Registry Cleanup

How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.
--
Flowerlady

"Flowerlady" wrote in message
...
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it
up.
--
Flowerlady

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Jim

"Flowerlady" wrote:
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it
up.
--
Flowerlady

You would need to install a program that claims to clean the registry, or go
through the registry and delete redundant values, but that is VERY
dangerous! I have never had any problems with registry cleaners but many
people advise against them because they can wreck your computer. The ones I
have used all made a backup of the registry first so it could be restored if
there were problems. You can also create a restore point first and roll back
if it goes pear-shaped. I can't say that I have noticed much difference
after a registry clean-up.

Short of doing a complete reinstall of WindowsXP, recommend you
leave the Registry alone. There are free and freeware apps available
that claim to clean the Registry but reading comments on these apps
leave no choice but to - LEAVE IT ALONE! If you want to give it a try,
but you are forwarned, try RegClean or EasyCleaner 2.0 by ToniArts.
They are available at PcWorld.com/downloads
http://pcworld.com/downloads/file/fi...escription.htm

EasyCleaner 2.0
http://toniarts.com/
--
XP - WNP
Today is the first day of the
rest of your life.


"Flowerlady" wrote:

How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.
--
Flowerlady

"Jim" wrote in message
. ..

"Flowerlady" wrote in message
...
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it
up.
--
Flowerlady

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Jim
I second that - I'll even third it!

John

Flowerlady wrote:

How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to
clean it up.


The best registry cleaner is no registry cleaner. I always recommend
against the routine use of registry cleaners. Routine cleaning of the
registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and don't
use a registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and what vendors of
registry cleaning software try to convince you of, having unused registry
entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit it may
have.


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

Thank you, Byte
--
Flowerlady


"Byte" wrote:

Short of doing a complete reinstall of WindowsXP, recommend you
leave the Registry alone. There are free and freeware apps available
that claim to clean the Registry but reading comments on these apps
leave no choice but to - LEAVE IT ALONE! If you want to give it a try,
but you are forwarned, try RegClean or EasyCleaner 2.0 by ToniArts.
They are available at PcWorld.com/downloads
http://pcworld.com/downloads/file/fi...escription.htm

EasyCleaner 2.0
http://toniarts.com/
--
XP - WNP
Today is the first day of the
rest of your life.


"Flowerlady" wrote:

How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.
--
Flowerlady

Thank you, Factor 13. I had thought about installing one of those registry
cleanup programs but felt uncomfortable about. Thanks again.
--
Flowerlady


"Factor 13" wrote:

"Flowerlady" wrote:
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it
up.
--
Flowerlady

You would need to install a program that claims to clean the registry, or go
through the registry and delete redundant values, but that is VERY
dangerous! I have never had any problems with registry cleaners but many
people advise against them because they can wreck your computer. The ones I
have used all made a backup of the registry first so it could be restored if
there were problems. You can also create a restore point first and roll back
if it goes pear-shaped. I can't say that I have noticed much difference
after a registry clean-up.

Thank you sooooo much, Ken.
--
Flowerlady


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

Flowerlady wrote:

How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to
clean it up.


The best registry cleaner is no registry cleaner. I always recommend
against the routine use of registry cleaners. Routine cleaning of the
registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and don't
use a registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and what vendors of
registry cleaning software try to convince you of, having unused registry
entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit it may
have.


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

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:18:02 -0700, Flowerlady wrote:

How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.

RegSeeker and Ccleaner are excellent programs and will do a good job of
cleaning your registry. Ccleaner I know has been used by literally
millions of people over the years. You can check on CNET what USERS have
to say about other programs.

Flowerlady wrote:

Thank you sooooo much, Ken.


You're welcome. Glad to help.

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


How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of
old programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to
clean it up.


The best registry cleaner is no registry cleaner. I always
recommend against the routine use of registry cleaners. Routine
cleaning of the registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the
registry alone and don't use a registry cleaner. Despite what many
people think, and what vendors of registry cleaning software try to
convince you of, having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt
you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner
erroneously removing an entry you need is far greater than any
potential benefit it may have.


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

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:34:15 -0700, "Ken Blake, MVP"
wrote:

Despite what many people think, and what vendors of
registry cleaning software try to convince you of, having unused registry
entries doesn't really hurt you.

I've never understood why Microsoft couldn't come up with a program to
clean its own registry, although that would take money. Ahhh, now I
understand! :/ Leaving the registry cluttered with old junk is like
driving a new car full of fast food wrappers in the back seat. It
doesn't affect how the car runs, but it affects how I feel about
driving a new car. Personally, I'd prefer a cleaner registry, if for
no other reason than I'd prefer it. MS could do it, but they won't.
Why clean up the registry with all the other tons of bloat and unused
subroutines buried in their many patched products.

If you do decide to try one of those cleaners, be sure to backup the
registry first. I'd suggest a free backup program called ERUNT. It
won't let you down like Windows Restore can sometimes do.

--
Zilbandy - Tucson, Arizona USA
Dead Suburban's Home Page: http://zilbandy.com/suburb/
PGP Public Key: http://zilbandy.com/pgpkey.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

Flowerlady wrote:
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.


Why do you think you need to clean your registry?

What specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not some
program's bogus listing of imaginary problems) that you think can be
fixed by using a 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. After all, why use a chainsaw 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.

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.

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

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

Bruce, this is good information. However, how does one get to know which
changes are to be made in the registry using regedit?

At present my Help and Support, and my System restore etc. do not function -
could this be due to registry problems?

When I click Help in the popup start menu I get a message that Windows
cannot find 'helpctr.exe' - I have located it to
C:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\helpctr.exe - so why can't Windows find
it there?

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

Flowerlady wrote:
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.


Why do you think you need to clean your registry?

What specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not some
program's bogus listing of imaginary problems) that you think can be
fixed by using a 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. After all, why use a chainsaw 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.

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.

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

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

On Mon, 2 Oct 2006 13:01:03 -0700, ballelars wrote:

Bruce, this is good information. However, how does one get to know which
changes are to be made in the registry using regedit?

At present my Help and Support, and my System restore etc. do not function -
could this be due to registry problems?

When I click Help in the popup start menu I get a message that Windows
cannot find 'helpctr.exe' - I have located it to
C:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\helpctr.exe - so why can't Windows find
it there?

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

Flowerlady wrote:
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.


Why do you think you need to clean your registry?

What specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not some
program's bogus listing of imaginary problems) that you think can be
fixed by using a 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. After all, why use a chainsaw 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.

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.

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

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell


Forget regedit. That is the worst advice that can be given to a computer
user. Not one person in 100 can safely use regedit for exactly the reason
you mention. What exactly do you do? There are several free registry
cleaners availble. Install and run. You do not have to do anything. Take
a look at the results. Then you can post with further questions.