Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep it
working well. I keep it defragmented and well protected against virus
threats and spyware. I have to use the internet and I'm currently relying
on Windows-XP built in software firewall. So far I've remained afloat.
(And, I want to keep it that way!)

I'm curious to know if anyone thinks any of those so called 'Registry
Cleaners' are any good.

Several years ago I tried a Norton product, when I was using Windows 98, and
I was very-very unimpressed. I have no doubt that Mr. Norton's program
found some innacurate registry entries and removed them; however, the speed
and efficency of my system was not noticably different. Moreover, the size
of those big old registry data files was only diminished by an itsy-witsy
tiny little bit. And, I was always so nervous using it; although thank
goodness, it never seemed to harm a darn thing! I guess I stopped using it
because it didn't seem to hurt, but it sure didn't help me out one doggone
bit.

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very little.

Thanks,
Lil

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Lilly,

The built in firewall that comes with XP is not a good selection over using
ZoneAlarm from www.zonelabs.com The main problem is it doesn't verify
outgoing from your system to the internet is valid and authorized. (See
reviews in PC Magazine or on their web site.) There is a free version of
ZoneAlarm at their web site.

The one 'registry cleaner' recommended in PC Magazine is the one that is
included with V-COM's "Fix-It Utilities 5.0". Again, check the PC Magazine
web site. www.v-com.com

To protect agains PopUps go to www.panicware.com for their free Pop Up
Stopper.

To remove other stuff: Ad Aware free from www.lavasoftusa.com

A review of these newsgroups would turn up quite a few complaints from
people using Norton so I would not recommend it. Others. of course, may have
different suggestions/comments.

Jerry

"Lillly" wrote in message
...
I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My
petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep it
working well. I keep it defragmented and well protected against virus
threats and spyware. I have to use the internet and I'm currently relying
on Windows-XP built in software firewall. So far I've remained afloat.
(And, I want to keep it that way!)

I'm curious to know if anyone thinks any of those so called 'Registry
Cleaners' are any good.

Several years ago I tried a Norton product, when I was using Windows 98,
and
I was very-very unimpressed. I have no doubt that Mr. Norton's program
found some innacurate registry entries and removed them; however, the
speed
and efficency of my system was not noticably different. Moreover, the
size
of those big old registry data files was only diminished by an itsy-witsy
tiny little bit. And, I was always so nervous using it; although thank
goodness, it never seemed to harm a darn thing! I guess I stopped using
it
because it didn't seem to hurt, but it sure didn't help me out one doggone
bit.

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very
little.

Thanks,
Lil

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

I agree with Jerry both about the built-in firewall and Norton (which causes more problems than it prevents.)

I have used both RegscrubXP, freeware from Lexun and available from Major Geeks he
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2048
and I just got a copy of Easycleaner from Toniarts, also available from Major Geeks he
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download414.html

I can't speak to the safety of Easycleaner. It found more "orphans" on my machine than did Regscrub, but I didn't go ahead until I do a little analysis. Other folks I know like it. I've never been burned by regscrub.

Hope this helps.
CJon

"Jerry" wrote:

Lilly,

The built in firewall that comes with XP is not a good selection over using
ZoneAlarm from www.zonelabs.com The main problem is it doesn't verify
snip

A review of these newsgroups would turn up quite a few complaints from
people using Norton so I would not recommend it. Others. of course, may have
different suggestions/comments.

Jerry

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Lillly wrote:

I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep it

You just brought back some good memories for me as my late grandfather
used to grow a few dozen varieties in his large yard. One of his
specialties was those vine like petunias that worked real nice in a
large hanging basket. Once he eyesight went bad I used to sort seeds for
him. It was like sorting flakes of pepper :)

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

It is debateable whether a Registry Cleaner has any value in WINXP,
other than psychological value. There is, however, a considerable
amout of experience of these 'cleaners' giving rise to problems
although I have never had a problem.

To directly address your question, don't use a Registry Cleaner unless
you are very sure you can recover the Registry in the event of a
problem. Far more important than a Registry Cleaner are programs such
as Firewalls, Disk Cleaners, Defrag, AVP.



On Sun, 01 Aug 2004 02:57:22 GMT, "Lillly"
wrote:

I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep it
working well. I keep it defragmented and well protected against virus
threats and spyware. I have to use the internet and I'm currently relying
on Windows-XP built in software firewall. So far I've remained afloat.
(And, I want to keep it that way!)

I'm curious to know if anyone thinks any of those so called 'Registry
Cleaners' are any good.

Several years ago I tried a Norton product, when I was using Windows 98, and
I was very-very unimpressed. I have no doubt that Mr. Norton's program
found some innacurate registry entries and removed them; however, the speed
and efficency of my system was not noticably different. Moreover, the size
of those big old registry data files was only diminished by an itsy-witsy
tiny little bit. And, I was always so nervous using it; although thank
goodness, it never seemed to harm a darn thing! I guess I stopped using it
because it didn't seem to hurt, but it sure didn't help me out one doggone
bit.

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very little.

Thanks,
Lil

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very
little.

Well said! Bottom line is, you don't need one.

--
All the Best,
Kelly

Microsoft-MVP Windows® XP
2004 Windows MVP "Winny" Award

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm


"Lillly" wrote in message
...
I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My
petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep it
working well. I keep it defragmented and well protected against virus
threats and spyware. I have to use the internet and I'm currently relying
on Windows-XP built in software firewall. So far I've remained afloat.
(And, I want to keep it that way!)

I'm curious to know if anyone thinks any of those so called 'Registry
Cleaners' are any good.

