Best program to clean my PC

EmoTallica

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What would be the best program to clean my PC. Like fixing my registry, deleting unnecessary folders and files. It doesn't have to be free. I used Regclean Pro to fix my registry but a lot of people said its bad program to use, and I used CCleaner but that messed up my computer. Thanks
 

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There is no need to clean the registry. If you want the best use Ccleaner, but not the registry portion. Any changes made to the registry by 3rd party software can cause problems.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 SP1
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    Dell XPS 420
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    6 GB
What would be the best program to clean my PC. Like fixing my registry, deleting unnecessary folders and files. It doesn't have to be free. I used Regclean Pro to fix my registry but a lot of people said its bad program to use, and I used CCleaner but that messed up my computer. Thanks

The very best way to clean up your windows is to Clean Install. Cost you nothing but a little time. Fresh new start
 

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    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
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    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
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I agree with the prior 2 posts. Don't use a cleaner. I know this will cause a lot of controversy here, but since cleaners were invented, I never have used one. They started out as crap software claiming to speed up your PC. Some have improved, but I don't trust any of them.

As a developer and tester, I used to do a clean install every 6-8 months. Installing, uninstall and installing software again does bloat the registry, but nowadays the systems can handle a fairly big registry. My Windows 7 system hasn't been reinstalled in 2 years.
 

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    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
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    Self Built
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    Intel I-7 860
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    Asus P7B
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What would be the best program to clean my PC. Like fixing my registry, deleting unnecessary folders and files. It doesn't have to be free. I used Regclean Pro to fix my registry but a lot of people said its bad program to use, and I used CCleaner but that messed up my computer. Thanks

The very best way to clean up your windows is to Clean Install. Cost you nothing but a little time. Fresh new start


Question how is this for a SSD, since you do not want to write and erase a lot ? Although i know what you mean by doing a clean install, redone mine at times for reasons.
 

My Computer

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    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
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    PC/Desktop
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    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
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    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
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    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
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    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
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    Norton Security 2015
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    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
I agree with the prior 2 posts. Don't use a cleaner. I know this will cause a lot of controversy here, but since cleaners were invented, I never have used one. They started out as crap software claiming to speed up your PC. Some have improved, but I don't trust any of them.

As a developer and tester, I used to do a clean install every 6-8 months. Installing, uninstall and installing software again does bloat the registry, but nowadays the systems can handle a fairly big registry. My Windows 7 system hasn't been reinstalled in 2 years.


True if you know where to look for files to be cleaned no use for cleaning programs.
Ones i have used never remove all they are suppose to, find them still in folders.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
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    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
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    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
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    EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+ DDR5 4GB
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    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1
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    ASUS PA24Q 24" Pro Art IPS LCD/LED Backlit 1920x1200
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    SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    WD WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal HDD
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    EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W 80 Plus Gold Full Modular
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    AZZA Cosmas Black Gaming Case
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    Cool Master Hyper 212 Evo Dual 120mm, ( 2) Noctua PWM 120mm Case Fans (1) Gelid PWM 120mm Blue LED
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    Logitech K800 Illumiated Wireless Keyboard
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    Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
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    84mbps /94mbps
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    Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 / Microsoft Edge/ IE 11
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    Norton Security 2015
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    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
Use the built-in Disk Cleanup. Do not dismiss it, this is an overlooked tool that accomplishes most of what people want when they "clean" :
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/44274-windows-update-cleanup-windows-8-a.html
Disk Cleanup - Open and Use - Windows 7 Help Forums

If you aren't satisfied with how some programs still leave things on disk and in the registry when uninstalled (even though this almost never matters), then there are better ways than so called cleaners :

Virtualization :

When virtualized an application won't touch the registry.

