Registry Cleaners--What Do You Think?

I always want to keep my Dell Inspiron 5100 Laptop with XP Home running as clean and fast as possible and I know that I have a bunch of stuff that could be deleted from my Registry. I have been trying a few registry cleaner programs such as RegSeeker, RegSupreme Pro, EasyCleaner and Registry Mechanic but I have been somewhat reluctant to finally delete anything that they find to be unnecessary or obsolete. I am not afraid to work with the Registry but I want something that is easy to use and I don’t want to cause myself any unnecessary problems by using them, even though they all have backup features. I am real interested to find out what people here think of these programs or any others that they might recommend. Thanks to all for the assistance.

Gary

 

Personally, I use the freeware EasyCleaner V2 by Toni Arts. Hunt around the internet and get it from another site. Toni Arts gives away the program, but charges to join its site. I've been using Easy Cleaner for years. It doesn't overclean.

Other cleaners might clean more stuff out. Easy Cleaner seems to do a "good enough" job.

 

Most of them are dangerous - why not use MS apps ?
scanreg with it's options and regclean are good - regedit also if you are brave
and know what you are doing.
regards
PS1 Always make backups before you change system files - and get to
know how to restore them if needed - scanreg can help you do this.
PS2 I personally use Registry 1st Aid 3.0 - it is shareware.

 

The MS ones are fine except that Scanreg does not do any cleaning and Regclean only looks at the HKLM\Software\Classes (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT) registry key.

 

Hi WhitPhil, Not sure I agree with you about scanreg - I find the /FIX
parameter does some good cleans - and of course the /BACKUP
parameter to the RBxx saved system files is useful.
regards

 

If you run Scanreg with either /OPT or /FIX, the resulting registry has exactly the same entries in it as before. (well, the FIX may actually have "fix "ed something, resulting in fewer).

BUT, the resulting registry will be smaller in size. Not because any "real" entries were removed, but because the "deleted" space has been compacted.

And yes, /Backup is useful but has nothing to do with "cleaning ".

 

scanreg

regards

 

I have been using RegScrubXP for seveeral years now. Cleans thoroughly, and has never caused a problem.
Roger

 

PeteC - Is there really no access to DOS in Windows XP ?
No boot disk, no command line, no exit to Dos, no safe mode ?
If so, why is XP an alleged improvement to, say, 98SE ?
OK, I do not want to enter the eternal discussion
regards

 

Sorry Merlin, but I'm confused as to why you posted that link. I "presume" it has something to do with Scanreg performing cleaning activity, but I don't see it.

 

Hi WhitPhil, Unless I made an error posting the MS link. it should show
some properties of scanreg, including several references to cleaning the
registry. And they work ! A short quote from the link ...

"Windows Setup runs the Windows Registry Checker tool to verify the integrity of the existing registry before it performs an upgrade. If it detects registry damage, it tries to fix it automatically.
The protected-mode version of the Windows Registry Checker tool (Scanregw.exe) can create a backup of the system files and scan the registry for invalid entries. If invalid entries are detected, it refers to the real-mode version of the Windows Registry Checker tool (Scanreg.exe) for a resolution. "



PeteC - thanks for warning me about the perils of XP - I am relieved it's
not on my PCs.
regards

 

Merlin:
We need to clarify the jargon.

In terms of "cleaning" (as in a registry cleaner like JV's), at the end of the run actual registry keys/values have been deleted from the registry.

In the case of Scanreg, there are NO keys/values deleted as a result of doing a "normal" run. If the FIX actually finds errors, you will potentially end up with a registry that as changed, but on an error free run, what was there before, will still be there afterwards. With the exception of "empty" space. Ie: That space physically taken up by deleted entries. After an /OPT or /FIX run, this empty space will be squeezed out, resulting in a smaller registry. This "squeezing" is commonly referred to as compacting.

The "invalid entries" referred to in the MS link, are not entries that a Registry cleaner will detect (like a key pointing to a file that no longer exists), but rather to "structural" entries in the registry database that no longer follow the rules. Ie: An entry in the index that points to a non exist record. Or a record that is not part of the index.

From your link:
"If your registry contains an entry that references a file (such as a .vxd file) that no longer exists, it is not repaired by Windows Registry Checker. Such errors are not typically damaging, and you can manually remove the entry. "

You indicate that "they work ". Do you mean that you have actually done a Scanreg run and found keys/values that were no longer there afterwards?

 

WhitPhil, This is a bit off topic now, as I learn that XP users are crippled with
no/little DOS usage possibilties.

Yes. eg I run Registry 1st Aid and it finds a few MRUs. I remove/save and
restore them. Run scanreg /fix in DOS. Run Registry 1st Aid again in Windows.
There are no registry errors reported.
regards

 

Merlin:

Yes, a bit off topic, but you have now confused me even more.

"Our" original discussion was in regard to Scanreg doing "cleaning" ( "I find the /FIX parameter does some good cleans ")(which it really doesn't), but I don't see what XP and DOS have to do with this.

XP, even if you could restart to DOS, does not support the Scanreg funtion.

And, in your example you are now running a reg cleaner, Registry 1st aid, which is doing the actual "cleaning" (removal) of unnecessary items.

Whether you ran Scanreg/Fix before or after Reg1st Aid, it still would not find any errors.

All that run of /Fix is doing, is compressing (compacting) the registry as a result of the reg removals, and any other removals that may occur in the normal operation of Windows. A Scanreg/Opt would perform the same function, and given enough time, the normal run of Scanreg at boot time, would have initiated an /Opt when the unused size reached 500K.

 

Hello WhitPhil, I appreciate your comments and acknowledge our differences
of opinion.
I would like to leave this correspondence as "unresolved "
regards