Cleanup Win 2000?

[Bob Newman]

I am interested in "cleaning" up an old bogged down computer's Windows 2000
system. Things like old inactive registry entries, even new one not being
used, or anything else along these lines. It is a borrowed laptop I am
getting ready to give back therefore anything I do must be 100% safe for the
system. One mistake I made, this computer has VERY limited resources so I
installed several programs to an external drive to save HD space and have
since disconnected the HD (I still have it). I was using add/remove
programs to remove some that I installed. When I would try to remove one of
the programs that was installed on the now disconnected HD add/remove told
me "the program is not present, should I remove it from the programs list?"
Without thinking I said yes. Now the program it not on the list to remove
(I can reconnect the HD) but I'm sure it left garbage in the registry &
maybe else ware. Since this program was used relatively recently would a
"cleanup" program detect the leftover files?

Thanks for any help you can give.
PS Is there another newsgroup that may be better suited for this type of
question?

Thanks... Bob

 

[DL]

The safest method would be to use the Laptop recovery cd's to put it back to
factory spec

ccleaner might help with orphaned entries

 

[tex shalter]

you might find some unwanted programs in your registry by using free
"hijackthis"

a clean install is obviously the best way to speed it up, though