Community Newsletter: Q&A: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help?
- 2/22/08 12:08 PM
Registry Cleaner
by powersbk99 - 2/9/08 3:06 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use CC cleaner It has a disc clean up function and an issues function that take care of simple easy problems and has never crashed any of my computers. It is free and you can download it from File Hippo. Easy Cleaner by Toni Arts is another multifunction free cleaner that works well for me and never caused problems.
I have limited knowledge on specific registry fixes so I stay away from doing much more than these utilities do. There are ways to identify and eliminate registry issues that I am sure people will pass on to you. I am just too nervous to try them outside of these utilities. Good luck and be cautious in your endeavour.
Registry Cleaner
by nevermore1 - 2/9/08 3:16 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use the 3B Windows registry Pro by Accentive and it not only cleaned up my registry, but anything else that was misplaced or not in use anymore. I bought it for 9.99 a year ago and it was the best 10 dollars I ever spent. Accentive.com, see if it is right for you, there products work. Hope this helped
Registry Cleaner answer for Tom
by Denise Neve - 2/9/08 3:51 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The program I would never be without is Registry Mechanic from PC Tools. You can download it direct from their website and doubtless read reviews/download it from c.net.com. It is simplicity itself to use and also sets a Restore Point before deleting anything, so in the unlikely event that you should wish to reverse something, well you can! It is excellent for all level of users. I cannot imagine my computer without it! Hope this helps.
registry cleaners
by kentishhog39 - 2/9/08 4:02 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Tom. I'm by no means an 'expert' so please treat my advice with your own best interests in mind.
I use several registry cleaners, being a belt and braces guy, and over a longish period have had no problems with them. One is registryfix and another is registryeasy, you can google for them. I also have several other multipupose tools which have within them registry fixers, the best of these is Iolo's System Mechanic Professional 7. I have had no software clashes and they do the job which is the main thing and the pc runs faster with less trouble. Your choice!
Best wishes
Registry Cleaner and Disk Defrag
by mark5067 - 2/9/08 4:12 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Tom S,
I too had the same problems which you are experiencing so I hope the following 2 programmes help you as much as they have me. I have been using Windows Live One Care Safety Scanner as a registry cleaner which I have found to be excellent, fast too, and you don't have to touch the registry yourself as it will do it all for you using the "clean up" part of it. It also has a spyware/virus scan. It is free at "onecare.live.com". I also use "Auslogics Disk Defrag" programme, the fastest defrag prog I have found, which speeded up my pc, it is free from "download.com". I have found both of these programmes invaluable. You may have to allow "onecare.live.com" on your pop-up blocker if you use it. Good luck.
Pat, New Zealand
Optimizing your computer's performance
by SJSiegel - 2/9/08 4:15 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First and foremost, check to see if you need to add additional memory to your computer. After 5 years, you may find yourself running larger and more programs at once (especially security and anti-virus software). Beyond memory, here is what I what I typically find works the best:
1) Remove all unwanted and unused software
2) Turn off and back on system restore
3) Disable hibernation if its on (usually is by default)
3) Rethink your computer's security and anti-virus solution. I find that for most folks, Windows Defender, Windows Firewall and AVG Anti-Virus are all that is needed and in my experience, have a minimal impact on system resources
4) Run Disk Cleanup
5) Perform error checking on the hard drive (goto the c drive properties --> tools tab and select error checking) note that this will run after a system reboot.
6) Defrag the disk
With regards to registry cleaners, I haven't found their use having any material impact on the performance of the system.
Forget Cleaners
by chartershall - 2/9/08 4:17 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you have been running XP for 5 years without a re-install, forget about registry cleaners. Save all your Data and Programs you have downloaded on to removable media, save your settings with the Transfer Wizard and do a complete format and re-install. It might take a couple of hours, but it will be well worth it:-)
I disagree with that.
by Me, Myself and You - 2/9/08 4:58 AM In reply to: Forget Cleaners by chartershallI used to think that as well, but as you begin to learn proper maintenance, you'll realise, you should only ever need to reinstall a system if it will not boot or is beyond normal repair.
Most system reinstall situations are simply because of laziness or choice.
This system does not need a reinstall.
