Windows XP Registry "Junk"

I'd like some advice as to which program is the best for cleaning out Windows XP registry. I often install and uninstall programs and know that the uninstall is leaving traces behind. With all the available registry cleaning software out there, I am overwhelmed. Your opinions are welcome. Thanks.

 

I use Easy Cleaner by Toni Arts. It's free. But costs if you get it directly from Toni Arts. Get it from another sites. It's a no brainer program.

 

I use three cleaners:

In order of most use:

Reg1stAid by Rose City Software - Shareware http://www.rosecitysoftware.com/version.html


jvPT - the next to last freeware version v1.3

RegSeeker mentioned by others.

Regards - Charles

 

The cleaners in my sig. as mentioned by Charles, Ray and Pete. Recommend running the ERUNT registry defragmenter (also in sig.) after cleaning out a lot of obsolete registry entries.

 

The best ones do no harm, the worst ones can leave you wondering why you messed with your system.

For the most part, they have very little value and aren't worth any risk that may be associated with their use.

They can be of value if you have a specific problem and have the knowledge to use them for that specific purpose.

To use one for a generic clean up tool is risky at best. If you use one that has a good track record for causing no harm, it will also not likely cause any improvement.

I have never been able to notice any improvement whatsoever after doing a thorough cleaning with any of several I have tried down through the years. I finally settled on RegCleaner (from Jouni Vuorio) since it has never caused me any harm. Since it has never demonstrated any improvement either, I rarely use it unless I have a specific purpose in mind.

Just keep this in mind, if after using a registry cleaner your system is rendered unbootable, you'll be hard pressed to restore it in XP. Although the good ones offer a backup/restore function, most require the system to be bootable in order to run the program. Proceed at your own risk. A backup disk image is advised before the act.