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Registry Problems...



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 10th 06, 03:58 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Adam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 119
Default Registry Problems...

This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I can fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.
Ads
  #2  
Old November 10th 06, 04:06 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Danny Wareham
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 41
Default Registry Problems...

I'm not trying to "toot my own horn" when I say this. However, I believe
that my one program Registry Smoker might help you out. It isn't free. It
is shareware. However, it is a fully functional trial. It will allow you
to remove that invalid entries. Hopefully it will fix it.

If it helps you, let me know and I'll give you a "coupon code" so you can
keep it and not have to pay for it.

--
Danny Wareham, President
WareSoft Software

XP Smoker - The Hot Performance Booster for Windows XP
http://www.xp-smoker.com

Popular Software at Great Prices
http://www.waresoftsoftware.com

"Adam" wrote in message
...
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I can
fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they
wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.



  #3  
Old November 10th 06, 04:11 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
JS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,475
Default Registry Problems...

Most of these registry tools are snake oil and will/could cause more
problems then they fix. Unless you are very familiar with registry issues
and know what you are doing when you or the tool makes changes I would not
use them.

That said I'm sure there are free tools out their like CCleaner and others.
Always make a backup before you start making changes.

JS

"Adam" wrote in message
...
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I can
fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they
wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.



  #4  
Old November 10th 06, 04:13 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
NewScience
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,047
Default Registry Problems...

Free:

www.ccleaner.com

However, you really should post what 347 problems are (in general). Many
programs report that there are many problems in the registry, people clean
them out, and inadvertantly destroy their system

"Adam" wrote in message
...
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I can

fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they

wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.



  #5  
Old November 10th 06, 04:18 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Danny Wareham
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 41
Default Registry Problems...


JS,

I agree with you to a point. When these companies making these products
claim they will boost performance etc, by removing a couple hundred registry
entries when there are hundreds of thousands, they are insane (That's like
removing a drop of water from a bucket. Would you see a difference?)

However, there are times, when they can correct inconsistencies in the
registry that can lead to problems.
--
Danny Wareham, President
WareSoft Software

XP Smoker - The Hot Performance Booster for Windows XP
http://www.xp-smoker.com

Popular Software at Great Prices
http://www.waresoftsoftware.com

"JS" @ wrote in message ...
Most of these registry tools are snake oil and will/could cause more
problems then they fix. Unless you are very familiar with registry issues
and know what you are doing when you or the tool makes changes I would not
use them.

That said I'm sure there are free tools out their like CCleaner and
others.
Always make a backup before you start making changes.

JS

"Adam" wrote in message
...
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I can
fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they
wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry
problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.





  #6  
Old November 10th 06, 05:24 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
JS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,475
Default Registry Problems...

As long as you know what you are doing, then I agree.

JS

"Danny Wareham" wrote in message
...

JS,

I agree with you to a point. When these companies making these products
claim they will boost performance etc, by removing a couple hundred
registry entries when there are hundreds of thousands, they are insane
(That's like removing a drop of water from a bucket. Would you see a
difference?)

However, there are times, when they can correct inconsistencies in the
registry that can lead to problems.
--
Danny Wareham, President
WareSoft Software

XP Smoker - The Hot Performance Booster for Windows XP
http://www.xp-smoker.com

Popular Software at Great Prices
http://www.waresoftsoftware.com

"JS" @ wrote in message
...
Most of these registry tools are snake oil and will/could cause more
problems then they fix. Unless you are very familiar with registry issues
and know what you are doing when you or the tool makes changes I would
not use them.

That said I'm sure there are free tools out their like CCleaner and
others.
Always make a backup before you start making changes.

JS

"Adam" wrote in message
...
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I
can fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they
wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry
problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.







  #7  
Old November 10th 06, 05:40 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
JS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,475
Default Registry Problems...

Ran CCleaner and it reported 137 registry issues, then ran Norton WinDoctor
and it only reports 26 issues, 19 of which being invalid shortcuts. The two
tools are not the same so I would expect differences, but their are
currently no problems when I use this particular PC. So I may take a look at
the shortcuts and fix them or remove an invalid shortcut key. As for the
remaining ones, that would take time and investigation and probably would
not yield any significant results.

JS

"Danny Wareham" wrote in message
...

