T
Twayne
Since there seems to be a healthy interest in the registry lately, I
though I'd offer this partial from a white paper I have. It's not new,
but it's still accurate and well worded, IMO. Applicable to all windows
except not sure of Vista or version 7 & 8, which seem to be just more
Vista.
N O T E : The closed minds and snake oil pundits are going to come
slithering out of their holes enmasse over this I imagined. I could not
care less and neither should you. Whether you agree or disagree with
this is no business of mine and your own perogative. My own experience
over more than a decade is fully positive and based on experience and
research, this is an informative, reasonably well written article with a
lot of good advice.
Enjoy
What you wanted to know about cleaning registry on your PC but were
afraid to ask
OR; 4 Myths of Registry Cleaning
(c) amust & a very few \comments\ of my own interspersed; see end of
post.
Windows registry is the "heart and soul" of your Windows
computer. Similar to a file system where you store your documents,
registry is where Windows system stores information about your
computer. All software and hardware settings, as well as every
other aspect of the system configuration is stored in the registry.
Similar to a file system registry is organized in a hierarchical tree
like structure. For example, the settings for Internet Explorer are
stored in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
(computer specific settings) as well as
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer (user specific
settings) keys or registry files. Windows uses this information to
perform *every* operation.
When you install new software (even if you install a small ActiveX
component from the Internet) or make any changes to the
configuration (add new hardware or modify appearance of your
desktop) the changes are recorded in the registry.
If you have a brand new computer your registry is clean and
healthy. However, over time it accumulates old and incorrect
records which can lead to system errors and slowdown in
performance. In addition, spyware, keyloggers, viruses, and Trojan
horses *use* the registry to manipulate the system.
Registry is the most sensitive and critical element of the Microsoft
operating system. Cleaning and repairing registry requires
knowledge and expertise. Doing it the wrong way can lead to more
problems and even fatal system errors. Doing it the right way will
lead to less system errors and better performance.
If you want to learn more about registry there are
some good resources at:
.. Microsoft Knowledgebase article: 0HDescription of the Microsoft
Windows registry OR
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;256986
.. 1HJSI FAQ Tips and Tricks \PAGE IS GONE\
.. Very good technical book for IT pros: 2HMicrosoft Windows XP
Registry Guide by Jerry Honeycutt OR
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-4924259-0749442?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
.. 3HMastering Windows XP Registry by Peter D. Hipson OR
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-4924259-0749442?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
MS regclean bugs:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299958
and regclean
http://www.amustsoft.com/
Myth 1: Cleaning Registry on a regular basis is a must
If your Windows computer is relatively new, less than 6 months old,
and you are not a very active user cleaning the registry would not
give you much of a result. However, if you are an active PC user
who frequently tries new software, you need to clean your registry
regularly. To figure out how often you should clean your registry
ask yourself the following questions:
1. How frequently do I install and uninstall games, audio and
video, photo and graphics software, instant messaging or
other Internet software, home and education software, new
printer or other drivers, anti virus, anti spyware and other
utilities?
2. How frequently do I install ActiveX or other components
when browsing the Internet?
3. Do I follow the correct software uninstall procedure?
/Or do I do it "my" way because I know best?/
4. How often do I change my system configuration for example
Internet Explore settings, or other?
5. How often do I change my hardware, printer, monitor,
memory, etc?
Depending on how you answered the questions above you need to
clean your PC registry daily, weekly, monthly, or every 6 months.
More frequent changes require more frequent cleaning.
Myth 2: All registry cleaners work the same way.
The more problems it finds the better the cleaner
The number of problems a cleaner finds is just one of the
indicators. The more important indicator is how many problems it
*fixes* the right way.
In general, there are two different approaches to registry cleaning:
1) "Smart & safe"; and 2) "Bulk & Deep".
A good analogy would be house cleaning. Some people, in fact
most of us, accumulate a lot of paper on their desks. You can clean
your desk by going through every piece of paper, carefully
reviewing each document: credit card statements, important
notices, and newspaper articles. While doing that you put
important documents in the appropriate folders and get rid of the
junk. However, there are some documents you are not sure about.
You do additional work to determine if those documents are
important. This type of desk cleaning is smart & safe, which results
in a clean desk and organized folders. In addition, you know you
won't have problems in the future as you didn't throw away any
important documents. Similarly, a smart & safe registry cleaner
does the job the proper way - if it is not sure about the registry
record it doesn't discard it but works to find out if the record is
important. This cleaning results in a healthy registry, with less
errors and better computer performance.
Alternatively, while cleaning your desk you may keep only
important documents and get rid of the documents you are not sure
about along with the junk. This approach does not include
additional work to find out if the documents that you are not sure
about are important. Obviously, with this approach you will throw
away more documents but it might lead to losing important ones.
This method is called "bulk & deep" cleaning. Similarly, a "bulk &
deep" registry cleaner might show more problems and remove
good registry records.
