BleepingComputer.com: Registry Cleaning

Everywhere on the Net you will come across ads for Registry Cleaners which claim vast benefits and speed up by cleaning your Registry. These are all BULL and you would be well advised to ignore them completely. Your Registry will toddle along quite happily with thousands of stray entries.

If the CPU can be considered the Heart of your computer, then the Registry is the Brain and you tamper with it at your own risk.

The following is from a timely article by PC World. Your computer, your choice, but it is strongly recommended that you take notice of this.

[[How Best Do I Clean My Registry?

Lincoln Spector, PC World

Nov 4, 2008 6:23 am

(edited) wants some advice on the safest way to use a Registry cleaner.

Has a surgeon ever told you that, although they're an expert and will do the best they can, the operation still has some inherent risks? Imagine replacing the surgeon with some cheap or free software.

There's no truly safe way to clean your Registry, only safer ways. And since this is an inherently dangerous job, the safest option of all is to not do it. I know some experts say you should clean your Registry regularly to improve performance. I disagree. Clean your Registry only if Windows has a serious problem and nothing else works.]]

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There is a shareware program out there called RegistryFix, My stepdad (the PC paranoid of all paranoids) even uses it so I think that might have some chance of trustworthy....

Unless you have a specific problem you're trying to correct, it's best to stay out of the Registry.
Registry cleaners mark entries as bad, depending on what the software creator thinks, is bad.
That's why no 2 cleaners will find all of the, same "problems".
Registry "problems" actually have very little effect, on the overall performance of the operating system.

Please see this article:
XP Fixes Myth #1: Registry Cleaners

If you're not experienced with working in the registry, DO NOT ATTEMPT IT.
Improper changes to the registry could render your computer inoperable.

Because of the potential problems, Bleeping Computer does not recommend the use, of registry cleaners.

10/10

Registry cleaners only save you space not speed up your machine.

scissorhands7, on Dec 6 2008, 05:20 PM, said:

Space? Not quite. The registry isn't exactly like a folder with files in it. It doesn't "take up space" in the sense people think it does. In reality, all the registry is, is a classification/master list of settings and such. Yes it takes up some space, but to be honest, the benefits of removing the junk entries from the registry, as was said previously, don't overcome the potential problems caused by messing with it.

The bottom line is If it ain't broke, don't fix it! or in this case, don't mess with it!

I have been using CCeaner and it seems to work well when flightsim gets buggy, just use the CC and it clears up the problems and it works.

What does a registry cleaner do?

Gstick, on Jan 7 2009, 06:57 AM, said:

Here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registry_cleaner

From the article:

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Hope this helps...

"specific problem" is what matters. Some times necessary, partly why Norton makes a removal tool after all ;) Have nothing to do with optimizing or maintaince though. Famous CCleaner is not aggressive as in trying to guess what can be deleted = you dont mess up = you feel better = oh, computers runs just a little better, hehe. Also called placebo.

btw, if anyone is interested in getting numbers! like 3dmark for registry and probably just as questionable when translated to real life http://www.bitsum.com/regbench.php

scissorhands7, on Dec 6 2008, 06:20 PM, said:

So are you saying that programs like CCleaner and McAfee (maintance version) and others are not safe to use?
thanks

I personally don't think it's a question of "is it safe, or not"? We at Bleeping Computer feel it is a matter of knowing what the 'tool' or for that matter any tool is doing to your registry. I think tg1911's post #3 including the link to XP fixes myth. As well as Galadriel's post #5, in this thread, capture the essence of Bleeping Computer's position with regards, to the frequent and unnecessary use of 'registry cleaners'.

Wow, I had no idea that 'cleaning' the registry could be so fraught with potential problems. I had been using CCleaner's registry cleaner on a regular basis and never encountered a problem (thus far, anyway). I always thought that cleaning the registry was just clearing out lines of junk that are no longer on my computer, thereby speeding up performance, even if just a bit. It definitely cut down on boot-up times noticeably, though.

Did Microsoft themselves have any kind of official position/statement regarding registry maintenance?

I have been using Jv16PowerTools for years without a problem. jv16Powertools2008 even works in Windows 7.

I do a lot of flight simming and CC works great when things slow down, I just run the cleaner and everything works again.

There are a few good reason why I don't want to use a Registry Cleaner....

1. Just from the fact of what everyone here says about Registry Cleaners (which I've never used one before and never knew they existed until I came here).

2. Because I have a TON of important stuff that's meant for portfolio work (which I should back up soon just in case worst case scenario happens......again.....)

3. Because I don't want to know how it'll react to some of my programs (like Torque) and end up screwing them up beyond repair.

So yeah....in short....when I came here and discovered that there's something called Registry Cleaners as well as hearing the things about them...my mentality went from "Registry Cleaners = ???? They exist?" to "Registry Cleaners = asking for a deathwish to your computer"

.....shutting up.