Win 98 - Cleaning registry help

I am currently running Windows 98 and recently downloaded RegSeeker. Anyone familiar with RegSeeker and/or recommend another free registry cleaner program? Also is there other freeware programs that will clean out "ALL" temporary files.

I hope I am posting this in the right area, I figured since I am running Windows 98, that this would be the best place.

When I downloaded and ran RegSeeker, it found 500 unnecessary items, so I selected backup before deleting the unncessary items, but once I deleted the, I cannot view the backup file to see what was removed, without reinstalling the whole session.

Thanks.

 

The reality of Registry Cleaners

The bad news is that most registry cleaners avaliable for free download are crippled, either only 1000 fixes , 1 week or some other limit. History Cleaners are the same case when it comes to freeware.

 

How about Shop Vac the Windows Registry? Written by yours truly

Edit: Just going over the code, and it seems there are mistakes which I can't edit out.
If you're interested in this process, let me know, and I'll post the CORRECT code here.
DO NOT attempt to use the code on that page!

 

Actually, besides RegSeeker, there are some good free RegCleanProgs which are fully functional (please note that I'm running XP, so you'll have to check that the following progs are applicable to 98):

-Microsoft's "RegClean 4.1a" should be suitable for you. It's no longer supported by MS (not recommended for XP, for 1 thing) & I forget where I got my copy, but it should be easy to find by 'Googling';

- "CCleaner" is available @ http://www.ccleaner.com/. It does a mild reg scan but has excellent file cleaning abilities (it doesn't make backups of files but reg backup is optional);

- "EasyCleaner" @ http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm also does file & reg cleans but be careful w/this one;

- "HDCleaner" @ http://home.tiscali.de/zdata/mainpage_e.htm does reg, file, & a whole lot more;

-the old free version of "jv16 Power Tools" is still one of my favorite freebee RegProgs. It's still available somewhere (again, I forget), but not @ jv16.org / Macecraft (where the pay version now resides);

-another old freebee (also by Jouini Vuorio, the creater of "jv16 ") is "RegCleaner ". It's also been taken over by Macecraft (altho w/a name change) but is still available somewhere.

If you chose to run multiple RegCleanProgs, you should be aware that changes made in 1 prog often unveil further entries in another. This can make looking for the right key to restore if you have a problem a real headache. [With the exception of the MS cleaner, I regularly run all of the above programs & a whole lot more. I manage to avoid some of the confusion because (other than entries which are useless - you'll learn to recognize which ones they are) I use these tools mainly to hunt down potential problems for a manual fix - better to fix'm than to waste'm, I figure.] It's best to run 1 program repeatedly until its results don't change, & then check things out before you make changes w/another prog. However, running an array of progs just to look over the results can give you a much better feel for the situation than running 1 prog alone.

RegSeeker stores its backup files in C:\Program Files\RegSeeker\Backup. Right clicking on them & hitting "Edit" will show you what they are. One thing you should do to avoid having to replace a whole whack of unneccesary keys is to either delete entries 1 @ a time or in groups of related items.

Hope this helps ... & be careful (everyone's system is different so, unless you're dealing with a truly useless key, you can never be sure what's going to happen ... even the 'safest' prog may occasionally mess something up).

 

RegCleaner by Jouni Vuorio Free Version Download site

 

OK, so I lied ... I didn't really 'forget' - I was just too lazy to search thru my LinksFile jungle. Finally decided to take a look & it wasn't that bad so here you go:

- "jv16 Powertools 1.3.0.195 (last uncrippled Freeware version)" is available @ http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/ (& so is "RegCleaner 4.3.0.780 (last freeware version) "). By "last uncrippled version" they mean that, if you try for an update on one of the more recent versions, you'll be connected to the jv16.org /Macecraft site where they'll 'steal' your copy on you. 1.3.0.195 is not much different than the last v. released before it went 'pay';

-I 'Googled' Microsoft's "RegClean" for ya & found it @ http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,4666,00.asp (among many other locations). Be aware that this is 1 of those 'auto-cleaners' that won't let you choose, or even look at the entries before it (with your permission) takes down the whole shot (I hate that!). You can, however, find the backups @ the same location where you've 'stored' the program, right click to Edit, copy the results to Notepad, & then restore the key(s) if you just want to take a look @ what it's found.

One thing I forgot to mention re: temp files is that you can cause yourself some real problems if you try to take them all down (some are waiting to do things on reboot, for instance). Altho "CCleaner" doesn't make file backups (sorta scary), it does a good job & (in my experience) is safe. Just check the settings to make sure it's not going to waste anything you have a use for &, since they both run together, look at both the "Windows" & "Applications" tabs before you "Run Cleaner ".

(note to surferdude2: "Gam zeh ya'avor "??)

 

User,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to research all of these for me! I will definitely be taking your advice and downloading some of these. I appreciate your time and effort that you put into your response, it is so nice to have a website like this where people help each other. You have saved me a lot of time with the search process.

Thank you very much!!!!

Andy

 

No problemo, mon - the registry can be a dangerous place &, altho I'm so far from being an 'expert' it's scary, I'm happy to help out when I can.

Another thing I forgot to mention is how valuable it can be to look keys up using Microsoft's built in "Registry Editor" (or a similar prg). Checking the values & surveying the surrounding terrain can give you crucial insight on how to proceed. Investigate, go slow, be careful & methodical, & you'll eventually get a pretty good feel for things.

(If you have any questions, comments, etc., please post back.)

g.