Resolved Is registery cleaning harmful?

cbumpkin · 2013/01/18

I have heard that it is harmful to do a registry clean. is this true?

Steve R Jones · 2013/01/18

YES. You can destroy an operating system if you aren't careful.

MrBill · 2013/01/18

Got agree with Steve. I have done it before a few times with no problems. I would not do it on somebody elses PC unless they had a complete backup of their system.

Evan Omo · 2013/01/18

Hi cbumpkin. Yes cleaning the registry can be very harmful to your computer and can cause your Operating System to crash. If you do not know what you are doing when it comes to cleaning the registry then leave it alone. You will not gain any performance improvements be removing old registry entries.

You should only clean the registry if you know what you are doing and if the problem that you are having can be solved by removing invalid registry entries.

Registry cleaners/optimizers are not recommended for several reasons:

Registry cleaners are extremely powerful applications that can damage the registry by using aggressive cleaning routines and cause your computer to become unbootable.

The Windows registry is a central repository (database) for storing configuration data, user settings and machine-dependent settings, and options for the operating system. It contains information and settings for all hardware, software, users, and preferences. Whenever a user makes changes to settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in this repository. The registry is a crucial component because it is where Windows "remembers" all this information, how it works together, how Windows boots the system and what files it uses when it does. The registry is also a vulnerable subsystem, in that relatively small changes done incorrectly can render the system inoperable. For a more detailed explanation, read Understanding The Registry.

Not all registry cleaners are created equal. There are a number of them available but they do not all work entirely the same way. Each vendor uses different criteria as to what constitutes a "bad entry ". One cleaner may find entries on your system that will not cause problems when removed, another may not find the same entries, and still another may want to remove entries required for a program to work.

Not all registry cleaners create a backup of the registry before making changes. If the changes prevent the system from booting up, then there is no backup available to restore it in order to regain functionality. A backup of the registry is essential BEFORE making any changes to the registry.

Improperly removing registry entries can hamper malware disinfection and make the removal process more difficult if your computer becomes infected. For example, removing malware related registry entries before the infection is properly identified can contribute to system instability and even make the malware undetectable to removal tools.

The usefulness of cleaning the registry is highly overrated and can be dangerous. In most cases, using a cleaner to remove obsolete, invalid, and erroneous entries does not affect system performance but it can result in "unpredictable results ".

Unless you have a particular problem that requires a registry edit to correct it, I would suggest you leave the registry alone. Using registry cleaning tools unnecessarily or incorrectly could lead to disastrous effects on your operating system such as preventing it from ever starting again. For routine use, the benefits to your computer are negligible while the potential risks are great.

Ed Bott's Webog: Why I don't use registry cleaners.

Do I need a Registry Cleaner?

Click to expand...

cbumpkin · 2013/01/18

Thanks Guys, I was uncertain what to do. A registry scan said I had 1500 errorrs

Arie · 2013/01/18

Yea, that's a sale technique. It'll scare you into buying their product.

IAW: A load off bull manure

DITZ101 · 2013/01/26

XP registry cleaners

Yes I agree to the sales hype thing! I think some are probably ok but you need to know what you are doing! Let`s face it a lot of us home users do not have the knowledge to fully understand what the cleaning software is telling us and we just blindly hit that OK button and wind up doing harm.
I was given a 2003 H/P pavillion lap-top 4 years ago and boy having a pc at home was an experiance! Thinking back running the particular registry cleaning software on that old XP machine did make it even more unstable (didn`t know what unstable meant!).
Then when I got the new H/P DV6 laptop I made the mistake of running a registry clener on the WIN 7 system on that one! It only did a little harm luckily!
I think I have learned my lesson, always check out any software on multiple web-sites before clicking on that download button! Just like real-life everybody is trying to sell you something whether you need it or not! Come on here and check this great forum out if somebody else didn`t have the same problem post your problem, most of us can fix our issues with a few instructions!

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Resolved Is registery cleaning harmful?

cbumpkin Well-Known Member Thread Starter

Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

Evan Omo Computer Support Technician Staff

cbumpkin Well-Known Member Thread Starter

Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

DITZ101 Inactive

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Resolved Is registery cleaning harmful?

cbumpkin Well-Known Member Thread Starter

Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

Evan Omo Computer Support Technician Staff

cbumpkin Well-Known Member Thread Starter

Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

DITZ101 Inactive

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