Registry cleaner recommendation?

[John Doe]

mm

All registry Cleaners are snake oil remedies.

I have a feeling the writer has no idea what that means.

It is a fallacy that your system will speed up and run faster
and you will save a lot of space. All it is good for is to make
your computer inoperable. You will find people posting that they
have been using Registry Cleaning tools for a long time without
any problems. This is not true .

There is no way to know that. One thing is clear, that there are
some anti-registry-cleaner zealots out there, judging by some of
the silly rhetoric.

I have used registry cleaners off and on for a long time. I
suppose there was a problem at some time, but I have had lots
worse memorable problems with other things.

It is a Russian Roulette tool

Yes, the poster probably does know what that means.

Anyway...
--

 

[Nil]

Yup, its also been shown that registry "cleaners" find a ton of
errors in a freshly installed system, before the person has
installed a thing, now, how could that be possible? Simple, it
can't! Unless one believes MS doesn't know how to get their own OS
to install without putting junk in the registry, and that seems
very highly improbable!

Not improbably at all. It's almost certain that there are plenty of
unneeded, unnecessary registry entries in a freshly installed Windows
system.

 

[choro]

I have a feeling the writer has no idea what that means.


There is no way to know that. One thing is clear, that there are
some anti-registry-cleaner zealots out there, judging by some of
the silly rhetoric.

I have used registry cleaners off and on for a long time. I
suppose there was a problem at some time, but I have had lots
worse memorable problems with other things.

Such as automatic MS updates, perhaps?! ;-)

 

[mm]

Not improbably at all. It's almost certain that there are plenty of
unneeded, unnecessary registry entries in a freshly installed Windows
system.

Well, if it's not improbable, for me that leaves the question, Why?

 

[Nil]

Well, if it's not improbable, for me that leaves the question,
Why?

There are lots of reasons it could happen. Microsoft's programmers are
only human, and they are working in a segmented, bureaucratic
environment that's trying to pump out stuff fast, not necessarily
cleanly or elegantly. If it works and doesn't cause problems, they can
just leave the stuff there. If there are programming vagaries left from
no longer employed programmers, they may figure it's better to leave
the stuff in there rather than run the risk if breaking something else.
Etc.

 

[kerneldebugger]

I hope that you noticed that CCleaner offered you a chance to backup the
registry before you cleaned it. That's a nice feature, but I've never had
to use the backup and I've run CCleaner hundreds of times on quite a few
different computers. I've installed CCleaner on quite a few PCs where the
owners complained about the PC being slow, and it solved most of the
problems, except of course viruses.

The experts may be right, and they are much more knowledgeable than I...it
may not help, but it surely doesn't hurt and it's fun, if nothing else,
watching all the useless keys getting kicked out. CCleaner is also very
good for cleanng out temporary folders, history, et al, that never get
cleaned without a 3rd party program. XP Disk Cleanup doesn't get them all;
notice all the options in CCleaner. Any old version will work just fine,
I've been using CCleaner 229 since it came out with no problems.

 

[SC Tom]

I hope that you noticed that CCleaner offered you a chance to backup the
registry before you cleaned it. That's a nice feature, but I've never had
to use the backup and I've run CCleaner hundreds of times on quite a few
different computers. I've installed CCleaner on quite a few PCs where the
owners complained about the PC being slow, and it solved most of the
problems, except of course viruses.

The experts may be right, and they are much more knowledgeable than I...it
may not help, but it surely doesn't hurt and it's fun, if nothing else,
watching all the useless keys getting kicked out. CCleaner is also very
good for cleanng out temporary folders, history, et al, that never get
cleaned without a 3rd party program. XP Disk Cleanup doesn't get them
all; notice all the options in CCleaner. Any old version will work just
fine, I've been using CCleaner 229 since it came out with no problems.

I'll reply to you, but this example is really for all the posters who
think there can be no harm caused by CCleaner or other similar programs.

