Registry Program?

Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks

What do you need to do? XP cares for its registry very well. Registry
cleaners attract fans just like browsers, so you will no doubt get an
avalance of recommendations.

Personally, I do not use a registry cleaner and recommend against because
there is a small chance of corrupting it. Considering that such programs
don't speed up the system noticeably the risk is not worth it.

About the only things the registry cleaners ever find to clean up are
orphaned entries left over from installations and other tempory operations.
These might amount to a couple of hundred entries out of tens of thousands.
In other words, the claim that commercial registry cleaners can speed up
your system are largley urban legend.

If you decide to use one anyway, be sure to export the registry to a safe
location before running so that you can recover if things do go wrong.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
"ColTom2" wrote in message
...
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks

ColTom2 wrote:
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry
maintenance program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks


A registry 'cleaner' is only as "reliable and safe" as the person using it.
--
Facon - the artificial bacon bits you get in Pizza Hut for sprinkling
on salads.

ColTom2 wrote:
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks




No such thing. and why do you think you need one?

The registry contains all of the operating system's "knowledge" of
the computer's hardware devices, installed software, the location of the
device drivers, and the computer's configuration. A misstep in the
registry can have severe consequences. One should not even turning
loose a poorly understood automated "cleaner," unless he is fully
confident that he knows *exactly* what is going to happen as a result of
each and every change. Having seen the results of inexperienced people
using automated registry "cleaners," I can only advise all but the most
experienced computer technicians (and/or hobbyists) to avoid them all.
Experience has shown me that such tools simply are not safe in the hands
of the inexperienced user.

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.

Further, no one has ever demonstrated, to my satisfaction, that the
use of an automated registry cleaner, particularly by an untrained,
inexperienced computer user, does any real good. There's certainly been
no empirical evidence offered to demonstrate that the use of such
products to "clean" WinXP's registry improves a computer's performance
or stability.

What specific problem are you experiencing that you *know* beyond
all reasonable doubt will be fixed by using an automated registry
cleaner? If you do have a problem that is rooted in the registry, it
would be far better to simply edit (after backing up, of course) only
the specific key(s) and/or value(s) that are causing the problem. Why
use a shotgun when a scalpel will do the job? Additionally, the
manually changing of one or two registry entries is far less likely to
have the dire consequences of allowing an automated product to make
multiple changes simultaneously.

I always use Regedit.exe. I trust my own experience and judgment
far more than I would any automated registry cleaner. I strongly
encourage others to acquire the knowledge, as well.

--

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

Rubbish.
It depends entirely on the program you use.
Note the word "maintenance" was used!
Refer to my other post.

--

johnf

ColTom2 wrote:
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry
maintenance program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks


A registry 'cleaner' is only as "reliable and safe" as the person using
it. --
Facon - the artificial bacon bits you get in Pizza Hut for sprinkling
on salads.

Steer clear of potentially destructive programs which promise the world, but
eventually can completely destroy your Registry.

I use 2 & 2 only.
1. CWshredder
2. RegSupreme Pro
The second searches basically for no longer existant links.
Probably not many realise that with XP, if, just as an example, you copy a
file or folder to the desktop, then transfer it elsewhere or delete it, that
original copy/paste instruction still remains in the Registry.

I run it almost every day & average 25 to 100 obsolete entries.
You're also told in detail what each found entry was & where it was. I
carefully checked each one in the beginning, but now just 'select all' &
send the lot to the program's Recovery folder, which I clean out every week
or so.

--

johnf

Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks

I would trust a program to clean my registry about as much
as I would trust a lawyer . . .

-----Original Message-----
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good
Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks


.

First, be sure to also get a good registry backup/restore program, in case
the cleaner removes something important. For that I use WinRescueXP, which
runs within XP, but can also can be run from a DOS floppy (only if the
partition with XP is FAT32). Ntbackup.exe (free with XP) can backup
documents and settings, which contains the registry. And, of course, a
complete partition image will include the registry.

I have used RegVac with some success to clean the registry, but I also had
two problems, both related to non-Microsoft product activation. Apparently
some licensing schemes write unique entires to one or more registry values.
However, these unique strings tend to look like jibberish and can be called
bad entries by registry cleaners. But, once you clean the entry, then the
software will no longer work.