Portable apps are a nice implementation of that. They are standalone executables, and don't even really install. To uninstall just delete the file, no hassles.
More info : Portable application - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives

Or you can go the full virtualization route. It's heavier on requirements but you can run anything you want this way, and the application doesn't touch the real OS at all.
More info : https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/player_pubs.html
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/End-user_documentation

Backup/Restore :

Windows has built-in tools that backup parts or all the system.
More info : http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4692-system-restore-how-do-windows-8-a.html

If you want something with more features and where you have more control, I recommend checking the various imaging software that exist out there (most with free versions). This is much quicker and for most purposes as good or better than a clean install.
More info : Best Free Drive Cloning Software
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
oneeyed has detailed it beautifully.. I have to completely agree with it, do what he says.
I've gone through this once and had some bad experience with cleaners especially registry ones. Don't ever touch it. Whatever you have SSD or HDD, stay away from registry cleaners!
 

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    Win 8.1 Update x64
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    HP Pavilion 15
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    Haswell Core i5 4200U
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    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
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    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
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    Opera v25.0
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    KIS 2014
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    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
Well if i used a cleaning software, say like CCleaner i never used it for registry cleaning, this one does seem like most recommended one, along with one called Slimware utilities SlimCleaner, about it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
    Memory
    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+ DDR5 4GB
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PA24Q 24" Pro Art IPS LCD/LED Backlit 1920x1200
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 16:10
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    WD WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal HDD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W 80 Plus Gold Full Modular
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    AZZA Cosmas Black Gaming Case
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    Cool Master Hyper 212 Evo Dual 120mm, ( 2) Noctua PWM 120mm Case Fans (1) Gelid PWM 120mm Blue LED
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    Logitech K800 Illumiated Wireless Keyboard
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    Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
    Internet Speed
    84mbps /94mbps
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    Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 / Microsoft Edge/ IE 11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security 2015
    Other Info
    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
There is no need to clean the registry. If you want the best use Ccleaner, but not the registry portion. Any changes made to the registry by 3rd party software can cause problems.

Short, to the point, conveys the essential information. The perfect post.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
There is no need to clean the registry. If you want the best use Ccleaner, but not the registry portion. Any changes made to the registry by 3rd party software can cause problems.

Short, to the point, conveys the essential information. The perfect post.
Actually, it is far from perfect as it suggests changes made by Windows own Registry Editor is safe, and it is far from it. And it suggests just because a program "can" cause problems, it will and so it should be avoided. And finally, it implies all Registry cleaners are equal - and equally bad. :(

Why would any reputable company produce a reckless program - as is suggested here? How could a company maintain such a stellar reputation for fine products and stay in business for 10+ years, if their flagship program was such a risk?

ANY program that writes to your disk can cause problems - especially programs that manipulate files on the disk. And that includes a lot more than Registry cleaners. I've used CCleaner, including the Registry cleaner, for many years on literally 100s of computers and NEVER had it cause any problems. It is not rational to assume all Registry cleaners are equal, or that problems caused by Registry cleaners in ancient days still apply today - ESPECIALLY a cleaner developed by a company that has well over 10 years of history for NOT breaking computers with their flagship product. Are there exceptions? Of course! But there are 10s, if not 100s of millions of CCleaner users who have used it without problems.

I would MUCH RATHER inexperienced users use CCleaner - which is (1) not over-aggressive and (2) always prompts to backup the Registry before making changes - than go digging around with Regedit which makes changes in real-time with no un-do capability and no cues to the user to backup first. And FTR, CCleaner's Registry cleaner is the only Registry cleaner I recommend, though the one from Comodo (another reputable company that would not foolishly create a reckless program that breaks computers) works well too.

I do not recommend the use of any product that promises to make a computer perform "better than new". And I NEVER use or recommend the use of CCleaner's Registry cleaner to "fix" a broken Windows. I only use it for "preventative maintenance" to keep Windows in good working order.

That said I do recommend the use of Windows own Disk Cleanup - especially if free disk space is limited as it makes no sense to consume more disk space when a capable cleaner is already on all our systems.

EmoTallica said:
What would be the best program to clean my PC. Like fixing my registry, deleting unnecessary folders and files.
As I said above, I don't recommend any program for "fixing" a Registry. If a "fix" is needed, a specific "fix" should be used for each specific issue that needs fixing. As for "unnecessary" folders and files, Windows own File Explorer (formally called Windows Explorer) works great for that - but you MUST ensure FIRST, the folders and files are truly unnecessary - Google can help with that, or you could rename the folder or file and let it sit for a few weeks to see if anything breaks. If nothing does, you can probably delete the folder or file safely. If something does break, rename the folder or file back to the original name.