A few years ago, when I was the IT guy for a small company, I had 3
desktop PC's that were seriously slow. Took forever to open IE, any Office
program, any network resource. I went through almost every KB article
dealing with these problems, and frequented numerous web sites and news
groups. No joy.
Then one of the IT guys in Ohio recommended trying CCleaner (probably
v.1.xx; at that time, it was still called Crap Cleaner). I downloaded it,
installed it, and ran it on one PC as a test. Lo and behold, it worked!
Faster boot, faster IE access, faster Office. . .oh, wait, Office doesn't
work any more. Neither does our AS/400 business system. Bummer! Now I'm
worse off than I was. Ah, but wait, I backed up those keys before deleting
them. So I restored the deleted keys, and Office worked again, but still no
go on the AS/400. I had to reinstall it; not a big deal, but a wasted half
hour of time that I could have been using to do something else. Plus, all
the slowness was back again after restoring the deleted keys, and certain
aspects of some network resources didn't work right until the app was
reinstalled.

I've used it on my home PC (even some of the newer versions) and have had
no problems until the one time it wiped out part of the functionality of my
HP AIO printer. Going through the backup key by key, I found the ones that
should have been left alone and restored them. Still didn't work right. I
had to extract the files from the install .exe program and point to that to
make those functions work again. It was easier doing it that way than
uninstalling it, reinstalling the suite, and then reinstalling the updates
to it.

I know that as the end user, I should be looking at each and every one of
those keys before I let the program delete them, and for the most part, I
did. But on the rare occasion that I was lax (after all, there are usually
more than 120 entries that it wants to delete), I had a problem. Not every
time, but enough for me to not use the registry function of it. The rest of
it is great, and I continue to use it for cleanup and the Tools section.
With the amount of time and education that I've had with software, PC's,
file management, etc., I think I can say that I am probably a bit more
knowledgeable than the average PC user when it comes to what's necessary and
what's not, but all it takes is one slack moment to screw yourself.

BTW, the original problem with the slow PC's was caused by a combination
of an outdated AS/400 driver, network settings on the Ohio server, and a
couple of other small things I don't remember. Once we went to a newer
version of the IBM software and redid our server settings, all was well.

So, to sum it up, I say "Use at your own risk." If you aren't sure about
what to delete, don't. If you ignore that simple piece of advice, I hope you
have a viable backup and recovery plan in place, not just kerneldebugger,
but everyone who uses any kind of registry cleaner. I'm not saying there
will be a problem every time, but like others have posted, it's not a matter
of "if", but "when".

 

[Nil]

So, to sum it up, I say "Use at your own risk." If you aren't sure
about what to delete, don't. If you ignore that simple piece of
advice, I hope you have a viable backup and recovery plan in
place, not just kerneldebugger, but everyone who uses any kind of
registry cleaner. I'm not saying there will be a problem every
time, but like others have posted, it's not a matter of "if", but
"when".

I think that's a good approach. I sometimes use CCleaner's registry
"cleaner" feature to find what it considers to be dubious registry
keys. I then consider each one individually and decide if it's
something worth acting on. If it refers to, say, a software package
I personally installed but is now long gone, I might consider
deleting the key. If I don't understand what the entry is about, I
will leave it as is. I would never let the program automatically
delete anything. And I always have a registry backup available
(courtesy of ERUNT.) This is not a tool for beginners.

Even the Cleaner part of the program is able to do things that could
confuse non-geeks, as it can delete saved passwords, desired
cookies, MRU lists, etc.

 

[Tester]

Well, if it's not improbable, for me that leaves the question, Why?

Because Microsoft is obsessed with registering everything in the
registry!. A new installed OS will have all its cab files registered but
the files are always deleted after the installation is complete. Now
you tell me, what is the point of these entries?

I have also seen that whenever I manually update my Windows Defender,
the exe file name from which I updated is also in the registry. Now
this, in my opinion, is completely daft.

hth

 

[John Doe]

The only reason you think it's silly is due to your own limited
experience.

The statement that no one could have used a registry cleaner for a
long time without having any problems is clearly false. The MVP's
statement that "neither I nor anyone else who warns against the
use of registry cleaners has ever said that they always cause
problems" is just careless rhetoric.

You do not have to know anything about registry cleaners or even
computers to see those things.

