New places to check for invalid registry entries..

[weaselbites]

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist\{75048700-EF1F-11D0-9888-006097DEACF9}\Count

 

 

Under that key, there is a list of all the various start menu and windows history lists, that have ever been made/used. Therefore there are a lot of invalid references to items that have been deleted but still remain there.

 

I know at least two other registry cleaners that clean there, and it would be awesome if CCleaner could do the same.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Weasel.

[login123]

Hi, W...

 

That is a bundle of information...Thanks. What is safe to delete? I don't recognize any of that stuff.

[weaselbites]

Hi there

 

On my machine (win 2k) and an XP machine that I use, I have found multiple keys there of various files on my machine. I know that Tuneup cleans there - in fact that was the only registry it found - it cleaned over 200 entries in that place.

 

As I understand it, a lot of it are recently opened files - essentially MRU's.

 

However, this list goes on and on and on. I give you an example from my machine...note some file names have been erased as they are personal.

 

Image hosted by Imageshack (wasnt sure if I was allowed to upload using your forum).

 

 

So essentially, what any program would have to do is check to see the validity of those keys - in other words does that file still exist on the machine where it claims it does - if not they can be removed.

 

Or at least thats my vague understanding of it.

 

Does this help somewhat or have I got it wrong?

[login123]

"Does this help somewhat or have I got it wrong?"

 

Very helpful. Thank you.

 

I'm going to give it a try, while protected with powershadow or returnil. but have to log off now and will not be able to report anything for a day or 2.

 

Would not tinker with it unless I had one of those protective programs running, cause I'm a registry scaredy-cat.

[JDPower]

I suggested those entries be cleaned a while back but nothing came of it. They are perfectly safe to remove and I discovered them via RegSeekers 'Old Start Menu Items' which specifically cleans these items and found some 300 or so the first time I checked it. I've been cleaning them for months and never had any problem.

[davey]

Hi Guys,

 

SURPRISE!!! SURPRISE!!! The Piriform programming team has been responding to your requests.

At least from the first time I used CCleaner back in the beginning of NOV. 2007.

 

I am am a relatively new user of PC's and CCleaner.

So I am used too surprises!!!

I was surprised when I foolishly checked all the Adavaced options on the Cleaner function.

So I quickly learned not to use those options until I thoroughly investigated what each one does.

 

This thread provided the final trigger to resolve my understanding of one of those options.

That option is listed as User Assist History under the Advanced options of The Cleaner function.

When you check that option the CCleaner does something to cause those items to be removed the next time you Restart..

Most new users are shocked the next time they reboot and all of a sudden their list of most used programs is missing from the Start Menu.I know I was.

Windows starts rebuilding this list and updating the use Count each time you start another Program.

 

I too use RegSeeker,only to help my understanding and investigations.Through reading some of the opinions of the Moderators and Power Members ,I too have come to realize the dangers of some Registry software.This is mainly due to lack of experience of the software user.

 

Use of this option is not advised for new Users of CCleaner until they get more experience.

 

More experienced users can use this option every now and then as desired.ENJOY!!!

I am currently using CCleaner v 02.03.532.I have never had any problems with it.

Best Wishes To All,

davey

[JDPower]

That option is listed as User Assist History under the Advanced options of The Cleaner function.

That is not the same as what is suggested above, using that option in CCleaner does not clean the above mentioned reg entries.

[davey]

Hi JDPower,

I stand corrected.I misconstrued your Post and I used RegSeeker to verify my tests without actually looking in the Registry.Of course you are correct.The Cleaner function only removes the data and not the Registry entries.

The strange thing is my Registry ls different from "weaselbites" Registry.

This may be because I intentionally installed some "malware" from Microsoft a month or two back.It was called "Windows XP SP3 Beta" or some such thing.

(Let me not mislead anyone.I have not had any problems at all with WINDOWS XP SP3 BETA.)

I will provide you with an Image later of the Registry.

