Transparency behind Registry Cleaner feature

[Mattshu]

Hello. I've been an avid supporter of CCleaner and Defraggler for many years now. It's literally my go-to when it comes to optimizing Windows.

 

I'm curious to know more about the algorithm of the Registry Cleaner. How does it determine when entries aren't supposed to be there?

 

Sort of a broad question, I know, but I'm curious.

[Kas]

It is quite  common among PC geeks to leave Registry cleaning alone apart from the very obvious personally recognized junk.

 

On some reputable computer Forums, Registry tampering is a taboo.

 

If it works OK, don`t fix it.

[mta]

what @Kas said.  if it ain't broke - don't fix it.

with reg cleaning there is usually very little performance benefit.  and a far greater chance for things to go pear-shaped.

it's more a 'human' thing.  CC (or others) say "I can clean 500 entries" and we go Cool ! but in the great scheme of the registry it is but a drop in the ocean.

 

as to the inner workings of the reg cleaning algorithms used by CC, none of us normal members (Mods included) are privy to that, all you can guess at is looking at the results and reverse-engineering a theory.

 

for example, if reg cleaner found an "Application Path Issue" then it's fair to say that's because the location the program was last launched from is no longer valid.

[Kas]

Registry cleaning ? Pass on by and give it a miss.

 

Apart from a bit of individual poking around to find obvious junk, leave it alone. There is an old wives tale coughed up by some that Registry cleaning increases your PC response. Ya know - ya get more SPEED ! Absolute rubbish, even if it did, you would never tell the difference and need a micro-sensor to detect any change or a conveniently aligned imagination.

 

But if you are an adrenaline junky - then go for it and may God go with you.

[Andavari]

I'm curious to know more about the algorithm of the Registry Cleaner. How does it determine when entries aren't supposed to be there?

 

Since CCleaner is not open-source software I doubt that information will ever be made available.

[Winapp2.ini]

in winreg.ini the individual cleaners are hidden behind SpecialKeys, which as far as I know, are not user facing

[Hav0c]

I like to clean the registry after a virus hit that has been cleaned by a AV as most if not all AVs do not scan for registry values.

I also clean the registry after installing a couple of applications, "why ?" some of you may ask, well let me explain why I do it.

 

I see the registry as a MASSIVE telephone book, with sections and entries.

Sections being the different HKEY values and the entries, well the entries below every HKEY. Now over time the phone book gets adds, and you are using a old book. So how does one remove the adds and the old phone numbers to speed up the process ? One tears out the unneeded pages or write them down. So doing speeding up the next search for that number.

 

So by using a register cleaner, one shortens the search process for a specific applications value and removing all the "adds".

(NOTE: this can backfire as well if you do not make the backups of the registry value)

 

and Mta is correct in stating that there is usually very little performance benefit.

 

Does anyone even know of an open source reg cleaner so that once can have a look at the algorithms ?