Are Registry Cleaners Still Needed on Windows 10?

Page 13 of 27 FirstFirst ... 3111213141523 ... LastLast

  1. Posts : 56
    macOS Sierra, Windows 10 Pro
       #120

    I always felt that registry cleaners are not necessary. Why would you want to mess with core components of an operating system?
    The last time I had a blue screen was in 2006.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 27,162
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       #121

    z31fanatic said:
    I always felt that registry cleaners are not necessary. Why would you want to mess with core components of an operating system?
    The last time I had a blue screen was in 2006.
    That's a while! Love your avatar by the way
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 1,091
    Windows XP/7/8/8.1/10, Linux, Android, FreeBSD Unix
       #122

    Trust_No1 said:
    I agree with you on almost all of what you say, except for the part about empty keys don't matter. The main problem with Windows (over time) is that keys are added on, and while they may not do anything. Windows still has to read through all of those keys, which does take extra time.

    Why do you hear people say, that Windows slows down over time? It does just because (in part) as the above says. It is the same concept as searching for something. If you search for something on 1 entry as opposed to several hundred thousand, obviously the search on one entry will be much faster. So, removing all of those useless keys IMO does help. If you don't need them, get rid of them. I like a tidy closet.
    You're probably right on all counts. I guess it depends how many keys there are since I remember in the old days, they said each mouse click can add a few hundred registry entries. Over time, it will matter.

    I mean it's just like the Realtek HD Audio Drivers, as @DooGie can show you, uninstalling using the Program and Features which calls the uninstaller does not uninstall everything.

    In my case, ever since I installed version 7696 of the driver, trying to install any version of the driver has a problem. It normally uninstalls, reboots and installs but in my case, the installer after reboot only keeps doing the uninstalling process which uses Installshield. The only way I can install the new version is to exit the installer after rebooting, uninstall the version from Device Manager manually, then install without rebooting. Even selecting System Porperties -> Hardware -> Device Installation Settings to "No" will not prevent Windows from installing the default drivers. My Windows XP machine from 2002 which was working fine up to June 2009 and then I moved, powered the system on and did not change anything and the system seems as slow as a turtle like the CPU is being used 100%. Replaced the motherboard, memory and CPU and it didn't make a difference. Ever since a year ago, that system is even more funny. Now it boots up except it will show the logon screen briefly for a few minutes and regardless if you logon or not, the screen will go black for an hour with nothing but a mouse pointer for an hour before it will continue on it's boot. You don't login, it's black with the mouse pointer on the screen and then it shows the login/password screeb. You login, it logs in and then it's black with the mouse pointer on the screen for an hour before it continues to the desktop. The only reason I need it is because WinFax Pro which I have all my faxes on runs on Windows XP but not any newer Windows.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,091
    Windows XP/7/8/8.1/10, Linux, Android, FreeBSD Unix
       #123

    Cliff S said:
    That's a while! Love your avatar by the way
    I had a BSOD and that's from one of the Research Panel Scanner device when I plug the USB in but that only happened twice under Windows 10, once with 10240 and once with 10586 as it all pointed to the driver file according to the BSOD. I didn't run anything newer than XP until 2011 and Windows 7 never had a BSOD yet. Otherwise it's fine and I plug it in once a week. Your avatar is pretty cool too!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 59
    Windows 10
       #124

    I used a registry cleaner once back in the Windows 95 days. I've been getting along just fine without them. They are basically digital snake oil.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #125

    Drybonz said:
    I used a registry cleaner once back in the Windows 95 days. I've been getting along just fine without them. They are basically digital snake oil.
    Now you're talking my language! The first of only a few ever even bothered with and mentioned earlier on the thread was the RegCleaner I found years back at a freebie site and still see it there now in fact. This is the one with a main window for viewing and editing individual values as well as having an auto clean option tucked away you had to look for and caution was advised since when you dumped what was selected from the main window without knowing what you were doing things simply stopped working period! RegCleaner 4.3.0.780

    Note the date for release: 01/23/2002 04:13 PM That was obviously prepared with XP in mind as well the previous 9x, ME, 2000 versions. That featured an Add/Remove Programs option along with being a clean up tool that had been lacking in Windows prior to the DiskCleanup as well as the upgraded form of Programs & Features. It certainly IS NOT Advised for anything newer then XP! MajorGeeks however simply loves to hang onto all of the outdated stuff however.
    RegCleaner 4.3.0.780 Author: Jouni Vuorio Date: 01/23/2002 04:13 PM Size: 541 KB License: Freeware Requires: Win All Downloads: 1325940 times Read more at: https://tr.im/tL
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 7,128
    Windows 10 Pro Insider
       #126

    I like CCleaner and use it often. With that said, even though I use it I very rarely use the reg cleaner. On the rare occasions I have used it I always backup the registry before I proceed. I've never had any problem after using it. I also didn't notice any improvements after using it. IMHO I agree with the snake oil comparison.
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 2,832
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       #127

    Hi,

    It certainly IS NOT Advised for anything newer then XP! MajorGeeks however simply loves to hang onto all of the outdated stuff however.
    Just gave it a run on one of my machines.
    It installs and runs lightning fast but it doesn't create an entry in the start menu.
    Still a clever piece of software though one for experts so use it with caution and a working backup.

    Cheers,
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #128

    fdegrove said:
    Hi,



    Just gave it a run on one of my machines.
    It installs and runs lightning fast but it doesn't create an entry in the start menu.
    Still a clever piece of software though one for experts so use it with caution and a working backup.

    Cheers,
    That's a definite on the lack of entry in the Start menu. But it's not what you would label a "Stand Alone" app being seen there however. It automatically picked out the ProgramFiles(x86) with the option to choose another location. It puts the initial shortcut on the desktop and also has the option to create more in the Menu>Options.

    As far as it running fast you have to take into consideration how things have progressed since the XP days as well as hardwares go. It should be found to run a lot faster then seen a decade ago. Don't forget you are running much faster equipment at this time then you would have been back 10, 11, 12, 13yrs. ago! A decade ago seeing a board that took 4gb of memory was rare! Now people average 8-16gb when deciding to max a custom build if not seeing 32gb while premade sees 3gb-6gb depending on the 32bit or 64bit preinstalled flavor of Windows.

    One of the main factors that would make that obsolete even for the advanced user at this time is how newer programs since have not only grown in size and even with the small apps the number of entries in the different branches of the registry are now more frequently seen. You will typically the main or one of the main entries you would find under the "HKey_LocalMachine_Software branch" while more evolved program also branch off into the "HKey_Classes_Root" at times as well as under the other two depending on the type of software or app being looked at.

    Are Registry Cleaners Still Needed on Windows 10?-regcleaner.jpg

    Now the other thing to know about it is the uninstall option was seen with it which wasn't always the case for a good number of utility apps especially freewares at the time this came out.

    Are Registry Cleaners Still Needed on Windows 10?-regcleaner-unistall-option.jpg

    What was good at the time was the ability to take care of stubborn app you couldn't remove or in some cases you might have run into a bug of some type like adware, spyware, trojan downloader, etc. where you could nuke the main entry once you knew what to look for. The cleaner never seemed to be intrusive where things you were keeping still ran without problems. But you had to remember the front main window was there for the advanced user only back then. You will notice the two options for Auto or Manual when looking in the regcleaner options there.
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 56
    macOS Sierra, Windows 10 Pro
       #129

    Cliff S said:
    Love your avatar by the way
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:04.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums