registry cleaner

[Andre]

I've read in some posts that a registry cleaner isn't recommended for Vista,
primarily because some can install malware instead of getting rid of it.
But I've got some issues with Vista and I swear it's from leftover software
installations - such as SQL 2008 beta. I don't want to reinstall Vista
because it's a pain in the butt. Are there any registry cleaners that are
recommended as safe?

Andre

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I've read in some posts that a registry cleaner isn't recommended for Vista,

Right.


primarily because some can install malware instead of getting rid of it.

That's not the reason. See below.

And cleaning the registry won't get rid of malware, anyway.

But I've got some issues with Vista and I swear it's from leftover software
installations - such as SQL 2008 beta. I don't want to reinstall Vista
because it's a pain in the butt. Are there any registry cleaners that are
recommended as safe?

No. Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
it may have.

Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

 

[Peter Foldes]

I have seen posts where an OP used the registry cleaning tool from CCleaner and he
was not able to start his computer after using it , just so he can get to the backup
that CCleaner created when he used the tool to get his system to boot.

DO NOT use any registry tool . They are ALL snake oil remedies and cleaning a
Registry will not give you back more space or make your computer run faster and more
efficiently. This is all hype and it is also dangerous in the hands of inexperienced
and even some experienced posters.

Leave the Registry alone.

 

[rak]

I've used ccleaner for a couple of years now. It may/may not be necessary,
but I've had no problems as a result of it.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Although I am not really a fan of registry cleaners, if you absolutely
want to use one, I recommend CCleaner. It is absolutely safe and the
download site below is rock solid: 'Download CCleaner 2.22.968 -
FileHippo.com' (http://filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/) It can also be
used to cleanup all your temporary files and the cookie folder.

CCleaner's registry scanner seems relatively benign, as long as you
step through each detected "issue" (almost all of which will be bogus)
one at a time, to determine if it really is an "issue" or not, and then
decide whether or not to let the application "fix" it. In my testing,
though, most of the reported "issues" won't be issues, at all. I tried
the latest version on a brand-new OS installation with no additional
applications installed, and certainly none installed and then
uninstalled, and CCleaner still managed to "find" over a hundred
allegedly orphaned registry entries and dozens of purportedly
"suspicious" files. Its findings were utter nonsense, in plain terms.

CCleaner's only real strength, and the only reason I use it, lies
in its usefulness for cleaning up unused temporary files from the hard
drive; as a registry "cleaner," it's not significantly different from
any other snake oil product of the same type.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I've read in some posts that a registry cleaner isn't recommended for
Vista, primarily because some can install malware instead of getting rid
of it. But I've got some issues with Vista and I swear it's from
leftover software installations - such as SQL 2008 beta. I don't want
to reinstall Vista because it's a pain in the butt. Are there any
registry cleaners that are recommended as safe?

Andre

There is no such thing as a "good" (meaning useful or beneficial)
registry cleaner, free or otherwise. Some are less harmful than others,
but because they're all nothing but snake oil, I won't recommend any.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Tree*Rat]

There is no such thing as a "good" (meaning useful or beneficial)
registry cleaner, free or otherwise. Some are less harmful than
others, but because they're all nothing but snake oil, I won't
recommend any.

Lets look at things differently here. Registry cleaners are good for
cleaning crap out if they work (but 99% of the time they dont). But if you
take care on what you use you wont ever need a cleaner anyway. If your
running beta software on your main partition then your asking for trouble.
I only use beta software on a virtual machine as that way its easier to get
rid of crap without effecting my main machine.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/features/default.aspx

Setting up a virtual machine is easy as ABC and has saved me from lots of
problems with beta and RC software.

Conclusion - dont use reg cleaners just use your head when using software.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I've used ccleaner for a couple of years now. It may/may not be necessary,
but I've had no problems as a result of it.

Four points:

1. CCleaner is one of the safer registry cleaners. That, however, does
*not* mean that it's risk free.

2. It, like all registry cleaners, is completely unnecessary. It does
nothing of value. Taking any risk for zero value is a very bad choice.

3. For its other, non-registry-cleaning functionality, CCleaner is an
excellent program.

4. Neither I nor anybody else here has ever claimed that every use of
a registry cleaner will cause a problem. If that were so, all the
makers of registry cleaners will go out of business immediately. The
issue is not one of certain problems if you run them, it's an issue of
risk. You run a serious risk every time you use it. If you hadn't had
any problems with it, I'm glad to hear it, but consider yourself
lucky.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Lets look at things differently here. Registry cleaners are good for
cleaning crap out if they work (but 99% of the time they dont).

And which is an exercise in futility, anyway, as removing orphaned
entries provides no benefit. They're ophanned precisely because they're
never used.

Conclusion - dont use reg cleaners just use your head when using software.

Agreed.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Philo Shagnasty]

Peter you're so right.
May the Lord richly bless you, but I knew everything you said 20 years ago.

Jewboy.

Who is the "Lord" you are talking about? Your Landlord? Maybe you
should start paying rent you freeloader.

 

[FAK CENSORofTHISgroup]

Peter you're so right.
May the Lord richly bless you, but I knew everything you said 20 years ago.

Jewboy.

 

[kazza]

Although I am not really a fan of registry cleaners, if you absolutely
want to use one, I recommend CCleaner. It is absolutely safe and the
download site below is rock solid: 'Download CCleaner 2.22.968 -
FileHippo.com' (http://filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/) It can also be
used to cleanup all your temporary files and the cookie folder.