Should I use Registry Cleaners and Auto Fixers for my windows?

[News]

Hi,

I have read some quite contrasting reports and opinions with regard to
registry cleaners and other tune up softwares.

On the surface these softwares sound an excellent idea, for the general
user/power user who has only a general working knowledge of windows and
wants to keep it "tuned up" this sounds excellent.

However, I would like to know if people can categorically say that they do
cause problems to some XP installations? Because it seems some people have
different opinions. It seems even if 85% of the time they are harmless what
about the 15% of the time they cause problems.

I have just used a program called "spider" to clean out old files on my pc,
it was made for windows 98 by a 17 year old student some years ago, and I
have just reformatted my pc because some small things seemed not quite
right..so I worried that it caused other problems. ( I also read that it
caused unforseen problems in few forums).

So my question is really one of a general nature.

Can any of these softwares be trusted to help keep the windows installation
in tip top shape? And if so, which ones?

Thanks

 

[Rock]

Hi,

I have read some quite contrasting reports and opinions with regard to
registry cleaners and other tune up softwares.

On the surface these softwares sound an excellent idea, for the general
user/power user who has only a general working knowledge of windows and
wants to keep it "tuned up" this sounds excellent.

However, I would like to know if people can categorically say that they do
cause problems to some XP installations? Because it seems some people have
different opinions. It seems even if 85% of the time they are harmless what
about the 15% of the time they cause problems.

I have just used a program called "spider" to clean out old files on my pc,
it was made for windows 98 by a 17 year old student some years ago, and I
have just reformatted my pc because some small things seemed not quite
right..so I worried that it caused other problems. ( I also read that it
caused unforseen problems in few forums).

So my question is really one of a general nature.

Can any of these softwares be trusted to help keep the windows installation
in tip top shape? And if so, which ones?

Thanks

There are many threads here about using registry cleaners and utility
suites. Do a google groups search for the threads. You will read more
than you ever wanted to know...lol. The consensus is don't bother.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi,

I have read some quite contrasting reports and opinions with regard to
registry cleaners and other tune up softwares.

On the surface these softwares sound an excellent idea, for the general
user/power user who has only a general working knowledge of windows and
wants to keep it "tuned up" this sounds excellent.

However, I would like to know if people can categorically say that they do
cause problems to some XP installations? Because it seems some people have
different opinions. It seems even if 85% of the time they are harmless what
about the 15% of the time they cause problems.

I have just used a program called "spider" to clean out old files on my pc,
it was made for windows 98 by a 17 year old student some years ago, and I
have just reformatted my pc because some small things seemed not quite
right..so I worried that it caused other problems. ( I also read that it
caused unforseen problems in few forums).

So my question is really one of a general nature.

Can any of these softwares be trusted to help keep the windows installation
in tip top shape? And if so, which ones?

Thanks

The registry contains all of the operating system's "knowledge" of
the computer's hardware devices, installed software, the location of the
device drivers, and the computer's configuration. A misstep in the
registry can have severe consequences. One should not even turning
loose a poorly understood automated "cleaner," unless he is fully
confident that he knows *exactly* what is going to happen as a result of
each and every change. Having seen the results of inexperienced people
using automated registry "cleaners," I can only advise all but the most
experienced computer technicians (and/or hobbyists) to avoid them all.
Experience has shown me that such tools simply are not safe in the hands
of the inexperienced user.

The only thing needed to safely clean your registry is knowledge
and Regedit.exe. If you lack the knowledge and experience to maintain
your registry by yourself, then you also lack the knowledge and
experience to safely configure and use any automated registry cleaner,
no matter how safe they claim to be.

Further, no one has ever demonstrated, to my satisfaction, that the
use of an automated registry cleaner, particularly by an untrained,
inexperienced computer user, does any real good. There's certainly been
no empirical evidence offered to demonstrate that the use of such
products to "clean" WinXP's registry improves a computer's performance
or stability.

What specific problem are you experiencing that you *know* beyond
all reasonable doubt will be fixed by using an automated registry
cleaner? If you do have a problem that is rooted in the registry, it
would be far better to simply edit (after backing up, of course) only
the specific key(s) and/or value(s) that are causing the problem. Why
use a shotgun when a scalpel will do the job? Additionally, the
manually changing of one or two registry entries is far less likely to
have the dire consequences of allowing an automated product to make
multiple changes simultaneously.

