Re: Registry Cleanup

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On Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:12:39 -0600, Bruce Chambers wrote:

BobN wrote:
On Mon, 2 Oct 2006 13:01:03 -0700, ballelars wrote:

Bruce, this is good information. However, how does one get to know which
changes are to be made in the registry using regedit?

At present my Help and Support, and my System restore etc. do not function -
could this be due to registry problems?

When I click Help in the popup start menu I get a message that Windows
cannot find 'helpctr.exe' - I have located it to
C:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\helpctr.exe - so why can't Windows find
it there?

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

Flowerlady wrote:
How do I do a registry cleanup? I seem to have bits and pieces of old
programs, that have been uninstalled, in my pc. I would like to clean it up.

Why do you think you 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 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 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.

The only thing needed to safely clean your registry is knowledge
and Regedit.exe. 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.

Further, no one has ever demonstrated, to my satisfaction, that the
use of an automated registry cleaner, particularly by an untrained,
inexperienced computer user, does any real good. 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.

I always use Regedit.exe. I trust my own experience and judgment
far more than I would any automated registry cleaner. I strongly
encourage others to acquire the knowledge, as well.



--

Bruce Chambers

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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell


Forget regedit. That is the worst advice that can be given to a computer
user. Not one person in 100 can safely use regedit for exactly the reason
you mention. What exactly do you do? There are several free registry
cleaners availble. Install and run. You do not have to do anything. Take
a look at the results. Then you can post with further questions.



Are you deliberately trying to destroy someone's computer? If a
computer user lacks the knowledge and experience to maintain his/her
registry by him/herself, then he/she also lacks the knowledge and
experience to safely configure and use any automated registry cleaner

With help from you, the problem will never be solved. The many millions of
us, yes millions, who use registry cleaners fortunately are not dependant
upon people like you who provide no solutions to solving registry problems.
Registry cleaners are a better solution than doing nothing or using
regedit.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: REGISTRY ERRORS!??
    ... I have run it again and it still says I have 10 errors, it seems the registry cleaner won't fix them!? ... The only thing needed to safely clean your registry is knowledge and Regedit.exe. ... 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. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers)
  • Re: to the OP also: Re: How to clean registry
    ... That is your opinion and I do not refute that. ... "They" say all registry cleaners are snake oil. ... "They" say there can never be a benefit to using a registry cleaner. ... as files in the temp folder of your disk don't slow it down. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Registry mechanic
    ... I do not let any registry cleaner etc on my one and only computer. ... safely configure and use any automated registry cleaner, ... Routine cleaning of the registry isn't needed and is dangerous. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Registry Cleaners
    ... the cleaner suggested the fix and the suggested fix ... The only good registry cleaner is one that will list what it finds ... Ran a scan to count the number of entries in my PC's registry ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers)
  • Re: Registry"Clean up"
    ... Bruce Chambers wrote: ... >more than I would any automated registry cleaner. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)