registry questions

[Milt Cochran]

I have been trying to remove remanents of some old
printer/scanner software as well as realplayer software
from my computer. I used the system remove software
option and got messages saying that not all related
things could be removed and that I would need to finish
the cleanup. When trying to reinstall the software error
messages say that it cannot be installed because it
already exists.
If the new software tries to cleanup the old software
the system crashes. If I try to edit the registry
manually or by using various shareware or purchased tools
the system crashes when 'touching' those specific entries
related to the old software. The system crashes if I
attempt to export part of the registry where these
entries are found.
Any ideas about how to clean the registry up? All
help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

It is not really necessary to use a registry cleaner with Windows XP.
However, System Mechanic (www.iolo.com) includes an excellent
registry cleaner/optimizer program that works well with Windows
XP. It includes an "undo" backup feature, handy if the registry
cleaning process should corrupt your system.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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| I have been trying to remove remanents of some old
| printer/scanner software as well as realplayer software
| from my computer. I used the system remove software
| option and got messages saying that not all related
| things could be removed and that I would need to finish
| the cleanup. When trying to reinstall the software error
| messages say that it cannot be installed because it
| already exists.
| If the new software tries to cleanup the old software
| the system crashes. If I try to edit the registry
| manually or by using various shareware or purchased tools
| the system crashes when 'touching' those specific entries
| related to the old software. The system crashes if I
| attempt to export part of the registry where these
| entries are found.
| Any ideas about how to clean the registry up? All
| help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Milt Cochran]

Thank you Carey for the link to ilol.com. My question
then is what will System Mechanic do differently from
other similar programs that I have tried. ALL crash the
system when started....if I run the software selectively
choosing options that DO NOT include hkey_local
machine_software the software will run....however if I
use options that will included those hives containing the
old uninstalled software the software crashes. I cannot
even export the hive to a .reg file for external edits
without crashing the system. I am at a loss. Will a
repair install fix the registry? Thanks for you patience.

 

[Percival]

Hi Carey

I'm interested to learn that a Registry Cleaner isn't needed with Windows
XP. I've just upgraded from Windows 98SE and have used Registry First Aid
weekly to clean up the registry. Why isn't it necessary with Windows XP?

Thank you for your time.