Suggestions For a Good Registry Cleaner

I am curious about what registry cleaner program would be the easiest to use. I have tried RegSupreme, RegCleaner and jv16PowerTools (which are pretty much the same), but because these programs list every registry key that is invalid, obsolete, etc, I'm not sure if if it is safe to delete EVERYTHING that these programs find. There are many entries that I'm not sure that I need or are vital for the programs that have. Many entries that I see have to do with things that I have never heard of and I wonder if these keys are essential for some programs that I have.

I have also tried Advanced Uninstaller Pro which finds unused keys, invalid CLSIDs, etc, and automatically fixes these problems without having to actually see every entry.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx a bunch

 

Hello Mismis29

'AMRX' and I mentioned one called CC [CrapCleaner, LOL] in this thread.
I've posted some screenies and link there.

HERE

Give it a go... it also cleans TIFS, etc. and lots more with unwanted logs etc.

When I first used it, after running Temp cleaners, etc. it found a heap more as well.

I've used it on Registry no probs.

Cheers, TAS

edit: Just make sure you read thru the whole thread, as there is some good info there from some knowledgable folk. Give CrapCleaner a try and I am sure you will like it.

 

I just downloaded RegCleaner - seems relatively simple ... will see how it goes. it does have a backup feature.

 

Thanx for the suggestion Tassie Devils :-D It's much appreciated.

Is it safe to delete everything that the program finds to be useless, etc?

Thanx

 

I have always had luck with RegVac. There is an advanced mode and a novice mode and you will be shocked at what all it finds in its various modes. Wow. Great tool.
http://www.superwin.com/regvac.htm

John
Luv2BSecure

.

 

Is it safe to delete stuff deemed useless?

Well, generally speaking it is. But there are always exceptions to the rule.

Put it this way. It's probably best if you look thru each thing and see if you can determine if it's of no use to you.

Seeing as you have already tried several cleaners, it's obvious you are no novice to them, so it's up to you.

I, personally speaking, have never had a problem deleting all in RegSupreme [deep scan] and with CrapCleaner I've run it until there are no more errors in it with no troubles to my system.
Of course make sure you use any backup facilities in them.

Cheers, TAS

Cheers, TAS

 

I also heard of stories where people really messed up their system because of these tools, that's why I'm very careful with them, I did let RegCleaner (free version) automaticly clean my reg one time by mistake, I was really scared, but it didn't break anything.

 

I am using APK registry cleaner. Never anything went wrong on XP. A full scan however forces you to walk the dog because it takes about 25 minutes. Dog happy and you happy.
It is free and you can download it from here:
http://www.ntcompatible.com/story29005.html

 

Uh Oh Gerard mahteeeeeeeeee .... now you've piqued my interest.

That does look like a pretty safe one to try if your screenie is anything to go by.

Thanks for the link.

Cheers, TAS

 

My opinion, and I have heard many people I respect say this, unless your system is starting to show signs of slowing down, there is no need to use a Registry cleaner; why would you need to if your pc is still just as fast. When the day comes that you feel you need to use one, only use one that will allow you to restore any changes that you have made. Good luck.

Acadia

 

It might be that you dont notice your system is slowing down as you use it every day. The same happens when I see myself in the mirror every day. I dont notice I am getting older. But when I see pics from some time ago ....... (and I can't restore anything)
For me personally I am using a regcleaner as part of planned maintenance. Like making backups, cleaning temp files, defragmentation etc. etc.
Regards,

Gerard

 

Tuneup 2004 has a registry cleaner in it. I use it and it seems to clean some stuff. I also use JV16 (older free version, never upgraded yet) and it does good. I also have RegSeeker just incase of that slow down and it's a back up to JV16 when I uninstall a program.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to cleaning the registry. I always clean off the programs that I no longer have on my computer. There's no sense in cleaning out the stuff you still have on your computer. If someone ask me what to clean I normally say this " You don't take all the water out of the fish tank if you still have fish in the tank."

 

I decided to try CCleaner(crapcleaner), but I can't seem to find any backup option. Does it even have a backup option? If it doesn't I guess I should get one that does since it would be safer.

 

Hi mismis29

Yes, in the Registry cleaning it does for back up..

Scan for Issues
Right click, select all.. or whatever you want to select.
Click Fix Selected Issue...

You then get the backup option you see in screenie...

TAS

 

TAS,

Thank you for letting me know how to back up in CCleaner

In regards to your reply about deleting the 'useless' items:

I think I mentioned before that many items that were found that were deemed obsolete, useless, etc., I have no idea if I need them or not. Many of the items found refer to programs that I do have and use (i.e. Word, Excel, Ad-Aware, Norton, games). Items found regarding these programs are:
'Invalid Uninstaller Ref' ; 'Help File Missing' ; 'Shortcut to Missing File' ; 'ActiveX/COM Issue'; 'OpenWith Application'; etc. It also seems to find a lot of 'Invalid File Extension' items.