That said, I would recommend you go through Control Panel > Programs and Features to delete unnecessary programs before deleting what you suspect are unnecessary folders or files. But if you don't recognize a program in Control Panel, leave it be.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
What would be the best program to clean my PC. Like fixing my registry, deleting unnecessary folders and files. It doesn't have to be free. I used Regclean Pro to fix my registry but a lot of people said its bad program to use, and I used CCleaner but that messed up my computer. Thanks


My experience exactly. CCleaner messed up my PC too.... but......


In my 34 years of experience as a Computer Tech, I've found that a registry can get clobbered up with CRAP just like a hard drive can. Reinstalling Windows to just clean up the mess, is a Huge Waste of time and money, and you always loose something in the process that you just can't replace.
I clean up people's computers for a living. I NEVER reload Windows unless the existing OS is completely hozed.
Then I go to extremes to try to save every piece of data that I can..... address books and saved EMail, etc.

The phone company publishes a new phone book every year, which gets rid of the old, out of date entries, but Windows does not clean the garbage out of its own phone book, called the "Registry". So what to do?

Well, you can do nothing and let the garbage build up till the registry is HUGE and bloated, slow and inefficient. Or, you can use a SAFE registry cleaning program that will safely remove old and out of date entries. I did this for years with a 100% safe program called "Easy Cleaner 2". But it was never updated for Windows 7 and Windows 8, 8.1, etc.

So I went looking for an updated program that would clean up a registry without causing problems like CCleaner did to me. I actually found two programs that filled the bill. Neither are FREE, but both work a treat! The first one I tried is AVG's "Tune-Up" program. Not at all FREE, in fact a bit on the expensive side, but works great for cleaning out the HD and the registry.

Then there is "Windows Utilities", another great program that is updated regularly and also does a great job of cleaning up both the HD and the registry. I bought "WinUtils" because it was cheaper and gets the most updates.

I once did a registry cleanup after un-installing MS Office and it removed just over 30 Megabytes of crap from the registry. Then I ran a registry defrag program (NTRegOpt) to bring the registry back to its smallest possible size. A smaller and defragmented registry will run faster and take up less space in memory. It's the way I like to run my computer. Lean and mean!!!

With a clean HD and a clean and defragmented (compressed) registry, my PC runs like a scalded cat!
Oh, and it's a nine year old, home made desktop, that still runs Windows XP-Pro-SP3, on a FAT-32 formatted 1TB Seagate Hybrid hard drive..


Don't ever clean your house.....just burn it down and start over. That's logic! Eh?

TechnoMage :cool:
 

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System One

  • OS
    Win-8.1/Pro/64
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    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer X-1200
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    AMD 2 Core
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    Acer
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    Crucial, 4GB
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    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    5 Meg
    Browser
    Firefox
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    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Using Classic Shell on Win-8.1 /pro/64
What would be the best program to clean my PC. Like fixing my registry, deleting unnecessary folders and files. It doesn't have to be free. I used Regclean Pro to fix my registry but a lot of people said its bad program to use, and I used CCleaner but that messed up my computer. Thanks


My experience exactly. CCleaner messed up my PC too.... but......


In my 34 years of experience as a Computer Tech, I've found that a registry can get clobbered up with CRAP just like a hard drive can. Reinstalling Windows to just clean up the mess, is a Huge Waste of time and money, and you always loose something in the process that you just can't replace.
I clean up people's computers for a living. I NEVER reload Windows unless the existing OS is completely hozed.
Then I go to extremes to try to save every piece of data that I can..... address books and saved EMail, etc.

The phone company publishes a new phone book every year, which gets rid of the old, out of date entries, but Windows does not clean the garbage out of its own phone book, called the "Registry". So what to do?

Well, you can do nothing and let the garbage build up till the registry is HUGE and bloated, slow and inefficient. Or, you can use a SAFE registry cleaning program that will safely remove old and out of date entries. I did this for years with a 100% safe program called "Easy Cleaner 2". But it was never updated for Windows 7 and Windows 8, 8.1, etc.

