reg cleaner

Hello I ran the windows free registry cleaner once and it was amazing the 'junk' it reported removed. I now have Mcafee's security suite and it hasmany features one being the reg cleaner. I am leery of cleaning registries especially by guys like me who are not techs but can maneuver fairly well. I wonder if I backed up my registy would it be a safeguard or if system restore is a duplicate. Any safeguards to take would be appreciated. I would like to remove some program 'clutter' and gain a bit of speed back. The machine is doing ok so if it is not advisable that is ok too. Thank you

system restore does back up the registry…and can be normally trusted to restore if something goes bad

something that i tend to trust a little more explicitly is ERUNT

Backing Up Your Registry

• Go Here and download ERUNT
  (ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT) is a free program that allows you to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed.)
• Install ERUNT by following the prompts
  (use the default install settings but say no to the portion that asks you to add ERUNT to the start-up folder, if you like you can enable this option later)
• Start ERUNT
  (either by double clicking on the desktop icon or choosing to start the program at the end of the setup)
• Choose a location for the backup
  (the default location is C:\WINDOWS\ERDNT which is acceptable).
• Make sure that at least the first two check boxes are ticked
• Press OK
• Press YES to create the folder.

if you choose the option to "run erunt" on startup…then it will make a backup of your registry every time you start your computer…which isn't an aweful idea…but it can slow down boot times
ERUNT also comes with a registry optomizer…but i've not used it much

I guess the decision whether or not to clean the regitry is up to me. ERUNT is a program I now want to look into and thank you. Btw, When I clicked on your message in my in box I had to log in but then I lost you until I scrolled and did a manuel visual search. What is a quicker way to access responses when I enter the forum? Thanx again.

This message is for DSenet I am considring your referral re:erunt but please bear with me. I just made friends with this person who works on software all day. He recommended that I google glary utilities as it has integrity[says what it does and does what it says]. I have a friend who uses erunt so I may go there but that aside for the moment, do you know about glary utilities and have an opinion about it. He told me it was 5 out of 5 stars in ?Pc Pro mag -I'm not sure of that name. It has other features beside a reg cleaner. I want to be sure before I down load it as I always felt reg cleaners should be in the hands of pros, those who can maneuver the reg if necssary. Infrequently, a good reg cleaner can do a good job of eradicating 'junk'. Thank you for taking the time.

i've not heard of that product or company…that is not to say that it's not quality software…if you personally trust the advice of this friend then it might be good….we all tend to take the advice of those who we hold to the highest esteem… again…as with anything involving the registry…make a good backup before doing anything

A couple comments here - to reiterate, ERUNT is not known as a registry "cleaner", but rather a backup program (and one of the best, I might add).

I am concerned with this:

I would like to remove some program 'clutter' and gain a bit of speed back.

It should be noted that a "cluttered registry does not slow down a PC. Period!!!! Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. You will not find any evidence of any legitimate testing facility or any professional independent comparative analysis anywhere that shows that cleaning the registry speeds up a system. If you do, please post a link. In fact, in my many years at doing this, I have seen more damage done to registries by registry cleaners than I would care to count. Most are WAY too aggressive at removing items.

My advice, don't worry about cleaning your registry. If your system does not run a quickly as it used to, then I would suggest you run through a complete malware scan to rid your system of spyware, etc. If you don't have a complete arsenal of anti-malware tools, I can point you to my canned text for that if you want.

Also, you should check to see what is running on your system. Use Task Manager or Process Explorer to see what gets loaded at bootup. Too many programs running (including spyware) will surely slow a system down.

That said, as an IT type and software tester, I frequently install and uninstall many programs, beta and final release versions. Sadly, many developers are lousy or lazy or both and do not properly code the uninstall routines, so my registry does get cluttered. I use CCleaner's "Issues" section and have never had a problem with registry corruption. However, I ALWAYS follow CCleaner's prompts to backup the registry before fixing any items found.

Finally, if you don't have at least 1Gb of RAM, your system may be slow because it is running out of resources, and is forced to use the sllloooowwww hard disk's page file frequently.


Great article by Ed Bott about registry cleaners: Why I don't use registry cleaners.

xp sp2 2.66 Ghz, 768 mb ram, I appreciate all the helpful suggestions and corrections. It boils down to how to back up the registry in case… I used to backup my registry before I did anything of a sensitive nature > run 'regedit' >export>save to desktop, 'all', registration files. Now I am told system restore does the same and I don't know if that is true. I have programs to back info to like Norton Ghost, Drive Image but where to back up to is the question. I once used those programs to a Western Digital Image 80 gb but the back up was fine however the restore failed -the company acknowledged it could not do the job. I have a cd burner and a 1 gig flash drive. I do not have an external harddrive or dvd burner or a tape etc. I'm counting pennies right now so… Is it enough to backup the reg? Is sytem restore the same thing? Is there another place I can back up my 40 gb h-drive that is relatively cost efficient?. The best reviews I have received are ccleaner and glary util. I'm going to look at erunt also. Sorry to be sort of long winded and scrambled - I do appreciate the help.

