Thanks to Ramesh & McCarty; Restored Registry; Now what?

[Idena]

I had to resort to recovery from an image; restored the registry from the
image. But the registry is three months old and I have installed/uninstalled
a number of software during that period. Two questions:

1. How best do I clear the registry from the data about programs
uninstalled? I have System Mechanics, WinUtilities, TuneUp Utils,
and CC. Any particular recommendation? What about the actual program
folders? Remove manually if they do not show up in add/remove programs?

2. How about the new programs? Just reinstall? Uninstall manually and then
reinstall? Any other way of updating the registry?

Many thanks! Idena

 

[Peter Foldes]

(1) not needed. Do not touch the Registry
(2) I have no idea as to what you want to do here. When you Update a program the Reg entries will also Update themselves.

Do not touch the Registry. As your heading for this post say's it is saying exactly what I am so you will avoid this issue .

 

[Idena]

(1) not needed. Do not touch the Registry
(2) I have no idea as to what you want to do here. When you Update a program the Reg entries will also Update themselves.

Thanks Peter. But these old entries in the registry (for the software
uninstalled);
wouldn't they potentially cause a conflict, especially if the new version of
the
software is installed? What about just the clutter? Or increase registry size?

And finally: how about these tools (e.g., System Mechanics, etc): don't they
actually clean or defrag registry, possibly provide for better performance?

Thanks again,
Idena

 

[R. McCarty]

Are you saying you only restored the Registry ( Hives ) and not the
complete Windows volume ? If so then missing applications can be
re-installed. I don't really follow the "Clean" aspect of your question.
Most times you can simply remove the Vendor specific root folder in
the Registry HKLM \Software.

Personally I'd suggest you stop using all these competing programs.
The overall effect is that each one makes a nick that the others will
make worse by drilling deeper & deeper into the Registry.

Or maybe just stick with a single program and make sure it backs
up changes when you run it.

 

[FredW]

Thanks Peter. But these old entries in the registry (for the software
uninstalled);
wouldn't they potentially cause a conflict, especially if the new version of
the
software is installed? What about just the clutter? Or increase registry size?

And finally: how about these tools (e.g., System Mechanics, etc): don't they
actually clean or defrag registry, possibly provide for better performance?

System Mechanics, Tune-up Utils, etc., why you don't need them:

- Should I Use a Registry Cleaner?
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099
- Why I don’t use registry cleaners
http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html
- Do I need a Registry Cleaner?
http://www.whatthetech.com/2007/11/25/do-i-need-a-registry-cleaner/

 

[Idena]

Are you saying you only restored the Registry ( Hives ) and not the
complete Windows volume ? If so then missing applications can be
re-installed.

Yes, I only restored Windows\System32\Config. I will reinstall the
apps I had installed since the backup.

I don't really follow the "Clean" aspect of your question.

I meant removing entries in the registry that are no longer valid
(i.e., are for some applications that are no longer there). My understanding
is that these as well as certain other reg entries become obsolete and
when they accumulate, they would negatively impact the performance.
Thus I use these reg tools to "clean" (get rid of) these entries, or
occasionally
to defrag the registry. Not a good idea?

I will take your suggestion of using only one.

Thanks, Idena

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I had to resort to recovery from an image; restored the registry from the
image. But the registry is three months old and I have installed/uninstalled
a number of software during that period. Two questions:

1. How best do I clear the registry from the data about programs
uninstalled?

What is best to do about this is nothing. Those leftover bits and
pieces of programs normally don't hurt you at all, but trying to get
rid of them subjects you to substantial risk of creating serious
problems..

I have System Mechanics, WinUtilities, TuneUp Utils,
and CC. Any particular recommendation?

Yes. I strongly recommend that you stay far away from all of those and
do not use them. The risk is much greater than any potential benefit.

What about the actual program
folders? Remove manually if they do not show up in add/remove programs?

Yes, you can do that.

2. How about the new programs? Just reinstall? Uninstall manually and then
reinstall?

Sorry, I don't understand that question. Can you clarify what you
mean, please?

 

[HeyBub]

Thanks Peter. But these old entries in the registry (for the software
uninstalled);
wouldn't they potentially cause a conflict, especially if the new
version of the
software is installed?
No.

What about just the clutter?

What about it? The system doesn't care, so neither should you.

Or increase
registry size?

The size of the registry is irrelevant.

And finally: how about these tools (e.g., System Mechanics, etc):
don't they actually clean or defrag registry, possibly provide for
better performance?

With what part of "Do not touch the Registry" are you have trouble?

There is NOTHING that can be done to the registry, by you or any program,
that will improve performance. Do not jack with the registry! Fussing with
the registry gains nothing but can cause a catastrophic failure.