registry scan 2

[shopwise]

would you say doing a registry scan and cleanup is necessary maintenance for pc performance? If yes, what is a recommended utility for accomplishing this? Any precautions to be noted such as backing up the registry prior to performing any actions via the software?

 

[kjv1611]

Necessary? Probably not. I've read arguments both ways. I've also seen benefits on some systems, and no benefits on others.

Recommendations? Use one or all of the following programs (free):
CCleaner
IOBit Advanced System Care
Glary Utilities

Download from

http://www.download.com

Advanced System Restore sets restore points for you, a good idea just in case - though I've yet to see any issues on any system with this one.

CCleaner has a Registry cleaner, and does create back-ups of the registry (you name it, and have to allow the backup) before making any changes. With CClenaer, I once saw a minor issue, but nothing worth worrying about - it was related to one cheezy hunting game.

Glary Utilities does have ways to backup some of what it removes/changes, I think, but I don't remember what/how it does so. Then again, this is another app I've run on several machines, and not one hint of trouble.

 

[goombawaho]

Never seen an issue with CCleaner, but I always save a backup of the changes BEFORE fixing. Run it several times until no errors - save backup each time.

It's usually more necessary to clean the registry if you do a lot of add/remove programs, which leaves more junk in the registry versus if you install what you need and leave your PC pretty much static.

 

[gbaughma]

I agree with the vote for CCleaner. Great piece of software.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[Noway2]

I add my vote to CC being an excellent tool. I also use Eusign for registry cleaning only. It too offers a backup option, which is a good move to be safe. I have used it for several years and it has never given me an issue.

It is amazing, though, just how much zombie crap winds up in the registry. I haven't noticed a performance improvement after cleaning it out, but sometimes it is necessary to get rid of persistant annoyances and things that don't completely uninstall.

 

[mscallisto]

Not scientifically proven but at times it seems like CCleaner has made a performance difference.

And yes CCleaner can create a backup.

BTW as a safe practice rule I always create a backup via regedit in addition, and always create a backup before program installations.

sam

 

[kjv1611]

Noway2,

So you've used which tool by Eusign? When I went to

http://www.eusign.com/,

it seems they've got a variety of tools. If it hadn't of been mentioned here, I'd of thought it was one of those typo pages... one where you mean to type ebay.com, but get ebat.com - not a specific example, but one I could see happening... anyway, that's what their site looked like to me.

 

[kjv1611]

Whoops! Nevermind, ignore my last post. That IS one of those typo sites, b/c The program is Eusing, not Eusign..

Here's the real website:

http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleaner/registry_cleaner.htm

 

[Nocandu]

Hi

I vote for CCleaner too!
I use it every day to clean the junk out of my computer.
I run the Registry checker about once a week.

Mike

 

[BadBigBen]

I got two issues with this post...

one:

This thread has nothing at all to do with Hardware...


and two:

none of the mentioned Reg Cleaners allow editing before fixing... in other words you place all the faith into the programmers hands to have done the right choosing of how to fix the issues, if any...

I prefer using Reg Healer, it allows me to see what gets fixed and how it gets fixed, before hand...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[kjv1611]

BadBigBen,

Can you give a link for that program? It's such a general name, that it'd be easy to go to a wrong source.

 

[kjv1611]

And yes, BBB, I know I didn't think about it. This would have best been started in the correct Windows forum.

shopwise,

For future purposes, it'd be best to post Windows-related issues/questions in the Windows fora associated with the particular version of Windows you are running.

You can find the various OS forums (mostly Windows) here:

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadforum.cfm?lev3=70

 

[BadBigBen]

KJV1611,

it is a commercial application, and sorry for not posting the link, Trial is free and there is no time limit only a fix limit...

and it is at present not 64bit compatible...


Registry Healer

http://www.zoneutils.com/regheal/index.htm

I only use it if ALL ELSE fails!


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[kjv1611]

Thanks for the reference, and the link. I'll have to give it a try sometime, if I don't forget.

 

[Sympology]

And BBB is incorrect about CCleaner. When doing a regscan, you can deselect anything you don't want to remove.
As for cleaning up drive space, well you choose what things you want removed in advance (and you can do a prescan to see what will be removed).

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

 

[kjv1611]

That's true. CCleaner shows you the full detail, and if you prefer, you can go through each entry, one at a time. However, I've yet to have issues just saying "go get 'em". Glary and ASC both just automatically work. I can see the concern there, and I've had some concern in the past.

However, if I had to depend upon my own programming, and not depend upon others' programming for various functions in life, I'd be driving my 2 feet, probably never even progressing beyond punch card computers if that, more likely just a notepad and pencil. At some point, we've got to depend upon others for their engineering, programming, etc.

Anyway, just thinking this morning.

 

[BadBigBen]

allow editing before fixing

hmmm... deselecting I guess could be considered a form of editing... and yes CCleaner and a few others allow to deselect, but what I meant was, can you see what, how, etc. it is going to do, to said Reg entry (obviously deselecting does nothing to the entry) and can you influence the fix other than to allow it to do its thing...

let's take this scenario, for instance, you had moved an installed program from the System partition (C and moved it to another partition (D, and deleted it from C: ...

if I am wrong please correct me, but most Registry Cleaners would flag all those orphaned REG entries, to said program, as defunct and will delete them, where as RegHealer would suggest to change them to the new location...

you also have more control over changes that are being made to the registry, but the price you pay is sitting in front of hundreds of issues going through them with a fine toothed comb...



[blue]Disclaimer:[/blue]

NO I have no stock in the company that wrote the program, nor am I the programmer, nor do I receive kickback etc...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[kjv1611]

but the price you pay is sitting in front of hundreds of issues going through them with a fine toothed comb...

Yeah, that's why I generally prefer the one-click 'n' run programs. The time it'd take me to manually comb through the issues like that would cost more for those I do work for (on the side) than it'd be worth. Besides that, I've enough "boring" work I guess. At my full time job, I'm a data analyst in the legal/compliance department. So, it isn't exactly exciting stuff I deal with 99.99% of the time.

Although... I will go and do a one or two registry key type fix if/when need be; I just don't want to comb through tons of logs for every reg scan or PC problem. Lazy? Maybe. But so is an automatic transmission.

 

[apukjij]

I use RegSeeker, its by far the best one out there:

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/RegSeeker/1035382760/1

but no matter what program you use i would recommend never delete any "Extension Not Used" entry.

 

[apukjij]

sorry english is not my first language, what i meant to state in my previous post was if there a setting to exclude extension not used, i would always check that.