Community Newsletter: Q&A: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help?
- 2/22/08 12:08 PM
Registry cleaners?
by Thomas Piekiel - 2/8/08 8:26 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've found that Advanced Windows Care identifies and fixes registry problems for free if you use the personal version. It is from Iobit.com. If you search for Advanced Windows Care in your search engine you will find it a free download. I first found this program through C/net. It gives you the choice to set a restore point at its first running on your system.
Registry cleaner
by Rd73 - 2/8/08 8:36 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hey Tom:
as for myself I don't use any other cleaner, I just clean my hard drive 2 times a month before you do that Tom make sure you back up your programs file. I have a window 98 home second edition, but I up grade to window xp.
I bought my pc in 1999 and it works great when you clean it.
Speed up your computer
by graham-thouard - 2/8/08 8:36 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Norton 360 and The Ultimate Trouble Shooter both paid programs keep my XP at top speed, both of which are amazing value for money.
I also use the following FREE PROGRAMS most of which can be found in www.rayshaw.com.au newsletter.
Regseeker
Ad-Aware 2007
SpybotSD
Advanced Window Care V2 Personal
Auslog DiscDefrag
Spyware Blaster
CW Shredder
CCleaner
CleanUp 4.5.2
EasyClean
Your computer System Tool Cleanup
My registry/rootkit experience
by bigpics - 2/8/08 8:39 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My XP machine also got slower and slower, so I began to try different utilities even tho I ran behind a secure router and ran anti-virus and anti-spam ware.
I tried a root kit revealer which said it found 400+ root kits (over 380 of them in an old C64 Epson Printer software install, years after it had been sitting there) and the machine perked up for a bit then got slug slow again.
So I next tried a registry cleaner. Sorry, I can't remember the names of either, but both were highly rated on the download sites relative to their peers, and came either from CNet Download.com or PC World's download page.
Again, performance picked up, but so did crashing, and then about two weeks later (when the slowing down was noticeable again) I went to restart and was no longer able to boot up. The only remedy to recover my files was a trip to a repair shop for $200.
I can't say for sure, but while the programs made what seemed a fairly valiant attempt, my gut tells me they helped push my fragile machine over the edge.
My new Windows XP installation has been fine ever since, and my conclusion is that once you begin to get these problems down deep in the innards of Windows and/or your programs it's probably best to back up all your files, get all your programs together, wipe the hard drive and reinstall from scratch, reinstall your programs and re-add your data.
Registry Cleaning
by david martin - 2/8/08 8:48 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I`m 68 yr old sorta newby with lots of smart youngin`s around. We found RegSeeker version 1.55 by Hover Inc! Been using it for about 4 yrs. Easy to install and use [Plus free, too] Way I used it from day 1 anything it said didn`t belong, it was gone and still use it that way.I bought a few peices of software for same purpose and RegSeeker still best out there. Good luck and never be afraid cause we know lots of people smarter than us % they`ll bail us out. The Old Old Newby
registry cleaners
by manieri - 2/8/08 8:56 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
hi tom s yes use the registry cleaners ,I have been using them for a
couple of years and yes I had the same fears as you ,the first time
was the worst waiting for the computer to die however do take care and
use the restore point provided by the reg cleaner software and you will have a cleaner faster computer I have had no problems in the last two years paul m
Registry Cleaners
by Kaideb - 2/8/08 9:01 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have used registry cleaners for years without any problems. Any cleaner will safely delete invalid entries. The better cleaners will create a registry backup and a system restore point in case anything goes wrong and even defragment the registry to make it more efficient.
Of course if your computer is really slowing down, you may wish to consider reformating your hard drive and reinstalling your software. A cluttered registry isn't the only thing that can slow down a system. You'll need install media for the OS and any software you you, and I need not mention that any irreplaceable data should be backed up before and.
The simple way
by Skwint - 2/8/08 9:04 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Instead of going for a specific registry cleaning utility try downloading Ccleaner, I've used it for a long time, and when you use it in conjunction with Discleanup then you should notice a difference. This will allow you to address any registry problems, and it can also clear out a lot of temp files and other assorted clutter.
You could also try Ramboost which will clean out your memory and optimise it too.
Use Ramboost now and again along with Discleanup and Ccleaner followed with a Defrag and everything should be fine. Ramboost and Ccleaner are both free downloads too.
Good luck
Registry Cleaner Question & Concerns
by Geo1272 - 2/8/08 9:08 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use, and have been using Registry Mechanic for the past 5yrs. It is a program that searches your computer for registry errors and repairs them, or deletes them if not necessary to be kept. The basic program is free from PC Tools (http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/?ref=afl_nenextech), it will scan and repair a limited amount of registry areas, however if you purchase the full program it will scan and repair all registry errors it finds in your computer. The cost of this program is $24.95. I would also suggest using two other programs as well as this one.
One of them is Ad-Aware, this program searches out spyware or adware. It also detects dialers, trojans, malware, data-mining, aggressive advertising, parasites, browser hijackers, and tracking components. Apart from these files and programs stealing information from you they can also slow down your PC processing speed by eating up process modules. This program is also recommended by Microsoft. The basic Ad-Aware program is available at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware .
The basic program is free and has limited use, however you can purchase the full package, this will provide you with more than just Adware removal.
I also have Mcafee Internet Security Suite, which also offers both adware and registry cleaning abilities. It is obviously available at mcafee.com, the original cost of it is $69.99 (at the moment you can get a $30 rebate)
Another thing that you might find helpful, if you dont do it, is to run the Defragmenting program that comes with windows, this may be able to help your pc speed.
I would recommend doing the following:
Right click on your Internet Explorer icon and select properties then click on Delete in the browser history section then delete the Temporary internet files, cookies & History. This will free up some space on your pc and may give you a little more speed, but it will not be enough.
After this I would run the Defrag program you should be able to find it in system tools on your pc, this might take some time depending on the last time you may have run the program.
Next run Adaware, this will clear your computer of the files and programmes that I mentioned earlier. Be sure to remove all files it finds.
Now run Mcafee and use the maintain computer option, click on start to start the cleaning process, select all of the check boxes (but if you want to hold onto the outlook files don't select those boxes). After this it will take you through several steps, in the step where it asks you if you want to shred the files or just delete them select shred and set it to 3 then click next,after that click on finish.
Finally run Registry Mechanic and tell it to scan your Registry, once it has finished scanning click on repair. It will repair any errors that Mcafee didnt pickup and repair them, it will also set a restore point as well.
All of these programs may take some time to do what you want them to do, depending on how much cleaning you have been doing over the past 5yrs yourself. However since you have stated you havent been doing any registry cleaning on your PC be prepared for Registry Mechanic and Mcafee to find a very sizable number of errors.
After you have finished doing all this restart your PC and you should find a remarkable difference in the running of it.
Upgrade
by tkmcguire1 - 2/8/08 9:48 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Tom,i had a windows xp sp2 system too,it started getting way too slow,i tried registry cleaners and everything else under the sun,i finally gave up and bought a brand new computer,all the money i was putting into updating was getting way too expensive,you can get a new system very fast and loaded starting around $500,it depends on what you want,and most of them give you a transfer cable so you can move all your data from your old system to your new one.It is up to you but i definetly recommend a new system which will probably save you money,instead of keep putting money into making the old system run faster.I love my new computer and these new systems are so fast it's unbeleavable.Good luck to you.
Five years wow
by DSE319 - 2/8/08 10:02 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you got five years from your windows xp installation, WOW. Windows is not clean enough to run for long periods of time without reinstallation. Backup your data, blow away your current installation, then reinstall.
Registry cleaners are mostly wasted money.
Re registry cleaners
by gyrn - 2/8/08 10:28 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I had a slow computer and it worked when i bought a registry cleaner.
my computer did improve in speed.
However, I was fooled by the registry cleaner sellers. having first bought pcsecurity shield MyRegistryCleaner I had a free check by Uniblue Registry Booster, which found an incredible number of errors. so I bought that one too.
having cleaned my registry to zero errors I gave another go on their free checker and to my horror found 370 errors. I asked for a refund, but ofcourse refused. Thus I question the honesty of the claims for registry cleaners and their true value
Claus G
Tom.S
by JOU3574 - 2/8/08 10:32 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Registry Cleaner. DO NOT CLEAN REGISTRY TOO OFTEN YOU MIGHT LOST HD BEFORE YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. CAREFULLY WIT THAT
Your Five Yr. Old HD
by 2dogday - 2/8/08 10:37 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Considering the fact that your HD is five years old, it might be time to update your computer. However, if you don't use your computer every day and your HD still has plenty of space on it (you can check the amount by clicking on Start--My Computer--Hard Drives--Rt.mouse button--Property Window) and if more than half is free, you may want to try a registry cleaner.
Before I updated my computer, I used Registry Mechanic (on sale for $19.95--regular price: 29.95) which worked well on my old HD. It found over 60 errors the first time it ran ! ! ! It did rev up my old HD. I used it several times before updating my computer with a new HD.
If you use your computer more often than 2 hrs. a day, or seldom turn it off completely and your HD is packed, then it's likely getting ready to give up the ghost. If you notice that some of your files look weird or incomplete, or you've lost a few files, that's a very bad sign. Immediately, you need to backup everything before it's too late. In fact, due to its age alone, you should do an immediate backup. You can buy a good flash drive for around $40. or go online to one of the safe backup sites. DriveHQ is one I use and it does automatic backups as often as you choose. At $29. a year it's a good investment. Hope that answers your question OK.
Registry cleaners
by melsrockpile - 2/8/08 10:48 PM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Tom, cleaning your registry out is a relatively easy chore providing you are using a good program that's up to date. I recommend you purchase one at your local computer supplies store ($30.00) Load it, update it, set a restore point, (some, if not all those types of programs automatically set a restore point for you)set one anyway - it can't hurt! Then run the program. Let it do its thing. Review the repair list before clicking on "OK". Chances are it'll pick up on photos, movie clips, downloaded pics and the like. Un-check them from the list for repair or delete.
I am currently using Registry Mechanic by PCTools Software, and it has never given me any grief, but there are a good number of software programs out there that you can choose from, so go shopping, have fun, ask lots of questions and let your pc do the work!!!!
Steve
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