Now I have to go and learn how to do that from DennisD pinned post in the Lounge under Important Topics.

I provide this link for other Newbie users who want to learn How To Use Image Hosting Sites and how to capture "snapshots" off their screen.

This should be a fun filled learning experience.

 

THANKS TO DennisD for making this Post for us Newbie users.

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=13668

 

Thanks for your gentle guidance JDPower,

davey

 

HERES THE image of my regedit.Seems similar to what Hazel lists in her following post.

Edited January 18, 2008 by davey

[tomcatonnet99]

What about the ZoneMap entry under internet settings in Local machine\Microsoft\windows registry, mine had heaps of entries, just wondering if those were created by Spybot ?? (as restricted sites?? atall ?) Is it safe to remove those entries or the entire 'domain' key

[login123]

I suggested those entries be cleaned a while back but nothing came of it. ...been cleaning them for months and never had any problem.

 

hi, JD. I must have missed that post, but thanks for the current information. Will give it a go soon.

[JDPower]

What about the ZoneMap entry under internet settings in Local machine\Microsoft\windows registry, mine had heaps of entries, just wondering if those were created by Spybot ?? (as restricted sites?? atall ?) Is it safe to remove those entries or the entire 'domain' key

As far as I know that should be the restricted sites added by Spybots immunise function (or Spyware Blaster). Unless you want to remove your protection against those sites you should leave them there.

[hazelnut]

My reg entries under that key

 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist\{75048700-EF1F-11D0-9888-006097DEACF9}\Count

 

 

look like the ones here, they are encrypted with Rot13

 

http://www.tele-pro.co.uk/scripts/misc/rot13.htm

[davey]

That is not the same as what is suggested above, using that option in CCleaner does not clean the above mentioned reg entries.

JDPower,

I am really puzzled now.Maybe I'm just "dense" this morning.

 

This is what the Registry looked like before running Cleaner function with User Assist History checked.

 

This what it looked like after running Cleaner function with User Assist History checked.

Registry function was not run.

 

This is what it looked like after a Restart.I also ran a few programs before looking at Registry.

 

davey

[weaselbites]

Just to clarify some things for everyone here. The encrypted ones are as has been suggested through Rot13 by Microsoft.

 

Some more information about them located here (just did a google and this person seems to go into it quite throughly):

 

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Maze/...xplorer_spy.txt

 

 

I too have similar encrypted ones on my machine...

[login123]

They are perfectly safe to remove. . . RegSeekers 'Old Start Menu Items' . . .found some 300 or so . . .I've been cleaning them for months . . .

 

Sorry to bump up an old post, but this is maybe worth knowing for other registry challenged members like me. Thanks to Weaselbites and JD for pointing it out.

 

Just used RegSeeker myself, it found 624 entries. Held my breath, checked and deleted them all. The magic box is still up and running, everything still works.

 

As insurance, had made registry backups and a restore point beforehand.

[JDPower]

Sorry to bump up an old post, but this is maybe worth knowing for other registry challenged members like me. Thanks to Weaselbites and JD for pointing it out.

 

Just used RegSeeker myself, it found 624 entries. Held my breath, checked and deleted them all. The magic box is still up and running, everything still works.

I hope you mean 624 entries in RegSeekers 'Old Start Menu Items' section, not it's regular scan? I would never trust Regseeker to delete everything in it's regular scan, it's simply too dangerous (there are about 50 entries it finds on my clean system that I know aren't safe to remove, and thats with Andavari's exclusion list). BUT the 'Old Start Menu' section I always delete everything it picks up there.

[login123]

Yes, it was the old start menu items search.

[JDPower]

Yes, it was the old start menu items search.

Phew . When that section was introduced to Regseeker in V1.5 it found about 300 of those 'old start menu items' on my computer and after some research to find out what they were I went through and individually checked each one before deleting them. I have been deleting the entries it finds there for months with no adverse effect, not surprising as they always reference non existent files. I wish CCleaner could deal with them though, would save firing up Regseeker just for that.