But in fact... I have have put so much time into using a PC, I
hardly need a keyboard anymore, I use speech for dictation and
command/control of my PC. Combinations of Windows keyboard
shortcuts have been replaced with single syllable verbal
utterances here.

And then there is the fact that my system is practically
bulletproof. I do not have to worry about the same little problems
most users have to worry about. If there ever were a situation
where I could not get into Windows XP, I could boot to my Macrium
Reflect CD, make a copy of drive C, replaced drive C. with a known
good copy, boot to the known good copy, and then explore the
freshly made copy to retrieve any needed data.

Good for you, although your experience is just for one (which is
a pretty limited sample size). I suppose though one can choose
to ignore many other posted experiences, however, and thus live
in a shell.

I have spent many years in the homebuilt PC group. No one has ever
come in to complain about their registry being corrupted. There
have been many times when people have come in crying about losing data because their failed and they do not keep backups.

Please provide the technical reasons for your assertions, if you
have any.
--

 

[kerneldebugger]

I think that's a good approach. I sometimes use CCleaner's registry
"cleaner" feature to find what it considers to be dubious registry
keys. I then consider each one individually and decide if it's
something worth acting on. If it refers to, say, a software package
I personally installed but is now long gone, I might consider
deleting the key. If I don't understand what the entry is about, I
will leave it as is. I would never let the program automatically
delete anything. And I always have a registry backup available
(courtesy of ERUNT.) This is not a tool for beginners.

Even the Cleaner part of the program is able to do things that could
confuse non-geeks, as it can delete saved passwords, desired
cookies, MRU lists, etc.

CCleaner has a provision, to save the cookies you need, for example
those from your online accounts. It also has a simple interface where
one can select the files to be cleaned.

I like it, some don't. Thank God for freedom of choice, right?

We've pretty well beat this dead horse to death. Or isn't the saying
someing about looking up the dead horses... oh never mind, ya'll
carry on with me, hear?

-

 

[Mint]

Can you recommend a good registry cleaner for XP.  

I used to have one that took every registry entry in turn that
referred to a file and looked for that file.  That's the kind of
process I would like to do.

Regcleaner is very famous, but I can't figure out how to do that with
it.  If not, some other program would be fine.

Also an you tell me if Regcleaner by Jouni Vuorio lets you look at the
entries before it removes them, even if you have specified a program.
I'm sure it does, but the readme file doesn't say.

Thanks a lot, MM

Background:
Normally I don't run any registry cleaner, because of the
discouragement I get here and other newsgroups.

But this time, I have netbook that I just devirusied for a friend and
a) AVG Free 11 says it has almost 500 bad registry entries.  It
doesn't provide for removing them (probalby want you to buy
something). It does display the location, although not the key or
value.  That's not enough for me to know if it is bad or not.

b) this it the last maintenance it will get for a long time. The owner
doesn't do anything but use it.

c) I figure some of the entries may well be for viruses I deleted,
OTOH, what difference does it make if I deleted them.  If she gets a
new virus, it will make its own entry in the registry.

I agree with the recommendation of CCleaner.
RevoUninstall is excellent, besides removing the program, it searches
for leftover references in the registry.

If you are a knowledgeable user, you won't have many problems.

As for those who say they are not useful, they are clearly wrong.

Many apps do properly un-install themselves leaving very little
leftover material in the registry.
But most do not.

Take care,
Andy

 

[SC Tom]

*** Reply in line

I agree with the recommendation of CCleaner.
RevoUninstall is excellent, besides removing the program, it searches
for leftover references in the registry.

If you are a knowledgeable user, you won't have many problems.

As for those who say they are not useful, they are clearly wrong.

***
It's easy to say that someone is wrong, but what proof do you have that they
do any good? In your personal experiences with them, do you see any
significant increase in usable hard drive space, or a significant decrease
in boot time? Can you show these stats anywhere other than the software
writers' web sites? I can't find any irrefutable proof, and believe me, I've
looked. The only "proof" that I have ever seen that they will end world
hunger and bring peace to the Middle East is on their own web sites; nowhere
independently testing the products.