I always use Regedit.exe. I trust my own experience and judgment
far more than I would any automated registry cleaner. I strongly
encourage others to acquire the knowledge, as well.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[bumtracks]

I use RegSeeker .. really it's quite a decent one Do look at each entry
here for cleaning and selectively exclude items as for me it is not mapped
drive/network share aware. Probably 'somewhat safe to delete all items
RegSeeker marks as safe to delete but you should still read each - windows
is easy to format/install even if you let it screw you, which I think would
be difficult even for a just do it now type impatient teeny bopper.

If you have a well aged windows install it will find a ton of waste and it
may be wise to just look over a page or so in any one day and let it
make .reg back ups before you exclude or delete.

Funny, the guys with no qualms boasting they're formatting and installing
windows fresh every 6 months are afraid of registry cleaners because then
they wont have reason to format/re-install anymore. Just kidding
((maybe))

 

[News]

I use RegSeeker .. really it's quite a decent one Do look at each entry
here for cleaning and selectively exclude items as for me it is not mapped
drive/network share aware. Probably 'somewhat safe to delete all items
RegSeeker marks as safe to delete but you should still read each - windows
is easy to format/install even if you let it screw you, which I think would
be difficult even for a just do it now type impatient teeny bopper.

Hai
Herein lies the problem! If you are a general user like me and don't have
serious knowledge about registries or how they work then the whole idea of
using a one stop click is not for ease of use or for impatience but it is so
that we can do it safely. Without needing specialist knowledge or behidn the
scenes technical experience.

If we have to check the registry for what we are uninstalling then is their
any point to using it? We can surely make the mistake by manually doing it
probably more so than the machine!! Thats my point.

So if you are saying you have to create Backups, then what is the point? The
very definition of a backup is incase something is done wrong, and the fact
people suggest that users should manually inspect just to be on the safe
side, means their is a degree of error. So it seems that their is a degree
of error especially for the people like me who know nothing about registries
or how they work.

Kind Regards

 

[Peter Foldes]

Well let me tell you a true story. This has happened to a friend of mine a few years back. He got himself a spanking brand new computer without any operating system on it. He purchased Windows 2000 Pro. He proceeded to install the os and when he was finished the first thing he installed on the brand new and Raw operating system was a reg cleaner. When he installed the regcleaner (keep in mind that is the only thing installed) he decided to run this recleaner to see how it works. The regcleaner went through its paces and at the end it came back that 2 registry entries were invalid. He said OK for the regcleaner to remove them. He called me all up and happy and told me that the regcleaner already found 2 bad entries. I told him that this was a brand new install(OS) with nothing added yet not even an internet connection. But he said everything works and nothing is wrong. OK I said to myself. About 3 month down the line he called me that he is receiving an error message. The error message was that when he tried to remove a program from Add\Remove it did not let him. Went over there the next day and I also tried. No go. Then after about an hour I found that the command to remove from Add\Remove was missing because the lines for it were missing from the registry. Guess which 2 lines were removed by the regcleaner on a completely raw system

Regards

 

[Peter Foldes]

Well let me tell you a true story. This has happened to a friend of mine a few years back. He got himself a spanking brand new computer without any operating system on it. He purchased Windows 2000 Pro. He proceeded to install the os and when he was finished the first thing he installed on the brand new and Raw operating system was a reg cleaner. When he installed the regcleaner (keep in mind that is the only thing installed) he decided to run this recleaner to see how it works. The regcleaner went through its paces and at the end it came back that 2 registry entries were invalid. He said OK for the regcleaner to remove them. He called me all up and happy and told me that the regcleaner already found 2 bad entries. I told him that this was a brand new install(OS) with nothing added yet not even an internet connection. But he said everything works and nothing is wrong. OK I said to myself. About 3 month down the line he called me that he is receiving an error message. The error message was that when he tried to remove a program from Add\Remove it did not let him. Went over there the next day and I also tried. No go. Then after about an hour I found that the command to remove from Add\Remove was missing because the lines for it were missing from the registry. Guess which 2 lines were removed by the regcleaner on a completely raw system

Regards

 

[D.Currie]

Hai
Herein lies the problem! If you are a general user like me and don't have
serious knowledge about registries or how they work then the whole idea of
using a one stop click is not for ease of use or for impatience but it is
so that we can do it safely. Without needing specialist knowledge or
behidn the scenes technical experience.

