Discussion on:

Five free Windows registry cleaners to keep your system running smoothly

I am going to give my vote to Registry Life which is free and is the one I use, I like it because it does a very thorough job and it also compacts the registry.

http://www.chemtable.com/RegistryLife.htm

This is what I've used for years and I've *never* had issues created by using it. It will strip out dead or orphaned entries in the registry...

When a program is installed it appears to add folders and files into the registry.I doubt that the registry is seen correctly because of virus alterations.You can do some things in the registry,add files and change values.A small change can yield much.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/disable-the-windows-mobility-center-with-a-registry-tweak/4052

I am using Ccleaner. It works but not up to the marks. And I think no registry cleaner works perfect. The reason is it just remove a temporary files and folders and some unwanted registries. While when you try to reinstall the same software which you have uninstall previously then it could not reinstall because computer says the software is already install in a system. This happens in all OS like Windows and Mac OS even. So then which one should we use which gives you a perfect work functionality.

I like CCleaner because it's also portable.
Don't remember which registry cleaner but it did such a good job in removing registry entries that it also removed the registration and serial number to an app!

While on surface it appears that registry cleaners help, in many cases they do
more harm. The few milliseconds gained from removing "dead" entries can more
than be offset by the inadvertant removal of entries needed. I've seen more than
a few Windows systems totally hosed because someone ran a registry cleaner on
it and allowed it to remove what it detected as "bad" entries. Sure, way back in
the Win9X days, cleaning the registry could boost startup time for Windows, but
current professional opinion is against the routine use of "snake-oil" remedies
such as registry cleaners by less-than-knowledgable users to "keep your system
running smoothly". Modern Windows systems do a good job of ignoring invalid
registry entries anyway.

Yes, wizard57: "snake-oil" may well be the the proper term for them.

I wonder if there are benchmarks that show _any_ benefit of these utilities? Having read good reviews of CCleaner I had a go in XP with using the latest CCleaner available - using the default settings - and the result was very close to a disaster. Fortunately I had a backup of my registry and after a couple of hours with cold sweat on my forehead I was back in business. I really had trouble getting the computer boot up let alone run just about any executable.

Yes, the CCrap only did it once but that was more than enough for me. God only knows the damage it might have done had I not backed up the registry. As for the workstation it is still working perfectly after four years from this incidence. This experience answered the most important question there is: Why fix it if it is not really broken?

Like virtually any generalized statement, dismissing the tools right off the bat is short sighted. They have their place.

If the user regularly installs and uninstalls software or makes other changes to their system then a registry cleaner is an essential tool. It is a very rare program that properly cleans up after itself during the uninstall. That leftover junk does nothing but decrease system stability.

If the user's system is stable and rarely changes, then a registry cleaner is mostly pointless. There is simply nothing to clean.

I've personally used most of the tools on this list with excellent results. I've eliminated BSODs and a variety of other troublesome issues. From my experience speed is not a big benefit. It simply isn't enough to notice, but the stability improvements are very noticeable.

I posted the following on 2 Sep 2011 in a discussion about which registry cleaner is "better". The "best" is to leave the registry alone unless something is actually broken:

"Registry cleaners as performance boosters are and always have been digital snakeoil. Useless at best, dangerous at worst. Macecraft (makers of a registry cleaner called jv16 powertools) compared 31 of the most popular registry cleaners (including their own) and noted their scanning speed, errors found, false positive rate, if they uninstalled themselves cleanly, if they bundled themselves with crapware like Yahoo toolbar, installation size, price, whether or not it tries to auto-start with Windows...
...but they didn't test the "reason" most people use these things: system speed increase. Know why? Because none of them can increase performance. Fix specific errors associated with a problem program that didn't uninstall correctly? Possibly. Speed up Windows? Dream on."

If it doesn't speed it up; so what! I use it to clean up after malware fights, and bad installs, and dysfunctional applications. I can't count the times I've used it to fix problems with applications that needed a clean install to become functional again. Just uninstalling and reinstalling didn't work - running CCleaner between operations like that DID make things happen!

I know I've been successful at speeding up clients who have so much crud in their system from novice activity, that running CCleaner has definitely and NOTICEABLY sped up their PCs. I know it has on my PCs as well. If it doesn't work for everybody else, I could care less, I get tired of all the negative reactions about reg cleaners, because I personally witness the success of using them every day. So once again - Who cares?

I considered the knowledge that registry cleaners were unnecessary after Windows 2000 to be common. Why are these guys writing about registry cleaners at all?

100% agree with the sentiments of wizard57m, I would never recommend any of these programs.

For such a miniscule gain there is potentially so much lost.

My experience is that whilst newer (faster) computers may see little gain from running a registry cleaner or defragging, there are a lot of older and slower computers that do benefit from both. If I do reccomend / use a Registry cleaner then I generally use CCleaner because, as noted, it is a low risk cleaner and does a backup by default (my experience with it is very good). On the strength of the article I think I will give Comodo a try - in a careful way of course :- )

"With rampant and careless software installation, the registry gets mucked up quickly."

