Kal said:
Win XP home....registry is a total mess! Lots of program names still
there even though I do not have them anymore. In HKey_Classes_Root,
everything there is doubled. If I do a registry back-up, is there a
good registry cleaner to clean this for me? Just too much there for me
to attempt and I don't know a lot about that.
Help!
Three comments:
1. Unless you are able to notice any decline in performance or stability
that you know with virtual certainty is being caused by the registry, you
should leave it alone. Invalid registry entries are never a cause of any
noticable or transparent slowdown unless you are already starved for memory
(in which case what you need is more RAM, not a registry cleaner) or these
entries point to the wrong folders or files (in which case you can modify
them manually to point to the right files). Even so, the delay, on a machine
with a normal CPU and adequate RAM, is measured at most in milliseconds if
not nanoseconds, i.e. so short that no human being can notice the delay. By
contrast, the delay that results from mistakes in deleting or modifying
registry entries is often measured in minutes or even hours.
2. If you don't know enough to delete invalid or obselete keys manually,
you should leave it alone. If you do know enough, you don't need a registry
cleaner. Either way, avoid these programs. They are harmless but not
helpful at best, and at worst you will soon find yourself having to reinstall
Windows XP.
3. Instead of messing with the registry, if you really want a performance
boost, get more RAM and/or a computer with a faster CPU. You will get much
more bang for your buck with more RAM than with any software. Also, take
good regular care of your hard drive using the tools that Windows XP already
provides. Registry cleaners are at best a placebo and at worst poisonous
snake oil.
Ken
