Fixing Registry - XP Utilities?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Edw. Peach
  • Start date Start date
E

Edw. Peach

I've had Norton's utilities on my former computers, with programs that
sought out and fixed bad registry entries. I don't feel comfortable
going in there and changing them myself.

Are there any built-in utilities in XP that run, find them, and fix
them?
 
I've had Norton's utilities on my former computers, with programs that
sought out and fixed bad registry entries. I don't feel comfortable
going in there and changing them myself.

Are there any built-in utilities in XP that run, find them, and fix
them?
Click to expand...

I don't think so.
I've been using Tune Up Ultilities for almost a year and never had
problem one with it. It corrects registry errors and backs up the
changes so that they are reversable. It also does a number of other
things, but the registry cleanup is primarily why I got it.
It will work for 30 days before deactivating [unless you buy it].

http://www.tune-up.com/

Greg
If you can remember the 60's....you weren't really there
 
I can only advise against registry cleaners. I have in my
time tried a few and they will offer you a list of
suggested registry edits but you must read through and
decide which changes to make, if you just press "go on
repair the lot." You will find your system become
unstable. they are a bit of a money spinner.along with
these .dll cleaners that take out un used .dlls as soon
as you clean them out you start getting errors saying dll
missing.so you must keep all the dll's in the back up,
whats the point you might as well have left them in the
original folder, if nothing accesses them they cant do
any harm and they arnt that big.
Any way back to reg cleaners. "Reg Mechanic", if you set
it to look for repairs it messes your system up , I found
uninstallers linked to the wrong programs and other
things like that. and if you set it to just repair, it
just deletes them when they may have just needed
redirecting.

Reg scrub: this tells you in the help files " if it
removes something that causes a problem then restore it
and put it in the ignore list. The first time I scanned I
got 183 finds? after this 3 programs didnt work. so I
restored the finds and they worked again, I wondered
which ones to put on the ignore list and decided to
uninstall reg scrub!

The truth is most dont understand what the registry is.
Its just a library. a program is told to go there to find
info or the direction to a dll. if it isnt needed anymore
it just lies dormant, it cant do an harm and is only a
line of text, a couple of bytes.

Best to leave the registry alone, all registry programs
should be avoided.

Once youve tested loads of programs and have configured
your system the way you like it. Do a clean install of XP
and set it up and lesve it , or dual boot XP and use one
as a beta tester.

-----Original Message-----
I've had Norton's utilities on my former computers, with programs that
sought out and fixed bad registry entries. I don't feel comfortable
going in there and changing them myself.

Are there any built-in utilities in XP that run, find them, and fix
them?
Click to expand...

I don't think so.
I've been using Tune Up Ultilities for almost a year and never had
problem one with it. It corrects registry errors and backs up the
changes so that they are reversable. It also does a number of other
things, but the registry cleanup is primarily why I got it.
It will work for 30 days before deactivating [unless you buy it].

http://www.tune-up.com/

Greg
If you can remember the 60's....you weren't really there
.
Click to expand...
 
Well, there is validity to what you say. Always potential when you do
just about anything with a PC. But problems from a good registry cleaner
are not a given.
Certainly it behooves one to go at it with discretion. The more you
learn about what it is doing, the better, of course.I have used it
numerous times on 4 different PCs and no problems at all thus far.
Keep in mind that every time you install anything on a PC, there is the
potential to screw it up royally. Been down that road a few times. That
was one thing I liked about DOS, easy to delete stuff & keep the machine
clean.
Anyway, I installed McAfee 6 on my 98SE machine when it came out. Out
and out nightmare. Took me an hour just to get it to boot into safe
mode. And longer to manually clean all vestiges of it out. However,
other people swear by McAfee. So, nothing is carved in stone.

I can only advise against registry cleaners. I have in my
time tried a few and they will offer you a list of
suggested registry edits but you must read through and
decide which changes to make, if you just press "go on
repair the lot." You will find your system become
unstable. they are a bit of a money spinner.along with
these .dll cleaners that take out un used .dlls as soon
as you clean them out you start getting errors saying dll
missing.so you must keep all the dll's in the back up,
whats the point you might as well have left them in the
original folder, if nothing accesses them they cant do
any harm and they arnt that big.
Any way back to reg cleaners. "Reg Mechanic", if you set
it to look for repairs it messes your system up , I found
uninstallers linked to the wrong programs and other
things like that. and if you set it to just repair, it
just deletes them when they may have just needed
redirecting.

Reg scrub: this tells you in the help files " if it
removes something that causes a problem then restore it
and put it in the ignore list. The first time I scanned I
got 183 finds? after this 3 programs didnt work. so I
restored the finds and they worked again, I wondered
which ones to put on the ignore list and decided to
uninstall reg scrub!