Now I am told system restore does the same and I don't know if that is true.

Is it enough to backup the reg? Is sytem restore the same thing?

Is it enough to backup the reg to do what? The only thing backing up the registry does is allow you to restore the registry in the event the registry becomes corrupted.

See the Microsoft TechNet article, FAQs Regarding System Restore in XP - in particular, scroll down to the answer to "What is or is not restored on my computer when I use System Restore?"

Norton Ghost's purpose is to create an exact image of your drive onto a wide choice of media for later recovery. You said "the company acknowledged it could not do the job." What job was that?

Is there another place I can back up my 40 gb h-drive that is relatively cost efficient?

I guess I am wondering what it is you are really trying to accomplish here. Now were talking something totally different from backing up the registry.

The purpose of backing up the registry is primarily in the event Windows gets hosed. The purpose of backing up the entire hard drive is in the event the hard drive gets hosed and all your data is corrupt, the PC is stolen, or destroyed by Mother Nature or some malicious activity. You need to determine your objectives. Some people, for example, could care little about the data stored on the computer, they just need a working computer to avoid lost productivity. For me, I sure don't want to lose $2-3K worth of hardware, but the value of the computer is chump change compared to the value of the data on my hard drive. So for me, ensuring all my data files are backed up is critical. Therefore, every data file I store on my computer, that is, all my documents, taxes, bookmarks/favorites, email, contacts, appointments, photos, music, downloads (which includes downloaded hardware drivers), password safe, etc., is saved somewhere under My Documents. So all I have to do is copy My Documents (and all sub-folders) and I have the last 15+ years of my life backed up. That is saved on a networked computer in another part of the house. Then periodically, I burn a copy to DVD and take that off-site to my safety deposit box at the bank. That works fine for me.

To be truthful, I find little lasting value in backing up the registry. If I make a change to the registry, I will have a good idea at the next reboot if I broke my machine or not. If it boots fine, then there's a good chance nothing serious is wrong with my registry. And within a day or two (more likely within the next 10 minutes) I will know if I broke something important, such as networking.

768Mb of RAM is a little on the low side - especially if you are using on-board graphics. This is because on-board graphics snags a chunk of system RAM for graphics processing, effectively reducing the amount of RAM available to XP and your CPU. This can be anywhere from 32Mb to 128Mb. Just about any budget graphics card is better than on-board graphics.

You spent so much time I want to try to articulate my intentions etc . By now you can tell I am on a fact finding mission as an avid 'learner'. Let me try this format; 1- I wanted to learn a safe way to clean my registry in case I need to, and for learning purposes. 2-this led to various questions like, " What does one do prior to running a registry cleaner to hopefully undo any errors the cleaner causes. 3-Now I needed to know what to back up before running a reg cleaner and how to do it. 4-I know how to back up the reg using regedit but was confused as to whether or not system restore did the same thing. 5- the company who acknowledged it "could not do the job" was Western Digital 6- I back up my docs to two separate drives. This is the only data I would need in case of failure. 7- So far I have learned not to back up the hard drive as I have all the programs on disk plus my sensitive data. 8- It appears system restore it the only step I could ise if the cleaner were to cause a problem. 9- I do no gaming and use the machine for emailing, forums like this, iformation from a good search engine and faxing etc. I truly hope this has clarified some of the problems you experienced with my posts - I admit they were a bit scattered. I am trying to learn as I go - remember everthing is ez once you learn how to do it. Please send any comments to me as that is the way to learn. Regards

Hmmm, I don't see how you came to some of the conclusions you did. ???

1- I wanted to learn a safe way to clean my registry in case I need to, and for learning purposes.
Nothing wrong with that.

2-this led to various questions like, " What does one do prior to running a registry cleaner to hopefully undo any errors the cleaner causes.
Backup the registry.

3-Now I needed to know what to back up before running a reg cleaner and how to do it.
You backup the registry. You use Regedit's export functions, ERUNT, or the cleaning tool's own backup routines

4-I know how to back up the reg using regedit but was confused as to whether or not system restore did the same thing.
Does that and some more

5- the company who acknowledged it "could not do the job" was Western Digital
The question was, "What job was that?"

6- I back up my docs to two separate drives. This is the only data I would need in case of failure.
Ok - no problem there.

7- So far I have learned not to back up the hard drive as I have all the programs on disk plus my sensitive data.
I don't think anyone suggested you don't back up your hard drive. It is good that you backup your critical data, and that is certainly all many people need because they can build a new PC then restore their data. No problem, if they can afford the extra downtime needed for a rebuild. But it is important to note a full HD backup will include all the HW drivers, favorites, email, downloaded programs, updates, patches, configurations, etc - things most people do not back up when they simply backup their sensitive data.