Rampant? Careless?

I've been running my W2K installation for over ten years, and as far as I know, the Registry is working properly.

PS: I assume the Comodo product is so-called because it speeds up Registry operations, and the Registry is no longer "draggin".

I like your analysis of Comodo's name!

COMODO registry cleaner crashed my Windows XP Pro. I called their tech support and was told I had to sign up for their support which likely would have required a credit card.

The guy who made those recommendations should never be allowed to do so on the Tech Republic web site again - he obviously doesn't know what he is talking about. I'll never take any suggestions for software from this site again.

I agree with Mark! I installed Comodo and it occupied 100% of my cpu time for hours. Once I uninstalled Comode, my Windows 7 machine returned to normal. Garbage!

Tried several when beginning in IT. Know better now Revo does enough for all

This free package hasn't given me any problems with Windows 7. It includes a set of utilities: disk cleaner that finds and cleans out a heap of junk files; registry cleaner/defragger that finds and cleans out a lot of junk entries; reg back-up; broken shortcuts fixer/remover; startup manager and RAM optimizer, which can both be very useful when I'm working on a notebook with limited RAM; and various other utilities and optimizers. It's also very efficient at getting rid of junk browser extensions that have a tendency to install themselves without asking.

I have used Glary U a lot on friends computers after removing viruses with Malwarebytes this combo has always worked for me. i have used it on XP, Vista and Windows 7. I might try the ones in the article if there is a problem that Glary U won't fix.

I also happen to use a "cleaner" when I notice there are "unwanted entries" in my registry. Mainly to remove the "trash" when allready knowing there ARE unwanted entries (or suspect). Still I dont really see an improvement of the speed or responds.

As asked above, - I wonder if there are BENCHMARKS proving the reall benefit of a registry cleaning. Though, with these cleaners or "built in accessories", there is a positive and at times security issue, in deleting temporary files, cookies and a disk defrag at times (some skip defrag, because it's too slow. And sure it is, if seldom run).

I've never seen any legitimate testing showing a speed increase from using any registry cleaner.

As Jayne Cobb would say:
"Ten percent of nothin' is, let me do the math here... nothin' and a nothin', carry the nothin'..."

Was it because someone has test results showing registry cleaners make a system faster? If so, please share. I'd love to see results of BootRacer (boot speed), SuperPi (cpu), SiSoft Sandra (memory), HD Tach (disk io), along with PCMark/3DMark test taken before and after.

Also, please note I'm talking about REGISTRY cleaning, not add-on features these programs tend to bundle in like disabling startup programs and defragging the hard drive. I've noticed those who believe these products increase speed tend to say "I used X and my machine was faster afterwards" without isolating the registry cleaner during their "testing". If the speed increase is due to disabling programs, there is no need for a registry cleaner - just use MSConfig and/or HijackThis. If it is actually due to a cleaner registry, lets see some testing methodology and some benchmarks.

I've seen the positives from the hard knocks road, that is all I need. Those stinking test companies are all in the pockets of some big corps, like Symantec or such anyway, why believe them?

@markku.niskanen :

I am sorry to say so, but if you run a newly installed program without verifying (customizing) the default settings, you are asking for trouble. In these cases, not the program, but the user is to blamE; CCleaner never gave me any problem on XP SP3. I never blindly allow a program to run with default settings.

Registry cleaners ? I'm glad they're around.

I use Advanced Windows System Care for the heavy stuff.
And TweakNow for the occasional wipe.
Advanced Windows Sys Care if you ever use it will keep you forever.
It has so many good features they're too long to list. It even
goes and gets MS Updates and checks for vulnerabilities. It checks for Disk Errors,
defrag's, checks for unused shortcuts, has a passive file defense mech. for the Sys32 folder and a Sys optimization for internet connections that actually works great. You can't do without it and AVAST! Anti Virus. Avast!'s top of the line virus software is better than anything out there by miles. Their "Sandbox" virus checker stops disaster cold. Use these two apps knowledgably, your PC worries are OVER! REALLY!!

I use Wintools.net Pro during many years in Windows XP and Windows 7 and also CCleaner without any problems.

I use the free Glary Utilities, in addition to cleaning the registry it mas many more options like deleting temporary files, finding duplicate files, etc.

I recommend Ccleaner as the only Reg cleaner to use.. if you MUST use one. The registry is not a playground for the inexperienced or ill-informed. Be advised that is you have multiple users on a PC Mucking around in the registry even to clean it can spell disaster. What may be useless for one user may be required for another and Ccleaner at least is only looking at the current user. For those that are constantly installing software to try this out or check that out. I recommend spending your hard earned cash on VMWare. Test your software in a virtual environment first. Rather than trying to undo things after the fact.

I think ERUNT and NTREGOPT are often overlooked.Neat and light,when used in tandem,I have found them fast and error-free with an auto-backup option which comes in useful after crashes.Also.de-cluttering a bulky registry often makes my system go faster.

