, and will help you if you experience
> some kinds of problems, but will do nothing to help you if the problem
> the registry cleaner causes is an unbootable computer.
>
>
>
> > I'm trying a new
> > app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up the registry, but
> > doesn't have a defrag function.
> >
> > Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or correcting invalid/unused
> > registry entries also result in a reduction of the total size of the registry
> > files?
>
>
> The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the registry doesn't need
> to be defragged (other than the normal defragging it gets when you
> defrag your entire drive).
>
> You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such registry
> cleaning programs. None of them can help you at all, and all of them
> have the potential to hurt you severely.
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>

"GaryG" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:83CEC1BF-9DB7-40EB-B12D-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Ken and Leonard,
> Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your advice. Everywhere I
> look today there are apps for sale that maintain the registry. I will no
> longer use them.
>
> One question though, because my PC no longer performs as it used to (and
> it
> is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm to blame. Is it possible that I've
> muddled my registry? Is there a way to tell?
>
> To address the gradual performance decrease I have experienced, would it
> be
> reasonable to try a "shotgun" approach, doing a "repair install" or
> reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web
> site
> - (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a "repair install"
> provided by someone who identifies himself as having been an MS MVP from
> 2001
> to 2007, so I think I can trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure.
> Would
> this seem to be a reasonable option to try?
> Thanks Very Much, Gary
> --
> Gary
>
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>> > Hi,
>> > I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a bloated registry
>> > from
>> > affecting system performance,
>>
>>
>> "Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at all.
>>
>>
>> I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
>> > couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry entries and
>> > defrags the
>> > registry by doing something to "hives" that I don't think I need to get
>> > into.
>> >
>> > I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so apparently I've been
>> > doing
>> > this safely (backing up the registry before making changes).
>>
>>
>> No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter of your having
>> been lucky. Not everything a registry cleaner does necessarily causes
>> problems, but the risk of problems is always there. Backing up the
>> registry is certainly good to do, and will help you if you experience
>> some kinds of problems, but will do nothing to help you if the problem
>> the registry cleaner causes is an unbootable computer.
>>
>>
>>
>> > I'm trying a new
>> > app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up the registry,
>> > but
>> > doesn't have a defrag function.
>> >
>> > Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or correcting
>> > invalid/unused
>> > registry entries also result in a reduction of the total size of the
>> > registry
>> > files?
>>
>>
>> The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the registry doesn't need
>> to be defragged (other than the normal defragging it gets when you
>> defrag your entire drive).
>>
>> You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such registry
>> cleaning programs. None of them can help you at all, and all of them
>> have the potential to hurt you severely.
>>
>> --
>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>
Leave the registry alone....

Defragging your disk may help performance.
Setting the size of the pagefile to "system managed" may help performance.
Adding RAM may help performance, but there is seldom need for more than 1GB.

That is about it, unless you spring for a new computer with a faster CPU,
more Cache, faster disks, and lots of RAM.
Jim

Of great historical significance to all, GaryG
<(E-Mail Removed)> declared on Mon, 4 Aug 2008
07:34:03 -0700:

> Ken and Leonard,
> Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your advice.
> Everywhere I look today there are apps for sale that maintain
> the registry. I will no longer use them.
>
> One question though, because my PC no longer performs as it
> used to (and it is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm to
> blame. Is it possible that I've muddled my registry? Is there
> a way to tell?
>
> To address the gradual performance decrease I have
> experienced, would it be reasonable to try a "shotgun"
> approach, doing a "repair install" or reformatting my hard
> drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web site
> - (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a
> "repair install" provided by someone who identifies himself
> as having been an MS MVP from 2001 to 2007, so I think I can
> trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure. Would this seem
> to be a reasonable option to try? Thanks Very Much, Gary
> --
> Gary
>
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
> > <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi,
> > > I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a
> > > bloated registry from affecting system performance,
> >
> >
> > "Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at all.
> >
> >
> > I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> > > couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry
> > > entries and defrags the registry by doing something to
> > > "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
> > >
> > > I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so
> > > apparently I've been doing this safely (backing up the
> > > registry before making changes).
> >
> >
> > No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter of
> > your having been lucky. Not everything a registry cleaner
> > does necessarily causes problems, but the risk of problems
> > is always there. Backing up the registry is certainly good
> > to do, and will help you if you experience some kinds of
> > problems, but will do nothing to help you if the problem
> > the registry cleaner causes is an unbootable computer.
> >
> >
> >
> > > I'm trying a new
> > > app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up
> > > the registry, but doesn't have a defrag function.
> > >
> > > Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or
> > > correcting invalid/unused registry entries also result in
> > > a reduction of the total size of the registry files?
> >
> >
> > The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the registry
> > doesn't need to be defragged (other than the normal
> > defragging it gets when you defrag your entire drive).
> >
> > You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such
> > registry cleaning programs. None of them can help you at
> > all, and all of them have the potential to hurt you
> > severely.
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> >

Gary,

What may be causing the loss in performance are programs that you've installed in the past that startup in the background when you boot-up. Over time and after several installs this will cause a slow-down.

