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Community Newsletter: Q&A: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help?
- 2/22/08 12:08 PM
Wrong Answer Porch
by richardschurman - 2/15/08 4:39 PM In reply to: Use Linux by welrdelrAs anyone who has administered a UNIX type system can attest to, using open source LINUX is not a panacea to preventing garbage build-up. There are plenty of opportunities to junk up a LINUX ( I administer Win200x-AIX-HPUX-RedHat_Dabian systems for a living) so it is very disingenuous for you to espouse the propaganda that somehow open-source is free of maintenance - IT IS NOT! I suggest you get your facts straight before you disenfranchise any user from getting a solution. You disrespect them and ultimately demonstrate your minimal knowledge and expertise. Don't answer if you don't have an answer!!!
Open source pseudo solution
by lelboy - 2/15/08 5:12 PM In reply to: Wrong Answer Porch by richardschurmanYou're absolutely right.
All that "Porch" has done is throw a red herring/spanner into the works, and distracted many users from using a more reasoned approach. Thanks for your post, Les.
Not absolutely right
by welrdelr - 2/15/08 5:43 PM In reply to: Open source pseudo solution by lelboyThe average windows user doesn't have the $6,000+ for purchasing a vista license or the tools. This isn't a "pseudo solution." It's an alternative. Read my reply to his. The "reasoned" approach would be for MS to make the default system configuration more secure.
Right answer, richardschurman
by welrdelr - 2/15/08 5:33 PM In reply to: Wrong Answer Porch by richardschurmanKnowing the difference in file systems and OS, using an open source alternative is much less of a hassle than using Windows.
tell me where I said it would be free of maintanence? Hmm?
Tell me where in my posts I have stated that there needs to be no management of security. Unless the poster of the original question learns how to manipulate windows, the poster will always have trouble.
A linux/gnu and *bsd system allows the person to tighten security.
But anyway, read my posts and tell me where i have said "Linux is a panacea for all of your security woes. Once you install it, there are no more problems." You won't find it anywhere. In fact, you will find me telling people basic security measures.
Prolixity
by garyhope - 2/16/08 5:42 AM In reply to: Wrong Answer Porch by richardschurmanI love your vocabulary. You really love those "D" words don't you.
"disingenuous","disenfranchise", "disrespect", and demonstrate".
You're so prolix.
Language
by Phil Crase - 2/23/08 10:08 AM In reply to: Prolixity by garyhopeMe too, love the D use, astute and prolific come to mind....uh but then they are not D words.
Registry Mechanic
by bofahs - 2/8/08 6:00 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It's not free, but Registry Mechanic is one of the two registry cleaners I use, and the one I recommend. With a five-year-old computer, it's going to find 500 or more errors the first time through. Your computer will instantly run faster. I use it at work and at home and it's been great.
Also, for speed, use freeware - Ccleaner to get rid of file clutter, SpyBot Search and Destroy to manage startups and give you a user-friendly means of shutting down programs that are running unnecessarily; IObit Advanced Windows Care V2 for a broad spectrum of maintenance routines.
Defrag once in a while, get an external hard drive to store photos, videos and music on (you should do this anyway, slow or fast) and make sure your disk usage is less than 50%.
Should run like a new machine!
Ultra Defrag
by Myztry - 2/8/08 6:07 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
One obvious way is to backup all your data a do a complete reinstall. Best is you borrow a later service pack for the install as this saves a lot of downloading. The old serial will still work. Their is a risk of missing data in the backup, or not knowing how to restore it.
The best way while returning the system in the state it was in, but with a giant speed boost, it to use the boot floppy version of Ghost. Backup the drive, then restore right back over it.
The reason for this may not seem obvious, but Ghost restores the drive in alphabetical, directory and sector order. An installation that took 10 minutes simply to boot will come back in a tenth of the time, with just a few drive access LED flashes. It absolutely obliterates all the hyped up defragmenters on the market.
You will off course need another drive to backup too,
also remove temp files
by gvo - 2/8/08 6:08 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Spam and viruses are just a small reason why computers run slow.In my experience the biggest culprits are temp Internet files, program temp files and defragment files.I've tried several programs like Ashampoo, System Mechanic and CCleaner to remove all the junk files.They all work very easily and fast.I've just tried using Registry Mechanic for my registry and it does a very good job.