By the way, I also have RegSupreme as a backup, and this program seems to find a lot more problems than CCleaner. What do you think is up?

As always, I greatly appreciate any feedback that you can provide

 

Hi,
It depends on ur how much knowlegde u have in window registery.

If u are a beginner, I recommend Registry Mechanic, which is completely automatic, means u don't don't need any registery knowledge to use it.

If u are an advanced user jv16powertools is recommended, as it's a manually configured tool, and has more options, So u want have any surprise, like when u will be using automated cleaning registery.

In any case, always use the backup option before starting the cleanup

Both can be downloaded from www.download.com

 

this isnt a recommendation, but has anyone tried easycleaner?
http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm
or HDCleaner?
http://home.tiscali.de/zdata/mainpage_e.htm

 

Hi mismis29....

I am by no means an Registry expert whatsoever, I just usually 'trust' the program and rely on backup if I need, which, luckily, has never happened to me.

See the screenshot of mine, that's all that was found in mine for that particular scan. [This is because I run regular scans].

Now, I've noticed those useless extensions also, and I just fixed the lot with no trouble.

In your original post you had said you've used RegCleaner, RegSupreme and jv16 PowerTools, which in particular is pretty heavy on cleaning, so I presume you were a bit conversant with them.

Personally, if I were you, the few little "extras" that CrapCleaner may find over RegSupreme would not be worth the bother.

If you have already done DeepScan with RegSupreme, then fixed what you found with no hassles, then the chances for the future are very good you will not have trouble, unless you install in particular NET.frame [XP]. [That's a different story, it will find and delete MS Windows Journal Viewer Registry entries which are needed by Acrobat].

Stick with CrapCleaner for the other stuff, and run RegSupreme for your Registry.

Cheers, TAS

 

dear iceni60, i used HDCleaner and liked everything about it except the interface.

thanks TAS, looks like you're in love with CC.

dear mismis29, no matter what product you use the registry errors are usually some path string or CLSID pointing nowhere. so there is nothing to repair and deleting makes sense. if you're comfortable with registry editing then open those entried and trace the problem. if you're sure then its safe to delete. usually there is no harm done by deleting entries but sometimes some programs rely on registry settings to create special folders. in that case that path will look like an error but deleting it might cause some problem. so make sure you know what you're deleting. i've found that Registry Mechanic is the safest, not that others are risky, its just that RM is safer.

 

thanks, AMRX. i'll keep that in mind, and will try it sometime

 

hi gerard
i agree using it as planned maintenace,and wish we could restore ourselves like files you have a good eve
rita

 

Thanx for the input everyone,your all really helpful

I guess I'll go ahead and give it try (of course I'll use the backup to be safe!). I think for now I won't delete anything that has to with programs I still have (i.e. Microsoft Office, Ad-Aware, Norton) just to be on the safe side. As for the rest of the found items, I'll back them up and hope for the best!

Thanx again.

 

Thanks for starting a very interesting and useful thread, mismis29.

gerardwil : I won't re-quote your comment of 17th Aug, as ritaann has just done so, but you've given me the best laugh that I've ever had in any forum!!! .

iceni60 - I use easycleaner , & just to put it in context, my personal views on all three registry editors that I use:

easycleaner (freeware)- absolutely blistering detection of "unnecessary" & "duplicate" files; I don't use it for registry editing as such, preferring to rely on Registry 1st Aid & CCleaner for that; probably not for beginners, even with Helpfile assistance, in my opinion.

Registry 1st Aid (commercial download)- pretty thorough with registry errors, & default settings trigger you to create a System Restore point, & err on the side of caution when it comes to deleting entries; I think that both beginners & advanced users can use this, as beginners can take the view that they won't alter any non-'delete' prompts to 'delete', until they're more comfortable with editing; A very useful feature is being able to search the registry for unwanted entries - necessary when removing Antivirus program tracks, I've found, as AVs really dig their teeth into your sensitive bits.

CCleaner (freeware) I've never had any problems with; it can find registry errors that Reg 1st Aid isn't set up to look for ("Uninstallers"); I've always deleted everything that it has found, without problems. However, prompted by Reg 1st Aid, I've taken to creating System Restore points before deleting anything with easycleaner or CCleaner that I'm uncertain about.

mismis29 : your safety-first approach definitely makes sense to me, so Good Luck.

 

Kwesi - Thanx. I figured I might as well ask for assistance with this, and I knew I'd get a lot of different advice

I've come to the conclusion that I'm too much of a computer illiterate to be using registry cleaner programs. I'm just paranoid of deleting something that I may need. I like to have as clean a computer as possible, but it seems so nerve-racking. I guess I'm still too new when it comes to things like this.

Everybody has their own ideas and preferences, which is great, but on the other hand, it can be very confusing. The only thing I can do, I suppose, is try it and hope my computer doesn't crash! LOL

Thanx again everyone. You guys are awesome