REGISTRY CLEANER

[Guest]

Hi i have been using a program called reg crawler on xp and it was very good
now that im using vista can anyone tell me what program to use to get rid of
the old registry files thats fully compatiable with vista , thanks in advance.

 

[Richard G. Harper]

You'll probably have to wait until your favorite distributor/programmer
makes one that's Vista compatible.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
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[Jeff Gaines]

Hi i have been using a program called reg crawler on xp and it was very
good
now that im using vista can anyone tell me what program to use to get rid
of
the old registry files thats fully compatiable with vista , thanks in
advance.

cCleaner is working fine here - www.ccleaner.com.

 

[Will]

ccleaner works great with vista and has quite a few features
you can get it at http://www.ccleaner.com

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi freeway29,

Just a different perspective: Since dead entries do nothing, and registry
bloat hasn't been a problem since Win98, why do you feel the need to go
through and remove them? The notion that they slow the system down or cause
crashes is a fallacy. The problem with any registry cleaner is that they can
and do misidentify entries as being unneeded when in fact they are. It may
be quite some time until that key, string, dword, etc. is called on, but
when it is and it isn't there, you have a problem. Often times, the software
is blamed because the user doesn't relate it back to that cleaner they ran
two months ago, why should they? Everything's been fine since. Basically,
there is no purpose to using these utilities. At best they remove things
that you don't need anyways and are harmless, and at worst you end up with
problems that you have no way to resolve.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

Registry cleaners can be useful if used carefully, but I would not recommend
their use as part of a daily cleanup routine..

Wait for a cleaner that is accredited as being ok with Vista.. trying
various cleaners now to see which one is most effective, not that it is easy
to tell other than the fact that Windows actually reboots back to desktop,
could be dangerous..

 

[Guest]

The only time i used them is when i unstall programs then i used to type in
reg crawler the name of the programe and it would find any links left behind
in registry thats it.

 

[Guest]

I got slammed real hard a month or so ago in here when I asked that same
question. I am a believer in registry cleaners myself. Registry Mechanic has
just released their version that's compatible with Vista. Another one is JV
PowerTools from MaceCraft at www.macecraft.com/images/interface/img.gif.
Iolo's system Mechanic says it will be vista compatible when vista is
released to the public. I have used JV PowerTools for the past month and just
purchased Registry Mechanic and they both did a fine job. No problems just a
happy machine.

 

[Guest]

thanks on both of the programs can you just type what you ustalled from add
and remove programs and then hit search so it doesnt do a full scan on every
file and folder on your pc.

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

It is not a question of 'slamming' anybody.. many of us who have done
support over the years have seen the adverse effects that a registry cleaner
can have in the 'wrong' hands.. it would be churlish of us not to point out
the negative side of registry cleaners.. a negative side that can render a
system unusable..

 

[MICHAEL]

I totally agree, Mike. As a tool to be used very carefully
in helping with some problem, registry cleaners may be useful.
But, not as part of routine maintenance.

Some registry cleaners also do a much deeper scan and
can really cause something wacky to happen. I've used
CrapCleaner's registry cleaner in Vista, it *seems* to work
okay. But, I actually go through and read what it wants to "fix".
Of course, even then, some of the stuff is so cryptic a lot of users
won't know what many of those entries mean.

I would be very careful when using one on Vista, some stuff
is just a lot different in Vista.


-Michael

 

[Kerry Brown]

No one was slamming you personally. All these posts get indexed by Google
and other search engines. Many of us have seen the results of registry
cleaners gone wrong, trashing a computer causing much grief. Because of this
whenever someone recommends a registry cleaner as part of a routine
maintenance schedule we speak up against the practice in the hopes that an
unsophisticated or new user will be forewarned of the dangers.

 

[Dale]

I agree with Mike Hall's post below but let me add a little to it.

A registry cleaner deletes unused registry entries or removes historical
information such as files and programs opened, websites visited, or other
privacy issues in your registry. The problem with using one from XP is
two-fold:

First, since Vista is new, your XP registry cleaner has no way of knowing
what new registry entries may need to be cleaned and, therefore, it may not
really do its job anyway, giving you a false sense of security.

Second, and again since Vista is new, your XP registry cleaner also has no
way of knowing how Vista will work if you remove certain registry keys.
While it may not break a thing, you may not know if it did break something
for some time afterwards - most people don't use every feature of Windows
every day - and you may not know why Vista is not working for you later.

I definitely would wait for a while to get a registry cleaner for Vista and
I would only get one from a reputable supplier.

Dale

 

[Guest]

Ok Maybe I took it personally when I got this reply eariler;

After you "clean" the registry and hose a vista install, dont come back here
and whine about it and looking for help Mr computer repair man... reg
cleaners are crap.

I got my first computer in 1988 and finally got my A+ certification last
year and opened my own computer repair shop. I have some computer expierence.
I maintain 6 computers at a local office and my own 4 systems all of which
get the registry cleaner run every two weeks. Every system I do a re-install
on at my shop gets the registry cleaned. They always find 100+ bad entries
and when I run them a second time the bad entries aren't there. When I get
hosed by a registry cleaner, and I do only use well reviewed well known
products, I'm sure my theory will change. For now I will stick with what has
worked on several hundred systems so far.

 

[Guest]

I don't believe you can do a unique search but I've never tried. Registry
Mechanic will only let you remove 12 entries in the evaluation edition. JV
Power Tools is fully functional for 30 days.

 

[John Barnett MVP]

My personal opinion is that if you are not competent enough to clean the
registry manually, then leave well alone. Okay there are some good registry
cleaners around AMUST is one (not ready for Vista yet, as far as i know) but
you could use half a dozen different registry cleaners and they would all
say you need this or that removed. Question is, which one is right? If you
can manually clean the registry (not recommended for the beginner) you know
exactly what you are removing. Just because x y or z registry cleaners say
you need a, b or c removing from the registry, doesn't mean they are
correct.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
Windows Shell/User

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..

 

[Chris]

Registry Cleaners...
I depend on them with most of the garbage pc illiterates install remove,
never used, deleted on a rant, etc...
I'm curious what distinct advantages are built into Vista for handling
overall performance health to make these utilities less of a staple?


I totally agree, Mike. As a tool to be used very carefully
in helping with some problem, registry cleaners may be useful.
But, not as part of routine maintenance.

Some registry cleaners also do a much deeper scan and
can really cause something wacky to happen. I've used
CrapCleaner's registry cleaner in Vista, it *seems* to work
okay. But, I actually go through and read what it wants to "fix".
Of course, even then, some of the stuff is so cryptic a lot of users
won't know what many of those entries mean.

I would be very careful when using one on Vista, some stuff
is just a lot different in Vista.


-Michael

 

[SteveC]

Well, I for one find that Windows runs better when you clean up after uninstalled programs. Perhaps it would be better if Microsoft built this in, but alas they don't. Anyhow, isn't a problem like this what the restore points are for?
My personal opinion is that if you are not competent enough to clean the
registry manually, then leave well alone. Okay there are some good registry
cleaners around AMUST is one (not ready for Vista yet, as far as i know) but
you could use half a dozen different registry cleaners and they would all
say you need this or that removed. Question is, which one is right? If you
can manually clean the registry (not recommended for the beginner) you know
exactly what you are removing. Just because x y or z registry cleaners say
you need a, b or c removing from the registry, doesn't mean they are
correct.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
Windows Shell/User

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You can do that better with the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.

Well, I for one find that Windows runs better when you clean up after
uninstalled programs. Perhaps it would be better if Microsoft built this
in, but alas they don't. Anyhow, isn't a problem like this what the restore
points are for?