Why so many *.lnk files?

[Frank Martin]

When I use the Registry Cleaner "RegCure" (and others too),
sometimes there are literally thousands of links shown up to
be removed. Sometimes I have to leave the computer running
all night to get them all. One night RegCure found 30,000
of them.

Is there any reason there are so many?

Please help, P

 

[Pegasus]

When I use the Registry Cleaner "RegCure" (and others too), sometimes
there are literally thousands of links shown up to be removed. Sometimes
I have to leave the computer running all night to get them all. One night
RegCure found 30,000 of them.

Is there any reason there are so many?

Yes, there is. RegCure is basically useless but it likes to boast about
doing a useful job, so it grossly exaggerates about its findings. Did you
confirm the number of 30,000 files by running this command from a Command
Prompt?

dir c:\*.lnk /s /b

Where exactly are these files? Did RegCure perhaps create them? And why
should they be bad for your machine, other than taking up disk space?

To open a Command Prompt, do this:
- Click Start / Run
- Type the three letters cmd
- Click the OK button.

 

[Frank Martin]

Yes, there is. RegCure is basically useless but it likes
to boast about doing a useful job, so it grossly
exaggerates about its findings. Did you confirm the number
of 30,000 files by running this command from a Command
Prompt?

dir c:\*.lnk /s /b

Where exactly are these files? Did RegCure perhaps create
them? And why should they be bad for your machine, other
than taking up disk space?

To open a Command Prompt, do this:
- Click Start / Run
- Type the three letters cmd
- Click the OK button.

I did do a search for *.lnk and the majority are in the
RegCure folders. Can I delete these; they seem to back
quite a ways.

I ran "dir c:\*.lnk /s /b" and this gave the same result.

 

[Pegasus]

I did do a search for *.lnk and the majority are in the RegCure folders.
Can I delete these; they seem to back quite a ways.

I ran "dir c:\*.lnk /s /b" and this gave the same result.

So RegCure created a "problem", then offered to resolve it? Interesting
approach . . .

Yes, you can delete the .lnk files. If unsure then you can use this safe
method:
- Move them into a holding folder.
- Wait two weeks.
- If all is well, delete them.

How about getting rid of RegCure? Alternatively, how about renaming it to
"RegTrouble"?

 

[Frank Martin]

So RegCure created a "problem", then offered to resolve
it? Interesting approach . . .

Yes, you can delete the .lnk files. If unsure then you can
use this safe method:
- Move them into a holding folder.
- Wait two weeks.
- If all is well, delete them.

How about getting rid of RegCure? Alternatively, how about
renaming it to "RegTrouble"?

Thanks, I'll try this.
Can you sugest a better reg cleaner? Does Microsoft have
their own?

 

[Pegasus]

Thanks, I'll try this.
Can you sugest a better reg cleaner? Does Microsoft have
their own?

IMHO the best registry cleaner is no registry cleaner. Most don't do
anything useful; some do a lot of damage. In spite of what the boastful ads
say, the registry does not need cleaning. Agreed, it tends to accumulate
some rubbish over the years because of poorly written third-party programs,
but so what? It's the same with your hard disk: It tends to accumulate quite
a few useless files after a while but as long as there is enough free disk
space, they do not affect your PC's performance. Leave the registry alone!