JS,

I agree with you to a point. When these companies making these products
claim they will boost performance etc, by removing a couple hundred
registry entries when there are hundreds of thousands, they are insane
(That's like removing a drop of water from a bucket. Would you see a
difference?)

However, there are times, when they can correct inconsistencies in the
registry that can lead to problems.
--
Danny Wareham, President
WareSoft Software

XP Smoker - The Hot Performance Booster for Windows XP
http://www.xp-smoker.com

Popular Software at Great Prices
http://www.waresoftsoftware.com

"JS" @ wrote in message
...
Most of these registry tools are snake oil and will/could cause more
problems then they fix. Unless you are very familiar with registry issues
and know what you are doing when you or the tool makes changes I would
not use them.

That said I'm sure there are free tools out their like CCleaner and
others.
Always make a backup before you start making changes.

JS

"Adam" wrote in message
...
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I
can fix
these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them, but they
wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry
problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.
Thanks.







  #8  
Old November 10th 06, 06:18 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Daave
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,568
Default Registry Problems...

Adam wrote:
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry. Is there any way, preferably free, that I
can fix these problems? I tried to download a program to fix them,
but they wanted me to purchases the program to actually take care of
my registry problems, which they said I had something like 347 of.
Oh and I am running Windows XP Professional on a Dell notebook.


I'll bet you saw some Messenger Service spam which probably looked
something like:

Messenger-Service
Message from MICROSOFT to USER
Critical Error
The Microsoft Windows system contains invalid registry entries and your
computer will crash. Please download the Windows registry application
from:
www.fixed-pc.com
To fix your system immediately

I'll bet your registry is just fine. The message you saw was a scam
masquerading as an actual Windows message.

Your solution is simple: make sure your firewall is turned on so you
won't get any more of these messages which ultimately prompt you into
spending money you don't need to.

Maintenance need not cost you anything. See this site for more info:

http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

--
Dave


  #9  
Old November 10th 06, 04:45 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Bruce Chambers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,208
Default Registry Problems...

Adam wrote:
This might be to general of a question, but I believe that I am having
problems with my registry.



What specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not snake
oil some program's bogus listing of imaginary problems, created with the
primary purpose of selling you a useless product) that you think can be
fixed by using a registry cleaner?


? Is there any way, preferably free, that I can fix
these problems?



Certainly. Start Run Regedit.exe. Correct the specific key(s)
that's causing your specific problem.


I tried to download a program to fix them, but they wanted
me to purchases the program to actually take care of my registry problems,
which they said I had something like 347 of.



Avoid snake oil solutions. 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
  #10  
Old November 10th 06, 04:47 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Bruce Chambers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,208
Default Registry Problems...

Danny Wareham wrote:
I'm not trying to "toot my own horn" when I say this. However, I believe
that my one program Registry Smoker might help you out.



Let's leave snake oil scams out of this, shall we? The OP asked for a
solution, not more problems.


--

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
  #11  
Old November 10th 06, 04:49 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Bruce Chambers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,208
Default Registry Problems...

JS wrote:
Ran CCleaner and it reported 137 registry issues, then ran Norton WinDoctor
and it only reports 26 issues, 19 of which being invalid shortcuts. The two
tools are not the same so I would expect differences, but their are
currently no problems when I use this particular PC. So I may take a look at
the shortcuts and fix them or remove an invalid shortcut key. As for the
remaining ones, that would take time and investigation and probably would
not yield any significant results.


CCleaner seems relatively benign, as long as one steps through each
detected "issue" one at a time, to determine if it really is an "issue"
or not, and then decide whether or not to let the application "fix" it.
In my experience, most of the reported "issues" won't be issues, at
all. CCleaner's registry "tool" is a great source of false alarms. I
tried the latest version on a brand-new OS installation with no
additional applications installed, and certainly none installed and then
uninstalled, and CCleaner still managed to "find" over a hundred
allegedly orphaned registry entries and dozens of purportedly
"suspicious" files.

CCleaner's truly useful only for cleaning up unused temporary files
from the hard drive.

--

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
  #12  
Old November 10th 06, 05:47 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
JS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,475
Default Registry Problems...

I used CCleaner's tool because of it's good reputation for cleaning up a
hard drive and was not trying to bash it.
Your registry findings are interesting as reports I have read on other
registry cleaners show about the same number or more. After you use some of
these the tools to clean up the registry they still report hundreds of
issues.

