Do you really need that registry cleaner ?

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by eyes-open, Mar 7, 2006.

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  1. eyes-open

    eyes-open Registered Member

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    Do you really consider a registry cleaner to be an essential shotgun tool ?

    I see these threads asking for & offering recommendations. Fine, I'll accept there is a sliding scale of both efficacy & safety that some will find themselves consistently being rated positively or negatively with. As a consumer satisfaction survey - great. As empirical evidence that users actually benefit from unfocused use of these applications - not so much. You will however get the occasional sob story (even allowing for various methods of backing up the registry).

    I can see the value in using them as a targeted resource. You may believe that an entry from an older version of a program is adversely affecting a new install. Regedit hasn't helped you find what you want - you can't work out what you've overlooked. So running a comprehensive search with a cleaner might highlight such entries.... ok cool with that, I like targeted work.

    Taken from Ed Bott's Blog

    I find that I'm increasingly being sucked into the camp of the sceptic when it comes to the promotion of these tools. Often I feel they are seen as an alternative to becoming more familiar with the registry - rather than a 'partner' in the process.

    Just a thought .......
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2006
  2. Rmus

    Rmus Exploit Analyst

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    No, and I agree with the blog excerpt.

    ---
     
  3. jwcca

    jwcca Registered Member

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    I bought a well known cleaner to fix a problem where my CD & DVD drives 'disappeared' but it did not solve the problem. Several months after a reformat/reinstall I found a tip here on Wilders that pointed me to http://www.klitetools.com where I found a *free* solution, Roxiozap. I used it to 'clean' an old backup, just out of curiosity, and it worked. The cleaner that I bought obviously doesn't look at the entire registry. I haven't bothered with the cleaner since then, and won't renew the annual subscription.
    jim
     
  4. eyes-open

    eyes-open Registered Member

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    Shoulda named this thread something more challenging huh ?

    Maybe 'Hey noobie - what ya gonna do with all that junk ?' ;) (can anybody else hear the Black Eyed Peas ?).

    Okay - the challenge continued - yet again I'm not talking about the targeted application of these tools - I'm talking about the 'fingers crossed' press a button stuff. In the quote below from Mark Russinovich he is responding to the idea of his creating such a program.

    http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/registry-junk-windows-fact-of-life.html


    I'm not on a crusade, I have no-one particular in mind and don't consider the registry to be an off limits area.

    It's just one of those things that began to niggle and I wanted to present another viewpoint. Guess I don't think a recommendation based on "it hasn't done me wrong yet" is the coolest way to promote a program that removes registry entries.....but that seems to be the way these things are often spread.

    regards
    eyes-open
     
  5. TonyW

    TonyW Registered Member

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    It's not so much about whether the debris will slow down your system, it's more to do with getting rid of redundant entries that aren't properly removed by so-called uninstallers. I realise that leaving them there isn't going to do anything as they have nothing to point to, but they shouldn't be there.
     
  6. hollywoodpc

    hollywoodpc Registered Member

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    TonyW is absolutely correct on this . :cool: One thing to note is that they WILL slow you down over time . Maybe a long time but , better to keep it clean than wait for problems later .
     
  7. eyes-open

    eyes-open Registered Member

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    If you're arguing that there is some benefit to be had from being able to follow up an uninstall with a targeted check - already said I'm more than fine with that. A good example would be in Mark Russinovich's blog where he notes that remnants can be a particular issue if a program has spanned more than one User Acct. I stated that a cleaner could be a help in identifying these entries where a manual regedit search may have failed. So I'm totally for the concept of a managed registry.

    That's different from promoting a registry cleaner because it is really good and does a really deep check and finds loads of stuff......bearing in mind that another person will complain the same program is aggressive and messed up their machine.

    It is the value/risk of mass cleaning pitted against the threat of the perceived problem that I find increasingly suspect.

    If you say it is a user issue and they we don't always make good decisions - then yes, absolutely - which is partly why I question the ease, almost complacency with which they are promoted....yet again given what I am led to believe is the actual impact of clutter on performance.

    I'm not going to argue the point about clutter slowing down the machine - if Ed Botts & Mark Russinovich can't convince you that the affect of clutter is so negligible as not to impact noticably and make the untargeted use of a cleaner worthwhile - then nothing I will say will impact. Particularly as I'm relying on their expertise to make my argument....;)

    Now thank me for having deleted the next 3 paragraphs.


    regards

    eyes-open
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2006
  8. hollywoodpc

    hollywoodpc Registered Member

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    I am not the least bit impressed by what they think . They can opinionate all they wish . Bottom line is , the registry can become cluttered . More for some than others , but , I agree it should not be all that bad . BUT , keeping it clean will help to keep your system from locking up , slowing down , drWatson kicking in and so forth . So , use one if you wish . If you do not believe in them , so be it . Makes no difference . As eyes open stated before , the user makes choices . Well , the consumer has to decide if they want to use one or not . For the advanced computer user , it is a good utility to have even though we can edit the registry manually . But , an advanced user can find the cleaners that are safe to use as well .
    I apologize but, I have no idea what eyes open point was in the last post .
     
  9. eyes-open

    eyes-open Registered Member

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    No sweat hollywoodpc it was just a poor throwaway line brought on by the decision to delete 3 fairly detailed paragraphs that were written at the end of a very long day.........
     
  10. Howard Kaikow

    Howard Kaikow Registered Member

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    No cleaner will do a complete job.

    I doubt that ANY cleaner is 100% safe to use.

    I use WinDoctor in Norton Utilities (run from CD-ROM) and choose what I am willing to delete/modify, but that still leaves lots of crap behind.

    Also WinDoctor is perilous on multiboot systems as it suggests files that are installed under another OS on the same PC.
     
  11. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    Hello,
    I like registry cleaners. Some of them anyway.
    I do feel a difference in response (sluggishness) before and after a cleaning.
    Mrk
     
  12. Howard Kaikow

    Howard Kaikow Registered Member

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    Yes, if the cleaner does not toast your system, you should indeed feel a difference in response, but, and I do have a big butt, how do you know that th ecleaner has not made improper changes that just are lurking until some day when they will cause a problem.

    It's OK to let a cleaner inform you of issues, but dangerous to allow automatic fixing by the cleaner. The benefits do not outweigh the risks.
     
  13. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    Hello,
    Until I screw up, I'll continue doing it. So far, I have not screwed up.
    Mrk
     
  14. NGRhodes

    NGRhodes Registered Member

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    I personally have used a registry cleaner on 2K to remove programs that have not uninstalled cleanly on occasion.
    In XP I have not needed to so far (in the 18 months I've been using XP). Backups and system restore have been utilised on the occasion I have needed to get rid of rogue software.
     
  15. Howard Kaikow

    Howard Kaikow Registered Member

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    It is not YOU who will be screwing up, rather it would be the cleaner software and you might not even know it has happened for some time.
     
  16. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    Hello,
    I've been using registry cleaners (a total of 6 or 7 types) on 7 pcs, used them since 2001, cleaned zillions of registry items. Never had a critical issue with any of them. Some did make small errors. Others are excellent.
    Mrk
     
  17. hollywoodpc

    hollywoodpc Registered Member

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    ;)
    ;) ;) ;) Back at ya . I just was not getting it . lol . Keep rolling eyes !:)
     
  18. pojispear

    pojispear Registered Member

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    little over a year ago, i was getting BSOD every 5 min. trial of Registry Mechanic 5 fixed all that. i don't even run it anymore but it worked
     
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