Windows7 - do you still need a registry cleaner?

For Windows XP, I regularly used a registry cleaner such as CCleaner or
Ace utilities to help maintain performance.
Do you still need to regularly clean the registry in Windows 7?

 

Short answer: Yes.

The registry hasn't changed much from what I know, it still leaves old entries where unneeded, so something has to clean it up.

 

apprently not anyway lopl

 

Will you gain any real performance from it?

That is debatable at best. From what I've tested, I can't even get the speed difference to show up on my benchmarks.

 

Short answer: no

(and you didn't need one on Vista or XP either)

Does it hurt, most of the time, no, but every once in a while.....system killer. For the benefit (er, none), there is little to be gained from most registry cleaners.

I don't know why I bother answering these because everyone will continue going out and cleaning their registry, but there are only a few registry cleaners that accomplish anything at all and what they accomplish is negiligble.

 

+1, on both counts. Registry cleaners generally do more harm than good, quite obviously, since they never do any noticeable good. Just think about it: Your average registry contains maybe close to a half million keys. So let's say your registry cleaner in fact removes a couple hundred unused keys (and let's hope, against all hope, it won't remove keys that are actually needed): The effect of that is essentially zero. On the other hand, if it removes a key that is needed, the effects may be disastrous.

 

the 'fault' is NOT with the registry.

The fault is with ignorant/lazy programmers who are unwilling or unable to write their uninstall code that correctly removes all of the reg entries a program makes upon installation and operation.

 

Agreed. It's time MSFT stopped using the registry..

 

Oh boy. Here we go again. If MSFT got rid of the registry, it would either a) break all sorts of backwards compatibility or b) make something similar in concept and just give it a new name.

Either path doesn't sound very productive IMO. If they are going to break backwards compatibility, might as well do it in a grand way.

Like allow our laptops to drive a mech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0-iMK-acHE

 

Just to emphasize, I used ccCleaner in XP to clean the registry, and it screwed everything up. Totally not worth it.

However, ccCleaner is still very useful for other reasons.

 

I use Uninstall Tool to get rid of any programs and the program gives you the option of checking both the registry and the hard drive to check for any keys of files that may have been left behind. That way you can see what you're deleting and you know that it is clean when it's all said and done.

 

I used cCleaner to clean out the registry on XP, Vista and Win7 (both x86 and x64) without any issues on a variety of different systems (then again I set the program to secure file deletion - 3 passes).

Fact remains though that I haven't noticed registry cleaning providing any kind of performance boost on the system.
All it does is cleanes up the registry of unneeneded entries - something I like doing for the mere sake of it.

Is it necessary?
Not really, but I personally like having a clean registry.
Will the registry in Windows 7 fill up with all kinds of needless entires after installing/uninstalling a bunch of programs?
Of course it will.

Bottom line is, use it if you want a clean registry (and if the program that does the cleaning knows what it's doing).

 

Using ccleaner in Win7 will not provide anything other than a clean register (no performance increase), it also can help resolves issues with bad software uninstall/re-install.

+1 to Pirx.
Do a University course related to Operating Systems design, and you'll come crying on how wrong you were, and how the registry is actually, while not perfect (like the other OS methods), is actually pretty good.

 

simple answer, same as before: you never needed one, except the registry had a problem.

for performance, it does NOT AT ALL matter if you 'clean the registry'. it is by now a fully virtualized well working database distributed over different files.

it is NOT the same it was before.

there is NO reason to touch it except if some bad app messed it up somehow.

 

i don't use as i don't install/uninstall as many program of those low life program, you only need it when you use those poor written apps.. well better not to, i basically refrain using registry cleaner doubt if they work reliably

 

What Tool is that ?

 

It's a YES if you want to have a CLEAN SYSTEM and especially doing a lot Drivers Installations. You need to have your Registries Cleaned Up, so, your newer Driver won't crash with the older Driver remains(corrupted registries, etc).

