Which is the best registry cleaner?

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Deanodarlo

Senior member
Dec 14, 2000
680
0
76
Never touch the registry unless I have a problem. Use ERUNT to compact it one or twice a year, but never bother cleaning it as it doesn't seem to make a difference in performance.

Plus there is a slight chance you'll remove entries that are actually required at a later date. Not worth the effort. Registry lookups are so fast your PC doesn't care about a few dead entries.

CCleaner seems popular as mentioned above. But in my experience, just find a reg compact or rebuild tool, rather than removing keys unless you have an issue (like left over crap in your context menu or filetypes, but this can be sorted manually).

I guess on a really old install, a cleaner might be useful if you are trying to avoid a full re-install.

Registry mechanic compacts the registry like ERUNT, so I'd imagine it's a better registry only tool compared to CCleaner. which covers other areas (ie isn't a specialist tool) and doesn't compact.

Woops, I voted CCleaner. Great tool, but I meant to choose registry mechanic for specific reg optimising (even though I personally just use ERUNT and leave dead entries).
 
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GaryJohnson

Senior member
Jun 2, 2006
940
0
0
Where is the "Doing nothing" option? Doing nothing is the best option because your registry doesn't need cleaning. One program can't be better than another program at performing a task that doesn't need to be performed.
 

MadScientist

Platinum Member
Jul 15, 2001
2,154
48
91
If there was a "None" poll option it would definitely win. There are thousands of entries in your registry. Deleting just a few, or in the worst case a few hundred, is not going to speed up your computer.
 
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Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
It really depends on where the 'trash' is at in the registry as to how it effects the system. Screw up the sections that define file types and the system can go from slow to unusable .

Out of the ones listed I use none of them. The only registry cleaning I use is the one that is included with Your Uninstaller when it removes a program to make sure there are not any program links left from the old software.
 

GaryJohnson

Senior member
Jun 2, 2006
940
0
0
Life OCD.

Deleting unused registry entries is the equivelant of having a jar of jelly beans and picking out the irregular ones. Except in the case of the registry: the jar of jellybeans is the size of a football stadium, less than .01% of the beans are irregular, the irregular beans are nearly identical to the regular ones, and if you pick the wrong bean the universe is destroyed.

OCD is the only reason I can imagine anyone would do that.
 

Thor86

Diamond Member
May 3, 2001
7,886
7
81
Surprised no one mentioned RegscrubXP. I have used this many times in the past, and recommended it to others, when having issues with their 2000/2003/XP OS/Applications. 99% of the time, it fixed things when only a format/re-install was the only option before.

Now for Vista or 7, I have not needed to use any registry cleaning software, yet.
 

Tristicus

Diamond Member
Feb 2, 2008
8,110
5
61
www.wallpapereuphoria.com
Deleting unused registry entries is the equivelant of having a jar of jelly beans and picking out the irregular ones. Except in the case of the registry: the jar of jellybeans is the size of a football stadium, less than .01% of the beans are irregular, the irregular beans are nearly identical to the regular ones, and if you pick the wrong bean the universe is destroyed.

OCD is the only reason I can imagine anyone would do that.

I suppose you didn't read what I wrote.
 

Rottie

Diamond Member
Feb 10, 2002
4,795
1
81
my vote is for ccleaner...it doesnt messed my PC, laptop, and netbook.
 

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
8,771
54
91
why does ccleaner find nvidia files from old installs there after i've uninstalled all nvidia drivers/programs in the time that i've moved to ATI? do you guys want your old nvidia files there when you move to ATI?
at that point you will blame ATI for driver corruption right?
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,686
7,912
126
why does ccleaner find nvidia files from old installs there after i've uninstalled all nvidia drivers/programs in the time that i've moved to ATI? do you guys want your old nvidia files there when you move to ATI?
at that point you will blame ATI for driver corruption right?

It doesn't matter. Windows isn't going to use the dead Nvidia entries.
 

pcnerd37

Senior member
Sep 20, 2004
944
0
71
I have been a big CCleaner fan for years. It has never harmed my system, only helped it and I couldn't imagine my life without it.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Really, I don't bother. I use Add/Remove Programs.

Then you have a lot of junk left behind from removed programs. I didn't believe in uninstaller applications until I started using revo uninstaller.
http://www.revouninstaller.com/

I was surprised how much junk, not only in the registry but in files on the hard drive that uninstalled programs leave on the system.
 
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