In fact, some vendors report non-problems as problems to make
their product look better. They call "bulk" cleaning "deep"
cleaning. "Bulk & deep" cleaning that does a mediocre job cleaning
your registry and can lead to more problems and errors. An
example of a problem that can be created by "bulk" cleaning is
described by Microsoft at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299958
Myth 3: Full registry backup & restore is enough to keep you out of
trouble
Having full registry backup and restore is critical as it allows you to
bring the registry back to how it was at a certain point in time.
However, it is not enough to keep you out of trouble. You need
both full registry restore and undo registry changes. Let's say in a
day or a week after cleaning the registry on your PC you
experience a problem with one of your applications. You can use
the full registry backup to bring the registry back exactly to the
point in time when you created the full backup. However, you will
lose all the changes to the computer configuration you made after
that last backup. With *"undo registry changes"*, on the other hand,
you are able to reverse the problematic registry change without
affecting the other registry parts. You can fix the problem without
losing all the configuration changes made to your PC.
The rule of thumb is: use "full registry restore" for major disasters
and "undo registry changes" to fix specific problems.
Registry is the most sensitive part of your computer. The ability to
have both a full restore as well as selective undo is a must to keep
you out of trouble.
AMUSTSoftware - 4 Myths about Windows XP Registry Cleanup
Page 4
Myth 4: All the care your registry needs is cleaning and repairing
Your registry also needs compacting which reduces the registry
size and defragments it by removing the holes and empty spaces in
the registry tree.
Cleaning garbage from your registry makes it better since it
removes unused and incorrect data that causes registry pollution,
computer errors and a slowdown in performance. However, this is
not the only thing you need to always have your registry at its best.
Registry structure is such that when you remove unused and
incorrect data, holes are created in the registry tree. Your computer
uses registry to perform every operation. Having holes or empty
spaces in the registry tree slows down your computers performance
and might create operational errors. So, just like the
defragmentation of files compacting the registry removes holes and
fragments causing your computer to run smoother and faster. That
is why in addition to cleaning and repairing the registry must also
be compacted.
Bottom Line:
Registry is critical to the health and performance of your PC. Smart
& safe registry cleaning, repairing and compacting will help to
keep your PC healthy and fast.
Note:
Registry cleaning is just one of things you need to do to maintain
your Windows computer. You should follow other good practices
that include keeping your computer updated with the latest
Microsoft updates, using antivirus and antispyware, using
personal firewall, and regular disk cleaning and defragmentation.
© 2005, AMUST Software Ltd. www.amustsoft.com. All rights
reserved. AMUST Software logo is trademark of AMUST Software
Ltd. in the United States and other countries.
though I'd offer this partial from a white paper I have. It's not new,
but it's still accurate and well worded, IMO. Applicable to all windows
except not sure of Vista or version 7 & 8, which seem to be just more
Vista.
N O T E : The closed minds and snake oil pundits are going to come
slithering out of their holes enmasse over this I imagined. I could not
care less and neither should you. Whether you agree or disagree with
this is no business of mine and your own perogative. My own experience
over more than a decade is fully positive and based on experience and
research, this is an informative, reasonably well written article with a
lot of good advice.
Enjoy
What you wanted to know about cleaning registry on your PC but were
afraid to ask
OR; 4 Myths of Registry Cleaning
(c) amust & a very few \comments\ of my own interspersed; see end of
post.
Windows registry is the "heart and soul" of your Windows
computer. Similar to a file system where you store your documents,
registry is where Windows system stores information about your
computer. All software and hardware settings, as well as every
other aspect of the system configuration is stored in the registry.
Similar to a file system registry is organized in a hierarchical tree
like structure. For example, the settings for Internet Explorer are
stored in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
(computer specific settings) as well as
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer (user specific
settings) keys or registry files. Windows uses this information to
perform *every* operation.
When you install new software (even if you install a small ActiveX
component from the Internet) or make any changes to the
configuration (add new hardware or modify appearance of your
desktop) the changes are recorded in the registry.
If you have a brand new computer your registry is clean and
healthy. However, over time it accumulates old and incorrect
records which can lead to system errors and slowdown in
performance. In addition, spyware, keyloggers, viruses, and Trojan
horses *use* the registry to manipulate the system.
Registry is the most sensitive and critical element of the Microsoft
operating system. Cleaning and repairing registry requires
knowledge and expertise. Doing it the wrong way can lead to more
problems and even fatal system errors. Doing it the right way will
lead to less system errors and better performance.
If you want to learn more about registry there are
some good resources at:
.. Microsoft Knowledgebase article: 0HDescription of the Microsoft
Windows registry OR
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;256986
.. 1HJSI FAQ Tips and Tricks \PAGE IS GONE\
.. Very good technical book for IT pros: 2HMicrosoft Windows XP
Registry Guide by Jerry Honeycutt OR
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-4924259-0749442?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
.. 3HMastering Windows XP Registry by Peter D. Hipson OR
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-4924259-0749442?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
MS regclean bugs:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299958
and regclean
http://www.amustsoft.com/
Myth 1: Cleaning Registry on a regular basis is a must
If your Windows computer is relatively new, less than 6 months old,
and you are not a very active user cleaning the registry would not
give you much of a result. However, if you are an active PC user
who frequently tries new software, you need to clean your registry
regularly. To figure out how often you should clean your registry
ask yourself the following questions:
1. How frequently do I install and uninstall games, audio and
video, photo and graphics software, instant messaging or
other Internet software, home and education software, new
printer or other drivers, anti virus, anti spyware and other
utilities?
