Registry Cleanup Software

[Lua]

To recommend registry cleaners in
general to an audience that includes many newbie's is irresponsible.

Kerry

Why? Most can be used by a 5yo and just about all of them have an "undo"
button (backup).

Lu

 

[Lua]

Can you tell me what the benefits are of cleaning or
compacting the registry with Windows XP?

Kerry

Faster boot, faster shutdown, less "blue screens of death", less hangs etc.
Lu

 

[R. McCarty]

Not a Net Policeman, nor interested in running thread with you.

Please get a thesaurus and find another word besides bollox,
with is actually spelled Bollix. I post here quite frequently and
don't appreciate the comments. This is a technical discussion
forum and not one for emotional/personal comments.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Bollox! Tinkering manually is just that. My advice is akin to calling
a mechanic in!

Your advice is akin to calling a autonomous robot from the manufacturer to
re-weld the parts on your car. Sure - when the conditrions are perfect and
predictable - that robot welds perfect each time.. But that extra weight on
the left side and the slight off-center when ther piece they were to weld
was loaded on causes their welds to be slightly off.

Same thing.. If everyone had the same applications installed on their
computers - then the registry cleaners would be able to tell that one
particular entry is needed or not - but given the millions to the millionth
power possible combinations... It takes some knowledge to properly use the
equipment - no application out there knows about every program and every
entry that could be placed in the registry - and if there is (by some
miracle) one out there - oops.. it just came outdated after that second
passed and a new release/patch/entry was made.

You always have to be smarter than the tools you use or you take a risk and
breaking what you are trying to fix.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I doubt they will follow your tips as it was so long-winded - I for
one realised it was a load of bollox after a few lines.
My opinion also remains, and in any case, manually editing a registry
is much more dangerous than using JV16 which does a backup by default
(IIRC). Lu

Google search for it - see how many have not only followed them but posted
them on web pages and translated them into other languages.
They were thought out and criticized for quite some time now and are still
utilized by many people out there - if not just referred to.

However - you will not find an addition to the tips concerning Registry
Cleaners unless it is a footnote warning people how they had better know
what they are doing before they start using such a powerful tool.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have NEVER had a problem with JV16 or any other reg cleaner. And I
always make a backup of changes before cleaning every time. These
softwares ARE made for novices (and experts) alike.

NEVER is a long time.

You haven't had a problem "yet". And you may not ever have a problem..
However - I would assume you are NOT a novice - or at least do not consider
yourself one.

You have to remember - those reading answers here may be the very same ones
who believe that when that Internet Explorer popup came up and told them
"You have a Virus, click OK to clean it off" - they actually clicked on OK
in the web page and then ended up installing and/or buying some software
that is worse than what they could have had on their system.

Not everyone is a computer-literate individual nor will they ever be. So,
you are giving advice to anyone who later (years from now) looks through the
Google Groups archives and reads it looking for (actually searching - there
is a concept a lot of people still do not get either.. hah) help with their
systems. These programs you claim are made for the novice are NOT made for
the true novice. I bet you can look through a HijackThis log and determine
what it says - 99% of those out there cannot. Same difference.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Why? Most can be used by a 5yo and just about all of them have an
"undo" button (backup).

Cannot undo when you cannot boot.

 

[Lua]

Not a Net Policeman, nor interested in running thread with you.

Please get a thesaurus and find another word besides bollox,
with is actually spelled Bollix. I post here quite frequently and
don't appreciate the comments. This is a technical discussion
forum and not one for emotional/personal comments.

We disagree again. I think bollox is correct, although I might have
accepted "bollocks".
I am not concerned whether you appreciate my comments or not. I was
helping the original poster. Just because we disagree, is not a reason
to get shirty.
Lu

 

[Lua]

Google search for it - see how many have not only followed them but posted
them on web pages and translated them into other languages.
They were thought out and criticized for quite some time now and are still
utilized by many people out there - if not just referred to.

However - you will not find an addition to the tips concerning Registry
Cleaners unless it is a footnote warning people how they had better know
what they are doing before they start using such a powerful tool.

I don't get your point.
Lu

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Lua wrote:

Can you tell me what the benefits are of cleaning or
compacting the registry with Windows XP?

