PC utilities: Do computer Registry cleaners really work?
- 6/19/09 12:42 PM
do they? don't they? why bother?
by nutopia - 6/28/09 6:56 PM In reply to: Do computer Registry cleaners really work? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
i flipped through a few responses to this thread, but in my personal perspective, it comes down to one thing:
is your computer running correctly?
if you use your computer frequently enough to know when it feels like there's something going wrong with it, then you should a) know there's something going on, and b) know the steps to take care of it.
if your computer is running adequately and you're just trying to squeeze a couple extra milliseconds out of it, why bother fixing something that isn't broken? if it pulls everything up in an amount of time that you're comfortable with, why go poking through the registry just to see if you can 'clean it up'? granted, there's probably tons of leftover junk from programs that have been installed then uninstalled, but if it's not harming the performance of the machine, let it go until it is.
and when it is running badly, or if you're well-aware what your computer should be able to handle and it doesn't, don't rely on a registry cleaner. man up and do the reformat. it's much cleaner than trying to fix problems that may or may not be there, and your machine will perform much better regardless.
can't help it..
by nutopia - 6/28/09 7:04 PM In reply to: do they? don't they? why bother? by nutopiabut some of the replies that i just read made me go nuts.
norton? why don't you just invite AV2009 into your system, it'll slow you down just as much! and for those of you praising third-party applications who are moderately "underground" and thus supposedly more reputable, give me a break. everything you load into your system is just going to junk it up more, despite how much good you think it's doing. i do work daily on peoples' computers who argue with me that the four systray icons that they've got running are saving them from dangerous spyware. they're doing more harm than good, folks!
listen. AVG. MBAM. Spybot. Spywareblaster. AVG does resident shielding, the rest stay out of your way and out of your system tray. as far as registry cleaning, know how to reformat your machine or trade it in and get a mac, i hear they're much more user-friendly.
registry cleaner that works
by jjchgo - 6/29/09 2:52 AM In reply to: can't help it.. by nutopiaPC Tools has a great product that I've used for years on many PCs with out any problems. I have had problems with other programs like registry booster.
Registry Mechanic® 8 for Windows
http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/
worth every penny.
registry cleaner that works
by jjchgo - 7/1/09 3:20 PM In reply to: Do computer Registry cleaners really work? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
registry cleaner that works
by jjchgo - 6/29/09 2:52 AM In reply to: can't help it.. by nutopia
PC Tools has a great product that I've used for years on many PCs with out any problems. I have had problems with other programs like registry booster.
Registry Mechanic® 8 for Windows
http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/
worth every penny.
Try what comes with your Windows OS first
by pro2go - 7/8/09 8:41 PM In reply to: registry cleaner that works by jjchgoEven gamers such as myself feel compelled to try just about any type of software to improve the performance of our systems.
Truth is: "The Truth". First and foremost, protect your system for malware---whatever you use be sure it's always operating and use two or three anti-spyware programs to block and detect spyware. Use ONE anti-virus suite or stand-alone program. AVG Free 8.5 is terrific combined with a couple anti-spyware programs.
Now on to Registry cleaners, optimizers etc. None of them are necessary, period! Nothing is going to optimize your system any better than the tools that come with Windows. Why? Because people in general don't go to Programs/Accessories/System Tools and send Disk Cleaner, Disk Defragmenter and System Restore to their desktops to remember to use them! Until users become aware of what Defragging and Disk cleanup do, they run out and buy something to do all of this for them.
The nit picky stuff about leakage etc. is so infinitesimal that it is truly irrelevant. Windows Page Files? Don't mess with the settings. Since day one with Windows 98, Page Files worked just fine with Windows own system optimization capabilities, period.
Now we are up to Windows-7 and those built-in tools with again (accept for those reading this) will go unused by the average computer users in the world.
My very strong advise to all "average users". Learn the tools in Windows first-----then go spend extra money on programs that do not do a thing but register totally irrelevant minor errors (extra entries for the most part) in the Windows Registry.
Use add/remove properly. Open your Task Manager, close the relevant program that's running then remove it with Add/Remove or Programs and Features (Vista W-7).
After you install or uninstall a program, go to the directory tree, meaning all the folders under Program Files and delete the folder left behind (some are left behind) after uninstalls.
The Registry will fill-up and make your system "bog down"??? Nonsense. Again, the system can take care of itself with disk cleaner and defrag. Old entries will never grow so large as they are touted to grow to slow your system down.