8- It appears system restore it the only step I could ise if the cleaner were to cause a problem.
Huh? Who said that? DSenette went into considerable detail about ERUNT. Your friend suggested some other cleaner, which hopefully has an undue, or backup/restore capability, and there are several other steps one could take to repair a corrupt registry.

9- I do no gaming and use the machine for emailing, forums like this, iformation from a good search engine and faxing etc.
Then as long as you practice safe computing, that is, you keep your system patched (with latest OS and program patches), updated (with latest critical updates), scanned (with current anti-virus and anti-spyware scanners), and blocked (with current spam and popup blockers and a good firewall), then there is little reason for your registry to get cluttered or corrupted. Of course catastrophic hardware failure, such as caused by lightning strike could wreck havoc (but that's what an UPS is for! ;))

1- when I login in from a notification that I have mail in What the Tech, is there a better way to be directed to the specific post or thread rather than searching for the title? 2-See your post of Oct 29 b/c you asked me : "What job" [Norton Ghost's purpose is to create an exact image of your drive onto a wide choice of media for later recovery. You said "the company acknowledged it could not do the job." What job was that? " I had already stated Western Digital in that post" 3-You wrote you use Regedit's export functions, ERUNT, or the cleaning tool's own backup routines. Are you saying 'running regedit' is sufficient unto itself or do I ALSO need erunt or Glary? You see here I understand that there are many programs out there but to simplify matters for now, I am asking if exporting regedit is suffient. And if there is a problem system restore has a good shot at fixing it. 4-Re: backing up, I am looking at this backwards in the respect that you have to have someplace to back up to. That is why I would love to back up more than I do but I have cds, floppies or a flash drive. With this limited arsenal, I back up only the information I do not have on disks like programs or the MS downloads. The backed up data is what I would lose if trouble- the rest could be reinstalled. Thanx for sticking with me as I am learning but I know I am testing your patience. I think we are almost there. Btw, soon as I get the basics here I'll be looking at erunt + glary. Thank you

-You wrote you use Regedit's export functions, ERUNT, or the cleaning tool's own backup routines.
Are you saying 'running regedit' is sufficient unto itself or do I ALSO need erunt or Glary? You see here I understand that there are many programs out there but to simplify matters for now, I am asking if exporting regedit is suffient. And if there is a problem system restore has a good shot at fixing it.

the regedit export, and erunt are JUST for backing up your registry info….the "registry cleaner" you're asking about would also optimize and clean out your registry…just making the distinction there

1. You should not have to search for the post. The email notification has a link included that takes you to the most recent post in the thread.

For example, your reply generated this email to me:

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Do your email notifications look different?

2. Grampy, we are not communicating here - please read carefully what is being asked. I did not ask what company? I asked what job? What was the job or task that could not be done?

3. DSenette has answered this, but to reiterate, in Regedit, when you export the entire registry and save the exported file somewhere, that is backing up the registry. To restore the registry with Regedit, you import that file back in. But like most embedded tools/utilities in Windows, Regedit is a basic tool with few bells and whistles. ERUNT provides an enhanced backup capability for you, the user. Do you NEED ERUNT? No. But it does make backing up the registry easier.

The point about backing up with registry cleaners is simply that as a rule, before making any changes to the registry (and cleaning is changing), you always backup the registry first. So the better registry cleaners provide the ability (and hopefully prompts) to backup the registry.

This is not just in case your manual edits, or a cleaner's cleaning, messes up the registry, but other events can corrupt the registry too - such as a power outage right in the middle of the registry write. Or malware.

System Restore does more than just backup the registry - it will also roll back drivers and installed programs and settings to previous versions.

Do you need to do both System Restore and backup the Registry? IMO, no. System Restore, if enabled, runs every day, and it also runs automatically whenever you install drivers or do other system changes. However, I refer to the rule above, if YOU change the registry, either by making changes manually or cleaning or tweaking with a registry tweak program, you always backup the registry first. That said, no harm is done by using ERUNT or something similar. And certainly, if you are a computer geek who constantly tweaks and modifies, then ERUNT, or something similar, is a wise precaution.

Thanx for sticking with me as I am learning but I know I am testing your patience. I think we are almost there.

Hopefully this will clear things up. As for my patience - communications is a two-way street. You need to understand what is being asked or said and you need to express yourself clearly - no easy task when you are not in your element. On the other hand, we, as responders, must try to understand what you really mean, and we must also ensure we express our thoughts clearly for all readers, current and future, of all skill sets.

BTW - I don't recall ever hearing of Glary before you mentioned it in this thread. It bothers me that I cannot find any legitimate independent reviews - there are a few reviews but they seem to be a rehash of features. Since the registry is so critical, I would stick with well known, tried and true products.


Edit add - corrected minor errors due to rushing original post before an appointment.