Faster boot, faster shutdown, less "blue screens of death", less
hangs etc. Lu

Faster Boot? Only if you removed something from startup opr didn't properly
maintain your system for YEARS before that.
Faster Shutdown - same idea as the last answer with the caveat that you
could have quit clearing your page file at shutdown.
Less BSOD's? Hmm - not seeing it - give an example of how the Registry
Cleaner has given you personally less BSOD's, please.
Less hangs? Usually these are not caused by registry entries you need to
get rid of - but those you have tweaked(changed from default) or hardware
issue or a need to cleanup/uninstall some applications or defragment.

 

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

David R. Norton MVP skrev:

Personally, I don't know if cleaning the registry does any good, I do know
I've used RegScrubXP many times and it has never done any harm. Google will
find it for you if you'd like to try it.

Know of any good program to clean out unused files in WINDOWS and
SYSTEM32 folders (I guess I have a lot after 95 -> 98 -> XP Pro)?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I don't get your point.

Not surprising.

I bet you actually do some of the things in my tips list that you would not
read. Those who already do something are not often interested in reading
instructions on how to do it - even if there is likely more than one method.

 

[Lua]

NEVER is a long time.

You haven't had a problem "yet". And you may not ever have a problem..
However - I would assume you are NOT a novice - or at least do not consider
yourself one.

You have to remember - those reading answers here may be the very same ones
who believe that when that Internet Explorer popup came up and told them
"You have a Virus, click OK to clean it off" - they actually clicked on OK
in the web page and then ended up installing and/or buying some software
that is worse than what they could have had on their system.

Not everyone is a computer-literate individual nor will they ever be. So,
you are giving advice to anyone who later (years from now) looks through the
Google Groups archives and reads it looking for (actually searching - there
is a concept a lot of people still do not get either.. hah) help with their
systems. These programs you claim are made for the novice are NOT made for
the true novice. I bet you can look through a HijackThis log and determine
what it says - 99% of those out there cannot. Same difference.

I still maintain that using JV16 is a good idea (even for novices). I
can't remember saying anything about clicking popups etc.
L

 

[Lua]

David R. Norton MVP skrev:




Know of any good program to clean out unused files in WINDOWS and
SYSTEM32 folders (I guess I have a lot after 95 -> 98 -> XP Pro)

No real safe way to do it. I'd (not for novices!) do a clean install of
Windows (ie. with a format) and make a backup of this with Acronis True
Image to go back to if needed at a later date.
Lu

 

[Lua]

Cannot undo when you cannot boot.

Never experienced it using a regcleaner. More chance of not being able
to boot if you ever run regedit and accidentely lean on the keyboard.

Anyway, rule number one is that even a dummy should always have a backup
of critical data.

Even then, it's simply a case of running Windows repair from the CD.

Lu

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

Can you tell me what the benefits are of cleaning or
compacting the registry with Windows XP?

Sure, it removes leftovers from removed programs whose uninstallers failed to
do the job correctly.

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

David R. Norton MVP skrev:


Know of any good program to clean out unused files in WINDOWS and
SYSTEM32 folders (I guess I have a lot after 95 -> 98 -> XP Pro)?

Sure, take a look at Disk Cleanup. It's included in XP and you'll find it in
the System Tools folder. You can also click on "Help", type "Disk Cleanup"
into the search window and read all about what it does and how to use it.

 

[Kerry Brown]

Faster boot, faster shutdown, less "blue screens of death", less hangs
etc.
Lu

Your snipping of posts you answer is really annoying and self serving. You
snip out relevant parts that often refute what your reply is saying. The OP
has to post the same thing again to answer you.

Can you point me to a site or supply some empirical data that supports what
your saying? I recently asked this in another newsgroup when a rep for a
registry cleaner program spammed it. All they could come up with were some
outdated links about the Windows NT4 registry and their own website which
included reviews saying the same thing as many posters here, namely with
Windows XP registry cleaner/optimizer programs are not needed and may cause
problems. I guess they figured no one would actually read the reviews.

Kerry

 

[Kerry Brown]

Sure, it removes leftovers from removed programs whose uninstallers failed
to
do the job correctly.

Although you are right, this is a minimal benefit. What is the harm of
leaving the entries there? Are they causing a problem or merely adding
milliseconds during the Windows boot process while Windows determines the
file doesn't exist? Is this a greater benefit than the possible harm that
the program may do by making other changes?

Kerry

 

[bearman]

Not a Net Policeman, nor interested in running thread with you.

Please get a thesaurus and find another word besides bollox,
with is actually spelled Bollix. I post here quite frequently and
don't appreciate the comments. This is a technical discussion
forum and not one for emotional/personal comments.

And yet, here you are.