Does Reg Cleaner unregister dll's?

CCleaner for Windows
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Hi Piriform people, and thanks for the great tools CC and Defraggler!

Question: I have been de-bloating my HDD and Win XP SP2. Before using the Registry tools, "Missing Shared Dlls", and "ActiveX and Com Issues", I need to know whether deleting the Reg entries found by CC in these categories will also *unregister* the associated DLL, ActiveX (.ocx), .exe, etc. from the regserver.

The reason I ask is that one of the major sources that I have been using for which files can be deleted, warns that there are some files which are safe to delete, but must not be unregistered. The technical reasons aren't pertinent here -- yet -- I don't think. I just need to know whether deleting the above entries, Missing Shared and ActiveX/Com, will unregister the associated files, or will leave them registered.

Many thanks in advance!

CC 2.10.618

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The short answer. If the dll/ocx is missing or not present then yes. Some times if I run it an dclean, a second run will find a few more items.

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Some times if I run it an dclean, a second run will find a few more items.

Exactly, the registry cleaner should be ran again and again until nothing else is found.

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Many thanks in advance!

CC 2.10.618

Hi fraggletooth, and welcome to the forum.

Just thought I would recommend that you update to the latest version of CCleaner v2.21.940 .

You can find it here.

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Welcome to Piriform fraggletooth.

Question: I have been de-bloating my HDD and Win XP SP2. Before using the Registry tools, "Missing Shared Dlls", and "ActiveX and Com Issues", I need to know whether deleting the Reg entries found by CC in these categories will also *unregister* the associated DLL, ActiveX (.ocx), .exe, etc. from the regserver.

Well the simple answer to this is the name of the dll or ocx is given in the list. If you do a search on your drive for these files and they aren't found then you can remove them from the registry. If they are found then you can try and re-register then with

Run: Regsvr32 filename.dll or filename.ocx

Thats if they are in the Win\Sys folder. ;)

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Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. I apologize for not stating my question and intent more clearly. I'll see if I can do better this time.

I don't want to unregister some of the dll's, etc. that I have deleted. Not "missing", but that *I deliberately deleted*, in the interest of slimming Windows and the HDD. My principal source for guidance in this states as follows:

Some files we delete should never be UnRegistered...meaning their registry entries, or at least some of them, should never be removed. The files themselves can be removed, but UnRegister them, and you've got problems.

<snip>

Take for example my favorite (or at least one of the more interesting) .OCX files, the daxctle.ocx.

This one .OCX file is attached to 11,741 Registry Keys and 12,864 Values under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface...and every one of them will be removed by UnRegistering it.

11,741 Registry Keys and 12,864 Values That's a lot. ...No, that's really a lot. And those numbers show up after I have run registry cleaners. I have seen it associated with as many as 13,583 Registry Keys before any registry cleaner was used.

It's not so much I need the daxctle.ocx on my system, I don't. But UnRegistering it removes registry entries that belong additionally to other files that I do need on my system. I can delete the daxctle.ocx, no problem. But UnRegister it, and Windows Media Player will not play...anything.

Here are a few other examples of files I delete, but I do not UnRegister.

initpki.dll.....(Microsoft Trust Installation and Setup). Contains functions that support encryption. Should I UnRegister this file, I experience a few problems with Internet Explorer displaying certain items on Webpages, and also some problems entering certain Websites. I can delete the initpki.dll and no such problems will occur...just so long as I do not UnRegister it.

mssip32.dll.....(MSSIP32 Forwarder DLL). Should I UnRegister this file, Microsoft Update will not function. I can delete the mssip32.dll and Microsoft Update will still function...just so long as I do not UnRegister it.

softpub.dll.....(Softpub Forwarder DLL). Contains functions that support encryption. Should I UnRegister this file, I experience a few problems with Internet Explorer displaying certain items on Webpages, and also some problems entering certain Websites. I can delete the softpub.dll and no such problems will occur...just so long as I do not UnRegister it.

So now I hope my original intent was clear. Let's say that wtf.dll shows in "Missing Shared Dlls", in, say, ProgramFiles\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Triedit, because I don't use the Triedit function and deleted its entire folder. The quote above tells me that I should not necessarily unregister wtf.dll, because "UnRegistering it removes registry entries that belong additionally to other files that I do need on my system."

So this is why I'm hoping that someone with expert knowledge of the registry, its functions, and how it operates, as well as how CC operates in deleting the single entry, like the example above, can tell me this. Will deleting this singe Reg entry for wtf.dll cause wtf.dll to be Unregistered, which might remove keys that point to it, but also point to other files that I have and need -- thereby causing me to lose those other functions? If so, then it would be better not to use the Reg Cleaner, or else do the painstaking task of deleting one at a time, of probably 3-4000 entries. Thanks, and I apologize again for not making this clear in the OP.