The truth is most dont understand what the registry is.
Its just a library. a program is told to go there to find
info or the direction to a dll. if it isnt needed anymore
it just lies dormant, it cant do an harm and is only a
line of text, a couple of bytes.

Best to leave the registry alone, all registry programs
should be avoided.

Once youve tested loads of programs and have configured
your system the way you like it. Do a clean install of XP
and set it up and lesve it , or dual boot XP and use one
as a beta tester.

-----Original Message-----
I've had Norton's utilities on my former computers, with programs that
sought out and fixed bad registry entries. I don't feel comfortable
going in there and changing them myself.

Are there any built-in utilities in XP that run, find them, and fix
them?
Click to expand...

I don't think so.
I've been using Tune Up Ultilities for almost a year and never had
problem one with it. It corrects registry errors and backs up the
changes so that they are reversable. It also does a number of other
things, but the registry cleanup is primarily why I got it.
It will work for 30 days before deactivating [unless you buy it].

http://www.tune-up.com/

Greg
If you can remember the 60's....you weren't really there
.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

If you can remember the 60's....you weren't really there
 
While there is some truth in what you say, most is poppycock. I have used
a lot of Registry Cleaners, obviously not all, over all flavours of Windows,
and have never had a problem. That is not to say problems do not occur for
some but there is always a means to restore the Registry, at least in all
the Cleaners I have used. Whether the Cleaners really do any good and
needed, now that's another matter.

If you think you need a Registry Cleaner, System Mechanic and RegSupreme are
likely as "good" as any. Just run them and delete everything they identify;
I've never had a problem with that. If you do have problems simply
reinstall the old Registry from the backup but the chances of problems are
small, again in my experience. Lets face it, there are numerous reports of
people having problems by installing MS Updates but I don't think anyone
seriously suggests not to update the OS (maybe someone will dispute that
:-)). Again, I have had more problems by installing "legitimate" commercial
programs than from using Registry Cleaners.

There's a lot of scare mongering re Registry Cleaners. It should go without
saying that one should always backup the Registry before making any changes
whether it is by use of a Registry Cleaner or simply installing a new
program. System Restore and ERUNT are your best friends.


I can only advise against registry cleaners. I have in my
time tried a few and they will offer you a list of
suggested registry edits but you must read through and
decide which changes to make, if you just press "go on
repair the lot." You will find your system become
unstable. they are a bit of a money spinner.along with
these .dll cleaners that take out un used .dlls as soon
as you clean them out you start getting errors saying dll
missing.so you must keep all the dll's in the back up,
whats the point you might as well have left them in the
original folder, if nothing accesses them they cant do
any harm and they arnt that big.
Any way back to reg cleaners. "Reg Mechanic", if you set
it to look for repairs it messes your system up , I found
uninstallers linked to the wrong programs and other
things like that. and if you set it to just repair, it
just deletes them when they may have just needed
redirecting.

Reg scrub: this tells you in the help files " if it
removes something that causes a problem then restore it
and put it in the ignore list. The first time I scanned I
got 183 finds? after this 3 programs didnt work. so I
restored the finds and they worked again, I wondered
which ones to put on the ignore list and decided to
uninstall reg scrub!

The truth is most dont understand what the registry is.
Its just a library. a program is told to go there to find
info or the direction to a dll. if it isnt needed anymore
it just lies dormant, it cant do an harm and is only a
line of text, a couple of bytes.

Best to leave the registry alone, all registry programs
should be avoided.

Once youve tested loads of programs and have configured
your system the way you like it. Do a clean install of XP
and set it up and lesve it , or dual boot XP and use one
as a beta tester.

-----Original Message-----
I've had Norton's utilities on my former computers, with programs that
sought out and fixed bad registry entries. I don't feel comfortable
going in there and changing them myself.

Are there any built-in utilities in XP that run, find them, and fix
them?
Click to expand...

I don't think so.
I've been using Tune Up Ultilities for almost a year and never had
problem one with it. It corrects registry errors and backs up the
changes so that they are reversable. It also does a number of other
things, but the registry cleanup is primarily why I got it.
It will work for 30 days before deactivating [unless you buy it].

http://www.tune-up.com/

Greg
If you can remember the 60's....you weren't really there
.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Greetings --

In my experience, if an individual lacks the knowledge and
experience to maintain his/her registry by him/herself, then he/she
also lacks the knowledge and experience to safely configure and use
any automated registry cleaner, no matter how safe they claim to be.
The only thing _really_ needed to safely clean the registry is
knowledge and Regedit.exe; the registry cleaning utility becomes
redundant..


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
 
That is a sort of ridiculous statement. One does NOT have to know how to edit
the registry to run a registry cleaner.
The only thing really needed to safely clean the registry is a reliable
registry cleaner not knowledge.
The very first time a registry cleaner is run, it finds over 250 items that
can be safely deleted. Running regedit, you can't even think of that many
items to search for. Your response makes no logical sense whatsoever.
 
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