Registry Cleaner "CCleaner"

[MedRxman]

Any MVP have any comments on using registry cleaners such as "CCleaner"?
I just read an article about this cleaner in the March issue of Popular
Mechanics,

available at:
www.ccleaner.com


Thanks,

BL

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Any MVP have any comments on using registry cleaners such as
"CCleaner"?

My view is that you are far more likely to create problems using
registry cleaners than improve anything.

 

[Guest]

Any MVP have any comments on using registry cleaners such as "CCleaner"?
I just read an article about this cleaner in the March issue of Popular
Mechanics,

available at:
www.ccleaner.com


Thanks,

BL

ccleaner is not a registry cleaner it cleans temp. files.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Any MVP have any comments on using registry cleaners such as "CCleaner"?
I just read an article about this cleaner in the March issue of Popular
Mechanics,

The registry contains all of the operating system's "knowledge" of
the computer's hardware devices, installed software, the location of the
device drivers, and the computer's configuration. A misstep in the
registry can have severe consequences. One should not even consider
turning loose a poorly understood automated "cleaner," unless he is
fully confident that he knows *exactly* what is going to happen as a
result of each and every change. Having seen the results of
inexperienced people using automated registry "cleaners," I can only
advise all but the most experienced computer technicians (and/or
hobbyists) to avoid them all. Experience has shown me that such tools
simply are not safe in the hands of the inexperienced user.

The only thing needed to safely clean your registry is knowledge
and Regedit.exe. If you lack the knowledge and experience to maintain
your registry by yourself, then you also lack the knowledge and
experience to safely configure and use any automated registry cleaner,
no matter how safe they claim to be.

Further, no one has ever demonstrated, to my satisfaction, that the
use of an automated registry cleaner, particularly by an untrained,
inexperienced computer user, does any real good. There's certainly been
no empirical evidence offered to demonstrate that the use of such
products to "clean" WinXP's registry improves a computer's performance
or stability.

What specific problem are you experiencing that you *know* beyond
all reasonable doubt will be fixed by using an automated registry
cleaner? If you do have a problem that is rooted in the registry, it
would be far better to simply edit (after backing up, of course) only
the specific key(s) and/or value(s) that are causing the problem. Why
use a shotgun when a scalpel will do the job? Additionally, the
manually changing of one or two registry entries is far less likely to
have the dire consequences of allowing an automated product to make
multiple changes simultaneously.

I always use Regedit.exe. I trust my own experience and judgment
far more than I would any automated registry cleaner. I strongly
encourage others to acquire the knowledge, as well.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



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both at once. - RAH

 

[Kelly]

With a title of Crap Cleaner, I wouldn't touch it..... How professional is
that?

--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Edward W. Thompson]

In


My view is that you are far more likely to create problems using registry
cleaners than improve anything.

CCleaner is quite an efficient cleaner of temp and other junk type files
that tend to accumulate.

It is NOT a Registry Cleaner notwithstanding the comments by various MVPs.

 

[dev]

/Edward W. Thompson/ said:

CCleaner is quite an efficient cleaner of temp and other junk type files
that tend to accumulate.

It is NOT a Registry Cleaner notwithstanding the comments by various MVPs.

The CCleaner home page appears to contradict that statement...

"Cleans the following:

'* Advanced Registry scanner to remove unused and old entries (includes
backup).
Including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs,
Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons,
Invalid Shortcuts and more...' "

 

[Ken Blake]

In

CCleaner is quite an efficient cleaner of temp and other junk
type
files that tend to accumulate.

It is NOT a Registry Cleaner notwithstanding the comments by
various
MVPs.

I know nothing about the product and didn't claim it was a
registry cleaner. I was simply responding to MedRxman's request
for "comments on using registry cleaners."

 

[Kelly]

Hi dev,

But what about the rest, starting with the title?

CCleaner (Crap Cleaner)
http://www.ccleaner.com/

--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com