So I went looking for an updated program that would clean up a registry without causing problems like CCleaner did to me. I actually found two programs that filled the bill. Neither are FREE, but both work a treat! The first one I tried is AVG's "Tune-Up" program. Not at all FREE, in fact a bit on the expensive side, but works great for cleaning out the HD and the registry.

Then there is "Windows Utilities", another great program that is updated regularly and also does a great job of cleaning up both the HD and the registry. I bought "WinUtils" because it was cheaper and gets the most updates.

I once did a registry cleanup after un-installing MS Office and it removed just over 30 Megabytes of crap from the registry. Then I ran a registry defrag program (NTRegOpt) to bring the registry back to its smallest possible size. A smaller and defragmented registry will run faster and take up less space in memory. It's the way I like to run my computer. Lean and mean!!!

With a clean HD and a clean and defragmented (compressed) registry, my PC runs like a scalded cat!
Oh, and it's a nine year old, home made desktop, that still runs Windows XP-Pro-SP3, on a FAT-32 formatted 1TB Seagate Hybrid hard drive..


Don't ever clean your house.....just burn it down and start over. That's logic! Eh?

TechnoMage :cool:

Love that last quote! :D Never thought registry items would remain on a clean reinstall.

Had experience with Tuneup Utilities 2014 same as AVG Tune Up without the yearly license. Felt safe, but if decided to use the registry cleaner i would want to understand what i am removing before i would. For people with even less experience still feel dangerous for them to use one. Of course make a registry backup and a restore point.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
    Memory
    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+ DDR5 4GB
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PA24Q 24" Pro Art IPS LCD/LED Backlit 1920x1200
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 16:10
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    WD WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal HDD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W 80 Plus Gold Full Modular
    Case
    AZZA Cosmas Black Gaming Case
    Cooling
    Cool Master Hyper 212 Evo Dual 120mm, ( 2) Noctua PWM 120mm Case Fans (1) Gelid PWM 120mm Blue LED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 Illumiated Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
    Internet Speed
    84mbps /94mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 / Microsoft Edge/ IE 11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security 2015
    Other Info
    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
Never thought registry items would remain on a clean reinstall.
They don't! If any remain, it was NOT a "clean" reinstall as a "clean" reinstall requires reformatting the drive using the "full format" option (not quick).

I "regularly" use CCleaner's Registry cleaner after major updates - like installing a service pack (W8 to W8.1, for example). I also run it after a fresh Windows installation, after uninstalling a major security suite like Norton (shudder, shudder) or McAfee. When swapping graphics cards (especially when going from NVIDIA to AMD, or AMD to NVIDIA).

I beta test lots of software so I run it after uninstalling those programs.

Let's not forget that by default, CCleaner does not make any changes. It lists its findings so you can pick and choose what to delete. If you don't understand what it found, then you shouldn't be deleting it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Never thought registry items would remain on a clean reinstall.
They don't! If any remain, it was NOT a "clean" reinstall as a "clean" reinstall requires reformatting the drive using the "full format" option (not quick).

I "regularly" use CCleaner's Registry cleaner after major updates - like installing a service pack (W8 to W8.1, for example). I also run it after a fresh Windows installation, after uninstalling a major security suite like Norton (shudder, shudder) or McAfee. When swapping graphics cards (especially when going from NVIDIA to AMD, or AMD to NVIDIA).

I beta test lots of software so I run it after uninstalling those programs.

Let's not forget that by default, CCleaner does not make any changes. It lists its findings so you can pick and choose what to delete. If you don't understand what it found, then you shouldn't be deleting it.

What i meant and said, if do not know what you are removing, don't. Some reg cleaners let you choose what to remove and what not to remove besides CCleaner, just that most felt this was safer then most. This was a decent read kind of sums it up. Problem that confuses many people is there are so many different opinions about this subject, who is right and who is wrong.

