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so...what is the best reg cleaner?


wgan

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after tried so many of them, both commercial trial and freeware, I'm still a little bit hysteria about cleaning my reg, every individual reg cleaner will give a different result, so what is the overall best one in your opinion (commercial and freeware)?

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i've been using RegSeeker for months now and it's done no harm to my system. however, it cleans more entries than CCleaner does. so if you do worry about cleaning your registry, then CCleaner is better because it cleans registry entries that are actually safe to clean.

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Still, the question remains what real benefits any registry cleaner will bring.

 

Many of the 'invalid' entrries found will get recreated as you continue using your computer, not many issues you may have will truly get 'healed' or 'repaired', and, unlike for example is the case with Windows 98 where a bloated system.dat could really be a problem, registry bloat isn't really a huge issue in NT based systems.

 

Still, if you want my 2 cts, I'm kind of partial to anything by Jouni Vuorio.

 

I used to run his RegCleaner from the very start, and I found it to be one of the more useful and well designed ones.

 

Nowadays his software is to be found here: http://www.jv16.org/

 

RegSupreme Pro is excellent for what it does, JV16 Power Tools has a load of additional useful options.

 

 

[edit] I just found you a test of 10 competing products by the renowned Fred Langa. That should hopefully help you make up your mind. ;)

 

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showA...cleID=171203805[/edit]

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wgan, if you are running a WinNT based operating systems such as WinNT/2000/2003/XP then ERUNT and NTREGOPT are highly recommended.

 

ERUNT is the registry backup application.

 

NTREGOPT is the registry optimization application.

The system must be rebooted to take advantage of the optimization.

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt

Keep your security software up to date by viewing the announcements at Calendar of Updates

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wgan, if you are running a WinNT based operating systems such as WinNT/2000/2003/XP then ERUNT and NTREGOPT are highly recommended.

 

Absolutely, although NTregopt 'only' compacts the registry, which incidentally is certainly to be recommended.

 

However, it does not actually remove redundant/orphaned registry keys and values, and thus cannot be considered a registry cleaner

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You have to be careful with RegSeeker and know exactly what to exclude. It's one of those registry cleaners that may be too powerful, and if you don't know what you're cleaning you can easily cause problems. The safest registry cleaner I know of is in CCleaner, the large 'Issues' button.

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Well, as I already implied, with this kind of application there's always that balance to strike between being close to ineffectual on one hand and overly agressive on the other...

 

I'm obviously a huge CCleaner fan, and the Issues option is certainly a nice and useful addition, but it's true forte is obviously cleaning those pesky MRUs...

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From a post I made months ago (I don't even use this anymore, nor do I know where to get it)!

 

englishman, This is from the RegScrub help file. May help answer you question!

Purpose of Cleaning the Registry

 

Today's computers are so fast that to say one of the reasons to clean out the registry is to speed up the computer is ludicrous. So if you think you're speeding up your computer by using a registry cleaning program, then you should re-think your strategy.

 

Sure, you can clean the registry to avoid potential problems and that is a valid reason, but I honestly think the main reason why we all use a registry cleaner is that we are clean freaks! We hate the thought of junk inside the registry, even if it does no harm!

 

I believe that the most valuable aspect of RegScrubVista is to remove unwanted program execution and left over junk from uninstalls, and to remove the cause of some annoying error messages or odd behavior.

 

No Two Registry Cleaning Programs Find the Exact Same Problems

 

If you run different registry cleaners, you'll immediately notice that some find problems that others don't. And you'll probably never find two that find the exact same list of problems. Why?

 

The registry is simply a database that does not enforce strict rules of usage. There are some rules and standard conventions that govern how one should properly add data to the registry, but this does not prevent a lazy or naive programmer from using the registry any way they please. Registry cleaning programs work off the rules, but they also have to do some complex interpretations as well. The more interpretations, the more likely a cleaning program is going to make mistake. RegScrubVista does a reasonable job of cleaning the registry without using a lot of risky interpretations.

 

Most well known programs use the registry properly and follow the rules and standard conventions. You may be running a program that does not follow the rules, and it is possible that RegScrubVista (as well as other cleaning programs) may flag problems that are not problems. This is why all registry cleaning programs warn you to back up the registry so you can restore if necessary. RegScrubVista backs up all data that it cleans. It also provides a simple way to back up the entire registry. For more details, see the section on Restoring the Registry.

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I have the free version of jv16 Power Tools, however, I don't understand how to use it other than manually removing entries. I already do that with RegCleaner and RegSeeker. The best one right now is CM DiskCleaner. I currently have EasyCleaner, RegistryMechanic (commercial with work license), EusingFree RC and MS Cleanup Center, plus the three previously mentioned. I also have tried many others. I realize I'm pressing my luck! Would someone please explain how to use "16" in an auto mode or doesn't it work that way?

Thank You!

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Here is the latest poll on reg cleaners from Wilders. Guess who is in the lead? ( See top of page)

 

Thanks for that Stapp! :D

It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine. P. G. Wodehouse

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Here is the latest poll on reg cleaners from Wilders. Guess who is in the lead? ( See top of page)

 

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread....7243#post817243

 

That's not for registry cleaners though, it's just for cleaner programs.

 

The title says, "Cleaner Program Poll 2006"

 

To replace the aging Best Cleaner Program? poll, ive taken the liberty of creating a more up-to-date poll.

 

as for my choice, I currently use CCleaner. it light and simple. cleans both disk and registry.

 

Unfortunately, that poll doesn't answer the question of the best registry cleaner.

 

Personally, I would recommend RegCompact.NET as it's totally free and does everything NTREGOPT does, but more. :P

 

Also, on the site is a list of other Registry Cleaners.

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I have the free version of jv16 Power Tools, however, I don't understand how to use it other than manually removing entries.

 

I'd suggest finding an online tutorial about it's usage with explainations because from what I remember it has some shoot yourself in both feet options. It's a bit dangerous to use a registry cleaning tool that you don't fully understand. Although auto as you stated may sound like an easy sort-of hands off approach I however wouldn't trust it for one millisecond, albeit Jouni is a good coder of registry cleaning apps.

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There IS a tutorial in pdf form:

http://www.macecraft.com/html/jv16pt2006_d...dbook.pdf

 

The registry cleaner hasn't given me any grief at all. Just like CCleaner it presents you with a list of what it finds.

 

Then, again exactly like with CCleaner, you get a choice:

 

Do you want to deal with every single registry entry manually, or do you want JV PowerTools (or CCleaner) to "fix" them for you (you can choose 'select all' with PT as well)

 

If you want PT (or CC) to do the work for you, both will do that as best they can, and both export what they remove to a regfile, so that you can always revert to the state you started out with.

 

Anyway, just my cts. By all means do choose the registry cleaner you're most comfortable with; I'm not on a mission...

 

Should you still be interested in a second (or third) opinion, have a look at the comparative test I linked to previously; here it is again: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showA...cleID=171203805

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