Registry Cleaners?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill Walsh
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B

Bill Walsh

On my recently deceased computer, I had downloaded a registry cleaner many
years ago. It was simply called "Registry Cleaner" and it was freeware.
Looking around the modern internet all the newer registry cleaners are for
sale only.
The one had was terrific: cleaned the registry, uninstalled programs, etc.
Is there anything out there right now? BW
 
Bill Walsh said:
On my recently deceased computer, I had downloaded a registry cleaner many
years ago. It was simply called "Registry Cleaner" and it was freeware.
Looking around the modern internet all the newer registry cleaners are for
sale only.
The one had was terrific: cleaned the registry, uninstalled programs, etc.
Is there anything out there right now? BW
Click to expand...

Hello,
I use JV16 Power Tools v.1.3, a free version. Can be found using search
engine.
I have only used this to removed registry entries from programs and
applications that I installed, including problem installations. After using
this I enter regedit and search and remove items listed for the program,
application removed.
I have two complete back-up methods, in case of encountering a problem.
Used with "98se, Me, XP, Vista, 32 and 64 bit. So far no problems using this
program.
take care.
beamish.
 
Bill said:
On my recently deceased computer, I had downloaded a registry cleaner
many years ago. It was simply called "Registry Cleaner" and it was
freeware. Looking around the modern internet all the newer registry
cleaners are for sale only.
The one had was terrific: cleaned the registry, uninstalled programs,
etc. Is there anything out there right now? BW
Click to expand...


Why do you even think you'd ever need to clean your registry? What
specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not some program's
bogus listing of imaginary problems) that you think can be fixed by
using a 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. After
all, why use a chainsaw 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. The only thing needed to safely clean
your registry is knowledge and Regedit.exe.

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 repeatedly 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. 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.

More importantly, no one has ever demonstrated that the use of an
automated registry "cleaner," particularly by an untrained,
inexperienced computer user, does any real good, whatsoever. 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. Given the potential for harm, it's just not
worth the risk.

Granted, most registry "cleaners" won't cause problems each and
every time they're used, but the potential for harm is always there.
And, since no registry "cleaner" has ever been demonstrated to do any
good (think of them like treating the flu with chicken soup - there's no
real medicinal value, but it sometimes provides a warming placebo
effect), I always tell people that the risks far out-weigh the
non-existent benefits.

I will concede that a good registry *scanning* tool, in the hands
of an experienced and knowledgeable technician or hobbyist can be a
useful time-saving diagnostic tool, as long as it's not allowed to make
any changes automatically. But I really don't think that there are any
registry "cleaners" that are truly safe for the general public to use.
Experience has proven just the opposite: such tools simply are not safe
in the hands of the inexperienced user.

A little further reading on the subject:

Why I don't use registry cleaners
http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=643

AumHa Forums • View topic - AUMHA Discussion: Should I Use a Registry
Cleaner?
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
Bruce Chambers said:
Why do you even think you'd ever need to clean your registry? What
specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not some program's
bogus listing of imaginary problems) that you think can be fixed by using
a 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. After all, why use a
chainsaw 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. The only thing needed to safely clean your
registry is knowledge and Regedit.exe.

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 repeatedly 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. 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.

More importantly, no one has ever demonstrated that the use of an
automated registry "cleaner," particularly by an untrained, inexperienced
computer user, does any real good, whatsoever. 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.
Given the potential for harm, it's just not worth the risk.

Granted, most registry "cleaners" won't cause problems each and every
time they're used, but the potential for harm is always there. And, since
no registry "cleaner" has ever been demonstrated to do any good (think of
them like treating the flu with chicken soup - there's no real medicinal
value, but it sometimes provides a warming placebo effect), I always tell
people that the risks far out-weigh the non-existent benefits.

I will concede that a good registry *scanning* tool, in the hands of
an experienced and knowledgeable technician or hobbyist can be a useful
time-saving diagnostic tool, as long as it's not allowed to make any
changes automatically. But I really don't think that there are any
registry "cleaners" that are truly safe for the general public to use.
Experience has proven just the opposite: such tools simply are not safe in
the hands of the inexperienced user.

A little further reading on the subject:

Why I don't use registry cleaners
http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=643

AumHa Forums • View topic - AUMHA Discussion: Should I Use a Registry
Cleaner?
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand
Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
Click to expand...

Hey, you can knock registry cleaners all you want, but you better do some
research before dissin' chicken soup!!

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/17/chicken.soup.reut/

SC Tom ;-)
 
Thanks for all the tutorials....I used the regcleaner for years without
incident..
lest you all think I am a complete novice, I have been using computers for
longer than some of you have been alive..the original request was to find a
FREE regcleaner, nothing else...
 
Bill said:
Thanks for all the tutorials....I used the regcleaner for years without
incident..
lest you all think I am a complete novice, I have been using computers
for longer than some of you have been alive..the original request was to
find a FREE regcleaner, nothing else...
Click to expand...
And an answer to your request was the first line in my previous post.
The excellent advice that came with it was a freebie I just decided to
throw in because most real experts (of which I am not one) on use-net
would give that same advice.

I suppose that all your massive experience taught you to top-post, and
did not include how to answer your own questions? If you didn't want
advice from us you could have googled for it on bing.

Dave T.
 
Dave T. said:
And an answer to your request was the first line in my previous post. The
excellent advice that came with it was a freebie I just decided to throw
in because most real experts (of which I am not one) on use-net would give
that same advice.

I suppose that all your massive experience taught you to top-post, and did
not include how to answer your own questions? If you didn't want advice
from us you could have googled for it on bing.

Dave T.
I did try the ccleaner..looks very much the same as the old cleaner from
Win95 days...Thanks for the tip..
Click to expand...
 
Since the days of "regclean", the registry has gotten a lot more complex,
and unfortunatly, kind of a monster.
System changes have really almost eliminated the need to clean a registry.
That aside, ill behaved software can really screw things up. Several popular
games and utilities fall into this category, in that an uninstall or an
aborted install can prevent a successful reinstall, until the registry
entries for the package are located, and removed. The desire to prevent
"unauthorizied copies" and just plain sloppy programming is the usual cause.
 
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