blog: what registry cleaner?

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nikos
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blog: what registry cleaner?

Post by nikos »

here's the comment area for today's blog post found at
http://www.zabkat.com/blog/16Oct11-darn ... leaner.htm
CharlesKane
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Post by CharlesKane »

Interestingly I have never seen a single "independent" test of the claimed value of a single registry cleaner/compactor - believe me I have looked.

Not one of the owners of the useless registry cleaner programs publishes anything but the vaguest of claims - mostly they aren't even deceptive, simply relying of the gullibility of computer users.

It was said that a registry cleaner is like sweeping the dust in one parking space in a parking lot the size of Utah (or somewhere)!
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Cleaners

Post by kentv999 »

Thanks for this blog post (which I happened to pick up through Twitter, nice to see that surfing time not a total waste).  I've always wondered about those "cleaners".   My experience with many of these is the same... Yeah, they might impact something, but more likely to BREAK something that you will then need to spend 12hrs fixing!
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Post by snemarch »

One could argue that there has been some merit to registry cleaners in the old and dirty past, since prehistoric Windows versions had some registry size limitations. I'd still say it's mostly always been snake oil. though.

"Memory optimizers", on the other hand, have always been 100% snake oil... especially back in the day where people had limited memory, since the "Optimizers" back then all did their magic by allocating huge chunks of memory. Some of the "optimizers" today at least do the proper thing and use the Windows APIs for manipulating process working set sizes, but that is still no better than what Windows itself does, and is symptomatic treatment at best...
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Post by dunno »

There is no substitute for a clean install of the OS, cleans out all and sundry, with the added bonus of a squeaky clean registery
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kunkel321
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Post by kunkel321 »

Thanks for posting this Nikos.  This has also been an area of interest to me.  I like to play around with different freeware utilities and whatnot, so I'm frequently installing/uninstalling, then messing about with reg cleaners like CCleaner.  I do have to say that I've had good luck with Revo Uninstall.  I'm always dismayed by the amount of crap registry keys and folders that get left behind by various app uninstallers.  And I do have to say that if I haven't cleaned up my PC in a few months, I usually can get in running more smoothly by 1) uninstalling apps that I don't use, 2) running CClearner, and 3) defragging with IOBit Smart Defrag.**  But I have to admit that uninstalling bad apps is probably the most important part here.  And I'll admit that I've certainly done the most damage in the past by blindly messing with the registry.  And I have to say that, as dunno suggests, nothing works better than a fresh install of Windows.

**Note that the above apps mentioned are freeware and are not x2 competitors, but the mods can still redact them as appropriate.  

Will end with a personal horror story:  A couple years ago I was looking around at macro utilities for automating Windows.  I went to uninstall one with Revo and it had apparently become associated with some very important system components.  I blindly clicked-through Revo, deleting all the "associated" reg keys.  It totally neutered my system.  I could open the Start menu, but clicking any of the links had no effect.  Clicking any file resulted in a "Cannot open--there is no associated application" error, and clicking the buttons on the error dialog had no effect.  The keyboard didn't work so I couldn't do any Win+R, Alt+Ctrl+Del, or anything, and I couldn't right-click.  Doing a hard shut-down and reboot didn't help.  Lesson learned:  Use caution with Revo uninstaller!  Happy Halloween!
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Post by snemarch »

kunkel321: considering how the registry and the NTFS filesystem are structured, any gain from "cleaning the registry" and deleting a handful of files an uninstaller have forgotten about is likely to be non-measurable - it's placebo.

Defragmenting is another story, though. While there's definitely placebo involved, there's also some substantial measurable performance implications if fragmentation becomes too bad :)
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Post by Tuxman »

Most people forget that Windows, starting with Vista, automatically defragments itself anyway, so there is no need for snake-oil tools that do the same.

