Question for computer geeks

[BobT]

I was snooping around today and found a freeware that claims to be a registry cleaning tool for Windows. Their claim is that it not only cleans up orphaned and invalid registry entries, it will also optimize performance, enhancing internet speeds.

The software is called RegCure. Anyone hear of this and know anything about it?

Bob

[DTro]

I would recommend ccleaner, also freeware

[Jim Almquist]

I am with Dtro that CCleaner is a great freeware. I have been using it for the past year and have had no problems with it.

[BobT]

I have never used a registry cleaner before and so I'm not real familiar with it. How does it know that a registry file is no longer valid or used?

Bob

[sparcebag]

Bob I have RegCure,My computer guy says Its useless and takes up lots of space.

I run it and notice no difference in performance.

CCleaner I have also and do notice a improvement,There is another free that works great for my little knowledge>>Google (DiskSweeperFree) it seems to improve the performance more so than CC and removes more junk

Remember tho my smarts for computers is close to nil.

RegCure must be a comeon cause mine is 25? 30 dollars a year.I think the scan is free but to repair is charged.

[BobT]

I've been doing some more searching since I posted earlier and what you're saying sounds very much like what I've been reading. Seems that a common complaint is that you download RegCure and run it, it finds all kinds of stuff to remove, but then they require that you buy their full-blown version to fix the problems that it found. As was your experience too, most claimed that their system performance didn't really improve and in some cases actually got worse.

It does seem that ccleaner comes with a lot of good reports with the digging I've done so far.

Thanks for the information.

Bob

[wishing for walleyes]

I have a couple programs that work very well.One is called easycleaner 2.0 by toni arts.It will clean your registry.I also have a program called startup manager that works great for shutting off programs that are running that you dont know about.

[lotsofish]

RegCure is worthless. I'm pretty leary of all those registry cleaners in the first place. Realistically, what's a few megabytes extra data in your registry going to do anyway? Not much.

I know too many people and I have fixed too many problems caused by registry cleaner type software to recommend any type of registry cleaner. There are some better than others, like CCleaner, but there are people out there that have had problems with it. Just a few weeks ago I had one that the person used a combination of some registry cleaner and Windows system restore (the built in system where you can roll back to previous drivers and registry settings.) The system ended up getting completely hosed and wouldn't turn on. Couldn't even do a reinstall, the hard drive had to be wiped and the factory restore disk had to be run. Then they had to reinstall all their programs.

If you do use a registry cleaner, make sure you have a good backup you can restore in case something goes wrong. I wouldn't suggest running them too often either. Also, just pick one and stick with it, who knows how the settings they change might get picked up by a different program...

[BobT]

That sounds a lot like the next question I was going to ask. I use Vista Home Premium and like XP it has the ability to store restore points. If I run a registry cleaner, do I risk losing past restore points and therefore it could become impossible to restore back?

Bob

[lotsofish]

If it works right, then you should be fine.

I would use CCleaner for everything but the registry cleaner functions. It will clean up your temporary files and caches which should all be fine to do.

When it comes to Windows, the registry is a weak link. I have made some manual changes to for certain things, but I don't think the potential couple megabytes of invalid/missing data is worth the risk of running an automated clean up.

It's just my opinion though, and I'm in the minority even amongst other tech guys, which a lot of them swear by CCleaner.

[BobT]

I've been digging around in the Help files for my system and it seems to support what you're saying. It doesn't warn against using registry cleaners but it seems to suggest that it really isn't necessary. It says that the registry is self-maintaining and the size of the files is really rather small.

I run disk cleanup fairly regularly and I degrag automatically on a weekly basis.

I haven't experienced any issues. Just poking around.

Thanks,

Bob

[upnorth]

It is really not necessary to dig into the registry unless you have something that really needs to be removed. As a matter of fact, best to pretty much leave it be and if you do make sure you back it up before you mess with it. If not you may wind up reloading windows. The registry is a wily beast if you don't know exactly what you are doing.

[ole]

I'd also be carefull with system restore. Not very reliable in my op.

And as UpNorth hinted at, If you don't need to or don't know how to work within registry... DON'T

ole

[BobT]

I have used system restore once. I'm setup to automatically check for updates from windows and other software. One time, after installing an update, my monitor seemed to act up. The screen resolution was funky. I checked to see what the latest updates were and learned that a video driver update had been installed within the last 24 hours. I used system restore to go back to a time prior to the update and all was well. I elected to ignore the update.

I guess in some instances, system restore can have a purpose.

Bob

[upnorth]

System restore does have a purpose. The problem being is it doesn't always work the way it should. I have seen may times where there supposed to be a restore point and when you tried to restore to that point it would fail. But I have also seen it work well. It is a Microsoft product and as per usual it sometimes doesn't work as planned. That goes with all software I guess.