2. How frequently do I install ActiveX or other components
when browsing the Internet?
3. Do I follow the correct software uninstall procedure?
/Or do I do it "my" way because I know best?/
4. How often do I change my system configuration for example
Internet Explore settings, or other?
5. How often do I change my hardware, printer, monitor,
memory, etc?
Depending on how you answered the questions above you need to
clean your PC registry daily, weekly, monthly, or every 6 months.
More frequent changes require more frequent cleaning.
Myth 2: All registry cleaners work the same way.
The more problems it finds the better the cleaner
The number of problems a cleaner finds is just one of the
indicators. The more important indicator is how many problems it
*fixes* the right way.
In general, there are two different approaches to registry cleaning:
1) "Smart & safe"; and 2) "Bulk & Deep".
A good analogy would be house cleaning. Some people, in fact
most of us, accumulate a lot of paper on their desks. You can clean
your desk by going through every piece of paper, carefully
reviewing each document: credit card statements, important
notices, and newspaper articles. While doing that you put
important documents in the appropriate folders and get rid of the
junk. However, there are some documents you are not sure about.
You do additional work to determine if those documents are
important. This type of desk cleaning is smart & safe, which results
in a clean desk and organized folders. In addition, you know you
won't have problems in the future as you didn't throw away any
important documents. Similarly, a smart & safe registry cleaner
does the job the proper way - if it is not sure about the registry
record it doesn't discard it but works to find out if the record is
important. This cleaning results in a healthy registry, with less
errors and better computer performance.
Alternatively, while cleaning your desk you may keep only
important documents and get rid of the documents you are not sure
about along with the junk. This approach does not include
additional work to find out if the documents that you are not sure
about are important. Obviously, with this approach you will throw
away more documents but it might lead to losing important ones.
This method is called "bulk & deep" cleaning. Similarly, a "bulk &
deep" registry cleaner might show more problems and remove
good registry records.
In fact, some vendors report non-problems as problems to make
their product look better. They call "bulk" cleaning "deep"
cleaning. "Bulk & deep" cleaning that does a mediocre job cleaning
your registry and can lead to more problems and errors. An
example of a problem that can be created by "bulk" cleaning is
described by Microsoft at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299958
Myth 3: Full registry backup & restore is enough to keep you out of
trouble
Having full registry backup and restore is critical as it allows you to
bring the registry back to how it was at a certain point in time.
However, it is not enough to keep you out of trouble. You need
both full registry restore and undo registry changes. Let's say in a
day or a week after cleaning the registry on your PC you
experience a problem with one of your applications. You can use
the full registry backup to bring the registry back exactly to the
point in time when you created the full backup. However, you will
lose all the changes to the computer configuration you made after
that last backup. With *"undo registry changes"*, on the other hand,
you are able to reverse the problematic registry change without
affecting the other registry parts. You can fix the problem without
losing all the configuration changes made to your PC.
The rule of thumb is: use "full registry restore" for major disasters
and "undo registry changes" to fix specific problems.
Registry is the most sensitive part of your computer. The ability to
have both a full restore as well as selective undo is a must to keep
you out of trouble.
AMUSTSoftware - 4 Myths about Windows XP Registry Cleanup
Page 4
Myth 4: All the care your registry needs is cleaning and repairing
Your registry also needs compacting which reduces the registry
size and defragments it by removing the holes and empty spaces in
the registry tree.
Cleaning garbage from your registry makes it better since it
removes unused and incorrect data that causes registry pollution,
computer errors and a slowdown in performance. However, this is
not the only thing you need to always have your registry at its best.
Registry structure is such that when you remove unused and
incorrect data, holes are created in the registry tree. Your computer
uses registry to perform every operation. Having holes or empty
spaces in the registry tree slows down your computers performance
and might create operational errors. So, just like the
defragmentation of files compacting the registry removes holes and
fragments causing your computer to run smoother and faster. That
is why in addition to cleaning and repairing the registry must also
be compacted.
Bottom Line:
Registry is critical to the health and performance of your PC. Smart
& safe registry cleaning, repairing and compacting will help to
keep your PC healthy and fast.
Note:
Registry cleaning is just one of things you need to do to maintain
your Windows computer. You should follow other good practices
that include keeping your computer updated with the latest
Microsoft updates, using antivirus and antispyware, using
personal firewall, and regular disk cleaning and defragmentation.
© 2005, AMUST Software Ltd. www.amustsoft.com. All rights
reserved. AMUST Software logo is trademark of AMUST Software
Ltd. in the United States and other countries.