Before doing a repair install (btw, I've seen Michael Stevens site highly recommended by numerous MVP's) I'd check to see what all is starting up at boot-up.

The best I'd recommend is AutoRuns (current v9.32) at the Microsoft Technet: Windows Sysinternals site. It'll tell you exactly what is going on.
<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx>

Or if you have Windows Defender installed, on the main menu click Tools then click Software Explorer.

Last use msconfig from Run on the Start menu (or a command prompt). Select the Startup tab.

In all three you can stop programs that are starting that you don't need or are necessary. But before using any of the three, check the options in the individual program, you may be able to stop it there.

hth
--
(E-Mail Removed)com
"I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid."
- Terry Bradshaw -

Is it possible that you adversely affected your registry? Is there a way
to tell? Sure, it's possible, but there's really no way to know unless
you have a specific problem that is caused by a specific error in the
registry.

Gradual performance decrease is a fact of computing life. Since the time
you first turned your computer on, you've added lots of software. Your
security software has a lot more work to do. No one's computer performs
the way it did the first time they hit the 'on' button.

Erasing your hard disk and starting over isn't going to solve anything,
since you'll be back in the same place once you finish re-installing all
your software.

The best you can do is to maintain your computer (but don't become a
maintenance junkie), avoid malware and evaluate the demands new software
will make before you decide to install it. Learn how to use your
software to best advantage. And don't get all crazy if your computer
takes a little longer to startup in the morning than when it was
younger. So do you, my friend. ;-)
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est
R.I.P Usenet: 1980-2008 (PC Magazine)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326848,00.asp

GaryG wrote:
> Ken and Leonard,
> Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your advice. Everywhere I
> look today there are apps for sale that maintain the registry. I will no
> longer use them.
>
> One question though, because my PC no longer performs as it used to (and it
> is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm to blame. Is it possible that I've
> muddled my registry? Is there a way to tell?
>
> To address the gradual performance decrease I have experienced, would it be
> reasonable to try a "shotgun" approach, doing a "repair install" or
> reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web site
> - (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a "repair install"
> provided by someone who identifies himself as having been an MS MVP from 2001
> to 2007, so I think I can trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure. Would
> this seem to be a reasonable option to try?
> Thanks Very Much, Gary

On Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:51:10 -0500, Chet <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

> Of great historical significance to all, GaryG
> <(E-Mail Removed)> declared on Mon, 4 Aug 2008
> 07:34:03 -0700:
>
> > Ken and Leonard,
> > Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your advice.
> > Everywhere I look today there are apps for sale that maintain
> > the registry. I will no longer use them.
> >
> > One question though, because my PC no longer performs as it
> > used to (and it is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm to
> > blame. Is it possible that I've muddled my registry? Is there
> > a way to tell?
> >
> > To address the gradual performance decrease I have
> > experienced, would it be reasonable to try a "shotgun"
> > approach, doing a "repair install" or reformatting my hard
> > drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web site
> > - (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a
> > "repair install" provided by someone who identifies himself
> > as having been an MS MVP from 2001 to 2007, so I think I can
> > trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure. Would this seem
> > to be a reasonable option to try? Thanks Very Much, Gary
> > --
> > Gary
> >
> >
> > "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
> >
> > > On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
> > > <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi,
> > > > I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a
> > > > bloated registry from affecting system performance,
> > >
> > >
> > > "Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at all.
> > >
> > >
> > > I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> > > > couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry
> > > > entries and defrags the registry by doing something to
> > > > "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
> > > >
> > > > I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so
> > > > apparently I've been doing this safely (backing up the
> > > > registry before making changes).
> > >
> > >
> > > No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter of
> > > your having been lucky. Not everything a registry cleaner
> > > does necessarily causes problems, but the risk of problems
> > > is always there. Backing up the registry is certainly good
> > > to do, and will help you if you experience some kinds of
> > > problems, but will do nothing to help you if the problem
> > > the registry cleaner causes is an unbootable computer.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > I'm trying a new
> > > > app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up
> > > > the registry, but doesn't have a defrag function.
> > > >
> > > > Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or
> > > > correcting invalid/unused registry entries also result in
> > > > a reduction of the total size of the registry files?
> > >
> > >
> > > The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the registry
> > > doesn't need to be defragged (other than the normal
> > > defragging it gets when you defrag your entire drive).
> > >
> > > You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such
> > > registry cleaning programs. None of them can help you at
> > > all, and all of them have the potential to hurt you
> > > severely.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> > >
>
> Gary,
>
> What may be causing the loss in performance are programs
> that you've installed in the past that startup in the
> background when you boot-up. Over time and after several
> installs this will cause a slow-down.