Why Using a Registry Cleaner Won?t Speed Up Your PC or Fix Crashes
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
    Memory
    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+ DDR5 4GB
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PA24Q 24" Pro Art IPS LCD/LED Backlit 1920x1200
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 16:10
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    WD WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal HDD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W 80 Plus Gold Full Modular
    Case
    AZZA Cosmas Black Gaming Case
    Cooling
    Cool Master Hyper 212 Evo Dual 120mm, ( 2) Noctua PWM 120mm Case Fans (1) Gelid PWM 120mm Blue LED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 Illumiated Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
    Internet Speed
    84mbps /94mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 / Microsoft Edge/ IE 11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security 2015
    Other Info
    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
Problem that confuses many people is there are so many different opinions about this subject
I typically see just two opinions. The first is as presented here and that is "all Registry cleaners are alike and evil and must be avoided" and the other opinion is, no they aren't.

The problem I see is those against automatically lump all cleaners together, even with those like your example that found 26,000 issues! 26 thousand??? That's ridiculous! I just ran CCleaner on mine and it found 7 - not 7 thousand, but 7.

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And what also bothers me is many assume what was a problem 10 years ago is still a problem today. And finally what really bothers me is the many who are totally against them never used them, never bothered to properly check them out themselves, but simply believed it when others claimed ALL are evil and must be avoided.

Once again, I don't claim they are, or should be used to "fix" broken Windows. Only to maintain Windows in peak performance.

And for the record, there are several renown experts who see their benefits. Fred Langa for one, but note he says, like me,
I chose CCleaner because I’d recommended it many times in the past and wanted to see whether my recommendations still held. CCleaner also represents a class of tools primarily intended for frequent, routine cleanups rather than a deep, targeted spelunking of the system’s internals.

For me, the bottom line is this: I’ll continue using — and recommending — lightweight tools (such as command-line cleanmgr and CCleaner) for routine cleanups and expert-level tools (such as jv16 PowerTools) when simpler software isn’t enough.

Even Mark Russinovich reported back in 2005 in his Registry Junk: A Windows Fact of Life blog article,
Registry cleaners have always been popular, but I never paid much attention to them. I originally thought that there might be valid reasons for their existence, but over time changed my mind, only to recently recognize that even today they can help maintain Registry hygiene.

it’s not only possible, but common, for even best-of-breed uninstallers that have earned the Windows logo from Microsoft to leave our Registries littered with traces of applications deleted long ago.
Mark is NOT recommending them, but he is not saying they are evil or to avoid them either. But he is saying they do have a place in the toolbags of sysadmins who wish to keep their Registries clean of orphaned entries.
 

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There is no need to clean the registry. If you want the best use Ccleaner, but not the registry portion. Any changes made to the registry by 3rd party software can cause problems.

Short, to the point, conveys the essential information. The perfect post.
Actually, it is far from perfect as it suggests changes made by Windows own Registry Editor is safe, and it is far from it.

Fair enough.

And it suggests just because a program "can" cause problems, it will and so it should be avoided. And finally, it implies all Registry cleaners are equal - and equally bad. :(

Why would any reputable company produce a reckless program - as is suggested here? How could a company maintain such a stellar reputation for fine products and stay in business for 10+ years, if their flagship program was such a risk?

They kind of are. Think about it for just a half second. How many programs are there for Windows? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? More? How many of those will make changes to the registry? Probably virtually all of them. It's simply not plausible that any company, even Microsoft, could possibly keep track of every single possible change every single possible program might make. So that leaves using some kind of algorithmic means if one wants to "clean" the registry. Maybe I missed the memo, but I've never seen any developer of a registry cleaner come out and say here are the basic selection criteria we use. AV companies do this, providing rather detailed information on each virus their program detects and removes, showing how the company profiles the behavior of the program. Registry cleaner programs, to the best of my knowledge, use some secret sauce style method that they never elaborate on.

Setting that all aside, as anyone with programming experience will tell you, get a large enough data set, which can't be screened ahead of time, and any algorithmic method will result in some false positives. Absolutely cannot be helped short of building in an exception for every single possible exception and then you're not really taking an algorithmic approach, are you?

So not only are we expected to trust some developer's word when all we have is a black box that could be doing anything. While the best case scenario would be one of them offering up the full source code, I'd settle for at least an explanation of the methodology being used a la what AV companies have been doing for decades.

