Registry Cleaner for XP

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by TomAZ, Sep 24, 2014.

  1. The Seeker

    The Seeker Registered Member

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    Precisely. Only use a registry cleaner if you know the function of every key/value the program intends on removing, and whether it is safe to do so.
     
  2. luciddream

    luciddream Registered Member

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    Without getting into an argument over whether it's better to, or not to use one, I can recommend Auslogics Registry Cleaner. I've used it for years and never had any ill effects. Just DON'T check the top two entries under "Scan Settings" regarding removable drives. Also I recommend using an older/legacy version, like v2.2, before they started adding a bunch of adware into the installer. Since you're on XP little (if anything) in the updates affects you as a user anyway, but is targeted at newer OS's.

    I also disagree that using them makes no difference. Keeping a clean registry can affect system stability (for the better). Also, on a dated OS with limited RAM (which may apply to you), while this tweak alone may make no noticeable difference in regards to performance, when you combine a ton of other tweaks along with it it most certainly can. No one tweak will make the naked eye notice an improvement in responsiveness. But 1000 of them together certainly will.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2014
  3. luciddream

    luciddream Registered Member

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    I also recommend Revo Uninstaller. It's technically a 3'rd party uninstaller, not a registry cleaner, but it cleans up left over traces from an uninstalled program (including keys) very well in the process. The Free version is fine. I use a legacy version of that as well (1.9.2). If you have trouble finding it PM me and I'll try to get that to you as well as the old version of Auslogics R.C. I'm sending to you.

    There are several different levels of intensity (of sorts) when using the uninstaller, from standard (just like the built in MS one), to advanced, which really digs for related keys to remove. I've heard before that it's dangerous to use the latter, but I use it all the time and have never run into any problems as a result. But figured I'd inform you just the same.

    Another tip to keep your system more stable: After removing keys shutdown your computer to make the changes stick, and unplug it for 2 minutes to clear the memory too. Then when you boot back up do a defrag. Taking some extra time to do these things can make the difference between having a stable/responsive box and a glitchy one you want to toss out the window.
     
  4. Feandur

    Feandur Registered Member

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    In the old days I would use Toni Art's EasyCleaner, but I vaguely remember excluding some things in the exclusion list.
    More recently I used Vit Registry Fix free.

    In both cases I manually checked for names of apps' I knew were no longer on my system before selecting them for removal.

    Always felt I was treading on dangerous ground. There was a 'saying' doing the rounds at the time:

    'Don't clean the tank if the fish are still swimming'.

    feandur.
     
  5. wat0114

    wat0114 Registered Member

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    Back in the day, as the saying goes, I used to use NTREGOPT for Windows XP registry cleansing. It would find lots of entries and never once broke the registry. However, I confess I was really hard pressed to notice any performance benefits it may have afforded me.
     
  6. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    Anything that alters the registry brings some amount of risk with it. If you back up the existing registry with a utility like ERUNT before you start cleaning, the risk is eliminated.
     
  7. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Not necessarily, what if you don't notice the mistake and let the backups become outdated?
     
  8. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    The free verison does not have 64 bit support. Free Uninstall It does have 64 bit support but often does not find as many leftovers as Revo does. However, it is better than others like Geek Uninstaller/Uninstall Tool and Iobit Uninstaller.
    You should always check any found leftovers before deleting them as it is fairly common for data not belonging to the program being uninstalled to be identified.

    This is pointless - it will have no effect on deleted registry keys.
     
  9. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Just tried CCleaner, safe enough to delete a legitimate startup entry...
     
  10. safeguy

    safeguy Registered Member

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    We've been through this topic countless times. People who have no idea how the registry works think that registry cleaners are automated tools that qualify them to become registry "surgeons".
    How does that sound to you?

    Confidence or a blind leap of faith?

    Tinker all you want but don't expect some sort of magical performance boost. You are far better off investing the time to manage your startup entries and whatever unnecessary processes running in the background.
     
  11. ichito

    ichito Registered Member

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    Probably to many deliberations about performance...nobody in our discussion is trying to defend opinion how registry cleaning is excellent in this topic. For sure registry cleaners can be useful and efficient when we try to avoid some specific problems...of course if we use them wisely and carefully.
     
  12. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    A placebo. 30% of the population respond to a placebo.
     
  13. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    Exactly. When the publishers of registry cleaners do all they can to mislead people in believing that registry errors are very harmful, then even when a computer runs no better after cleaning the registry, people have been fooled in to believing that is was a good thing to remove all those hundreds of "errors."
     
  14. Hadron

    Hadron Registered Member

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    Fix it until it's broken.
     
  15. safeguy

    safeguy Registered Member

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    Well, I guess the words registry "cleaner" and "errors" are misleading and powerful enough to trick end users.
    It almost caters to the inner desire to optimize our computer to an OCD degree.

    If we were to replace the words with registry "deleter with possible invalid entries but not entirely guaranteed", people might reconsider if it's wise to delete things which you have no clue about.

    Worse still, some people pay to use these programs and letting these tools blindly delete entries automatically or on schedule. Blows my mind away.
     
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