Gaining speed? It's no significant at all(milliseconds?). So, it will be a NO for gaining better system speed.

 

The only real speed advantage is if you are in the habbit of searching the registry to manually edit it etc. If you don't know what you are doing this can be a very bad thing to do anyway..........

 

i've yet to see that still to be true enough to warrant installing a cleaner and running it often.

it's enough to know that they exist, and if, one day, one notes some problem, he/she can get one quickly to check if it helps.

 

I only clean the registry after uninstalling old drivers and it solves the prob with installing Nvidia Sys tools.

 

Registry cleaning was never about performance, idk why people bother to use that argument...

Registry cleaning is more useful in concerns to uninstallation since as said before, some developers don't totally wipe the registry with their uninstallers. This is mostly useful if you had a buggy program and was forced to re-install it; cleaning the registry of the previous installation would guarantee the best possible "fresh start".

Other than that, it's never been "needed".

 

You can find it here.

Some screenshots.

It's $25, but I like the peace of mind from it knowing the registry is cleaned up and it also deletes files and folders left behind, so it clears up some hard disk space as well. It has a free download link, so I'm sure you can try it before you buy it.

 

My two brothers are very techie Windows users and they have to clean the Registry at least once a month or their PC's will slow down to a crawl. They are both using Core 2 Duo Lenovo's 4GB RAM with Windows 7. Windows 7 just doesn't live up to the hype that Microsoft made it out to be. You still have to do the usual Windows time-consuming maintenance.

 

That's odd. I've had my Window 7 installed for almost 3 months, and I haven't had to touch it. Still as fast as the day I installed it. And just so you know, the "time consuming maintenance" can be as easy as running a program called Ccleaner. Takes about 30 seconds, and it's automated.

Your brothers obviously don't know what they're doing, because fixing up the registry doesn't give a performance increase at all.

 

I deleted a few off-topic posts here ,unrelated to
"Windows7 - do you still need a registry cleaner"


Alex

 

I vote for deleting the entire thread--along with just about every registry cleaner out there

 

We still need some registry cleaner because a lot of Software Programs don't clean up after themselves after they are kicked out of the system.

 

But does it really matter? It doesn't affect performance in any noticeable way. Though I can see how it might be an annoyance just knowing the registry isn't *perfect*.

 

The OP might want to take a look at this and realize that YES, he needs a Registry Cleaner to help when his Windows PC typically starts to crawl instead of sprint.
http://www.squidoo.com/windowsxpregistrycleaner

or this one.
http://www.registry-cleaner.net/windows-7-registry-cleaner.htm

 

What applies to a 9 year old OS does not apply anymore. Seriously, ask anyone on here, registry errors don't slow down the PC. Google some freaking benchmarks if you have to.

 

Hmph, interesting why there are multiple Registry cleaners out there for Windows 7? The Registry hasn't changed since XP. Same problems to deal with.

 

I have not needed one since the W98se days
I used Norton system tools with some success in the old days
For me its a non-issue , but people will try to convince you otherwise and try to make a dollar for themselves in the process

Alex

 

When you have idiots ready to give all their money on myth... you'll have a business selling just that. Exactly like all these "PC Optimizer" software, which actually does nothing and bet on a placebo effect.

A business is design to take advantage of people. Why BestBuy scare all it's clients about how computer are super complicated and very fragile, therefore they need to spend over 150$ (not actual price) for some RAM or hardware upgrade (excluding the price of the hardware):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DPQW0e9ufM

BestBuy makes A HUGE amount of money it's tactics, and these "PC Optimizer", and paying registry cleaner software do the same, but follows a myth instead (so their job is already done for them.. how nice).

 

Yeah, because useless tools have never existed. Seriously stop arguing. Some people use a registry cleaner because it's like a thorn in their mind...they gotta have everything perfect...but you will NOT notice a performance increase by using one...you barely see one by defragging!

 

I do.