Every weekend I run Ad-Aware and XP's disk cleanup. Then I'll check the defrag on my C drive. Then I'll run Registry Mechanic.Just remember to create a restore point before you run a Registry program.
Hope this helps
What do you use your computer for?
by algreig - 2/8/08 6:14 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This is probably a good time to assess what you do on the computer. Do you play games, or is it largely Internet browsing, document creating and graphics manipulating like at least 60% of us? If you are not a gamer, and you do not need significantly rare programs for work, then why not take this opportunity and move to a mature and stable and secure OS. Take the plunge, get a copy of mandriva 1, or Ubuntu or Knoppix, and see what all the fuss is about. If you like it (try the Live CD version) then installation is a breeze. And suddenly you are free. Free from vendor lockin, free from intrusive behaviour by your OS vendor, free from unnecessary expenditure, free from the expensive hardware upgrade just to run the latest lemon with a view (Vista). The World awaits your decision.
This helped me.
by t3h_CHEETZzz - 2/8/08 6:18 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Although you may run a tight ship when it comes to your system you may still have spy ware in it, as far into the registry as you can imagine hidden in a root file. I after many attempts to make my system faster and after using Spy bot search and destroy, and Ad aware (both free) did some research on this sight I believe and found 2 programs for under $50 that found a ton of hidden items in my computer. The initial program is called Spy ware detector and it is fantastic with real time coverage and updates on the fly, when I went to the web sight to get the key code to unlock the trial version I also was offered this program Max Registry Cleaner and it does just that cleans it up. I have tweaked my registry in the past but was afraid to go deep but this program will take care of you without any worries. You can even run an Internet optimizer from the first program if you like and to be honest I sure wish i would have purchased these programs earlier, so much junk not caught by free programs and them Internet security programs don't stop a lot of junk, do your-self a favor and buy this you will be happy! Good luck and take care
Registry cleaners, only part of the story
by Alain Martel1 - 2/8/08 6:21 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
While registry clutter can indeed cause some slowdowns, those are usualy very marginals.
A good free cleaner is "ccleaner", and it can clean much more then just the registry.
If you are fearfull of possible problems, the first thing to do is to backup your registry in it's present state and burn it to a bootable emergency CD. That way, in case that something goes orribly wrong, you can restore your registry even if you can't boot to windows.
One of the bigest responsable for system slowdown is files clutter. To many files of all kinds. All the files consume some disk space, reducing the available free space. A lack of free space can greatly reduce your performances.
Some cleanup and classification can go a great way into speeding your computer. If you have more than one drive (leters D:, E:,...), try moving the content of the various "my..." folders to some other drive. You have to do this manualy.
This can be automated:
Empty your trash can. Do the same with the content of any temporary folders and delete the various temporary files that tend to accumulate. Clearing your internet cache can also help a little, but it don't last long.
"ccleaner" can help you do all of these steps with ease.
Any programs you no longer use? Uninstall some. Have some extra drives? Why not uninstalling some applications and reinstall them on another drive? This will free up some more space on your overloaded C: drive.
Once your files are moved to some other locations, the trash and temporary files done with, it's time to tackle what is possibly the bigest cause of slowdowns: disk fragmentation!
Every time any file get altered, deleted or created, the free space on the drive(s) change, new and changed files end up been dispersed into many small fragments. Accessing a fragmented file takes more time than accessing the same file if it's in one piece.
Go into the start menu, All Programs, Accessories, System tools. From there, start the "disk defragmenter". Select one drive and start the defragmentation process. If it's the first time you've done it in 5 years, it can take several hours, even a day or two, to complete, so be patient.
Once this is all done, why not set a scheduled task to start a defragmentation each week for the C: drive, and monthly for any other drive. Those defragmentatiosn will proceed quicker, as there will be less work to do.
Don't worry about registry
by john3347 - 2/8/08 6:24 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am not an expert on this subject, but I have been "into" computers since DOS-3. Instead of trying to pick up all the crumbs from the computer floor; after 5 years, it is time to do a clean sweep. Organize everything that you want to continue to use and save it to a few CD's (or some other storage medium) and do a complete format and Operating System reinstall. Most users would profit by doing this every couple of years or so. Junk just accumulates that is difficult or impossible to find and identify and eliminate piecemeal. A complete format and reinstall is the "quick and dirty" way to get rid of the junk.
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