CCleaner & Registry Defrag File Shrinking...

[Ratsneve]

I added and removed games for over 1.5 years and during that time I ran a 3rd party program that defragged the Registry removing deleted blank areas and shrunk the file sizes down. This was suppose to help things boot and run faster--whenever the Registry had to be accessed.

 

The question now is whether this is still necessary to do at all with Windows 7? And the further, of course, question here is whether CCleaner does this as part of its Registry cleanup? Does it remove empty space where lines of code use to exist, then defrag the files so they are compact like new?

 

If CCleaner doesn't offer this as an automatic part of cleaning up the Resistry wouldn't it be a nice idea if it did? Pros & Cons?

 

If it doesn't does anyone recommend and use another 3rd party program for Windows 7 that does?

 

Thanks.

[Andavari]

CCleaner doesn't defrag/compress/optimize the registry which is completely different from registry cleaning. There's umpteen freeware tools that do, so you have many to choose from.

[Disk4mat]

Besides the point(s) Andavari has made, I cant imagine doing a compact more than 3 to 4 times per year. Unless your installing and removing some 3 to 4 apps per week, there is'nt much need. You wont recover that much disk space. Nor will the DB's compact to realize any significant gain.

 

Myself I reload a drive image every 6 months. So I eliminated the need for compacting/defragging.

[Ratsneve]

CCleaner doesn't defrag/compress/optimize the registry which is completely different from registry cleaning. There's umpteen freeware tools that do, so you have many to choose from.

This confirms what I suspected. I'm sure it has been asked a million times but do you know why, if CCleaner does so much for a healthy computer it doesn't become the umpteenth freeware to also do Registry defrag, compress, & optimization? Rather then use umpteen different utilities--I would rather use one. I'd be interested to know? Thanks for your response.

[Ratsneve]

So you would rather install an image then defrag the Registry? Interesting. I went 1.5 years on my Vista installation. But I used CCleaner then I periodically, whether it needed it or not, also defragged the Registry. Baring the disaster that would necessitate it I don't see running an image every 6 months myself.

 

I would still wish Piriform consider a complete Registry maintenance built into CCleaner.

[pwillener]

I personally do not believe in registry cleaning / defragging / compressing / etc.

 

I have my XP system for more than 8 years, never used any of the above methods, and it still runs as fast as on the first day.

 

But I do defragment the HD, including registry files, folder files, page file, and MFT.

[Disk4mat]

So you would rather install an image then defrag the Registry? Interesting. I went 1.5 years on my Vista installation. But I used CCleaner then I periodically, whether it needed it or not, also defragged the Registry. Baring the disaster that would necessitate it I don't see running an image every 6 months myself.

 

I would still wish Piriform consider a complete Registry maintenance built into CCleaner.

I do it mostly for performance reasons and to get rid of unwanted software and orphan files etc. Im really particular. I have everything set a certain way. Restoring the image only takes 6 minutes (not counting boot time).

 

A while back I requested the same feature as you. But I dont think I would use/need it now. Might have been easier for me to say that originally.

[Thrak]

If you are that interested in the possible effects of a registry defrag, ytou should also consider a more powerful registry cleaner (at your own risk) than CCleaner, which is rather gentle and safe to avoid having the average user trashing his OS. More aggressive cleaners will remove a lot more defunct reg entries, or let you point them to the correct files.

 

You want something more aggressive and more comprehensive than CCleaner. CCleaner is meant to be very safe, and does what it does well.

[ident]

I do it mostly for performance reasons

 

What performance reasons? Reg defrag is utterly pointless. Most system optimizers do more harm then good.

[Andavari]

This confirms what I suspected. I'm sure it has been asked a million times but do you know why, if CCleaner does so much for a healthy computer it doesn't become the umpteenth freeware to also do Registry defrag, compress, & optimization? Rather then use umpteen different utilities--I would rather use one. I'd be interested to know? Thanks for your response.

I'm just a regular user and volunteer, and have no inside info as to why it does or doesn't have certain features.

 

The registry compacting feature has been requested many times before though, and undoubtedly the Piriform developers know about the request to have it as a feature.

 

Now as to rather registry compacting is actually needed or not I don't really know.

[Thrak]

An additional note: compacting the registry can actually be counter-productive. I've found it most useful to do on very rare occasions, and mostly with Win 9.x registries. When a lot of apps and settings have been removed, and the registry has been very thoroughly cleaned by an aggressive cleaner and by eyeballing the database by someone who knows what they are looking at, removing the "dead space" maybe helpful. But if you compact every time you clear out more or less volatile reg keys (e.g. MRU lists), guess where those keys now go when generated? Yes, way at the end of the file, in which case it is more likely to increase access times.

 

And the folks at Piriform are unlikely to give you a setting which may decrease performance, and have to support that scenario. You really want to use a different product for this entirely, but make sure it is a good and well-respected app. There are only 2 or 3 I'd ever use, and I've tested many over the years.

[Disk4mat]

What performance reasons? Reg defrag is utterly pointless. Most system optimizers do more harm then good.

You didnt read my reply to the previous post. I DONT use reg compacting and instead restore a drive image for performance reasons.

 

[Seven_Eleven]

...I DONT use reg compacting and instead restore a drive image for performance reasons.

 

 

Me too