Auslogics' Registry Cleaner wins this race, hands down. Iobit (Advanced System Care) got caught stealing:

http://www.google.com/search?q=iobit+Advanced+System+Care+caught+stealing&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

No one likes Glary?

Most people on here agree: reg cleaners are to be used if you constantly install and uninstall software. Furthermore, you should always backup your registry before cleaning it, and if you're not sure what you're doing, don't clean it at all (at least until you learn more about the registry).

As for the difference in opinion regarding what software is "best", it's a matter of preference. Go ahead, ask what OS is best and see if you get just one answer. Most likely, there will be some people defending Windows, some defending OS X, and some defending various Linux distros.

So, to answer your question: "What do users at all levels of competency take away from this thread?" They get a neat list of pros and cons to reg cleaners, who should use them, and a number of different reg cleaners to try. However, users with little to no reading comprehension, get mad and write comments like yours.

EDIT: Fixed some spelling errors.

And found no general agreement. You may want to re-read it.

Without knowing whether or not the registry should be cleaned, it is frivolous to yak about supposed merits of registry cleaning programs. That's like kids who have no monitor discussing video games.

Re reading comprehension, feel free to post general agreements of this thread as to whether registry cleaning is required.

"If the user regularly installs and uninstalls software or makes other changes to their system then a registry cleaner is an essential tool. [...] If the user's system is stable and rarely changes, then a registry cleaner is mostly pointless" - mckinnej

"The registry is not a playground for the inexperienced or ill-informed. [...] For those that are constantly installing software to try this out or check that out." - Cynyster

"My rule of thumb is to do a backup, go ahead and run the scan. If you recognize an entry and KNOW it belongs to uninstalled software, go ahead and allow the cleaner to delete that entry" - Jim Johnson (Note the reference to uninstalled software)

"If you uninstall an application, be sure you've completely deleted it's directories first" - jelabarre (Note, again, the reference to the uninstalling of software)

From the author himself: "With rampant and careless software installation, the registry gets mucked up quickly." - Jack Wallen

Most of the other posts discuss which software is best, and I think we already covered that. Anything else?

mckinnej and Cynyster - "if a user regularly installs and uninstalls software", they should use a vm test bubble (also an added layer of protection against downloaded programs of unknown rootkit/virus/malware/poor coding status) or revert to a disk image after testing.
Jim Johnson and Jack Wallen - a good rule to avoid damage, but what benefit is removing a pointer to nothing? At best, you didn't do anything. At worst, that entry wasn't pointing to nothing.
Jack Wallen - a better option is don't do "rampant and careless software installation." Test in a vm or use known good images to revert to.

Why do the vast majority of people use registry cleaners? Because their system is running slow or unstable. Chance a registry cleaner is going to speed up their system = 0. If you disagree, please show test results showing otherwise. I would love to see them. Chance it is going to make the system stable = about the same chance that it will make a system unbootable (either by the program's fault or user error). If you're going to use one you might as well just do a System Restore, revert to image, or do a repair install. Those options are all safer, require less technical knowledge, and have higher success rates.

Fisrt off, why did you reply to my comment? You are arguing against the opinions of others, not mine. I was simply pointing out that there IS a general consensus as to when registry cleaners are useful.

I'll give a chance for a rebuttal though, here are my two cents: In an ideal world of software, reg cleaners aren't useful. Software developers learn to make programs that clean up after themselves and the Windows registry doesn't get clogged up. However, this is usually not the case. And so, over time, you get registry keys that (as you stated) point to nothing.

The problem is that although the latest versions of Windows are getting better at ignoring invalid registry keys, a large amount of these can clog up your system and impair performance (mainly stability-wise; for instance, invalid registry keys can cause otherwise unexplicable crashes and BSODs). Such an amount of invalid registry keys could develop over the lifetime of a Windows OS. Now, the case could be made that one could manually remove the keys, but that would take a very long time. Hence the careful use of reg cleaners (backup your reg, inspect what is going to be deleted) can greatly help speed up this process.

However, as with any tool, one must be careful while using it and take the necessary precautions (like I said before, backups and inspecting what is being removed, for starters). Of course, if a person doesn't know what they are doing, they shouldn't be using a reg cleaner. That being said, in the hands of someone knowledgeable cleaning the regsitry can be less of a hassle than a sys restore, reverting to an image or performing a repair install (all of which, however, are valid options if you don't feel comfortable with the reg cleaner).

EDIT: Remember tht most users don't run VM's. So they clog up the registry. And when machines with registry errors are brought to us for repairs, a reg cleaner may be a useful tool. However, I do agree that the speed gains from using a reg cleaner are (usually) barely noticeable.

"speed gains from using a reg cleaner are (usually) barely noticeable."

Why then would you use it? What quantifiable gain will you achieve? And how would one ascertain that no damage has been done, as damage may not be noticed for a long time?