Is Registry Cleaning Software Safe To Use?

I agree about regseeker being too aggressive. It wants to remove "open with" keys which do not exist yet? Glarysoft finds less then ccleaner which isn't very helpful.

Wise can find categories which other cleaners do not even have but those extra categories are not on by default so i guess they are dangerous or not reccommended.

 

You betcha Kurchatovium, though if you must .... make registry backup's with ERUNT, and ONLY ERUNT. Sure it's been said with problem's simply restore from a previous save, *echo* - that's provided window's is willing to cooperate! What? Not in the mood? Then where? That's why it's in your computer's best interest to read the included erunt.txt, notably the section covering "emergency scenario's." Failing to plan well, as the adage goes, planning to fail! Preparation? Paramount!

GF

 

Excellent! In fact the question is... to work with ERUNT when we have "emergency scenario's"... Thanks for your advice/link.

BTW, until 20Dec2007 you can get for free the payware "PC Tools Registry Mechanic 6" (it have a optimize/compact feature like NTRegOpt). You need to install it and when RM is opened press "Register Free". After please follow the instructions... Download/info here.

 

The solution is easy. Install Ashampoo® UnInstaller Platinum 2 (http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/products/php/product.php?session_langid=20&idstring=0703)

This software completely monitors the files/registry keys installed by software installation programs. It does this, by making a snapshot of the file system and the registry database before an installation and after an installation. Then it does compare the two snapshots, and a log get's created with the exact record of the files being written to the filesystem and the registry keys being written to the registry database and the modifications done to existing registry values. In a nutshell, the log created, contains everything happened between the two snapshots. Thus, using this log file through the uninstall program, completely removes ANY trace of the software that you installed. It removes ANY file, and ANY registry key and also reverts/rolls back modification done to existing registry key values, so that they are restored to their original values, as it was before the installation. This is the BEST solution, as it is perfect and easy (the changes in the log are rock solid), completely removing the guesswork for the average user involved when using Registry Cleaners. Registry Cleaners aren't perfect. They use algorithm's, and mostly look in a few standard locations. They theoretically never can remove all the keys that are obsolete and even can give false positives. This Ashampoo® UnInstaller Platinum 2 can perfectly uninstall every application, but the downside is that with EVERY application you install, you need to make a snapshot before of your system status, and after the installation of your system status. But both snapshots only take at most 3 extra minutes. But you get rewarded with a rock solid uninstall log file, and you can even load the log in the uninstall program afterwards to see the differences made to your system in the filesystem as well as the registry db. Registry Cleaners suck you know why? Suppose every app installs 100 registry entries averagely. Even after 10 apps installed and uninstalled (with normal uninstallers) the registry cleaner only detects about 200 entries of the 1000 which is only 20% of the keys installed by the total 10 applications.

I do use Ashampoo® UnInstaller Platinum 2, and a registry repair software called Registry Drill by Easydesksoftware. Now this is the MOST advanced and comprehensive registry diagnose and repair utility with 20 utilities. It does not only have cleaners, but it also does have an Advanced drill feature that exports the entire registry, and then reads every value line of the registry. Then when it finds an error in the value, because of incorrect syntax, it reports for viewing. This whole process can take a few hours. But this application is for the real IT Pros and really can do the most complete registry repair I could think of if you can handle the program. (http://www.easydesksoftware.com/regdrill.htm)

BTW if you use the Ashampoo® UnInstaller Platinum 2 EVERY time you install an app, you never need to clean your registry with registry cleaners.
Only Registry Drill's other registry utilities than the cleaner could be useful, like the Advanced Deep Drill to correct values, and bad structures feature, and key permissions feature etc. Thats why I own this program too.

Best regards,
Mark

 

It's already proven that Uninstallers don't do a very good job and Ashampoo is no exception. That is just a personal choice and not the very best, because the foolproof uninstaller doesn't exist.

Uninstallers shouldn't even exist, if each software company was able to uninstall its OWN software, they make themselves even ridiculous.
Never fix a problem with a second software, if it can be fixed in the first software, because that is a stupid solution.
If a software creates 100 objects on your HDD, the uninstaller of the software has to remove 100 objects from your HDD, it's that simple and programmers who can't solve a simple problem aren't really good programmers.

 

If we were to insist on only running Windows programs that are guaranteed to uninstall every object they have ever installed...then we'd all have to write our own software. And I'm not that good a programmer, alas.

