Using CCleaner's Registry Cleaner...

What types of problems may I run into by leaving all of the boxes checked in the Registry Integrity list and then fixing all found issues? What will get removed? How will I be able to tell if something got deleted which should not have been and that I need to load the backup registry I created?

 

All unused and corrupted/spoiled/error/useless/problematic Registries would be cleaned.
I have full trust with CCleaner, I have it run in 3 machines of mine and I tick all boxes on the registry tab. No problems at all. I introduced this great CCleaner to friends and cousins, they tick all boxes on registry tab too and do have any problems with it.

 

Okay, I just cleaned the 500 errors off my desktop

 

Don't forget to restart the computer after cleaning up the errors.
If not, it won't take effect. The computer would run slightly faster after cleaning those errors but only can be seen after a few times of restart/reboot.

 

Although in the past I used registry cleaners, with Vista and Windows 7 I have yet to see any improvements by "cleaning" the registry. IMHO, registry cleaners are unnecessary. Instead, I use CCleaner to just remove unnecessary files, clean up the recent document list, etc.

 

Registry Cleaner are freaking important if you system's or software's .dll files go screwed up. Registry Cleaner can repair it for you.
I tested it before. I have some screen errors pop up and said this and that need to close.
After I run the CCleaner registry cleaning, the errors pop up screen gone.
But if you do not have those problem, CCleaner would be unnecessary.

 

I have had that happen on this desktop before and I always wondered what was the cause...

 

CCleaner is capable to clean most of those errors pop up screen.
CCleaner is from Piriform company.
Piriform have Defraggler and Recuva freeware too.
Defraggler is for defragmentation of HDD, I said it is better than Microsoft Windows'.
Recuva is data recovery tools.
CCleaner is FTW! Feel free to try them all.

 

I don't see where it says you need to restart after using CCleaner registry cleaner.

 

I also have full trust in ccleaner

 

Add me to the list of loyal CCleaner users... although I have never used it to remove a problem as DarkSilver indicated, I do run the registry cleaner from time to time and never had a registry problem to begin with. I also like its ability to create backups beforehand, although thankfully I haven't yet had to use them.

 

Well, the rational for this is that different registry hives are loaded at different times.

Changes made to HKLM, for example, should take place immediately provided a program needs to access the registry as it is loading, but I am reasonably certain the HKCU is only loaded at logon (or if you crash EXPLORER, and restart it).

That said, as kegobeer noted, there is little to be gained from registry cleaners.

I am not saying you are a liar when you say it has helped--just that for the most part CCleaner and other registry cleaners are cleaning out useless entries that are not hurting your or helping you.

Should you clean them?

Sure, ccleaner is very safe as it only targets those things that are low risk; I have seen a few registry cleaners take more aggressive cleaning and kill systems (it's not pretty).

But claims that it makes systems run better are dubious and statements that it "will make the registry run faster" (from the ccleaner website) are simply odd.

The registry does not run....it is a database. It cannot run faster. OK, some people will say it makes windows load quicker because the regisry is "smaller"

OK, I could buy that argument, except it is not true and is based on a false premise--that registry cleaners shrink the registry hives--they don't.

Go ahead, look at your registry hives and run a registry cleaner--even the OPs post where he cleaned 500 entries wouldn't make a dent in the registry IF it cleaned the entries and shrunk the hive--but therein lies the fallacy of registry cleaners.

A database, if you remove a record, does not shrink. It just keeps that space open for the next record to be written. Remove 10,000 records, and the database stays the same size and the 10,000 records become 10,000 "blank" records, but the database is not smaller.

That's why, from time to time, DB administrators will compact the database--you can see this process yourself if you have Outlook. People with Outlook can actually compact the outlook database under system tools.

Windows 9x had a registry compactor and there have been a few programs that will actually compact the registry (vxscrub from symantec, and ntregopt comes to mind), and and that will result in a smaller registry hive which could make windows load faster provided enough were removed, but for the most part there's not much to be gained with today's superfast drives with large memory caches.

 

i too am loyal to ccleaner but not for the registry cleaner. for that i recommend http://www.wisecleaner.com/download.html there is a free version. much more in depth.

 

Out of all the reg cleaners I've tried, CCleaner is the only one that hasn't screwed up anything. Yes most others are much more in depth, but the trade off is you have to be much more careful. I barely even look at the list with CCleaner.

BTW/Offtopic ..... Whenever my touchpad refuses to scroll on firefox or any other browser. I run CCleaner and it works again.

 

Agreed. CCleaner is very safe to use. It doesn't screw-up your system. I would say I have 1000000% trust on CCleaner.
I used Tune-Up Utilities's Registry Cleaner(need to pay) too. It works well.
It fix some registries errors that CCleaner can't fix and CCleaner fix some registries errors that Tune-Up Utilities's Registry Cleaner can't fix. Both combination is great!

Rogue/crazy Registry Cleaner = Uniblue Registry Scanner
It is a junk I would say, clean system like kill your system.
Once your system got scan and got fix using it, after a restart, you would enjoy system unstable, system freeze, errors messages and many more.
I got to format my laptop=.=! I never want to use Uniblue stuffs again. Waste time, waste money and waste natural resources(electric).

 

Another CCleanerer here! The only other registry program I've tried which let me good impression is RegSeeker ( Manual in spanish). More powerful and customizable than CCleaner's one, and also not too agresive to screw your system in a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule.

