Is it necessary or damaging?

[Semi Head]

I've seen many freeware Registry Cleaners, Optimizers, & Tweakers
posted here. Yet, i have NOT seen a definitive argument that clears-up
the issue that "registry cleaning & user manipulation is a safe &
necessary evil". Oh, i've read some basic registry cleaning discussions
but nothing, debated or concluded.
I've tried most of these freeware registry cleaner type programs &
have experience some kind of negative results in all that i've used.
Example:
After using the Reg.Cleaner type tool, usually something necessary
becomes missing, so that Program, i want to use, will NOT load &/or run
correctly (without errors).

It seems without a lot of O.S. computer knowledge, it's nearly
impossible to use a Reg Cleaner safely. They are almost dangerous to
use (in my opinion).

So the big Questions are :
How do you use these things correctly or are they all to dangerous to
use?
Do they fragment or chop-out important registry value entries?
Would you be better-off not using them?

BTW- I run the Win_98SE OS.

Can this (freeware) reg cleaner use issue be explored & discussed enough
where it is possible to prove the facts, either way?

Hopefully, someone in this ng. can prove what's necessary & what's safe
& what's not.

I hope this is not considered to be OT.


S_H

 

[Adrian Try]

I've tried most of these freeware registry cleaner type programs &

have experience some kind of negative results in all that i've used.
Example:
After using the Reg.Cleaner type tool, usually something necessary
becomes missing, so that Program, i want to use, will NOT load &/or run
correctly (without errors).

I've just reinstalled everthing on a friend's computer when he was too
keen using the "delete duplicates" feature in Easyclean. He managed to
delete all sorts of necessary files and drivers!

 

[REM]

(e-mail address removed) (Semi Head) wrote:

I've seen many freeware Registry Cleaners, Optimizers, & Tweakers
posted here. Yet, i have NOT seen a definitive argument that clears-up
the issue that "registry cleaning & user manipulation is a safe &
necessary evil". Oh, i've read some basic registry cleaning discussions
but nothing, debated or concluded.

I've tried most of these freeware registry cleaner type programs &
have experience some kind of negative results in all that i've used.
Example:
After using the Reg.Cleaner type tool, usually something necessary
becomes missing, so that Program, i want to use, will NOT load &/or run
correctly (without errors).

It seems without a lot of O.S. computer knowledge, it's nearly
impossible to use a Reg Cleaner safely. They are almost dangerous to
use (in my opinion).

I used Jv16 when I ran 98SE. It was a conservative, or safe in
comparison to other cleaners.

So the big Questions are :
How do you use these things correctly or are they all to dangerous to
use?
Do they fragment or chop-out important registry value entries?
Would you be better-off not using them?

BTW- I run the Win_98SE OS.

Can this (freeware) reg cleaner use issue be explored & discussed enough
where it is possible to prove the facts, either way?

A bloated registry slows your machine. Many programs do not clean up
registry entries on uninstall. If you don't install/uninstall often
you might not need a regular cleaning. I think most of us here do
install/uninstall pretty often...

Hopefully, someone in this ng. can prove what's necessary & what's safe
& what's not.

You can be pretty safe with 98SE. Locate and save your registry files
to *.BAK and try a cleaner. If the machine will not boot use a boot
disk to boot and copy the *.BAK files back to the original filenames,
reboot, and you're back where you started.

If only one or two programs are affected, simply reinstall them.

The majority of the bad entries will be those referring to a file that
does not exist. You are safe in selecting these entries for deletion.

As to unused extensions, I always removed these also with JV16 and I
never had problems. I normally selected all and deleted whatever JV
listed as unnecessary.


JV16 is down the page in Registry and file tools:

http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/2005/PL2005SYSTEMUTILITIES.php

I have deleted aggressively with RegSeeker and had problems before. If
you want a safe cleanup I don't know of anything safer, yet as
effective, as JV16.

 

[me]

-snip-
The majority of the bad entries will be those referring to
a file that does not exist. You are safe in selecting these
entries for deletion.
-snip

Well .. yes and no. The "non-existent" file(s) might be on a
removable media amd/or archived!

J

 

[dadiOH]

It seems without a lot of O.S. computer knowledge, it's nearly
impossible to use a Reg Cleaner safely. They are almost dangerous to
use (in my opinion).