 

An uninstall software that really do as the Vendor promised has to be seen yet,in one way or another they fail, thats my experience and others here on Wilders with this stuff.

 

That is indeed THE problem and that is caused by sloppy programming, nothing else. Almost any software has a bad uninstaller and even specialized uninstallers don't solve the problem completely. So the problem has never been fixed.
The only software that does a complete uninstall is FDISR, but that is only good for new softwares, not for permanent installed softwares.

 

Yes but on the other end, leftovers are not that detrimental as most vendors like you would to believe. Some software packages have after uninstall still drivers running,these orphaned drivers can cause endless pain if you try to delete these stuff.Better contact the vendor how to do that.

 

An uninstaller will take care of these orphaned drivers also, IF it is good uninstaller and if it doesn't it is still a bad uninstaller and still a case of sloppy programming.

 

i don't argument that,your right in your opinion but since most softwares keep leftovers after uninstall,these leftovers have in no way that impact as vendors would like you to believe,its a myth preserved by themself to lure you in buying their stuff.For easy maintaining a sound registry better use freewares like Erunt and NTregopt.

One example of leftover driver in my case was after uninstalling PerfectDisk,after deleting this driver it killed my system !!

 

ZERO legitimate pro's warranting "automated" registry cleaning. Several, MS MVP's comment - PCReview

GF

 

Yes ! The voice of the people who KNOW !

 

Thought you'd get a kick Huupi. I was especially amused with Ted Zieglar's candor.

"Holly cow, Richard: What kind of software do you buy that causes 600 "errors" to appear in your registry? Maybe you ought to spend a little more and get the good stuff."

"Any performance improvement from the elimination of "X useless entries" exists in your head. You've bought into the hype, my friend. Big time."


GF

 

Sorry had not read totally through but the message is clear i guess.

 

Also the programmaker sometimes don't want his uninstallers to remove every reg key, for example they dont want their key to be removed thats causing the Trial version to end. If you uninstall the key will still exist and if you then reinstall the prog, the key/value, doesn't get overwrited, so the program still knows you have evaluated it. Ofcourse if that key is removed you can reinstall the trial and use it again.

 

The gains of registry cleaning (minimal at best) are far far outweighted by the possibility of damaging the registry.

 

An often overlooked advantage of registry cleaners is their ability to detect damage we do to our own systems.

A good example:

I routinely modify the start menu. I just prefer that all entries be under "all users" and I like to have the structure different than what Microsoft would have it be. So, I create directories/folders and move things around as I see fit. All well and good, except that there are programs that record in the registry where certain entries are in the start menu. A registry cleaner finds these, detecting them as missing links usually. I then use REGEDIT to modify the registry entries to point to where I moved them to so that subsequent invocations of the registry cleaner software will not continue to flag them as errors.

So, just accepting the cleaner's findings is not always the right thing to do!

 

Hi, is there any gain in moving things around the way you do,perhaps its usefull in this instance to use it for redirecting but then you have to have a sound knowledge of the registry to do such things, so for my and most common people its better to stay away from these potentially dangerous stuff.

 

I agree. I always have the average user in mind (the majority), when I try to solve a problem, not the knowlegdeable user. Even when I was a true expert, I would do the same thing.

 

There is no "danger" in rearranging the Start Menu. It is just a set of folders containing shortcuts. And it is really only an inordinate attention to detail that makes me want to align the stray registry entries; in reality, allowing the cleaner to remove them would also be harmless.

 

thats only part of my quote you answered. i also questioned [just curious] the reason to move these things around,is there any benefit if any to do so in terms of performance,security etc.

Which registry tweaks are save and which not.........yes will take some learning but here you are dealing mostly with the lesser educated then you yourself are and anything saying for granted about these stuff is not always that obvious for us.

It reminds me of Eriks saying about the AVERAGE people in mind !!

 

I rearrange the start menu because it makes it easier for me to use it. The PC is a Personal Computer, after all! So I guess the answer is yes, there is a performance benefit. However, it benefits my performance, not necessarily the PC's performance.

 

Everyone that's going to do things with the registry should read this info first: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/en-us
Besides editing with regedit, you can also edit within commandprompt by typing: ''reg(.exe)''
Also read the help included with Registry editor

 

Hello welcome on board !! In worst case scenario if you can't boot anymore how do you restore the registry , just curious.