[DEBATE] Do not use registry cleaners

[Electronic Punk]

In case it wasn't mentioned, make sure you try and readup about registry cleaning applications when you intend to use them.

CCleaner works well for me, as did Norton but there are others that just wondered along and took out any empty keys and anything else I am sure would have been a bad thing.

 

[Admiral Michael]

I use CCleaner and TuneUp Utilities 2006. I don't touch the free ones.

 

[muzikool]

Hello everyone Do not use The Internets. they will destory some system files in windows and other os system.

That's about all I have to say on the subject.

 

[Admiral Michael]

Hello everyone Do not use The Internets. they will destory some system files in windows and other os system.

That's about all I have to say on the subject.

 

[ziptrx]

Interesting debate. To each their own basically.
On a side note, ashame you can't give certain people negative rep points for their unneeded attitudes.:speechless:

 

[kcnychief]

Negative rep points would get abused if they were freely avaiable, as people would probably use them if they disagree. As long as it is a healthy debate, it's good conversation

 

[omg its nlm]

Ahh not this thread again!

 

[Johnny]

I think wlamart in the original authors name might have something to do with his lack of PC knowledge lol ..

 

[georgepomone]

Hi All,
I also use TuneUp Utilities. Saves hours of messing about and as long as you back up as has been said there should be no problem. I used to clean the Reg by hand and it took ages and the fact that it is boring invites mistakes. Let a good program do it for you.There are several that do a good job.
Regards to all, George.

 

[American Zombie]

For beginners I would recommend Registry First Aid.

Reason I say this is it shows invalid entries in three different levels. Safe to modify, Caution and Extreme Caution which are also represented by different colors. With RFA you can delete the whole key or leave the key and just cut the invalid data while leaving the main key there.

 

[apu95]

I've mixed opinions about regcleaners. I remember when I was younger, we had that Norton registry cleaner thing. I can't remember the name of the app, but it came with an old Norton suite. Anyways, it used to find and delete entries all the time and eventually the system died cuz of (you guessed it XD) registry corruption.
I haven't used reg cleaner programs since...I edit my registry manually (regedit FTW!), doing backups right before I do anything. From what I've noticed, the performance doesn't change enough for one to actually notice.

 

[kcnychief]

I remember that application, can't recall the name but it was as much of a pain as Norton System Doctor :s

 

[NetRyder]

I've never noticed any difference in terms of performance before and after using registry cleaning apps, to be honest, so I don't see the point of using them anymore.

I did use a couple of them when I still had XP SP2 on my laptop (just as a "feel-good" thing, I guess), but I never installed any on the x64 box and it runs fine without them.

 

[Mainframeguy]

ahhh - this is a thread that could live forever.... the question is... is that in your dreams or in your nightmares?.....

Also - where IS the originator?

 

[Son Goku]

Negative rep points would get abused if they were freely avaiable, as people would probably use them if they disagree. As long as it is a healthy debate, it's good conversation

Negative reps were re-enabled a bit over the summer... And if still there, yeah the creator of this thread deserved them IMO for an ill informed, and poorly supported argument on his first post, that really had about the same substance as a virus hoax email, which is used to spread fear among the unwarry...

It, did get rather tiresome at times, when I kept trying to explain what a virus hoax is with some, only to get the next batch of "please forward this to everyone on your mailing list, or the virus will spread, you'll get pre-mature grey hair, your kids will all die, your motherboard will melt down and take your house with it, etc, etc...", the next time around

Unfortunately, he was probably one of the unwarry, who either got one of these apps and used them without figuring out what he was doing (albeit any tool can result in "bad effects" if one isn't careful of their use), else heard someone say this, and without thinking got lead down the prim-rose path of fear and hysteria. Unfortunately, because the details were scarce, it's hard to tell which was the case. The only other reply on this, is one that looked like flame bait, even in the mod-edited version...

I haven't used reg cleaner programs since...I edit my registry manually (regedit FTW!), doing backups right before I do anything. From what I've noticed, the performance doesn't change enough for one to actually notice.

Yeah, where things can get tickily though, is where software incompatibility can come into play. The incident I had with removing 3dfx drivers and installing an nVidia card on my system was one prime example where I saw this. The system was FUBAR, without cleaning things up a bit. Albeit it was worse on my older install when I went from the Voodoo 3 to the V5 5500... 3dfx didn't use a unified driver arch...

To remember an instance, as bad, I'd have to go further back in time, to when I tried a win95 upgrade over DOS 6.22/win3.11 That itself was troublesome at best, and resulted in me, in the end having to do a clean win95 install, using the 3.11 floppy as "qualification" for the win95 upgrade CD I had, without putting it on... I only messed, as the OEM I got that old box from, gave me software, for which they never gave me instillation media, beyond what was on the HDD, so without backup, I ended up having to buy the software a second time...

 

[Grandmaster]

I've never noticed any difference in terms of performance before and after using registry cleaning apps, to be honest, so I don't see the point of using them anymore.

I did use a couple of them when I still had XP SP2 on my laptop (just as a "feel-good" thing, I guess), but I never installed any on the x64 box and it runs fine without them.

My feelings too. But I still use them.

 

[Johnny]

I never noticed any change after using reg cleaners as well. Then, I know how to use them. As stated over and over again, back up when using ..

 

[sean.ferguson]

I use Registry Mechanic and Regedit.exe, personally though I know a little more about the registry (thanks to "Dirk Diggler") than most average users and the use of mass delete/regedit programs can cause major problems for some if they dont know what they are doing!