If you would monitor installs with TotalUninstall and use it to remove
programs you no longer want there would be little need to use a registry
cleaner.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[mike ring]

I have deleted aggressively with RegSeeker and had problems before. If
you want a safe cleanup I don't know of anything safer, yet as
effective, as JV16.

I've found jv16 to be the most dangerous tool in the box (but not the
registry cleaner) - it's the other facilities that have twice caused me a
lot of grief

mike

 

[Helen]

I've just reinstalled everthing on a friend's computer when he was too keen using
the "delete duplicates" feature in Easyclean. He managed to delete all sorts of
necessary files and drivers!

They should be in the trashcan - just restore them. UNLESS you deliberately
set EasyCleaner to PERMANENTLY delete them. The default is NOT to permanently
delete them. So if you did this using EasyCleaner, it was a conscious and deliberate
decision to do so.

 

[jason]

4ax.com:

I used Jv16 when I ran 98SE. It was a conservative, or safe in
comparison to other cleaners.

I concur. I normally don't use a registry cleaner -- I have other ways of
keeping my registry pristine -- but when I have used them, JV16 was one of
two I didn't have problems with. The others would occasionally cause me to
delete a needed entry. There have been comparisons of the registry
cleaners posted on the web, and JV16 was among the best. It does a decent
job of cleaning, but also a safe job.

But (to the OP), you should never rely *solely* on a program's reputation.
As backup, you should always ensure these programs have the ability to
reinstate registry entries that you have deleted.

 

[Semi Head]

I was hoping for a more in depth discussion but i do thank those who did
post their thoughts.

S_H

 

[REM]

(e-mail address removed) (Semi Head) wrote:

I was hoping for a more in depth discussion but i do thank those who did
post their thoughts.

Omega has a good grasp on the registry. To me, it's this unnecessary
design that gets bloated over time. To attempt to repair the bloat and
possible errors in it is like rolling dice, unless a safe tool is
utilized.

I'm browsing about for sensible tutorials on 98, but most pages are
just copies of other pages and don't really address the reasons to
clean the registry. Still, there is some info in these:

scanreg.exe: batch files, switches, etc.

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/regback1.html

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;184023

Microsoft has largely ignored the registry. The tools provided are
adequate. But when you see what JV16 removes after running scanreg you
might consider using the more aggressive cleaner. The MS page actually
pushes a Norton product to do the house cleaning MS largely defaulted
upon.

There are instructions on backing up and restoring your registry
listed in the first link. One .bat can save 14 backups, any of which
you can choose to restore.

scanregw.exe runs each time you boot up. Check it out as well.

I've seen many freeware Registry Cleaners, Optimizers, & Tweakers
posted here. Yet, i have NOT seen a definitive argument that clears-up
the issue that "registry cleaning & user manipulation is a safe &
necessary evil". Oh, i've read some basic registry cleaning discussions
but nothing, debated or concluded.

Without a doubt your registry grows as you normally use your computer,
assuming that you install and uninstall different programs, rather
than having a static setup. Through oversights, or bad coding, many
useless entries are ultimately left in the registry. An entry
referring to a file that does not exist is an error in the registry,
barring the removable drive or archived possibilities.

scanreg /clean

As the articles mention, the registry is a database of sorts holding
key values. All entries that are successfully removed involve a simple
deletion, and the size of the registry is unchanged. A registry
compaction removes all of the empty space in the files.

scanreg /opt

I've heard many times that the /opt switch cleans as well as compacts,
but I've never seen this from a reliable source. I used to do both
when I ran 98SE. It might well be unnecessary, but I know that I
cleaned and compacted.

The leaner and cleaner your registry is, the better your overall
machine performance will be, as it constantly scans the registry
looking for these values as you work or play.

A small bloat might be unnoticeable to you. Over time, continual bloat
will make it necessary for you to choose between cleaning house, or of
taking the performance hit.

Log your registry file sizes and run the two MS scanreg commands above
and see if you gain leaner files.

When you get comfortable with the backup and restore switches, try the
same with JV16.

Your processor speed, general OS stability, and the amount of bloat
that you can remove are the three main variables that determine
whether or not you can feel the performance boost.

A lightening fasy processor might handle the bloat fine, where an
older processor is needlessly churning through the bloat.

A stable OS, uninfected with any malwares, worms, etc. will reflect
better than a compromised one.

A relatively slow processor with a stable OS will gain speed (more
free cycles) if a substantial percentage of the registry can be
removed as bloat and compaction.

