What software do I use to fix registry errors.

[alanwest09872]

Ok I need to accomplish some stuff.

I ran avg pc analyer and it said I have lots off issues. I dont know how true that is but if there are some I would really like to get them fixed.

It said 3 things.
1. Need to fix registry errors
2. Need to delete temp files
3. I have broken shortcuts (which If they mean on the desktop that cant be true there all good. )

 

[Ketchup]

The only registry fixer I use nowadays is the one in CCleaner, and even that I won't apply unless the number is over 100.

 

[MustISO]

Don't use a registry cleaner or fixer. There's no need. Windows does fine managing the registry. If you're having an issue, back up the registry and fix the one issue you are trying to repair.

 

[alanwest09872]

ok thanks guys much appreciated

 

[Berryracer]

never touch the registry, it can only do harm and no good

 

[John Connor]

Ccleaner and Eusing Free Registry Cleaner is all I use.

 

[gevorg]

I try to avoid messing with the registry but when I really need to fix it and I don't want to re-image my windows install, I give TuneUp Utilities a shot and see if it fix things.

 

[soldsoul4foos]

I've been doing IT work for over years for SMB sites. I have had to go into the registry to 'fix' something, probably counted on one hand. It wasn't even to 'fix' something, it was making an adjustment that otherwise couldn't be done on some weird situation. I go out of my way to stay out of there. I know people who do just the opposite, and trust me, they are WAY busier on a day to day basis than I am. I don't do hourly work anymore, so the smoother things run, the better.

 

[Matt1970]

I have yet to see a registry cleaner actually improve performance on a PC, even with hundreds of errors.

 

[Ketchup]

I have yet to see a registry cleaner actually improve performance on a PC, even with hundreds of errors.

It did in 95 IIRC.

 

[corkyg]

Cleaning the Registry with CCleaner works for me. Every now and then, after uninstalling programs, it needs to be done to get rid of useless entries left over by various uninstallers. Many folks take the extreme route of clean installing Windows. That is a much more lengthy and time consuming task that achieves the same objective. Performance is only noted in Windows load time. It does save having to do a lot of clean installs, which are a royal PITA.

CClesner is very safe because before making any Registry changes, it saves a copy of what it starts with, and if it is not satisfactory to the user, then it will restore the original Registry on command.

 

[Virgorising]

Cleaning the Registry with CCleaner works for me. Every now and then, after uninstalling programs, it needs to be done to get rid of useless entries left over by various uninstallers. Many folks take the extreme route of clean installing Windows. That is a much more lengthy and time consuming task that achieves the same objective. Performance is only noted in Windows load time. It does save having to do a lot of clean installs, which are a royal PITA.

CClesner is very safe because before making any Registry changes, it saves a copy of what it starts with, and if it is not satisfactory to the user, then it will restore the original Registry on command.

I agree. And, I not only use CC, I use three others. And, when necessary I also defrag/compact the registry. I find it does help, and not once have I ever suffered negative consequences.

The good ones all make a backup before deleting, but even in that I have never had to do a restoration.

 

[Gunbuster]

For those that feel the need to aggressively clean the registry I have some fuel additive, vortex intakes, and those magnet things to put on your engine for you to buy. Only 18 payments of $19.99.

Don't you think that if it did any appreciable good that Microsoft themselves would have a registry cleaner?

 

[Virgorising]

For those that feel the need to aggressively clean the registry I have some fuel additive, vortex intakes, and those magnet things to put on your engine for you to buy. Only 18 payments of $19.99.

Don't you think that if it did any appreciable good that Microsoft themselves would have a registry cleaner?

Seriously, does any genuflect before MICROSOFT as some arbiter of excellence or even pragmatic viability?

 

[Mem]

Cleaning the Registry with CCleaner works for me. Every now and then, after uninstalling programs, it needs to be done to get rid of useless entries left over by various uninstallers. Many folks take the extreme route of clean installing Windows. That is a much more lengthy and time consuming task that achieves the same objective. Performance is only noted in Windows load time. It does save having to do a lot of clean installs, which are a royal PITA.

CClesner is very safe because before making any Registry changes, it saves a copy of what it starts with, and if it is not satisfactory to the user, then it will restore the original Registry on command.

I agree,actually I use CCleaner registry cleaner and Glary's utilities,never had any issues over the years, they get rid of invalid shortcuts for example that are no longer valid so stuff that was uninstalled and was not removed properly.


Infact I have just ran CCleaner and Glary's utlilities and it found some leftover crap,as usual all went fine with those programs.

 

[Virgorising]

I agree,actually I use CCleaner registry cleaner and Glary's utilities,never had any issues over the years, they get rid of invalid shortcuts for example that are no longer valid so stuff that was uninstalled and was not removed properly. Infact I have just ran CCleaner and Glary's utlilities and it found some leftover crap,as usual all went fine with those programs.

Yep. I am esp crazy about defragging/compacting the registry when needed! Always requires a reboot. But reduces the size of the registry....keeps it lean and mean.

Four of my apps have the defragging option.

(I like yr signature a lot.)

 

[mikeymikec]

Every MS OS after XP has an auto-defrag option, enabled by default.

If you double-click on an invalid shortcut, Windows asks if you want to delete the shortcut.

 

[Virgorising]

Every MS OS after XP has an auto-defrag option, enabled by default.