That's certainly a possibility.


> Before doing a repair install (btw, I've seen Michael Stevens
> site highly recommended by numerous MVP's) I'd check to see
> what all is starting up at boot-up.


I'll add my recommendation of Michael Stevens's site.

But it's highly unlikely that a repair installation will help him at
all. That sometimes help if things don't work properly. but it's
highly unlikely to help if the symptoms are just a loss of
performance.


> The best I'd recommend is AutoRuns (current v9.32) at the Microsoft
> Technet: Windows Sysinternals site. It'll tell you exactly what
> is going on.
> <http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx>
>
> Or if you have Windows Defender installed, on the main menu
> click Tools then click Software Explorer.
>
> Last use msconfig from Run on the Start menu (or a command
> prompt). Select the Startup tab.
>
> In all three you can stop programs that are starting that you
> don't need or are necessary. But before using any of the three,
> check the options in the individual program, you may be able to
> stop it there.


All good advice. The two most common reasons for poor performance
these days are performance-robbing background programs and malware
infestation.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

I used Autoruns and was amazed to see how many things are running. No wonder
things have slowed. I realize that I must use this with discernment so I
don't affect something essential.

It looks like the Logon tab lists the safest area to work on. I see
"quicklaunch" entries and "tasks" for things like Quicktime and a DVD burner
app so I'll start with those and see if anything improves. This looks like a
place to be very careful so I won't muck with anything I have questions
about. Thanks for the info!
--
Gary


"Chet" wrote:

> Of great historical significance to all, GaryG
> <(E-Mail Removed)> declared on Mon, 4 Aug 2008
> 07:34:03 -0700:
>
> > Ken and Leonard,
> > Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your advice.
> > Everywhere I look today there are apps for sale that maintain
> > the registry. I will no longer use them.
> >
> > One question though, because my PC no longer performs as it
> > used to (and it is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm to
> > blame. Is it possible that I've muddled my registry? Is there
> > a way to tell?
> >
> > To address the gradual performance decrease I have
> > experienced, would it be reasonable to try a "shotgun"
> > approach, doing a "repair install" or reformatting my hard
> > drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web site
> > - (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a
> > "repair install" provided by someone who identifies himself
> > as having been an MS MVP from 2001 to 2007, so I think I can
> > trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure. Would this seem
> > to be a reasonable option to try? Thanks Very Much, Gary
> > --
> > Gary
> >
> >
> > "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
> >
> > > On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
> > > <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi,
> > > > I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a
> > > > bloated registry from affecting system performance,
> > >
> > >
> > > "Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at all.
> > >
> > >
> > > I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> > > > couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry
> > > > entries and defrags the registry by doing something to
> > > > "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
> > > >
> > > > I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so
> > > > apparently I've been doing this safely (backing up the
> > > > registry before making changes).
> > >
> > >
> > > No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter of
> > > your having been lucky. Not everything a registry cleaner
> > > does necessarily causes problems, but the risk of problems
> > > is always there. Backing up the registry is certainly good
> > > to do, and will help you if you experience some kinds of
> > > problems, but will do nothing to help you if the problem
> > > the registry cleaner causes is an unbootable computer.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > I'm trying a new
> > > > app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning up
> > > > the registry, but doesn't have a defrag function.
> > > >
> > > > Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or
> > > > correcting invalid/unused registry entries also result in
> > > > a reduction of the total size of the registry files?
> > >
> > >
> > > The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the registry
> > > doesn't need to be defragged (other than the normal
> > > defragging it gets when you defrag your entire drive).
> > >
> > > You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such
> > > registry cleaning programs. None of them can help you at
> > > all, and all of them have the potential to hurt you
> > > severely.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> > >
>
> Gary,
>
> What may be causing the loss in performance are programs that you've installed in the past that startup in the background when you boot-up. Over time and after several installs this will cause a slow-down.
>
> Before doing a repair install (btw, I've seen Michael Stevens site highly recommended by numerous MVP's) I'd check to see what all is starting up at boot-up.
>
> The best I'd recommend is AutoRuns (current v9.32) at the Microsoft Technet: Windows Sysinternals site. It'll tell you exactly what is going on.
> <http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx>
>
> Or if you have Windows Defender installed, on the main menu click Tools then click Software Explorer.
>
> Last use msconfig from Run on the Start menu (or a command prompt). Select the Startup tab.
>
> In all three you can stop programs that are starting that you don't need or are necessary. But before using any of the three, check the options in the individual program, you may be able to stop it there.
>
> hth
> --
> (E-Mail Removed)com
> "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid."
> - Terry Bradshaw -
>