***

@Jamin4u: Thanks for the welcome (and to the other welcomers as well). It seems the size of the new version has almost tripled versus the one I have. What additional useful capabilities would there be for updating?

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Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. I apologize for not stating my question and intent more clearly. I'll see if I can do better this time.

I don't want to unregister some of the dll's, etc. that I have deleted. Not "missing", but that *I deliberately deleted*, in the interest of slimming Windows and the HDD. My principal source for guidance in this states as follows:

Well Windows works a bit strangely sometimes because you can Run: any.exe in Program Files by just giving there name. You can unregister dll's with the /u switch Run: Regsvr32 /u Your.dll but you can't register them in the same way Regsvr32 Your.dll you have to give the full path to this dll.

Now for many many years I've used ActiveX Manager because I programme in VB. The easiest way once installed is to just double-click the dll/ocx to register it and right-click and select Unregister DLL Server to unregister it.

I would let CC remove any references to bad dll's/ocx's but make a backup of what it removes from the registry. You can always double-click this reg file to put the objects back into the registry, what could be simpler? ;)

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@Jamin4u: Thanks for the welcome (and to the other welcomers as well). It seems the size of the new version has almost tripled versus the one I have. What additional useful capabilities would there be for updating?

I use the slim version myself. (No Toolbar)

Have a look at the Piriform Documentation site for more info. (see the link below)

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It doesn't look as though I can get a direct answer to the question, so I give up, but appreciate the time of everyone who responded.

Well Windows works a bit strangely sometimes because you can Run: any.exe in Program Files by just giving there name. You can unregister dll's with the /u switch Run: Regsvr32 /u Your.dll but you can't register them in the same way Regsvr32 Your.dll you have to give the full path to this dll.

Now for many many years I've used ActiveX Manager because I programme in VB. The easiest way once installed is to just double-click the dll/ocx to register it and right-click and select Unregister DLL Server to unregister it.

I would let CC remove any references to bad dll's/ocx's but make a backup of what it removes from the registry. You can always double-click this reg file to put the objects back into the registry, what could be simpler? ;)

Keithuk, I don't mean to be disrespectful or ungrateful, but..

I did *not* ask how to register files.

I did *not* ask how to unregister files.

I did *not* ask for a tool to register or unregister files. So I appreciate your input, but it wasn't what I needed.

What I had asked - twice - was whether deleting a single CC registry reference to a particular file would automatically cause that file to be Unregistered in the Regsvr32, which I did *not* want to happen. No one has been able to give me a definitive answer to that, but thanks anyway.

I would let CC remove any references to bad dll's/ocx's but make a backup of what it removes from the registry. You can always double-click this reg file to put the objects back into the registry, what could be simpler? ;)

Let's say that I find 3,000 entries in Reg Cleaner. If I back them all up and delete them all, then if anything breaks because of the Unregistering phenomenon that I asked about, then I have to restore all 3,000 from the backup. Nothing is simpler, but nothing has been accomplished, either. So it looks like I'll have to delete perhaps a handful of entries and wait a few days or a week to make sure nothing breaks. If it does, I have a limited number of "restores" to try, to isolate the guilty party. If not, delete a few more..... That should keep me busy for a year or so. :D

I use the slim version myself. (No Toolbar)

Have a look at the Piriform Documentation site for more info. (see the link below)

Thanks, Jamin, but I didn't see any references to the slim version anywhere, until I clicked Download, with the intention of perhaps picking up the portable version. Only then were the options presented. May I offer the suggestion to have some references to the Slim Version in the general product information page?

Most of the recent changes seem to be oriented towards Vista, Win7, and some other things not applicable to my situation. Since it presently isn't broken, I'm inclined to keep the version I have -- unless there's an actual bug in it that I've missed? Haven't seen any in a year or two of happy operation.

Thanks again for the programs, the welcome, and the efforts of all who responded. Cheers to all.

smiley-eatdrink004.gif

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Thanks, Jamin, but I didn't see any references to the slim version anywhere, until I clicked Download, with the intention of perhaps picking up the portable version. Only then were the options presented. May I offer the suggestion to have some references to the Slim Version in the general product information page?

smiley-eatdrink004.gif

If you want the portable version, you can find it here.

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Keithuk, I don't mean to be disrespectful or ungrateful, but..

I did *not* ask how to register files.

I did *not* ask how to unregister files.

I did *not* ask for a tool to register or unregister files. So I appreciate your input, but it wasn't what I needed.

Ok sorry for the confusion.

Let's say that I find 3,000 entries in Reg Cleaner. If I back them all up and delete them all, then if anything breaks because of the Unregistering phenomenon that I asked about, then I have to restore all 3,000 from the backup.