A Slowing Computer
by waytron - 2/9/08 4:18 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Unfortunately, we all slow down a little with age and a computer slowing down over time can be just a fact of life. Since you did not clarify what parts you feel are slow, ( Slow to boot, Slow to shut down, Slow to open programs, slow surfing the internet or even slow opening email),. I will try to cover all the bases. Even though your question was specifically about registry cleaners, there are far too many other factors that can each contribute to slowness. Before I even get in to those, let me just say that continuing on with a 5 year old computer, if it has the original hard drive, is like trying to get extra miles out of a pair of worn out tires. Hard drives are mechanical, spinning devices that are subject to wear and tear and have a normal life span of about 3-5 years. They will fail eventually and it is just a matter of when. Besides being one of the possible causes of a slowing computer, hard drives simply need to be replaced periodically.
A computer that seems to be running slower than it once did may be simply caused by the fact that it is doing a lot more than it did 5 years ago. Here are just a few of the possible causes:
Viruses and Spyware – Even though you said that your computer is free of all viruses and Spyware, I still have to mention this because it is normally the #1 cause of a slow or problematic computer. Perform full scans with all of your available security software, use 2 or 3 different Spyware scanners and even go online to perform a second online virus scan just to make sure.
Failing Hard Drive – A failing hard drive can take longer to read data thus slowing everything down. A 5 year old hard drive is a good candidate for replacement.
Hard Drive is Full – If your hard drive is running out of space, then you can definitely notice a real slowdown. Make sure you maintain at least 15% free space.
Fragmented Hard Drive – Even though some claim that defragmenting your hard drive does not really make a difference, I would still make sure that you run Disk Defragmenter every few months.
Windows Updates – Window XP today is simply not the same as it was 5 years ago.
Windows has gone through many updates over time. 90 or more just since Service Pack 2 alone. Some updates have added new features and security improvements at a cost of processor and memory usage, thus running a little slower then the original installation.
Updates in General - It seems like almost every program that is installed today wants to call home for updates. You can have 10 or more of these programs all checking for updates online. A few examples are Windows Update, Antivirus updates, Antispyware update, Google Updater, HP Updater, Kodak Updater, and your computer makers own updater.
Security Software – Security software has become more complex and power hungry over the past several years. Manufacturers keep adding more and more features which usually will take toll on your performance. Some of these programs such as Norton and McAfee can slow down even the fastest computers. When Windows XP first came out, most people only had an antivirus program running and maybe a firewall as well. Today, it is not uncommon to have antivirus, firewall, spam protection, anti-phishing, popup blocker and 2 or 3 antispyware programs all running at the same time.
Damaged or Corrupt Programs – Some programs can become damaged over time, especially some security software. There are also some programs that have been known to slow things down such as some older versions of Kodak Easy Share Software and many All-In-One printer software packages. You can simply uninstall any suspect programs and reinstall the most updated versions.
Website Complexity and traffic – Even though our internet connections have become much faster, website creators are adding so much more content to their web designs that the net affect is sometimes slower. Even with my fast FIOS connection I find many sites are actually slower than before and especially at certain times of the day. Some of these slowdowns can sometimes be mistakenly assumed to be due to computer slowness, when in fact it may be due to overall internet traffic or the amount of traffic at a particular website.
Temporary Files –Your computer may be clogged with temporary files. Run Windows Disk Cleanup and clear all temp files in Internet Explorer or use a good temp file cleaner such as CCleaner or ATF Cleaner.
Too Many Programs or Processes Running – It is always a good idea to check to see what and how many programs are running in the background. Open task manager by hitting Ctrl Alt Del and click on processes. You can look up process names on Google. You can also click on the Startup Tab and see what is being loaded at start up and shut down unnecessary activities.
All-In-One Printer Syndrome – I call it a syndrome because I really am getting to dislike these things. Why it should take 45 minutes and 400 megabytes of crud to install an HP All-In-One printer is beyond me. I download the latest printer software for an HP 3390 Laser AOI printer and it totaled over 1,200 files. Add to that the fact that it wants to check for updates and No wonder things are slowing down a little. I remember the days when it took all of 3 minutes to install a printer. If you happen to have more than one All-In-One printer installed then that can really cause problems too.
Registry Errors – I have never really been impressed with registry cleaners and maybe it is because I have never really seen any big difference in performance after using any of them. Maybe I have just not used the right one yet and I will certainly be looking forward to trying some of the recommendations from this forum. You have good reason to fear messing with the registry, but if you feel you want to give a registry cleaner a try, just make sure that you backup the registry. Most of the programs offer a method to backup, but go ahead and backup the registry manually by Clicking on START and then RUN and then typing in regedit. Once open, click on the file menu and select export, enter a name and location and click on save. I would also suggest setting a system restore point by going to START > ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE, Select Create a Restore Point and give it a name such as “Before Registry cleaner” and click on Create.
