BleepingComputer.com: CCleaner

My Registry has nevr been cleaned, my computer is quite a few years old, and has had lots of use. Problem is I don't want to go anywhere near the Registry, it makes me nervous I have CCleaner. How good is It's Registry Cleaner? Is it easy to use? Any info would be helpful.......

Bleeping Computer does not recommend the use of Registry cleaners.
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.
If you do insist on using Registry cleaners, ALWAYS backup the registry BEFORE making any changes.
Instructions, on how to do that, can be found here:
How to back up, edit, and restore the registry
(I highly recommend, you make a copy of this article.)

Thanks for the warning! While I would never attempt the Registry on my own, I know quite a few people who use Registry cleaners. I thought that they would be safe.

CCleaner is fairly gentle on the registry. Rarely a drastic change that would upset the computer.
That said, read this old, long, thread where several experts contribute their facts and opinions
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099

The problem with any registry cleaner is they delete files. The files they delete, sometimes other programs use them. No cleaner can be 100% positive that the files it deletes won't be needed by another program at sometime. I use CCleaner to clean out my cookies. I used it once on my registry, it deleted something that stopped 2 programs from running. I did a system restore and all was OK.

I say, don't mess with the registry. If your computer is running fine, leave it alone. If your computer is slow, there are ways to clean it up and help it run faster HERE IS A PLACE TO START....

I agree with those who say not to use registry cleaners. I have used one registry program for many years and trust it, but still, I ended up letting it remove registry entries that I thought were of no use to me only to later discover that I actually had the program on here for some of those entries. Because I deleted the registry entries for it, I could not use that program when I wanted to.

I gained nothing from having it clean out the registry and ended up losing the ability to use a good program.