Registry Cleaner/s... (?)

Have lately been looking at registry cleaner/s, but hesitate to get carried away: messing w/the registry, can be like a Fox reality show.
But still, I wondered: have enough of you here used any one reg. cleaner, that's safe & reliable, to *not* trash your setup?
And on this box w/WIN98se, I have good idea of what to backup as spare reg. files/copies, but I'd still like to know what *you* backup among the what I consider to be, critical files, before messing w/reg.
Thanks for info, SG1 (Pat)

 

Hello SG1
We are using jv16 RegCleaner. It has a backup feature so not to worry. RegCleaner is part of jv16 Power Tools but you can obtain it separately if you wish.
It is the best registry cleaner on the market. Click HERE for a comparison of many reg tools and how they rate in a test.

Find RegCleaner HERE. Just to let you know - the new version 1.4 should be released very soon so you may wish to watch for it.

Best wishes.

 

Hi, I use RegSeeker, http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm

 

At one time or another I have tried most and I stick with jv16 Power tools right now. The registry cleaner function works exceptionally well and is very safe to use.
You can choose to view what are called ignored entries, which are ones deemed not to be safe to remove without operator know how involved, but the items that show up in the green are safe to delete, and I have yet to have this program delete a useful entry.
In the circles I hang out in, I would guess that easily the majority of people use jv16 over other cleaners.

 

Hello SG1 !

Registry is the one better not to mess up for sure !! I am not convinced if there is 100 % trustworthy cleaner...but no matter which available cleaner you use, just make sure you find your registry backup and I mean WHOLE registry to backup....
1. launch regedit
2. " registry" -> "export registry"
3. now make sure the option " ALL" is checked in this window
4. select folder where export to or create a new, ( my favorite is on other partition)
5. click save
6. when necessary you double click the registry backup icon, answer OK and all is back.

I also have noticed that before cleaning those found " bad paths", I need to find if the exact path and file really doesn´t exist. And many times it is question about dll extension.

For example:
EasyCleaner finds a path named C:\Windows\system32\4exampl.dll, I need to search for the dll ( I use windows search file feature), , it was found in "system" folder, I go now launching registry editor and find out the registry path,....Now I have to change the correct path in registry and finally I run the cleaner one more time. The cleaner does not find it anymore, it´s fixed !
Sure there are many times those leftovers your puter doesn´t need anymore....never knows, so better keep them what was found.

Another thing about cleaners: never clean out duplicated files from your active partition. One more warning about jv16 tools is that when you are about to clean temp files only, it wipes all your partition c.....because you did not give it a exact path C:\Windows\Temp

be secure -Ari

 

Root;
Appreciate the info; I in fact have program you and others metnioned, but as stated earlier, I'd just been tad apprehensive about messing around deep "in the bowels" of the Registry. Call me a coward, who has a fairly stable PC, and who'd like to keep it that way! ;-)
Thanks for info, SG1 (Pat)

 

RegSeeker is a better choice, faster, accurate, just overall better than any other cleaner. Try them all if you like.

 

I forgot to tell I use except Jv16 but EasyCleaner and System Mechanic. they all are very good programs

 

root, we run in different circles, Jv16 just gets a thumbs down from my circles. Jv16 is always slow, not very accurate, and very buggy.

 

This comparision-card is out-of-date and therefore not reliable

 

Agreed but even on this old out of date test, ReSeeker rocked. It got a perfect score, this is an older version of RegSeeker also.

RegSeeker* 1.04 beta 420** 0

 

Test is old indeed, but it shows all the early betas of RegSeeker, none of them removed a valid registry entry, this by it's self proves even in early beta RegSeeker was very safe and accurate, the best choice indeed.

 

"New" is not always synonym with "improved".

I remember me some regcleaners with bugs in a "new" version, and messed up the registry.

Example: JV16 Powertools, there was a version who was doing the job to well and therefore demolating the registry, the present version 1.3 is OK.

Example: Registry First Aid, the present version 3 is OK but on the comparison-card of JV16 false/out-of-date information because v2.5 was tested.

About Regseeker 1.06 beta I can't speak, till yet no reliable (bug)reports about it, but the comparison-card has only tested an earlier version, this tells us nothing about the reliability of the present version 1.06b.

 

I have tried a few registry cleaners on my XP system.
jv16 Power Tools and RegSeeker are more thorough in my experience.

Some people(myself included)use two or more registry cleaners.

Regardless of what program you decide to use, follow Krusty's advice and copy the registry first.

I always make sure that the "backup" feature is enabled in any registry cleaner that I use.
I haven't had any problems with any registry cleaner yet.
But always remember a simple rule,"if you don't know what an item is,just leave it."
Registry cleaner programs can be beneficial in removing left-over traces of uninstalled programs.
That's my main reason for using this type of program.

jv16 Power Tools,RegSeeker,RegCleaner, they are all good programs IMO.

 

Differences of opinions aside, all programs are going to seem buggy on someones machine and work great on someone elses.
I will no longer involve myself in head to head battles with others about which program is better. I simply give my recommendation and reason, if I have one, and let others make their own choice.

This is a good time to bring up a program that has saved me from formatting and reinstalling or restoring images a hundred times, and it is much quicker and you do not have to go thru updating everything again. That program is WinRescue. With this program, you can back up your registry and whatever other files you want, and then go do some registry cleaning. If you clean too much, just restore your registry using WinRescue. It will make a boot disk for you also, in case you screw up the registry so bad you can't even boot to safe mode. I have done that in my younger days.
I also make a backup every time before I install a new program. That way if I install the program and decide I don't like it, I can uninstall it immediately and then restore the copy of the registry I made. No new leftovers created in the registry from a bad uninstaller.
Unfortunately the program is not free, but it is some of the best money I ever spent for my computer.
Sure takes the pressure off cleaning the registry.

 

I know this isnt exactly a registry cleaner , but having decided sometime ago to keep out of my registry , till i understand these things better . I decided that due to the playing around and downloading of all the neat programmes out there , I had a need to try and clear up the pc on a daily basis and to keep it running clean and as smoothly as possible . I use Adios (free or donation) http://www.martinbeek.net/adios/
and also rather than a defrag once a week I have been using Diskeeper Lite (free version) daily http://www.grassheap.com/software.php?ID=4103 . There is a commercial version also but the free is great .

 

Hi Solarpowered candle!

Well, that sounds interesting...I went to the page and saw the program--it seems powerful-- I read the explanations. It looks very nice to me. It's just that I haven't seen that it was free for good. They said it free for 30 days... Maybe we have to register to get it for always. Do we?
Here some info I've got from the page:

"Adios! is NOT ?freeware? or ?shareware?. It is a commercial program that you can try out free for 30 days, after which you have to register or remove it from your PC. It?s not allowed to copy or distribute the program in any way, without the explicit written (not e-mail) permission from the author. By fully installing the program you agree with these simple terms and also with the usage license agreement that is shown during installation."

Also, very important to me, is there any backup option?

Have a nice day! Uguel

 

O wow , he must have changed it recently. sorry about that . i have the paid version ( $10 for a lifetime liscence0
I first heard about it here , im not sure whether any of the others still have it . http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=7291;start=0

There is no backup option . However amazingly enough i am still fine after using it constantly for 3 months solid .

I have found when I needed to communicate with Martin Beek, back when I first brought it , he was very fast with a email response ( within 12 hrs)

By the way Uguel, that was a cool joke the other day re the lady and the baptist church

 

Hi!
Oh Yeah? and what os have you got? Xp? 'cause sometimes it matters... I've got win xp and it's kinda fussing and we touch the system files...

It doesn,t matter, a lot of sites change their settings.One cannot know everything...esp. in this virtually changing world.
ANW 10$ isn't big deal when you're satisfied That's the amount one would give for a donation. 10 or 15$ That's ok

Thank you SPC! I've got many ones that hapened to me for real but I feel so weak thinking of them Must try to calm down and "behave" before posting them.

See Ya! uguel