Of great historical significance to all, GaryG
<(E-Mail Removed)> declared on Mon, 4 Aug 2008
09:43:02 -0700:

> I used Autoruns and was amazed to see how many things are
> running. No wonder things have slowed. I realize that I must
> use this with discernment so I don't affect something
> essential.
>
> It looks like the Logon tab lists the safest area to work on.
> I see "quicklaunch" entries and "tasks" for things like
> Quicktime and a DVD burner app so I'll start with those and
> see if anything improves. This looks like a place to be very
> careful so I won't muck with anything I have questions about.
> Thanks for the info!
> --
> Gary
>
>
> "Chet" wrote:
>
> > Of great historical significance to all, GaryG
> > <(E-Mail Removed)> declared on Mon, 4 Aug
> > 2008 07:34:03 -0700:
> >
> > > Ken and Leonard,
> > > Gentlemen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your
> > > advice. Everywhere I look today there are apps for sale
> > > that maintain the registry. I will no longer use them.
> > >
> > > One question though, because my PC no longer performs as
> > > it used to (and it is NOT loaded with apps). Perhaps I'm
> > > to blame. Is it possible that I've muddled my registry?
> > > Is there a way to tell?
> > >
> > > To address the gradual performance decrease I have
> > > experienced, would it be reasonable to try a "shotgun"
> > > approach, doing a "repair install" or reformatting my hard
> > > drive and reinstalling XP altogether? I found a Web site
> > > - (michaelstevenstech.com) with directions for doing a
> > > "repair install" provided by someone who identifies
> > > himself as having been an MS MVP from 2001 to 2007, so I
> > > think I can trust it, but it is not a trivial procedure.
> > > Would this seem to be a reasonable option to try? Thanks
> > > Very Much, Gary
> > > --
> > > Gary
> > >
> > >
> > > "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:10:00 -0700, GaryG
> > > > <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Hi,
> > > > > I run Windows XP Home SP2. In an attempt to keep a
> > > > > bloated registry from affecting system performance,
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "Bloated" registries don't affect system performance at
> > > > all.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I've been using Registry Repair Pro for a
> > > > > couple of years. It repairs/deletes invalid registry
> > > > > entries and defrags the registry by doing something to
> > > > > "hives" that I don't think I need to get into.
> > > > >
> > > > > I haven't caused any obvious registry problems so
> > > > > apparently I've been doing this safely (backing up the
> > > > > registry before making changes).
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > No. It's not a matter of doing it safely, it's a matter
> > > > of your having been lucky. Not everything a registry
> > > > cleaner does necessarily causes problems, but the risk
> > > > of problems is always there. Backing up the registry is
> > > > certainly good to do, and will help you if you
> > > > experience some kinds of problems, but will do nothing
> > > > to help you if the problem the registry cleaner causes
> > > > is an unbootable computer.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > I'm trying a new
> > > > > app, RegCure, and it seems more effective in cleaning
> > > > > up the registry, but doesn't have a defrag function.
> > > > >
> > > > > Do I need to defrag? Or does simply deleting or
> > > > > correcting invalid/unused registry entries also
> > > > > result in a reduction of the total size of the
> > > > > registry files?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The registry doesn't need to be cleaned, and the
> > > > registry doesn't need to be defragged (other than the
> > > > normal defragging it gets when you defrag your entire
> > > > drive).
> > > >
> > > > You're playing with fire. Stay far away from *all* such
> > > > registry cleaning programs. None of them can help you at
> > > > all, and all of them have the potential to hurt you
> > > > severely.
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > > > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> > > >
> >
> > Gary,
> >
> > What may be causing the loss in performance are programs
> > that you've installed in the past that startup in the
> > background when you boot-up. Over time and after several
> > installs this will cause a slow-down.
> >
> > Before doing a repair install (btw, I've seen Michael
> > Stevens site highly recommended by numerous MVP's) I'd
> > check to see what all is starting up at boot-up.
> >
> > The best I'd recommend is AutoRuns (current v9.32) at the
> > Microsoft Technet: Windows Sysinternals site. It'll tell
> > you exactly what is going on.
> > <http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx>
> >
> > Or if you have Windows Defender installed, on the main menu
> > click Tools then click Software Explorer.
> >
> > Last use msconfig from Run on the Start menu (or a command
> > prompt). Select the Startup tab.
> >
> > In all three you can stop programs that are starting that
> > you don't need or are necessary. But before using any of
> > the three, check the options in the individual program, you
> > may be able to stop it there.
> >
> > hth
> > --
> > (E-Mail Removed)com
> > "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid."
> > - Terry Bradshaw -
> >

You're welcome and thanks for letting us know how you're progressing.

--
(E-Mail Removed)com
"I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid."
- Terry Bradshaw -