 

[mm]

Because Microsoft is obsessed with registering everything in the
registry!. A new installed OS will have all its cab files registered but
the files are always deleted after the installation is complete. Now
you tell me, what is the point of these entries?

I have also seen that whenever I manually update my Windows Defender,
the exe file name from which I updated is also in the registry. Now
this, in my opinion, is completely daft.

Very intersting. Thanks, and thanks nil.

 

[Bob]

Is there a problem with the netbook?

If it "ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

[mm]

But in fact... I have have put so much time into using a PC, I
hardly need a keyboard anymore, I use speech for dictation and
command/control of my PC. Combinations of Windows keyboard
shortcuts have been replaced with single syllable verbal
utterances here.

Hey, I'd like to do that. HOw fast a CPU do you think I need?

What software do you use?

Thanks.

 

[mm]

Is there a problem with the netbook?

If it "ain't broke, don't fix it".

Well it was broke and I fixed a lot of things, so that got me into the
feeling that I should keep fixing things, esp. since no one will touch
this for her again.

But I've come to the conclusion that the registry should be left
alone.


HOW COME NO ONE ON THE PRO-CLEANER SIDE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE THREE
STARTUP PROGRAMS that CCleaner, and AVG11 Free, said were not found,
or whatever, even though they are there and they are clearly runing.

If I had run the next step of CCleaner, it would have deleted
essential registry entries, and it would have taken me along time to
figure out how to put them back. Even with a registry backup, I might
not know it was the lack of these entries that was causing the
problem.

HOW COME!!!!!

 

[Patok]

Well it was broke and I fixed a lot of things, so that got me into the
feeling that I should keep fixing things, esp. since no one will touch
this for her again.

But I've come to the conclusion that the registry should be left
alone.

Very wise. The registry is such a can of worms that it is better left alone.

HOW COME NO ONE ON THE PRO-CLEANER SIDE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE THREE
STARTUP PROGRAMS that CCleaner, and AVG11 Free, said were not found,
or whatever, even though they are there and they are clearly runing.

That is strange. I'm very happy with CCleaner, and it hasn't ever found such
things. Needless to say, I don't trust it blindly, even though I like it. I
always examine what it will do in detail, especially the registry, even though I
usually leave the registry very much alone. The things I let it clean, are
pretty obvious - usually leftover references to software I know I have uninstalled.
There was either something seriously wrong with that system, if there were
entries for startup items that were wrong, but the items were running, or there
was nothing wrong with it. The second case would be if they were installed,
then uninstalled and installed again in a different location. The leftover
registry entries would be from the first install. In cases like that, I run
msconfig and/or regedit to see what's going on.

If I had run the next step of CCleaner, it would have deleted
essential registry entries, and it would have taken me along time to
figure out how to put them back. Even with a registry backup, I might
not know it was the lack of these entries that was causing the
problem.

But you didn't run it, so we'll never know.

HOW COME!!!!!

Slowly, I guess.

 

[Mint]

***  Reply in line









***
It's easy to say that someone is wrong, but what proof do you have that they
do any good? In your personal experiences with them, do you see any
significant increase in usable hard drive space, or a significant decrease
in boot time? Can you show these stats anywhere other than the software
writers' web sites? I can't find any irrefutable proof, and believe me, I've
looked. The only "proof" that I have ever seen that they will end world
hunger and bring peace to the Middle East is on their own web sites; nowhere
independently testing the products.

Think of the registry as a file cabinet with folders for the electric
company, and other important areas.

You decide to go green and build a mini-wind turbine and you ask Joe-
Bob to shred the contents of the electric company folder.

He gets most of it, but leaves a few bills in the folder.

You probably get the picture.

Have a good one,
Andy

 

[SC Tom]

Think of the registry as a file cabinet with folders for the electric
company, and other important areas.

You decide to go green and build a mini-wind turbine and you ask Joe-
Bob to shred the contents of the electric company folder.

He gets most of it, but leaves a few bills in the folder.

You probably get the picture.

Have a good one,
Andy

I get the picture, but the few that are left behind aren't hurting anything,
and aren't making him any less green. Did it make his wind turbine output
more, or turn faster? That was my point, not the fact that there were a few
"bills" left behind.