If you double-click on an invalid shortcut, Windows asks if you want to delete the shortcut.

Doesn't delete from the REGISTRY.

 

[mikeymikec]

Doesn't delete from the REGISTRY.

Since a shortcut is a shortcut and defragging is defragging, no, I wouldn't expect either to delete from the registry.... confused.

Back to OP:
I'll put a bet down that 99 times out of 100, a "registry cleaner" 's cleanup operation won't result in any noticeable performance advantage or problem being fixed.

The only time that it might, IMO, is on the occasion when a browser has stopped managing its cache properly, when I very occasionally come across in my line of work.

"But wait, you've still got 1,567 registry errors! Please don't uninstall me!"... jog on.

If you've got computer problems, post what those problems are here, rather than going to the computer equivalent of the travelling salesman with "miracle cream".

I'll concede that CCleaner has a better reputation than most, but considering how poor most of them are, that's not saying much.

 

[Virgorising]

I plan to go on doing what I've always done: cleaning the reg of invalid entries, empty keys, etc.....and compacting, defragging it when I need to.

I try to keep anything gratuitous, outdated, useless out of my computers.

I read long ago, that some people do a clean install every 6 mos! I was amazed.
Apparently, glut accummulates over time, and the systems in question slow down.

I have never once had to do that. I think, because of this keep it lean clean and clean and mean strategy. If I had experienced some issue, some downside to reg cleaning/compacting.....I would not still be doing it.

I also pick my apps carefully and test each. Any I find Less Than, I uninstall.

People should do what works for them as individuals.

 

[Mushkins]

Registry "errors" reported by these tools are 99% orphaned registry entries: aka stuff that an old uninstalled program didnt bother to remove from the registry on uninstall.

That being said, registry "cleaner" software typically does more harm than good. 90 extra orphaned registry entries will not affect PC performance AT ALL.

The only *real* way to clean the registry is a fresh install of Windows. Not a repair, not an upgrade, nuke it and start from scratch.

 

[Virgorising]

Registry "errors" reported by these tools are 99% orphaned registry entries: aka stuff that an old uninstalled program didnt bother to remove from the registry on uninstall.

That being said, registry "cleaner" software typically does more harm than good. 90 extra orphaned registry entries will not affect PC performance AT ALL.

The only *real* way to clean the registry is a fresh install of Windows. Not a repair, not an upgrade, nuke it and start from scratch.

again, I speak only form subjective experience involving several computers. When I uninstall I use Revo. After it runs the uninstaller, I use its deep scan option. This gives you the option of getting rid of most, then obsolete reg keys....and then, left over files.

Again, so far, no system I have had has gotten slower over time than when I did the initial install and set up. I move onto a newer system with better specs, eventually, for obvious reasons.

AGAIN, people should do what works for them., and refrain from doing what does not.

 

[Berryracer]

Registry "errors" reported by these tools are 99% orphaned registry entries: aka stuff that an old uninstalled program didnt bother to remove from the registry on uninstall.

That being said, registry "cleaner" software typically does more harm than good. 90 extra orphaned registry entries will not affect PC performance AT ALL.

The only *real* way to clean the registry is a fresh install of Windows. Not a repair, not an upgrade, nuke it and start from scratch.

QFT

 

[Gunbuster]

again, I speak only form subjective experience involving several computers. When I uninstall I use Revo. After it runs the uninstaller, I use its deep scan option. This gives you the option of getting rid of most, then obsolete reg keys....and then, left over files.

And then you use three or four other reg cleaners, and then you defrag, and then you check out another defrag program and delve into every single feature. After that you wonder why the new computer is not beeping to signal normal operations and make that a three day research project. If it makes you feel good go for it, just don't try to prove it does something without showing objective evidence that it does. So far all you have pointed out is that you do a lot of work fiddling around and your computer didn't break. I can uninstall a program in Windows control panel in under 20 seconds and have the same result.

 

[mikeymikec]

I plan to go on doing what I've always done: cleaning the reg of invalid entries, empty keys, etc.....and compacting, defragging it when I need to.

I try to keep anything gratuitous, outdated, useless out of my computers.

I read long ago, that some people do a clean install every 6 mos! I was amazed.

I built my current system and installed it in June 2010. It boots and works as quickly as it did on day 1. Because I don't install crap on it. It really is as simple as that. I love a responsive computer and fast boot times, but I know that reinstalling Windows is not going to make it any quicker.

For the sake of trying it, I installed CCleaner on my system. It wanted to clear out my browser disk caches, which were exactly the sizes I expected them to be. It wanted to clear out my run history and jump lists, and the registry scan cited 'obsolete file extension entries'... which are doing what exactly to my system? It may as well have suggested deleting text files out of my documents folder for what good it would do.

Some people are obsessive about doing clean installs on their computer every x months. They're either just plain obsessive about god-knows-what, or they install so much crap on their system and they have no idea how to remove it completely (in either case they have way too much time on their hands). I went through a phase in my teens of reinstalling my machine quite often (mostly because I didn't know how to fix problems I created after tinkering haphazardly), and for a while after cutting back on uncontrolled tinkering I found that I didn't need to reinstall the machine any more.

I don't like having crap on my system either, but the only way it's going to get there is if I put it there.

I trust the defragmenting schedule that comes with Win7, I've checked on it a number of times over the years and it appears to be doing its job correctly.