What I am getting at here is that even though you may think you are running the same computer that you did 5 years ago, a lot has actually changed that could cause it to not perform as it once did. Along with replacing the hard drive you might want to check your memory. Many of the original Windows XP machines came with only 256meg of memory which is not nearly enough. Upgrading to 512 could cost as little as $25 and will go a long way toward speeding things up. In the end, especially if the registry is damaged, there may be nothing better than reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling Windows from Scratch to bring a computer back to life.
Dana
Wayland Computer
HP All-in-One
by PatEarley - 2/15/08 5:15 PM In reply to: A Slowing Computer by waytronI agree, Waytron, with your comments about the software for HP all-in-one devices. I recently redid my home computer and didn't have the installation CD close at hand. I download and installed only the drivers from the HP web site. Both the printer and the scanner work fine without bloatware!
It's simply getting old!
by warpete - 2/15/08 10:15 PM In reply to: A Slowing Computer by waytronA newly purchased Windows XP system of five years ago is NOT the same as a new one purchased today. Programing has become much more complex. There have been "Bells and Whistles" forced upon us that take up a tremendous amount of Graphics and CPU power--which, in turn, requires more RAM. For instance, if you ever play PC Games, compare a game that was released in 2003---to one released in 2008. Hardly a comparison. You failed to mention if you upgraded any components, and how much RAM you currently have, but I envision that you have an older system with older components that are now struggling to keep pace with more demands placed upon them. You can clean your registry--if you want, but please consider how you have used your system first. Do you install--and uninstall many programs? Or, are you content with the programs that you use regularly and rarely add new ones. Registry "bloat" is most evident when a person does a lot of uninstalls. Most programming today is still quite sloppy, meaning what you uninstall---is not everything that was originally installed due to poor programming. As other users have suggested, do a complete system backup before attempting to clean your registry. Free programs like CCleaner will ask if you want to backup before doing any cleaning, but that is not the same as a complete backup on media that can be used should your computer completely fail and need the OS reinstalled. Media such as DVD's or an external HDD. I don't mean a backup on a partition in your existing computer either! Removing junk is important, but upgrading your RAM and Video card sounds like your solution to me. An ATI Radeon 9800Pro is NOT the same as an ATI HD9780! Beware though, you may need a new power supply to handle any upgrades. My suggestion: Have some fun! Find a case you like, go to a site like NewEgg.com and start studying components. Ask for help in forums if need be. It is NOT difficult to build a system, and it sounds like it may be time for you to take the plunge--cheaply!
I Agree with Dana
by pjamme - 2/18/08 5:30 AM In reply to: A Slowing Computer by waytronI might add that one item that can really mess up XP is an errant CDROM. Run a diagnostics on this inexpensive piece of equipment and replace it if there is any doubt. Also don't leave a CD in the drive unless in use.
I also agree that 256MB was very unacceptable for XP even without any programs installed. I had several friends buy computers with 2 slots filled with 128MB each and wondered why they were so slow. My advice was to throw away the 128MBs and purchase 2@512MB. They weren't happy.
Old printers installed but no longer attached can also slow a computerdown.
LOTS of memory makes a real difference.
by feduchin - 2/18/08 7:31 AM In reply to: I Agree with Dana by pjammeI have 2Gb of memory in my computer - indeed that's why I bought this model, a Fujitsu S6240 Lifebook. It's a wonderful unit, Centrino system included of course, and that much memory is great. The MOST memory you can install is the BEST thing you can do for your computer.
In my opinion, survey respondents have it wrong
by WindsurferLA - 2/18/08 2:46 PM In reply to: A Slowing Computer by waytronInstant survey says jinc52 is best answer. I say "waytron" is much better. Computer slow down with time is most often not the result of registry problems, a virus, and etc... or just one thing, and "waytron" highlight the key issues needing attention.
registry cleaner
by feelsgood - 2/9/08 4:21 AM In reply to: Slow computer: Will a registry cleaner help? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Tom
I use a registry cleaner that i got free and it has sped up my acer aspire3690 a hell of alot the site is microsmarts llc i have had no probs at all
Regards Pete
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