Also, regular system clean-up is a good idea but you should know what you do. I use CCleaner and tweak most of its options because I know how to search the internet, but "one click tools" like that TuneUp bloatware are a risk for almost everyone.
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Post by IneedHelp »

dunno wrote:There is no substitute for a clean install of the OS, cleans out all and sundry, with the added bonus of a squeaky clean registery
While restoring an image of a system partition with a fresh OS and configured software may sound appealing, I would say that it is more elegant to make use of virtual computers. If you have a couple of gigabytes of RAM to spare, virtual environments can help you manage your main system more efficiently and keep it clean for a long time (years).

Virtual computers are the best way to filter out security threats and junk software, allowing you to take the best of decisions regarding what you actually want to allow/keep on your main system.

Virtual computers aren't a past trend, nor something that can be used only years from now. They've been accessible and usable for a long time, they're advanced enough today to be useful to anyone having a minimum of 4GBs of RAM on the main system, and most certainly will become the backbone of future computing as the VM technology breaks new barriers.

The only stuff virtual computers aren't so good at yet is media editing and gaming, but what else would you use your main system for if VMachines were to support those either?

So yeah, fearlessly test/use software and navigate to the darkest and farthest vertices of the Internet from the comfort of your virtual PC that can regenerate/heal itself in a matter of minutes.
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Post by Tuxman »

Actually, VMs are good for random OS testing. Testing tools there is not helpful. Remember that cleaners treat your production system differently than a VM because of the different environment.
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Post by IneedHelp »

Tuxman wrote:Actually, VMs are good for random OS testing. Testing tools there is not helpful.
Actually, VMs are good for everything except intense rendering/processing tasks. Throughout the years I've tested hundreds of applications on virtual computers and it helped a great deal deciding what's junk, what's to keep and what's worth going on my main system. If you're limiting yourself to testing just Operating Systems (random or not), then you're missing a lot if not the entire idea of virtual computers.

Virtual computers are also as good at keeping data from going to the main system as they are at keeping data from going outside the main system. From a point of view regarding security, that's a major benefit for those who work with sensitive and encrypted data and which are afraid and even acting paranoid about keyloggers, forms of system intrusion and/or data leakage.

OS testing, software testing, debugging of all kinds, secure browsing and secure networking are just some of the major applications of VMachines.
Tuxman wrote:Remember that cleaners treat your production system differently than a VM because of the different environment.
My whole point is that users don't even have to bother with cleaners and other foolish toys of the kind if they chose the wise path of operating in virtual environments when it comes to trying out or regularly using software applications. I didn't mean to suggest that people should test registry cleaners on virtual computers before using them on their main systems, but it would be valid nonetheless.
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Post by Tuxman »

Maybe I miss a lot, but I got some serious security concepts on my own, so I don't use VM for banking, for example.

After all my only use for a VM is testing OSs. I love that.  8)

However, it is not easy to do that. Running 64-bit OSs in a VM requires VT-x or similar techniques my machines can't currently use. (BIOS restrictions, don't ask me why.)
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Post by RightPaddock »

Heat is your computers main enemy.  Get rid of the dust inside the case, especially on laptops. Youtube probably has a video for your lappy, that shows how take the cover off, detach the fan, air duct, clean them etc.

Clean browser cache and temp file on exit can help browser performance

VMs are fine except for your granny, your aunts, your father, your thick as two short planks son-in-law, the chick you met at the pub last night, yourself when you've been to the pub ... best thing is to disable the mouse (just joking)

Good idea to get a gadget that shows temperatures of CPU, Drives, GPU etc.  I use speccy from Piriform, same outfit that do C(rap)Cleaner and Recuva.  Don't be alarmed when you see a processor at 60°C or higher, check the chip specs on Intel or AMD site - many CPU's are OK up to 100°C.  

Keep disk drives as cool as possible - let them sleep when they've been idle for a while - if they're external turn them off when not in use.  

If you're using an SDD don't defrag it - you'll wear it out.  Someone already said after Vista defragging is automatic - but if you're using an SDD make sure auto defrag is OFF on that drive.

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Post by kunkel321 »

FYI Here's an article on the same topic (specific to Win 7 though):
http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/Put ... -the-test/
The author comes to basically that some conclusion as most of the folks who commented on this thread.