No you don't have to restore 3,000 entries you just right-click on the reg file and select Edit. Then you can remove the sections you don't want to restore and restore the parts that aren't working correctly. ;)

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My general purpose self-help approach when uncertain of the consequences of "something" is :-

8 seconds for ERUNT to backup the entire registry ;

A bit longer for Regshot to capture an image of the entire registry and files/folders

Implement this "something"

Capture a second Regshot image

Regshot then lists in a Notepad file all the changes it has observed.

That tells me all I want to know (plus more than I want to know) about what has changed.

If my "something" is the installation of an application, I am concerned about how deeply it hooks into the registry,

If I judge it excessive then I un-install to remove its files, which MAY also undo SOME registry changes - but they never do.

Then I conclude by restoring the ERUNT backup.

The above is also good for when the "something" is drastic registry surgery..

Regards

Alan

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My general purpose self-help approach when uncertain of the consequences of "something" is :-

8 seconds for ERUNT to backup the entire registry ;

A bit longer for Regshot to capture an image of the entire registry and files/folders

Implement this "something"

Capture a second Regshot image

Regshot then lists in a Notepad file all the changes it has observed.

That tells me all I want to know (plus more than I want to know) about what has changed.

If my "something" is the installation of an application, I am concerned about how deeply it hooks into the registry,

If I judge it excessive then I un-install to remove its files, which MAY also undo SOME registry changes - but they never do.

Then I conclude by restoring the ERUNT backup.

The above is also good for when the "something" is drastic registry surgery..

Regards

Alan

Alan, Regshot sounds like the perfect answer to the question of what is changed by "anything", including drastic surgery. I note that it doesn't seem to be supported or well-documented, and that there are no reviews of it. Have you used it long and often, and are you confident of it? If so, then I think it is the answer to my question. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks.

@Jamin,

Right, I saw the portable along with the slim version once you get to the "downloads" page. It's just that there's nothing that I could see anywhere else on the site that would tell you that these are available, so I was just suggesting that the site mention these variations of the product and that they too are available on the same "downloads" page. It was just a suggestion to make them a little more visible, that's all.

Regards to all.

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Yes, I am confident of RegShot.

Google gave 78,900 results for Regshot. There are likely to be many reviews if you have the patience.

I downloaded Regshot in June 2007 from http://www.majorgeeks.com/download965.html

There have many posts about Regshot on that site.

Another site I visit is http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=297

which has many comments.

There are positive comments about REGSHOT

There are negative comments about UNDOREG that can process the REGSHOT output file,

and based on that can put the registry back as it was.

But I suspect those comments came from people who failed to read the documentation.

RegShot gives two options for the output report format,

but UndoReg is only compatible with one of them.

I have full confidence in the Regshot analysis.

I really do not care about UNDOREG, even if it works absolutely perfectly :-

It will put the registry back as it was ;

It MIGHT delete any files and folders that have been added ;

I do not see where it could retrieve copies of the files that have been deleted.

Regshot tells me all I want to know about any installation etc.

If I want to cancel any installation etc. :-

it only takes about 10 Seconds plus a reboot to fully restore the registry ;

or about 6 minutes to restore an Acronis disc image.

Regards

Alan

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Yes, I am confident of RegShot.

Google gave 78,900 results for Regshot. There are likely to be many reviews if you have the patience.

I downloaded Regshot in June 2007 from http://www.majorgeeks.com/download965.html

There have many posts about Regshot on that site.

Another site I visit is http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=297

which has many comments.

There are positive comments about REGSHOT

There are negative comments about UNDOREG that can process the REGSHOT output file,

and based on that can put the registry back as it was.

But I suspect those comments came from people who failed to read the documentation.

RegShot gives two options for the output report format,

but UndoReg is only compatible with one of them.

I have full confidence in the Regshot analysis.

I really do not care about UNDOREG, even if it works absolutely perfectly :-

It will put the registry back as it was ;

It MIGHT delete any files and folders that have been added ;

I do not see where it could retrieve copies of the files that have been deleted.

Regshot tells me all I want to know about any installation etc.

If I want to cancel any installation etc. :-

it only takes about 10 Seconds plus a reboot to fully restore the registry ;

or about 6 minutes to restore an Acronis disc image.

Regards

Alan

Alan, thanks for all of your time, trouble, and information. I had gone only to the first Google listing for Regshot, and it was for the SourceForge host, http://sourceforge.net/projects/regshot/, which had no reviews. I should have searched further, but usually SF is pretty comprehensive.

Regshot sounds like the perfect answer to my question. Thank you so much! Glad I came here and asked. Best regards to all! :D