The pros and cons of Registry cleaning

[Boris]

Always something which causes discussion !

An interesting article here by the respected Fred Langa on using Registry cleaning software

Full details here - http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/putting-registry-system-cleanup-apps-to-the-test/

In his conclusion it shows that even using a modern O/S like Windows 7 there can be advantages to using tools like Ccleaner.

Bottom-line conclusions and caveats

The primary takeaway from these tests is that use of any cleanup tool — even the free, built-in cleanmgr — can help fight bloat and improve your system performance over what you get if you simply uninstall an application.

Although I was surprised that no tool removed all the junk files and leftover Registry entries, they all — even the lowly cleanmgr, if launched from a command line with all its cleanup options enabled — reduced the startup and shutdown times to those of my original, clean system.

The real surprise? jv16 PowerTools actually made the cleaned-up system slightly faster than the original, unmodified, baseline machine! It seems that use of a more advanced tool can yield greater benefits than using simpler, less-powerful tools.

But while system cleanup clearly is worthwhile, I urge you not to get carried away, obsessing over a few seconds of speed or a bit of extra disk space. Reducing boot time from 629 seconds to 32 seconds (by uninstalling unneeded software) is truly worth pursuing; going from 32 seconds to 33 seconds (for cleanmgr) or 30 seconds (for jv16 PowerTools) is almost meaningless in real life.

And although I encountered no problems from use of the cleaners in the above tests, it must be said that the more advanced, expert-level cleaning tools can royally mess up a system if they’re used improperly or too aggressively.

So don’t risk destabilizing a solid system for a trivial gain. Stay within your own comfort and skill zone — and always, always, always make a backup before using any cleaning tool.

I will now step back and wait for the expected comments to come :D

[bludgard]

As an aside, pardon...

I just tried Perfect Uninstaller (at default settings) for a bit (about two days) and after uninstalling several programs, the machine was useless. :lol:

The only problems I have with registry gleaning (over-aggressive I suppose) is after a while I slowly start losing an icon there, a link over yon or an unstable/unusable programme in an unlocatable foler/file. Just as if a gremlin stole away with it in the darkest of nights....

I do not think I have ever run into any issues while not fiddlin' with the bones left behind in the registry.

There is the bright side of removing leftover context menu items from uninstalled programs and such. I ususlly don't run a mahcine but for 3-5 months before reinstalling or reimaging. I can't stand but to see how far I can push it. I still run this machine without protection, but avoiding the darkest alleys and a little street lights (like WOT) has been a success at avoiding Jack.

[Boris]

I just tried Perfect Uninstaller (at default settings) for a bit (about two days) and after uninstalling several programs, the machine was useless. :lol:

The uninstaller that I use is Revo (free) - an excellent tool - IF you use it properly :D

[Irene]

I just tried Perfect Uninstaller (at default settings) for a bit (about two days) and after uninstalling several programs, the machine was useless. :lol:

The uninstaller that I use is Revo (free) - an excellent tool - IF you use it properly :D

I also use Revo (free) - I quite agree that it is an excellent tool.

However, should you be using any registry cleaner, I would always recommend that you always backup your registry first.

I personally use ERUNT - download here: http://www.larsheder...nline.de/erunt/ - which also has an option to perform a registry backup when you first boot-up each day. ;)