Master MSCONFIG and SERVICES. Meaning, Google for the dos and don'ts of what to disable and in Services and what to uncheck in System Configuration.
If you learn the things I have just taught you above, then run your system afterwards, you'll see how much faster it performs.
All the other stuff will do some of these things for you automatically, but come-on, if you have the utilities built into System Tools, why not give them a shot first. You might surprise yourself at how well you can make your system zip along by using all the onboard tools.
Registry cleaner that works
by westcat - 7/12/09 10:10 PM In reply to: registry cleaner that works by jjchgoI've been using Winaso on my Vista and XP machines for the last 3 or 4 years. Finds quite a few entries and never had a problem deleting anything important. I like Advanced System care too, both are quite a bit better than CCleaner which I also use, it never seems to find much though.
I like using Registry cleaners, along with Revo uninstaller, keeps my PC from getting too bloated, system always seems as smappy as day 1. I have tried some that have caused problems though, most of them I wouldn't trust.
My two Cents
by msgale - 7/13/09 4:17 PM In reply to: Registry cleaner that works by westcatI haven't used a registry cleaner since Window NT 4.0. They didn't then, and I can note expect them to have improved. Currently I am using Vista X64 on two PCs and Windows 2003 Enterprise Server x86. Once installed, I have never done a re-install. I never cleaned the registry, nor do I plan to. It has been at least six months since I have seen a blue screen. At various times have run timing tests on my PCs there has been no degradation in the performance over the past year.
Another issue is the lack of understanding of the structure of the registry. Without understanding the registry structure, most analogies a pure nonsense. Get a good book on windows internals, by a competent author, and then revisit your opinion.
REGISTRY CLEANER!? DO THEY REALLY WORK!?
by saphiresharon777 - 8/8/09 6:16 PM In reply to: Do computer Registry cleaners really work? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, in my oppion there are some internet places that advertise ones
that do not work at all. And yes i believe they lie to get u to buy
their product versus the one u might allready be using because i fell
for this and bought two different ones, and had same thang happen
where one said i had some errors and other that i had purchased and
had had for long time said i did not have errors. With that being said
i recommend and been using for years PC tools registry mechanic http://www.pctools.com/ and i am very happy with just the free version
of it it works just fine for the windows xp home edition u may want
to upgrade if u have windows vista though. But i use the free version
and its working fine for me. Sharon
Very interesting questions
by alfredho33 - 9/16/09 12:08 AM In reply to: Do computer Registry cleaners really work? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
1.what do Registry cleaners do exactly? - well, I have Registry Mechanic but I'm not sure what exactly cleans it.
2.Do they create more problems or solve them? - I think that they create more problems, later I've setting conflicts of various programs
3.Or are companies who make these utilities just out here to make a buck? - undoubtedly!
4.Bottom line, do registry cleaners really work? - maybe some their parts work, the rest... are just a big question
5.And how are you to know if they are doing what they are suppose to do? - sometimes I check my windows registry but I think that there is no windows registry programs that clearly show you what they are suppose to do
Do registry cleaners work?
by Richard N. Lewis - 9/28/09 4:33 AM In reply to: Very interesting questions by alfredho33Yes they do. But just remember that earlier registry cleaners working in the environment of Microsoft Vista was adapted from earlier operating systems. When I was in the process of buying a Registry Cleaner before installing Vista,and buying Registry Fix I asked customer service whether Registry Fix would work with Microsoft Vista? They said it did. And RegCure was making a big deal about being Vista ready. Fortunately, I did not buy it. When I was looking for something newer, I picked up something called RegAce. This piece of software is new but It will work on Windows 7 and it kicks ass against the competition. I tested it out on several pieces of older Registry Cleaners. It beat every one except Registry Easy and jv16 Power tools.It even beat RegCure. If you upgrade to Windows 7,take a good look at RegAce before you update
How about World Peace
by msgale - 9/28/09 12:06 PM In reply to: Do registry cleaners work? by Richard N. LewisMaybe they, RegAce, should include "World Peace" and "Male Pattern Baldness" in the list. They have listed just everything else. "Hardware Malfunctions" are not fixed by software, they are fixed by fixing the hardware. "JavaScript Errors", are fixed by changing the JavaScript, which does not reside on your PC. I would stay far away from this or any other registry cleaner. However they are excellent at one thing, sucking money from your wallet.
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