[sparcebag]

My System Restore doesn't restore at all.Any suggestions?

[upnorth]

Some systems for some reason I have to research don't create usable restore points. I know some malware and viruses will mess it up.

Here is some interesting info from the web. It appears some apps interfere with system restore so you may want to try it in safe mode.

Quote:

Troubleshoot System Restore “Restore Point Failures” in Windows XP

At any point during this troubleshoot procedure you feel uncomfortable, help is a click away at the

AumHa System Restore Forum for support

For systems that have Norton 2006 - 2007 applications installed click HERE.

* There are several application that will interfere with with System Restore in Normal or Protected Mode causing a restoration to fail. First try Running System Restore in Safe Mode. This may overcome the interference and allow the restoration to complete successfully. Note: An UNDO restore point will not be automatically created when System Restore is run in Safe Mode. To have a current restore point to fall back on, create a manual restore point in normal mode before entering Safe Mode.

* Added 1/27/08 It has come to my attention that Kaspersky Anit-Virus & Kaspersky Internet Security Versions 6 & 7 have been causing System Restore restorations to fail in a way similar to that in Norton applications. A new function – Self-Defense – has been added to Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 and later in order to prevent unauthorized access to the Anti-Virus files. Beginning from version 6.0.2.678 the self-defense function has been extended with protection against auto-clickers. The current workaround is to disable Self-Defense.

o Open Kaspersky Anti-Virus version 6.0 > the Settings tab > Service > uncheck Enable Self-Defense.

o Open Kaspersky Anti-Virus version 7.0 > go to Settings menu > Service > uncheck Enable Self-Defense)

o More information:

+ Article: Kaspersky version 6 compatibility with self-defense of other vendors

+ Article: How Kaspersky Anti-Virus version 7.0 is compatible with third party programs which use self-protection

+ Forum: Does Kaspersky interfere with System Restore?

+ Forum: System Restore will only work in Safe Mode - just started

* If Real Player is installed on the system click HERE and update to the latest version.

* IBM Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore - Microsoft System Restore "Restore Points" are not preserved or System Restore errors are logged in Event Viewer.

System Restore's Restore Points are not saved in IBM Rapid Restore Ultra's backup. When restoring using Rapid Restore Ultra, System Restore will log an error message in the Windows Event Viewer and if you start System Restore, any prior System Restore Points are not available.

* ZoneAlarm has been known to interfere with the restore process. If restoring in Safe Mode doesn’t work, then you will want to consider uninstalling ZoneAlarm as a troubleshooting step.

* Zone Alarm version 6.5 has a bug that creates very large .rdb files within the system. These .rdb files are monitored by System Restore and thus end up in the restore points located in the System Volume Information folder, along with other locations on the system. The best advise is to revert to an earlier version of Zone Alarm. Then disable System Restore which will purge all existing restore points, then turn it back on. For more information on this subject please visit the Zone Labs User Forum.

* If Microsoft Update is being used rather than Windows Update, go back to using Windows Update. Run Windows Update and let it complete. Reboot the system and retry System Restore. I have only seen this issue mentioned once in the public newsgroups. It was on a new HP system and was accompanied by this error message.

* For Systems shipped with a Recovery Partition, such as HP, Compaq and Dell, to name a few, DO NOT let system restore monitor these partitions. See Disable Monitored Drives.

* Scan for Virus and Spyware infection.

* If the system will not boot, here’s a list of Disaster Recovery Tools within WindowsXP.

* Make note of any error messages produced by System Restore or any low Free Disk space warnings, exactly as they appear.

* Use the Event Viewer to investigate System Restore service errors. To do this, follow these steps:

o Go to Start - Run and type eventvwr.msc and press enter.

o In the left pane click on System.

o Click the gray title “Source” at the top of the source name column in the right pane to sort by source name, look for "sr" and "srservice." Double-click each of these services, and evaluate the event description for any indication of the cause of the problem. Make note of the Description, EventID and Source of these Event Properties that show an Error or Warning.

o If you would like assistance in examining the "sr" and "srservice" events, double click on each event then, click on the button below the two arrows in the upper right corner. This will copy the event information to the clipboard. Paste the information for each event to a post at AumHa System Restore Forum along with any other error messages received. Please use a appropriate subject line (including “System Restore”) when creating the post.

* Install the latest Service Pack (SP) for WindowsXP. SP1 (fixes the locked files issue) and SP2 include bug fixes for System Restore that may fix the problem.

o From Windows Update

o Order WindowsXP Service Pack 2 on CD

o Download Service Pack 2 (SP2) from Microsoft - 266mb’s

* Confirm that the “Task Scheduler”, “System Restore Service” and “Remote Procedure Call (RPC)” are running:

o Click Start, click Run, and then type cmd /k net start then press enter. Check to make sure that the Task Scheduler, System Restore Services and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) are running.

o To start the “Task Scheduler” Service.

