What's everyone using for a Registry Cleaner?

[EvilHorace]

"Your registry keeps getting bigger and bigger which eventually causes a performance hit."

I'm curious but I've never really noticed that occuring (AFTER Win98 that is).
At what point does one know that a registry cleaner might then be beneficial vs doing nothing?

The idea makes sense to me but can there be any negative effects from using a registry cleaner, like afterwords something rarely used no longer works?

[FlyingPenguin]

The biggest problem is most programs that are uninstalled leave a lot of crap behind. Over time your registry gets bigger. The registry consists of several files. As they get bigger it takes longer to go through them to find an entry. Also they are subject to fragmentation.

Frankly you can run Window for a decade and never worry about cleaning your registry, but I like to keep it clean.

As long as the cleaner isn't aggressive, there's no problem cleaning it.

[EvilHorace]

I've DLd and looked briefly (VERY briefly mind you) of both the RegCleaner program FP linked above and the Registry First Aid (free trial version) that Ex linked. The Registry First Aid program does look very impressive and looks very detailed after running a scan BUT before I decide to DO anything, I have to double check what's being listed as I fear that some of what those programs identify as being technically "bad" might be files that I want to keep. Once I'm sure that I won't lose anything that I value, then I'll give it a whirl.

[canton_kid]

I'm checking out the regcleaner.

SO far I like it. I think most of those programs do make a backup so if you deleate something you want you can go back.

But cleaning the registry with any of those programs, it doesn't actually remove files does it, just links to the dead files and programs you already removed. Maybe remove INI or DLL files not used, right. And if you delete something you need of that type could you normally re-install the software over itself to register it back into windows and replace missing dll ini files? And if you haven't actually deleted the program, should't you probly still have any settings cahnges you made before, or would the programs likely over write those with the defualts?

Would like to know those things BEFORE I hose my system! Now I have a ghost in it too though

[FlyingPenguin]

All a reg cleaner does is remove un needed entries in your registry. It will not delete INI or DLL files.