If we have to check the registry for what we are uninstalling then is
their any point to using it? We can surely make the mistake by manually
doing it probably more so than the machine!! Thats my point.

So if you are saying you have to create Backups, then what is the point?
The very definition of a backup is incase something is done wrong, and the
fact people suggest that users should manually inspect just to be on the
safe side, means their is a degree of error. So it seems that their is a
degree of error especially for the people like me who know nothing about
registries or how they work.

Kind Regards

If you don't know what you're deleting, don't delete it. If you have no idea
how to fix the problems the registry cleaner may cause, don't use it.
Registry backups are a fine idea, but what would you do if Windows didn't
start? How would you go about repairing your broken registry?

If you want to take the risks involved, feel free. It's a fine way to learn
more about computers. But if you want to use the computer and not spend all
your time tweaking and playing and repairing, you'd probably be best off not
removing things unless you're really sure you don't need them.

A "normal" user isn't going to get that much clutter in the registry that
really needs to be cleaned. If you install and uninstall programs like a
madman, then you may end up with a lot of junk left behind. But most people
don't do that sort of installing/uninstalling. They get the computer set up
with what they want, occasionally add some games, programs, or updates, and
that's about it. Cleaning the registry isn't going to make nearly as much
impact on the computer's operation as keeping it spyware-free and blowing
the dust out of it now and then.

People who do that sort of installing/uninstalling usually know what they're
up to, and they can look at a registry cleaner's suggestions and know
whether the suggestions are valid or not.

And using a registry cleaner made for Win98 on an XP computer is just a bad
idea, from the get-go.

 

[D.Currie]

I use RegSeeker .. really it's quite a decent one Do look at each entry
here for cleaning and selectively exclude items as for me it is not mapped
drive/network share aware. Probably 'somewhat safe to delete all items
RegSeeker marks as safe to delete but you should still read each - windows
is easy to format/install even if you let it screw you, which I think would
be difficult even for a just do it now type impatient teeny bopper.

If you have a well aged windows install it will find a ton of waste and it
may be wise to just look over a page or so in any one day and let it
make .reg back ups before you exclude or delete.

Funny, the guys with no qualms boasting they're formatting and installing
windows fresh every 6 months are afraid of registry cleaners because then
they wont have reason to format/re-install anymore. Just kidding
((maybe))

Some of the people who "brag" about reformatting are also the same people
who use registry cleaners, memory enhancers, and tweaking programs until the
computer just gives up breathing.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I have read some quite contrasting reports and opinions with
regard to
registry cleaners and other tune up softwares.

On the surface these softwares sound an excellent idea, for the
general user/power user who has only a general working
knowledge of
windows and wants to keep it "tuned up" this sounds excellent.

However, I would like to know if people can categorically say
that
they do cause problems to some XP installations?

I won't say categorically that they necessarily cause problems.
But registry cleaners generally do nothing that needs to be done,
and they are far more likely to cause problems than to improve
anything. I recommend avoiding them all.

 

[News]

Well let me tell you a true story. This has happened to a friend of mine a
few years back. He got himself a spanking brand new computer without any
operating system on it. He purchased Windows 2000 Pro. He proceeded to
install the os and when he was finished the first thing he installed on the
brand new and Raw operating system was a reg cleaner.

Hi Peter! That sounds just the kind of thing I would do, "prevention is
better than cure" this is what those adverts say for a reg cleaner, that it
will keep your operating system in "good working order" like a maintenance
program.


When he installed the regcleaner (keep in mind that is the only thing
installed) he decided to run this recleaner to see how it works. The
regcleaner went through its paces and at the end it came back that 2
registry entries were invalid. He said OK for the regcleaner to remove them.

Exactly what I would have done, and have done in the past many times!

He called me all up and happy and told me that the regcleaner already found
2 bad entries. I told him that this was a brand new install(OS) with nothing
added yet not even an internet connection. But he said everything works and
nothing is wrong. OK I said to myself. About 3 month down the line he called
me that he is receiving an error message.


That is exactly the kind of thing I have had happen to me in the past. BUT
the point is that due to the time scale eg. a few weeks/months down the
road, it is almost impossible to blame the reg cleaner!!

The error message was that when he tried to remove a program from
Add\Remove it did not let him.

Yes!! These kinds of small but annoying errors happen, they leave you with a
feeling that something is wrong with your PC and noway can you fix it, how
can you know what causes something not to uninstall? Only a clean install
will fix it.

Went over there the next day and I also tried. No go. Then after about an
hour I found that the command to remove from Add\Remove was missing because
the lines for it were missing from the registry. Guess which 2 lines were
removed by the regcleaner on a completely raw system

Regards
--
Peter



Well!! All I can say Peter, is that my true story is this:

1. I installed new operating systems and allways used top of the range reg
cleaners! I allways had these kinds of problems that happened, and on my old
98SE I assumed it was due to the instability of 98. After scanning news
groups, I've come across people who say don't do it. This last installation
was the first time I ever have not used a reg cleaner. Resisting the
temptation to keep my pc in "perfect working order". I had no errors on it
at all.

Seems there is strong anecdoctal proof, the situation of your friend seems
to indiciate more almost more than anecdotal proof!! Would'nt you agree?


Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

 

[News]

If you don't know what you're deleting, don't delete it.

Then that would mean how can I click the "one stop button" that the reg
cleaners provide.
The entire point of them is to be a one stop shop. And how can I know with
any certainty what any single registry entity is? I am not a microsoft
engineer and I dont intend to learn to be one.

If you have no idea

how to fix the problems the registry cleaner may cause, don't use it.
Registry backups are a fine idea, but what would you do if Windows didn't
start? How would you go about repairing your broken registry?

I wouldn't. I would do a clean installation. Its far more cost effective in
terms of time.

If you want to take the risks involved, feel free. It's a fine way to
learn more about computers. But if you want to use the computer and not
spend all your time tweaking and playing and repairing, you'd probably be
best off not removing things unless you're really sure you don't need
them.

Yes that is my conclusion! I just wanted to bring this question up to get
some feedback on my own experience. I think the conclusion has to be, if
your a real expert and know "exactly" what registry entries to remove then
fine, if not, then do not under any circumstances use the "autoremove
buttons", as their is definitely a degree of risk involved.

A "normal" user isn't going to get that much clutter in the registry that
really needs to be cleaned. If you install and uninstall programs like a
madman, then you may end up with a lot of junk left behind. But most
people don't do that sort of installing/uninstalling. They get the
computer set up with what they want, occasionally add some games,
programs, or updates, and that's about it. Cleaning the registry isn't
going to make nearly as much impact on the computer's operation as keeping
it spyware-free and blowing the dust out of it now and then.

What level of uninstalling and installing would make an impact on the
computers performance do you think? That cleaning the registry would make
a noticeable difference?

People who do that sort of installing/uninstalling usually know what
they're up to, and they can look at a registry cleaner's suggestions and
know whether the suggestions are valid or not.

And using a registry cleaner made for Win98 on an XP computer is just a
bad idea, from the get-go.

There is another error! In fact do you know what happened? I used a program
called "spider" to remove some data files, that are invisible..I saw it as
being rated excellent.
I used it on windows xp, then discovered that it was made by a 17 year old
guy, and was designed for windows 98, and immediately after using it, errors
appeared on my new installed xp. I have learned the hardway.

 

[News]

Some of the people who "brag" about reformatting are also the same people
who use registry cleaners, memory enhancers, and tweaking programs until
the computer just gives up breathing.

I am afriad I used to be that way! Although I didn't brag, as a general
sweeping statement, I will now say that all those "programs that interfere
or adjust" the windows system are fraught with danger! The times now that I
don't use those things is the time now my pc is error free!

 

[News]

In


I won't say categorically that they necessarily cause problems. But
registry cleaners generally do nothing that needs to be done, and they are
far more likely to cause problems than to improve anything. I recommend
avoiding them all.

What level of installing and uninstalling items without cleaning the
registry would cause noticeable loss of performance in a general spec modern
pc eg. 80GB 3000MHZ

 

[Ken Blake]

In

What level of installing and uninstalling items without
cleaning the
registry would cause noticeable loss of performance in a
general spec
modern pc eg. 80GB 3000MHZ

I don't think any level within reason would cause any loss of
performance.

 

[Fred]

Well let me tell you a true story. This has happened to a friend [...]

Ah, how all urban legends start...

 

[News]

Well let me tell you a true story. This has happened to a friend [...]

Ah, how all urban legends start...

Hi Fred, except this one is a shared experienced by me. Or similar at
least.