+ Go to Start - Run and type Services.msc then press enter.

+ Double click on “Task Scheduler”.

+ Set ‘Startup type’ to Automatic then press Start and Wait for the Service Control progress indicator to close.

+ Do the same if the “System Restore Service” was missing. Close the Services window.

* Confirm and make note of the amount of the Free Disk Space on all of the drives System Restore is monitoring.

o To check for Free Disk Space go to Start - Run and type diskmgmt.msc then press enter. Look at each drive System Restore is monitoring for free space.

o If the free space on any partition system restore is monitoring falls below 50MB, System Restore will SUSPEND & PURGE all restore points to free up disk space. You should have already receive a low free disk space message by now. System Restore will resume monitoring when free disk space reaches 200MB’s.

o In most cases it is not necessary to have System Restore monitor Partitions/drives other than the one Windows is installed on. System Restore does not monitor data files. Monitored File Extensions.

o How to disable a monitored drive in System Restore.

* Adjust the Disk Space Used by System Restore. By default System Restore will use 12% disk space for most size drives. With larger drives the data store can get quite large, which has been know to cause problems in System Restore. Setting the data store to just under 1GB should be adequate. Click HERE for more System Restore Health tips. Note: Reducing the data store size will purge the oldest restore points on a FIFO (first in first out) bases and leave as many recent restore points as the new size will allow.

* Test System Restore to confirm it is functioning correctly.

o Create a new restore point named TEST.

o Create a new folder on the desktop an name it TEST.

o Now restore to the Test restore point.

o You will receive a message if the restore was successful, and the Test folder on the desktop will be gone.

o The above test can also be performed in Safe Mode.

o If this fails, that would indicate there is a corrupt restore point and all restore points should be purged.

* How to purge the System Restore Store.

o To do so Turn off System Restore follow these steps:

+ Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

+ Click the System Restore tab.

+ Put a check next to ‘Turn off System Restore on all drives’, then click OK.

+ Click Yes when you receive the prompt to the turn off System Restore.

+ Reboot the system.

o Turn System Restore back on by following the previous steps and uncheck ‘Turn off System Restore on all drives’. A new restore point will be automatically created at that time.

+ As suggested earlier it is not necessary to have System Restore monitor Partitions/drives that Windows is not installed on.

+ Test System Restore as previously described.

o If System Restore fails at this point, reinstall System Restore.

* If all else fails perform a Repair Install.

[sparcebag]

upnorth mine doesn't restore in safe mode either,but I have created restore points,the system is turned on.It at one time did a restore for me, accutally I think I did 3 restores.My machine is really slow the last few weeks and this site, FM doesn't show unread posts as highlited with darker color.I have a hard time logging in here,Have to reboot the computer and go to FM first before any other program,even email to log on here.

I have done the contact us 2-3 weeks ago with no reply,just the auto reply is all I have received???

[Shawnny B]

on System Restores, and Registry stuff, Dont do it unless you know what your doing, System restore is a great Idea, If you know what your doing, you can not only add clutter to your HD but loose files or other things that you have installed. as far as the registry, just dont mess with it. Being a "cable guy" and having to "fix" computers for the Highspeed interent I have seen these things corupt IE and other parts of computers.

The things you can do to keep your comptuer running is DONT MESS WITH IT IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING!!! Make sure you have a Virus program (AVG FREE works fine lots of false possitives if your doing some stuff you shoudlnt be) have a Spyware program sometimes incorporated into your virus program, such as McAfee, otherwise Spybot works great.

Most of the time when I go into Peoples homes I notice no spyware programs and or the Virus programs are out of date, and this is part of the reason that their computers are running slow. Some things to remember on the computer, Things are not always Free, I have been on computers and found people using peer to peer programs and they state that their daughters or sons are using it to DL music, but its not running, I END the program and walla what do you know the system is running a littel faster, These programs install Spyware/Adware on to your comptuers.

Just be careful where/what you do when your online, and make sure you family or people who use your computer do the same. I ran my computer for 3 years with out an Antivirus, but I didnt go to alot of sites that I didnt know about.

Again just be careful when messing with computer stuff, but then again just dont take it to G__K Squad, they are a rip off if you ask me.

Shawn

[Jim Almquist]

Do have the software to reload your computer cause I think it is getting close to that time. It has been said on here before but if you backup all the stuff you want to save to another hard drive and the wipe out the bad one and start from scratch you will think that you have a new machine. One other way would be to get a new drive and disconnect the old and reload everything into the new and when it is up and running connect the old and you will be able to pull any info off that you have on there.