JS

"Bruce Chambers" wrote in message
...
JS wrote:
Ran CCleaner and it reported 137 registry issues, then ran Norton
WinDoctor and it only reports 26 issues, 19 of which being invalid
shortcuts. The two tools are not the same so I would expect differences,
but their are currently no problems when I use this particular PC. So I
may take a look at the shortcuts and fix them or remove an invalid
shortcut key. As for the remaining ones, that would take time and
investigation and probably would not yield any significant results.


CCleaner seems relatively benign, as long as one steps through each
detected "issue" one at a time, to determine if it really is an "issue" or
not, and then decide whether or not to let the application "fix" it. In my
experience, most of the reported "issues" won't be issues, at all.
CCleaner's registry "tool" is a great source of false alarms. I tried the
latest version on a brand-new OS installation with no additional
applications installed, and certainly none installed and then uninstalled,
and CCleaner still managed to "find" over a hundred allegedly orphaned
registry entries and dozens of purportedly "suspicious" files.

CCleaner's truly useful only for cleaning up unused temporary files from
the hard drive.

--

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



  #13  
Old November 10th 06, 07:27 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Bruce Chambers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,208
Default Registry Problems...

JS wrote:
I used CCleaner's tool because of it's good reputation for cleaning up a
hard drive and was not trying to bash it.



As I said, CCleaner is relatively benign, but its registry findings
must be taken with a grain of salt. I wasn't bashing CCleaner in its
entirety; in fact, I do use it to clean up my hard drives.


Your registry findings are interesting as reports I have read on other
registry cleaners show about the same number or more.



That's because these snake oil "remedies" need to justify their
existence, so they report non-problems as problems. And, since they're
made by different manufacturers, they've all been coded to define
different things as "problems." There's no consistency because they're
all reporting different non-issues, rather than detecting real problems.


After you use some of
these the tools to clean up the registry they still report hundreds of
issues.


Which pretty clearly demonstrates their "usefulness," wouldn't you say?


--

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
  #14  
Old November 10th 06, 07:49 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
JS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,475
Default Registry Problems...

Agreed!

JS

"Bruce Chambers" wrote in message
...
JS wrote:
I used CCleaner's tool because of it's good reputation for cleaning up a
hard drive and was not trying to bash it.



As I said, CCleaner is relatively benign, but its registry findings must
be taken with a grain of salt. I wasn't bashing CCleaner in its entirety;
in fact, I do use it to clean up my hard drives.


Your registry findings are interesting as reports I have read on other
registry cleaners show about the same number or more.



That's because these snake oil "remedies" need to justify their existence,
so they report non-problems as problems. And, since they're made by
different manufacturers, they've all been coded to define different things
as "problems." There's no consistency because they're all reporting
different non-issues, rather than detecting real problems.


After you use some of these the tools to clean up the registry they still
report hundreds of issues.


Which pretty clearly demonstrates their "usefulness," wouldn't you say?


--

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



  #15  
Old November 10th 06, 07:58 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Danny Wareham
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 41
Default Registry Problems...

Bruce,

As I look through these postings, I see that you are a very rude person and
the last thing you seem to want to do is to help somebody.

I was trying to help. If the person had legitimate registry problems, there
are programs out there that can help. There are alot that are just as you
say "snake oil".

However, I suggested my program because I wrote it because of all those
"snake oil programs". My software only looks for references to files on
your drive that aren't there anymore. That's it. It isn't like alot of the
others that try to find as many entries as it can by dangerously selected
problems that don't really exist due to lack of knowledge of the registry
and the OS.

My intention was to help, not make a sale from this person, that's why I
offered it for free. Don't believe me?

Here is a coupon code for 100 copies of Registry Smoker to get it free.

B10109C6

The coupon expires tonight, or when 100 are reached, whichever comes first.

--
Danny Wareham, President
WareSoft Software

XP Smoker - The Hot Performance Booster for Windows XP
http://www.xp-smoker.com

Popular Software at Great Prices
http://www.waresoftsoftware.com
"Bruce Chambers" wrote in message
...
Danny Wareham wrote:
I'm not trying to "toot my own horn" when I say this. However, I believe
that my one program Registry Smoker might help you out.



Let's leave snake oil scams out of this, shall we? The OP asked for a
solution, not more problems.


--

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



 




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