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#1
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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 |
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#2
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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 |
#3
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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 |
#4
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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 |
#5
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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 |
#6
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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 |
#7
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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!" |
#8
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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) |
#9
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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 |
#10
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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 |
#11
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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 |
#12
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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) |
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