REGISTRY NEVER CHANGED

I tried to repair my registry errors using ccleaner with success only to find that all the errors were back when I rebooted. I have VISTA sp2 and can only access my computer thru SAFE MODE. I repeated this process many times with the same result. I look at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG and all the registry hive files have not changed in size or date. Can anybody tell me what files are being changed by ccleaner when it tells me it fixed all the errors?

Were there only a few errors?

Can you perform a System Restore??

Richard S.

More than 3000 errors and system restore seems to be non-existent.

3000 is certainly numerous. I can give only my usual advice for returning errors.

They were flagged cos they were momentarily unused, and CCleaner could not forsee they would be needed again. CC deleted the items from the registry but they were recreated at boot. You can tell CC to ignore them.

The cure . . . iqbjfm.png

My original question had to do with this: I look at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG and all the registry hive files have not changed in size or date. Can anybody tell me what files are being changed by ccleaner when it tells me it fixed all the errors? I have used several different registry repair programs but NONE seem to make ANY changes.

Why do you want to 'change' the registry? Because your quest to 'change' things could end up badly for you.

Are you having problems on your machine?

You said you can only access Vista via Safe Mode.

My experience with XP was that if I deleted redundant files with EXE and DLL extensions which Windows thought could be needed,

the only way to avoid having duplicate copies added to a restore point was to do so with system restore disabled,

and starting in Safe Mode was my easy way out.

I suspect that SAFE MODE may have strange effects on VISTA.

I assume that RegEdit, CCleaner, or any other registry cleaning tool, manipulate the registry held in memory,

and it would not surprise me if changes in memory to the registry failed to be committed back to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG hive files on shutdown,

therefore I would expect to see no change even if the registry had been doubled in size.

My original question had to do with this: I look at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG and all the registry hive files have not changed in size or date. Can anybody tell me what files are being changed by ccleaner when it tells me it fixed all the errors? I have used several different registry repair programs but NONE seem to make ANY changes.

Disregarding differences due to SAFE MODE :-

CCleaner Registry Cleaner merely deletes registry keys, NOT files.

Each key is in one of the Hives you see in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG and the relevant Hive file is the one that has its contents changed.

I have seen hive files increase when applications are installed with many more registry keys.

When those applications are "perfectly" uninstalled and every registry key deleted the hive does shrink - BUT ONLY -

after a special operation, such as using NTREGOPT which is available with ERUNT.

Registry hives never shrink when keys are deleted, but expand as space is required for new keys.

Never trust file dates for system files.

I have some understanding of the difference between Created, Modified, and Accessed when looking at text files created/edited by Notepad and some third party applications.

but Microsoft files have rules of their own.

I order of deception there are "lies, damn lies, statistics, and Microsoft File Properties" ! !

As for the registry "getting smaller physically" that won't happen unless you use a registry defrag/compact program.

As for registry keys seeming to never get removed see here, since it's literally becoming one of the biggest complaints against new versions of CCleaner.

Things are already bad. If they get worse I will re-install Windows. My problem right now is that every time I correct over 3000 registry errors it says they are fixed. I scan it again a few more times and see that there are no more errors. I reboot the computer, run the scan again and there are more than 3000 back again as if nothing had changed.

Which 3000 errors??

Richard S.

It seems to be as if, when I make changes to the registry, I actually make changes to a copy or temp file and not the registry. Upon reboot the changes should transfer but they don't.

and I'll ask it again, which 3000 problems has CCleaner detected??

The reason for this is because CCleaner is known for false reporting of unused file types and probably with other things too.

So although you have been fixing them with CCleaner it's possible Vista has been restoring the original keys for some reason.

Richard S.

0185 activeX/com

0009 application path

0003 font

0001 help files

1350 installer references

0010 installer references

0040 invalid firewall rule

0960 missing shared DLL's

0003 missing typelib references

0002 obsolete key

0048 open with application

0044 uninstaller

0012 unused file extention

Also, I don't think it's ccleaner that has the problem. I used another program with the same results. I even did a registry defrag. As soon as I reboot, nothing has changed.

I believe Registry defrag/cleaning/etc operates on the registry in memory,

and the Registry Hive files are suitably updated on shutdown.

I have doubts whether an update from memory to disc will happen when shutdown is from Safe Mode.

I consider it unrealistic to expect proper operation if your system is so corrupt that Safe Mode is the only way to get any sort of functionality.

Would it be better to fix the system errors so that you can use normal mode,

and then consider registry issues ?

I wish I knew how to fix system errors. The whole thing started when Avast deleted a rootkit, rebooted and got the blue screen 00000008E, C00000005, the other numbers change on each reboot.

The whole thing started when Avast deleted a rootkit

Had we known that from the beginning we could've pointed you to this topic, which I'd highly recommend following:

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=20120

Had we known that from the beginning we could've pointed you to this topic, which I'd highly recommend following:

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=20120

+1

I also have to ask what won the battle, Avast or the Rootkit.

B.S.O.D.s suggest that Avast was not the victor.

Perhaps your banks accounts may be at risk.