Darned near every program you open must scan the registry looking for
settings and history before it pops open.

Installing programs that do not use the registry, when possible, and
avoiding programs that come with tons of reg entries, just seem like a
great idea. This is the Achilles Heel of the system. Norton pollutes
the reg horribly, even with valid entries.

Necessary evil? I think so. IMO it is a 'necessary chore' for me the
way I try different programs.

Safe evil? I hold that it can be. As long as you're backed up and
familar with the restore function you're safe as long as your backups
are. A 'safe chore' is the better choice of words.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it (unless proven wrong, then I
invoke the 5th and wear Bermuda shorts for a week). <G>

 

[Semi Head]

(e-mail address removed) (Semi Head) wrote:
I was hoping for a more in depth discussion but i do thank those who did
post their thoughts.
--------------------------------------------

From: (e-mail address removed) (REM)

Omega has a good grasp on the registry. To me, it's this unnecessary
design that gets bloated over time. To attempt to repair the bloat and
possible errors in it is like rolling dice, unless a safe tool is
utilized.
I'm browsing about for sensible tutorials on 98, but most pages are just
copies of other pages and don't really address the reasons to clean the
registry. Still, there is some info in these:
scanreg.exe: batch files, switches, etc.
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/regback1.html
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;184023
Microsoft has largely ignored the registry. The tools provided are
adequate. But when you see what JV16 removes after running scanreg you
might consider using the more aggressive cleaner. The MS page actually
pushes a Norton product to do the house cleaning MS largely defaulted
upon.
There are instructions on backing up and restoring your registry listed
in the first link. One .bat can save 14 backups, any of which you can
choose to restore.
scanregw.exe runs each time you boot up. Check it out as well.
    I've seen many freeware Registry Cleaners, Optimizers, &
Tweakers posted here. Yet, i have NOT seen a definitive argument that
clears-up the issue that "registry cleaning & user manipulation is a
safe & necessary evil". Oh, i've read some basic registry cleaning
discussions but nothing, debated or concluded.
Without a doubt your registry grows as you normally use your computer,
assuming that you install and uninstall different programs, rather than
having a static setup. Through oversights, or bad coding, many useless
entries are ultimately left in the registry. An entry referring to a
file that does not exist is an error in the registry, barring the
removable drive or archived possibilities.
scanreg /clean
As the articles mention, the registry is a database of sorts holding key
values. All entries that are successfully removed involve a simple
deletion, and the size of the registry is unchanged. A registry
compaction removes all of the empty space in the files.
scanreg /opt
I've heard many times that the /opt switch cleans as well as compacts,
but I've never seen this from a reliable source. I used to do both when
I ran 98SE. It might well be unnecessary, but I know that I cleaned and
compacted.
The leaner and cleaner your registry is, the better your overall machine
performance will be, as it constantly scans the registry looking for
these values as you work or play.
A small bloat might be unnoticeable to you. Over time, continual bloat
will make it necessary for you to choose between cleaning house, or of
taking the performance hit.
Log your registry file sizes and run the two MS scanreg commands above
and see if you gain leaner files.
When you get comfortable with the backup and restore switches, try the
same with JV16.
Your processor speed, general OS stability, and the amount of bloat that
you can remove are the three main variables that determine whether or
not you can feel the performance boost.
A lightening fasy processor might handle the bloat fine, where an older
processor is needlessly churning through the bloat.
A stable OS, uninfected with any malwares, worms, etc. will reflect
better than a compromised one.
A relatively slow processor with a stable OS will gain speed (more free
cycles) if a substantial percentage of the registry can be removed as
bloat and compaction.
Darned near every program you open must scan the registry looking for
settings and history before it pops open.
Installing programs that do not use the registry, when possible, and
avoiding programs that come with tons of reg entries, just seem like a
great idea. This is the Achilles Heel of the system. Norton pollutes the
reg horribly, even with valid entries.
Necessary evil? I think so. IMO it is a 'necessary chore' for me the way
I try different programs.
Safe evil? I hold that it can be. As long as you're backed up and
familar with the restore function you're safe as long as your backups
are. A 'safe chore' is the better choice of words.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it (unless proven wrong, then I
invoke the 5th and wear Bermuda shorts for a week).
-------------------------------------------------


Mr. REM;
Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge & experience on this
issue.

S_H