 

CCleaner is great

I recently used it after tinkering with my computer and not having cleaned anything up for a month, and it found many leftover registry entries from removed programs, even after using revo un-installer

It also free up 2GB of disk space to boot

 

How does CCLEANER compare to RegScrub Vista XP FTW?

and is CCLEANER compatible with Win 7 when it comes to registry cleaning?

 

Since ccleaner works with vista, it will work with Windows 7.

Structurally, there is no difference between Windows 7 and Vista

 

I suppose this had been said in previous posts... but still.

Principally the idea of registry cleaners is sound, however it applies more to X than Vista - without a specific registry error, registry cleaning in Vista isn't required, also because Vista reliesless on the registry than XP.

Now CCleaner is one of te safer products, it "cleans" less than others.

Generally, if you use CCleaner your OS will continue to function, however, certain programmes do not like registry cleaners.
I know that with some HP scan-software the pdf add in was irrevocably damaged by a registry cleaner and only a complete clean instal ofthe OS could fix it, and I don't know why or how.

So: The key risk of registry cleaners is the loss of programme funcrionality.

Performance:
In XP if you had thousands of errors and cleaned them up, you will have possibly seen a performance gain, in Vista however less so if at all.
The performance gain may also be entirely theoretical.

I know a felllow member here uses the registry cleaner successfully - and he's knowledgable - personally I haven't had problems with the CCleaner registry cleaner either.

However:
My recommendation is that you check every entry an decide for yourself.
If I had Winamp installed, then unistalled it and findentries fr Winamp I can safely delete them (and Winamp litters a lot) - if howeer I get entries for my Adobe software I prefer to keep them on the premise of "better safe than sorry".

 

I wonder what you are basing this statement on...while earlier plans for Vista aimed for less reliance on the registry with a greater emphasis on xml files, that really never materialized (maybe windows 8?).

I'm trying to think where the reliance on the registry has lessened.

I ask this not to challenge you, but out of curiousity

 

It has cropped up before - and from personal experience I noticed less "junk" - as far as I am aware this relates to software, not actual Windows components.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I wonder, though, if what you are noticing is an improved software removal process based on the windows removal routines and better written code by developers.

 

Like I said CCleaner is not necessary for Vista/7 if your Vista/7 do not have the error screen reporting(this and that need to close) due to registry errors(.dll).
I am supporting CCleaner but this is fact. I use CCleaner for years and for a lot of machines(vista and XP), it is very very very SAFE and won't screw up the system. So, talking about the risk of system get screw-up is totally craps. However, there are plenty of Registry Cleaners can destroy your system. Just be careful on selecting which registry cleaner you're going to use. Nevertheless, CCleaner would be one of the best choice.

 

ok guys, so from the many replies here we can finally cude teh f0llow!ng:


CCLEANER FTW

 

No.

The fact that CCleaner has been safe so far doesn't mean its always safe.

There may have actually been one programme for me for which it wasn't safe - but I no longer remember and it may have been fixed nowadys too...

But still.

 

Bah.....I guess I'm one of the few people who occasionally cleans out the registry manually....I used to do it a while back on my desktop on days when I have absolutely nothing to do but now since I'm alot busier, I just let CCleaner do the job.

I really never found the computer to be that much faster after cleaning, but I'm one of those OCD people who has to prune his system of any unnecessary folders or files every week so it makes me just feel better about my system....

 

...and that is the whole reason for registry cleaners. There is a huge market of OCD people who feel better when the run a registry cleaner that really does not do anything for them

 

Mentally gratefulness?
Same. LOL. After cleaning system registry, I didn't sense anything better or noticable speed boost. However, it just make me feel better about my system is clean(out of errors).

 

Well....I still have went through my new laptop's registry before even with using CCleaner. I was still able to find some unnecessary entries in it.....but I guess I'll probably end up doing so less often than before

 

I use CCleaner myself.
It's perfectly fine.
Tough I prefered using TuneUP utilities 2009 (had to stop as it's not fully compatible with Win 7 so I'll have to wait until they release a version that is compatible).

Cleaning the registry really doesn't affect the speed ... it's there to simply clean up the OS of unused aspects.
I like to keep my OS registry clean, so I use CC registry cleaner for this purpose alone.

 

I love the registry cleaner in CCleaner. I usually fix all errors but uncheck "unused file extensions." Just because I don't have any files of type .x at the moment doesn't mean I want the association gone for good - I'm not sure why CCleaner considers unused extensions an error.

 

Okay, so a new version of this came out today... I updated my program and scanned the registry... One thing showed up which did not with the old version but I am not sure why it did... This is the error:

Missing Startup Software: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe -hide could not be located...

I went to Startup in MSCONFIG and this file is that is listed under the Command section for Windows Defender, and the file listed under the Location section matches the file under the Registry Key section in CCleaner... So what exactly does this error mean?

 

ccleaner so far killed 2 systems to unbootability since i know it.

i still trust in it as a great tool to help, and espencially for cleaning up files. but i've learned that, when a system is in a bad state, ccleaner can, like anything, killing it by "correcting the error".

 

I got a different situation, when my system got problems, CCleaner save my day.
However, there are some registry cleaners really kill my system.

 

This is a scary statement I am lucky so far with this tool then.

cheers ...

 

I've been using this app since the very beginning with nary a problem.