Do I Need a Registry Cleaner? - Comments

Be very careful using RegSeeker. If you don't know what you are doing, don't use it. I used it to clean my registry and had to reinstall my OS. CCleaner can kill your OS, too. Just be careful and you "should" be OK.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you set a System Restore point prior to the cleaning, then a System Restore should undo any damage done.

Bob, I have been reading you comments re registry clearners and the need for them for many months. I downloaded RegSeeker and found they also recommended not using their product unless knowing what you are doing. That leads me to ask: 'Can you recommend a solid reference book that explains in understandable language the basic structure of the registry?' RegSeeker clearly shows what is not used, but I don't know if it is safe to delete not used items. So people like me are in a kind of catch-22 -- can't move forward and can't get out of the 'icky goo' you talk about. TIA for your recommendation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I have not read any books on the Windows registry, but a Google search for "windows registry books: turned up a few that seem interesting. As mentioned earlier, System Restore can undo any changes you make to the registry.

Bob - I have been using Wise Registry Cleaner and Wise Disk Cleaner from WiseCleaner.com. Both of these programs are FREE and have done a quick and easy job of it, for me at least. Plus they are ad free and spyware/malware free.

http://www.wisecleaner.com/

I had read about their programs on one of my computer newsletters and tried them out. Since, this is not something that I do daily, but only about once a month or so, they work fine. Now, if, I were to do a LOT of Internet downloading and beta-ing (sp?), I would use both more frequently.

I still find one of the best 'boost' for PC speed-ups is Defragmentation, cleaning out uselss folders and programs that you no longer use and when it really gets bad, re-format your hard drive or purchase another hard drive.

Several family members and friends now use the large capacity External Hard Drives. Just doing this really saves them time and energy, plus gives them a speed boost. I am looking for one, for my own use.

ToniArts "EasyCleaner". Much more sophisticated than CC.
http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm

Hi Bob --- what about Vista??? Registry cleaner needed... if so, which recommended?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I don't think the registry is changed (structurally) in Vista. RegSeeker and CCleaner both say they work with Vista.

As a long-time Tourbus rider (more than 10 years) I've come to trust your advice. So I installed and used RegSeeker to clean my registry. I figured I know enough about the registry (I've done hacks). RegSeeker came back with more than 700 registry entries to be deleted, and I checked 3-4 to verify that they were legit. I had it delete everything it listed, but immediately found my default settings messed up, and Adobe very upset about not being able to access one of its keys.

So I went to restore the backup I had (of course!) made, and discovered (1) there is no obvious way to do a restore, and (2) there is no Help in RegSeeker. Rooting around online, I found this entry from a moderator in the Piriform forum:

Andavari: is there a particular reason you stopped using RegSeeker?

Yes. I have better things to do than track down every so-called "invalid" reference it finds which has turned into a very unappealing chore, especially when much of the stuff found wasn't even invalid to begin with so it was a waste of time, thus the bore compliment I made several posts up from this one. ...
Although it seems the customized exclude.ini file is a tidbit more popular than I could have imagined as a Google search turned up multiple pages it's mentioned in, and one person surprisingly stated it made RegSeeker 10x safer to use, wow. Anyways I just hope the developer of the program takes charge in making it even at least 20x safer because with the default exclude.ini it's dangerous especially if people delete everything it lists. (http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=7196)

I'm afraid this has undermined my trust in the Tourbus - wish you guys would do a little background work before recommending software!

EDITOR'S NOTE: RegSeeker does make backups of deleted registry entries, if you select the "Backup before deletion" checkbox. I just downloaded a fresh copy, and the box is checked by default. Just double-click on a .REG file in Windows Explorer and it will undo the action.

You can also undo everything with a System Restore. But I thank you for the research into potential RegSeeker problems. I will update the article with your findings.

I've used many registry cleaners. RegCure seems to be one of the best, but last week I found the best and it's free Ccleaner. So far, I've had enough confidence (or stupidity) to just let it do it's thing. It cleans out all the junk files as well as the registry. Using any of the others, my computer has always gained a little speed, but since using Ccleaner, it is running just as fast as when it was new.

Bob: I too have used TOURBUS for over 10 years and tend to see you guys as 'the bible' on computer stuff...imagine my disappointment upon trying to accept your recommendation of CCleaner. You failed to mention that u cannot install this software without also accepting Yahoo Toolbar along with it. While I realize the makers of CCleaner have to live and eat, I wasn't happy with being forced to accept another thing I definitely DON'T want, so I didn't accept/install CCleaner and am back at square one looking for a free, well constructed, user friendly registry cleaner.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Butch, the Yahoo Toolbar is OPTIONAL when you install CCleaner. I noted in the license agreement that it is specified as an optional component, but even if you missed that, the next screen gives you a list of items to check/uncheck for the install. Uncheck the Yahoo Toolbar, and you have CCleaner free and clear.

There is NO evidence that using a registry cleaner does anything to improve performance. The ONLY place you will find this type of "evidence" is on web sites that are trying to get you to buy their product. The PC does NOT get slow due to the registry getting larger, or because there are keys present that are no longer used. Any technician worth their salt, will NOT recommend the use of a registry cleaner and will sway people away from them. This is a good read on the dangers of using one: http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=643

EDITOR'S NOTE: As my science teacher used to say, the proof is in the pudding, or rather the eating thereof. I've experienced significant startup and performance gains after registry cleaning, and quite a few people have written to me saying the same thing. It makes sense... if your registry is telling Windows to load a file, and it has to search various paths to find that it doesn't exist, you will see a slowdown. Even Ed Bott (who I've always respected) is not quite so down on registry cleaners. In the article you reference, he includes a quote from George Ou who says that CCleaner "does make the system a little more responsive. You don’t get as many unexplained pauses."

Please note that the quote from George Ou on CCleaner is NOT about using the Registry Cleaning portion. I think it would be impossible to run a Registry Cleaner and remove 1 GB of junk. You have taken the quote out of context to support running a cleaner. Not completely kosher!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I don't want to have a public argument with you, but does it seem reasonable that George Ou would run CCleaner and NOT use the registry cleaner that's built in to it? I don't think so. The bottom line is this: many people DO benefit by running a registry cleaner. And for the record, I don't make a penny if people download RegSeeker or CCleaner. I just recommend them because I and many others have found them beneficial.