Several years ago I tried a Norton product, when I was using Windows 98,
and
I was very-very unimpressed. I have no doubt that Mr. Norton's program
found some innacurate registry entries and removed them; however, the
speed
and efficency of my system was not noticably different. Moreover, the
size
of those big old registry data files was only diminished by an itsy-witsy
tiny little bit. And, I was always so nervous using it; although thank
goodness, it never seemed to harm a darn thing! I guess I stopped using
it
because it didn't seem to hurt, but it sure didn't help me out one doggone
bit.

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very
little.

Thanks,
Lil

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Edward W. Thompson wrote:

It is debateable whether a Registry Cleaner has any value in WINXP,
other than psychological value. There is, however, a considerable
amout of experience of these 'cleaners' giving rise to problems
although I have never had a problem.

To directly address your question, don't use a Registry Cleaner unless
you are very sure you can recover the Registry in the event of a
problem. Far more important than a Registry Cleaner are programs such
as Firewalls, Disk Cleaners, Defrag, AVP.



On Sun, 01 Aug 2004 02:57:22 GMT, "Lillly"
wrote:

I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My
petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep it
working well. I keep it defragmented and well protected against virus
(snip)

And just to add to the good advice you've already gotten, don't neglect
to back up your data onto removable media, which you then take off-site
or at least put in a fireproof cabinet.

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Lillly wrote:


Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very little.

A good position to take. Most of the items that get cleaned by these
things are orphans, pointing nowhere. but with nothing pointing at them.
So they do nothing but take up a little space - usually trivial when set
against the size of he registry. But some cleaners are overly
aggressive and remove items that they do not recognise - but which are
needed. Even if they have an undo, make sure that there is a restore
point to put the registry back exactly as it was. And really, save
waste of time and don't use them


--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (remove the D8 bit)

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Greetings --

Having seen the results of inexperienced people using automated
registry "cleaners," I can only advise to you to avoid them all.

The only thing needed to safely clean your registry is knowledge
and Regedit.exe. If you lack the knowledge and experience to maintain
your registry by yourself, then you also lack the knowledge and
experience to safely configure and use any automated registry cleaner,
no matter how safe they claim to be.

I always use Regedit.exe. I trust my own experience and judgment
far more than I would any automated registry cleaner.

WinXP's built-in firewall is _adequate_ at stopping incoming
attacks, and hiding your ports from probes. It doesn't give you any
alarms, or any other kind of indication, to tell you that it is
working, though. Nor is it very easily configurable. What WinXP also
does not do, is protect you from any Trojans or spyware that you (or
someone else using your computer) might download and install
inadvertently. It doesn't monitor out-going traffic at all, other
than to check for IP-spoofing, much less block (or at even ask you
about) the bad or the questionable out-going signals. It assumes that
any application you have on your hard drive is there because you want
it there, and therefore has your "permission" to access the Internet.
Further, because the ICF is a "stateful" firewall, it will also assume
that any incoming traffic that's a direct response to a Trojan's or
spyware's out-going signal is also authorized.

ZoneAlarm, Kerio, or Sygate are all much better than WinXP's
built-in firewall, and are much more easily configured, and there are
free versions of each readily available. Even the commercially
available Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall is superior by far,
although it does take a heavier toll of system performance then do
ZoneAlarm or Sygate.

If you're 100% confident of your own ability in precluding the
installation of malware by yourself and everyone else who might ever
use your computer, WinXP's ICF should be enough.


Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH


"Lillly" wrote in message
...
I'm a slightly computer savvy woman who needs good some advice. My
petunia
business relies on my computer's good function. I'm trying to keep
it
working well. I keep it defragmented and well protected against
virus
threats and spyware. I have to use the internet and I'm currently
relying
on Windows-XP built in software firewall. So far I've remained
afloat.
(And, I want to keep it that way!)

I'm curious to know if anyone thinks any of those so called
'Registry
Cleaners' are any good.

Several years ago I tried a Norton product, when I was using Windows
98, and
I was very-very unimpressed. I have no doubt that Mr. Norton's
program
found some innacurate registry entries and removed them; however,
the speed
and efficency of my system was not noticably different. Moreover,
the size
of those big old registry data files was only diminished by an
itsy-witsy
tiny little bit. And, I was always so nervous using it; although
thank
goodness, it never seemed to harm a darn thing! I guess I stopped
using it
because it didn't seem to hurt, but it sure didn't help me out one
doggone
bit.

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite
unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very
little.

Thanks,
Lil

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

In ,
Lillly typed:

It seems the risk is too great and the
upside is very little.


I completely agree.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Alex Nichol wrote:

Unless someone can show me a good reason to use one I am quite unlikely to
try it again. It seems the risk is too great and the upside is very little.

A good position to take. Most of the items that get cleaned by these
things are orphans, pointing nowhere. but with nothing pointing at them.

Lets say you use a conservative registry cleaner like easy cleaner which
essentially just finds keys to files that are no longer in the place the
key says it is. eg just like you say above. Wouldn't that speed bootup
time ie saves windows from looking for files that are no longer needed
or wanted but your registry is trying to load then on startup?



So they do nothing but take up a little space - usually trivial when set
against the size of he registry. But some cleaners are overly
aggressive and remove items that they do not recognise - but which are
needed. Even if they have an undo, make sure that there is a restore
point to put the registry back exactly as it was. And really, save
waste of time and don't use them

Any Value in a 'Registry Cleaner' in Windows XP?
 

Plato wrote:

Lets say you use a conservative registry cleaner like easy cleaner which
essentially just finds keys to files that are no longer in the place the
key says it is. eg just like you say above. Wouldn't that speed bootup
time ie saves windows from looking for files that are no longer needed
or wanted but your registry is trying to load then on startup?

Not so as to notice. There are some specific instances that need
cleaning - the most common one being the orphaned filters left for CDs
after removing burning software, but those are best handled specifically


--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (remove the D8 bit)