10charaockoas

 

Stop arguing? This is an open forum for discussion. I'm not here to help you do damage control so Windows 7 looks as good as the hype wants you to believe. The OP asked about Registry cleaning tools and your posts saying you don't need them is just as trustworthy as my posts stating that you do need them. The OP is better off being safe, especially how Windows deals with the information stored in the Registry.

 

I'll pull up some links to show you you're wrong when I have the time.

 

There is no substitute for first hand knowledge
The OP will read and see for themselves
You can see by my Signature I am running W7
And I have from the start, and I have no registry issues or slowdowns


Alex

 

I know I will regret getting dragged back into this....

Most of the pro-registry cleaners posters are basing their opinions on bad information (prove that I need a registry cleaner by posting information from someone who sells one, or by someone who markets for a registry cleaner maker), or because they simply don't understand what the registry is and how it operates.

Or what a cleaning the registry typically means.

OK, gross simplification time.

The registry is a database, and it's purpose is to hold records. These records are pieces of informaton windows uses to accomplish something (for example program settings).

It is made up of separate hives, which are loaded from separate files and is created at runtime. Most of the registry is made up of settings for Windows itself, but there are some parts of some hives like HKCR, HKCU and HKLM will also include user and software settings.

So, here is a representation of a registry

00000000000000000000

Each zero is a setting for a file.

When Windows start, it loads the registry. The load time is based on the size and speed of your disk.

Now, let's say you uninstall a program and for the same of the argument, let's say the registry contains two settings for this program--and let's say it is 0 number 18 and 19. We uninstall the program and have

0000000000000000_ 00

Hey, what the frig! You didn't delete one setting!!!! Dang uninstall! Well I got a registry cleaner!!! And I run it and....

0000000000000000__0

Hey! My registry is still the same size as before! My computer is not running any faster! Hey!!! Why did I blow $30 on the registry cleaner!

There's the dirty little secret or registry cleaners. The clean a setting, but like any database the size never changes--the record is "nulled" but the space is still there so when you add a new program, the file will add the setting to that space.

But your registry does not load any faster so you see no improvement in speed.

Any program that didn't need the setting wasn't going to read it to create "problems" or "errors" but any program that needs to read the registry is still going to have to load the whole registry to read what it does need.

So, those registry spaces or old settings mean nothing to the performance of your machine.

Now, does that mean a registry cleaner is of no use. Well, no. Cleaning your registry will result in your registry growing at a slower pace. When the next program needs to be installed. It will fill place its settings in those spaces. (please differentiate between space and how that space appears to you--ie, a heirarchal structure.)

So, that's not a bad thing.

Also, a small handful of registry cleaners will do something different than the vast majoirty of them--they will COMPACT the registry.

This is a different issue and there used be some merit to these.

A registry cleaner that compacts the registry will remove old settings and then shrink it by removing the empty spaces. The the registry will actually be smaller and will load faster and this will give you a performance boost....of...wait for it...about 1/10th of a second faster load time with today's modern harddrive.

Back in the dark ages of computers, when harddrives spun at 3600 rpms and seek times were measured in centiseconds, you might have shaves a second or two off your startup and your search as programs looked for settings in the registry (or, perish forbid, those nasty ini files).

But with modern harddrives and an advanced regestry database that doesn't search like a flat file, you would have to remove signficant amounts of the registry to make a difference--far more than any typical registry cleaner removes because 98 percent of the registry has to do with Windows, and only a tiny percent has to do with user and software settings that ARE AFFECTED by registry cleaners.

Now, I really don't think you registry cleaner fans are going to believe a word I am writing because www.i_am_a_registry_cleaner__with_a_domain_and_I_am_getting_paid_to_shill_for_a_registry_maker.com tells you that you have to use a registry cleaner or you will get cancer and die.

But I felt that at least one of us in know should make an effort to turn you away from the dark side.

 

It looks like we're done here ,and I am tired of deleting posts , so I will close it now


Alex