Prev: Reinstalling Windows 7
Next: How do I get a product code for a trial download of office?
From: Kevryl on 20 May 2010 04:31
Yes, I'd only use one as a last resort now, before a clean install.

"shakey" wrote:

> From what I gather in forums more related to computer operations than this
> office forum registry cleaners and other registry programs all cause more
> problems than they cure. I have had this computer over 6 years and NEVER had
> a registry problem.Do not try to fix something that's not broken. I do
> routinely use spyware and other computer security programs as well as a
> Avast.
> SG
> "Kevryl" <Kevryl(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:B952FB58-D1FF-42F7-A619-F95C01EF8274(a)microsoft.com...
> > (I just posted the question about reinstalling Windows 7 on my sluggish
> > pc)
> >
> > I'm wondering about "registry errors" progreams. On a previous computer I
> > trusted "RegCure" to repair registry errors and it was the beginning of
> > all
> > my problems on that previous (XP) machine!
> >
> > I'm wondering tho, are these registry programs just a take, or did I just
> > have a bad experience? Is there a reliable one that is likely to fix my
> > Windows 7 pc? There doesn't seem to be anything in Windows 7 itself to do
> > that. Needless to say I'm skeptical.
>
>
> .
>
From: Kevryl on 20 May 2010 05:18
Because it seems to be general opinion that removing programs doesn't
completely clear the registry, and I have reached desparation point.

However, I've taken your points on board and I won't use one until the next
step is a totally clean install on a formatted drive.
Thanks

"Peter Foldes" wrote:

>
> Why would you even think you'd ever need to clean your registry?
> What specific *problems* are you actually experiencing (not some
> program's bogus listing of imaginary problems) that you think can be
> fixed by using a registry "cleaner?"
>
> If you do have a problem that is rooted in the registry, it would
> be far better to simply edit (after backing up, of course) only the
> specific key(s) and/or value(s) that are causing the problem. After
> all, why use a chainsaw when a scalpel will do the job? Additionally,
> the manually changing of one or two registry entries is far less likely
> to have the dire consequences of allowing an automated product to make
> multiple changes simultaneously. The only thing needed to safely clean
> your registry is knowledge and Regedit.exe.
>
> The registry contains all of the operating system's "knowledge" of
> the computer's hardware devices, installed software, the location of the
> device drivers, and the computer's configuration. A misstep in the
> registry can have severe consequences. One should not even turning
> loose a poorly understood automated "cleaner," unless he is fully
> confident that he knows *exactly* what is going to happen as a result of
> each and every change.
>
> Having repeatedly seen the results of inexperienced people using
> automated registry "cleaners," I can only advise all but the most
> experienced computer technicians (and/or hobbyists) to avoid them all.
> Experience has shown me that such tools simply are not safe in the hands
> of the inexperienced user. If you lack the knowledge and experience to
> maintain your registry by yourself, then you also lack the knowledge and
> experience to safely configure and use any automated registry cleaner,
> no matter how safe they claim to be.
>
> More importantly, no one has ever demonstrated that the use of an
> automated registry "cleaner," particularly by an untrained,
> inexperienced computer user, does any real good, whatsoever. There's
> certainly been no empirical evidence offered to demonstrate that the use
> of such products to "clean" WinXP's registry improves a computer's
> performance or stability. Given the potential for harm, it's just not
> worth the risk.
>
> Granted, most registry "cleaners" won't cause problems each and
> every time they're used, but the potential for harm is always there.
> And, since no registry "cleaner" has ever been demonstrated to do any
> good (think of them like treating the flu with chicken soup - there's no
> real medicinal value, but it sometimes provides a warming placebo
> effect), I always tell people that the risks far out-weigh the
> non-existent benefits.
>
> I will concede that a good registry *scanning* tool, in the hands
> of an experienced and knowledgeable technician or hobbyist can be a
> useful time-saving diagnostic tool, as long as it's not allowed to make
> any changes automatically. But I really don't think that there are any
> registry "cleaners" that are truly safe for the general public to use.
> Experience has proven just the opposite: such tools simply are not safe
> in the hands of the inexperienced user.
>
> A little further reading on the subject:
>
> Why I don't use registry cleaners
> http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=643
>
> AumHa Forums • View topic - AUMHA Discussion: Should I Use a Registry
> Cleaner?
> http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099
>
>
>
> --
> Peter
>
> Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
> Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect
>
> "Kevryl" <Kevryl(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:B952FB58-D1FF-42F7-A619-F95C01EF8274(a)microsoft.com...
> > (I just posted the question about reinstalling Windows 7 on my sluggish pc)
> >
> > I'm wondering about "registry errors" progreams. On a previous computer I
> > trusted "RegCure" to repair registry errors and it was the beginning of all
> > my problems on that previous (XP) machine!
> >
> > I'm wondering tho, are these registry programs just a take, or did I just
> > have a bad experience? Is there a reliable one that is likely to fix my
> > Windows 7 pc? There doesn't seem to be anything in Windows 7 itself to do
> > that. Needless to say I'm skeptical.
>
> .
>
From: Gordon on 20 May 2010 07:21

"Kevryl" <Kevryl(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6FF0D0B4-A1A2-49E8-8B71-1BD9A8BA5F82(a)microsoft.com...
> Because it seems to be general opinion that removing programs doesn't
> completely clear the registry,

Which has an almost completely negligible affect on computer
performance.....

From: Kevryl on 20 May 2010 20:44
> Which has an almost completely negligible affect on computer
> performance.....

Thanks, Gordon. Animenia commented that one program can change the value of
an entry that another program relied on. I guess if removing that later
program doesn't restore the original value then the program that relies on it
is likely to malfunction. But then, probably no auto cleaner could handle
that one anyway.

I recall when I ran RegCure a cuppla years back, it told me I had some
enormous number of broken shortcuts. I was suspicious then, and I never
really understood how a bit of ..."rubbish DNA" in the registry could cause a
slow-down if it wasn't called upon and was just a bit of useless text.

Oh the mysteries of life... I remember when it was sooo much simpler and
uninstalling a program consisted of nothing more than deleting the whole
director it was in. Oh, and "640k should be enough for anyone" LOL. Yep. I'm
not a spring chook any more!

Cheers
From: pip22 on 23 May 2010 17:50

The reason Microsoft don't provide a built-in Registry Checker is
because they consider them unsafe and capable of doing more harm than
good. After several years of using various Registry Checkers myself I'm
now on the side of "leave well alone".

This change of opinion has been brought about by having had a few
registry-related errors and crashes which I've never had since I stopped
use such utilities, and I've tried many of them, both free and
commercial ones.

I now prefer to check the Registry manually after uninstalling a
program, just to delete the program key in the 'Software' sections - and
that's all (unless I'm fixing a particular problem and the instructions
involve editing or adding a Registry entry).


First  |  Prev  |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3
Prev: Reinstalling Windows 7
Next: How do I get a product code for a trial download of office?