I have also used Norton's WinDoctor, which is part of Norton Utilities. In
my experience, it tends to only clean "safe" entries, which are usually
links to missing files. However, it can sometimes fix pointers to files
that have moved.


"ColTom2" wrote in message
...
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks

Yes. Start/Run "Regedit" enter. That is the most reliable in my opinion...
That is only If you know what you are doing. I personally stay clear of
those other products. Some people like them and swear by them. Good luck in
your research.

"ColTom2" wrote:

Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks

There are also delibrate orphaned entries in case you decide to install =
a program that screws up it's own install. XP already put the fix in. =
Regcleaners will remove it.

--=20
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.microscum.com/mscommunity/
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message =
...
What do you need to do? XP cares for its registry very well. =
Registry=20
cleaners attract fans just like browsers, so you will no doubt get an=20
avalance of recommendations.
=20
Personally, I do not use a registry cleaner and recommend against =
because=20
there is a small chance of corrupting it. Considering that such =
programs=20
don't speed up the system noticeably the risk is not worth it.
=20
About the only things the registry cleaners ever find to clean up are=20
orphaned entries left over from installations and other tempory =
operations.=20
These might amount to a couple of hundred entries out of tens of =
thousands.=20
In other words, the claim that commercial registry cleaners can speed =
up=20
your system are largley urban legend.
=20
If you decide to use one anyway, be sure to export the registry to a =
safe=20
location before running so that you can recover if things do go wrong.
=20
--=20
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
"ColTom2" wrote in message=20
...
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good Registry =
maintenance=20
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks
=20
=20

Jeez, don't ever take a chance on being sued!! As in, uhhh, say, libel?
G

Pop


wrote in message
...

I would trust a program to clean my registry about as much
as I would trust a lawyer . . .

-----Original Message-----
Hi:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a real good
Registry maintenance
program that is reliable and safe?

Thanks


.

....

I have also used Norton's WinDoctor, which is part of Norton Utilities.
In my experience, it tends to only clean "safe" entries, which are usually
links to missing files. However, it can sometimes fix pointers to files
that have moved.
....

You must have older version experience. I find that it works very well and
perfectly every time, at least in SystemWorks 2005. The One Button Checkup
is quite handy too, although it operates more like your description of what
Windoctor does.
I find SystemWorks a valuable tool, but due to its increasing costs every
rev, I'm now out looking for new ways to do these things. Finding a few,
but nothing as good or as fast as Norton - anyone else have any links?

Pop

...
\There are also delibrate orphaned entries in case you decide to install a
\program that screws up it's own install. XP already put the fix in.
Regcleaners \will remove it.

No, they will not. You cannot blanket an entire industry with one
generalization. If you have to say things like that, please use specifics
as opposed to your generalities which are not useful. Overall, this post
makes no sense.

Regards,

Pop
....

"Pop" wrote in message
...
...
\There are also delibrate orphaned entries in case you decide to install a
\program that screws up it's own install. XP already put the fix in.
Regcleaners \will remove it.

No, they will not. You cannot blanket an entire industry with one
generalization. If you have to say things like that, please use specifics
as opposed to your generalities which are not useful. Overall, this post
makes no sense.


Don't reply leaving the previous named person out of the header. I would
also learn how to use the correct terms when making statements the way you
do. They are not generalities (as you imply in your post), rather
generalizations, they are very different in meaning. But anyhoo, David did
not make a generalization, as he made a very specific remark about how XP
handles its registry.

He will disagree with anything I say. I took my revenge in another =
thread.

--=20
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.microscum.com/mscommunity/
"Tom" wrote in message =
...
=20
"Pop" wrote in message=20
...
...
\There are also delibrate orphaned entries in case you decide to =
install a=20
\program that screws up it's own install. XP already put the fix in.=20
Regcleaners \will remove it.

No, they will not. You cannot blanket an entire industry with one=20
generalization. If you have to say things like that, please use =
specifics=20
as opposed to your generalities which are not useful. Overall, this =
post=20
makes no sense.

=20
Don't reply leaving the previous named person out of the header. I =
would=20
also learn how to use the correct terms when making statements the way =
you=20
do. They are not generalities (as you imply in your post), rather=20
generalizations, they are very different in meaning. But anyhoo, David =
did=20
not make a generalization, as he made a very specific remark about how =
XP=20
handles its registry.=20
=20