Then we get to how leftover bits of old programs in the registry will so rarely cause a problem there's essentially no point in removing them. Not only that, the amount of disk space and memory you save is measured in bytes, as in one step above a bit, the fundamental unit of measure for computers. It takes 1024 bytes to make a kilobyte, 1024 kilobytes to make a megabyte, 1024 megabytes to make a gigabyte, etc. So we're talking 5 orders of magnitude below what we normally think of for disk space and memory.

What you end up with is a program that is, at best, completely unnecessary, and at worst, likely to cause problems by incorrectly removing something.

ANY program that writes to your disk can cause problems - especially programs that manipulate files on the disk. And that includes a lot more than Registry cleaners.

Very true, but not seeing how that's in any way relevant to your point. If anything it seems to argue AGAINST your thesis. The more times something is writing/manipulating files the more chances there are for something to go wrong. So better to leave harmless bits of flotsam in the registry rather than roll the dice on that being the one time something goes horribly wrong.

I've used CCleaner, including the Registry cleaner, for many years on literally 100s of computers and NEVER had it cause any problems. It is not rational to assume all Registry cleaners are equal, or that problems caused by Registry cleaners in ancient days still apply today - ESPECIALLY a cleaner developed by a company that has well over 10 years of history for NOT breaking computers with their flagship product. Are there exceptions? Of course! But there are 10s, if not 100s of millions of CCleaner users who have used it without problems.

Statistically speaking, your sample size means nothing. Granted it's a fair sight better than people who say they've only used it on their one personal computer without issue, but you're not even a drop in the bucket. And CCleaner has left a trail of destruction just like every other program that does similar things. It started out life as a precision tool for professionals who knew what each option was and what it did. Then some moron trying to win an e-penis measuring contest "discovered" it. Not to be outdone, other idiots who aren't half as clever as they fancy themselves to be all jump on the bandwagon. Have to prove your e-penis is at least as big as the next person's after all. While I can't really blame the CCleaner developers for responding to what this new influx of users wanted, I still wish they would have stuck to their roots and maintained CCleaner as something of a bare metal tool with an absolute minimum of safety measures because the assumption is you know what you're doing and are prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions in a mature and responsible way.

I would MUCH RATHER inexperienced users use CCleaner - which is (1) not over-aggressive and (2) always prompts to backup the Registry before making changes - than go digging around with Regedit which makes changes in real-time with no un-do capability and no cues to the user to backup first. And FTR, CCleaner's Registry cleaner is the only Registry cleaner I recommend, though the one from Comodo (another reputable company that would not foolishly create a reckless program that breaks computers) works well too.

Personally, I prefer people who aren't professional developers or debuggers just forget they ever heard of the registry. Rarely is there a reason for anyone else to be mucking about in there. If I were still doing tech support for a living, I'd be encouraging people to use registry cleaners right and left, because it would ensure that my services would continue to be needed, but I don't, so I don't.

I do not recommend the use of any product that promises to make a computer perform "better than new". And I NEVER use or recommend the use of CCleaner's Registry cleaner to "fix" a broken Windows. I only use it for "preventative maintenance" to keep Windows in good working order.

I'm certainly all for preventive maintenance, but in this case there's nothing to prevent. The registry is a database, plain and simple. Extra data in a database is not something to be overly concerned about. Sure it takes up a little extra disk space, but that's about the extent of it. Since at most we'd be talking a couple MB of disk space, there's a lot of risk for essentially no reward.
 

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great suggestion for sure ,and the best way to do it for sure ,butI use ccleaner all features of it for years now,my choice .with out one single issue .if one want to use a cleaner program its the best in my opinion .not suggesting it to anyone ,just saying I have had good luck with it .and I mean luck .and ccleaner was never a crap software making false claims .

I have sued ccleaners registry cleaner to fix many a computer that was not acting correctly because of crap left behind from not so great program or malware crap .
 

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Before Ccleaner there was and still exists "Jv 16 Power Tools" which was at the time (Win95 and after) one of the best "semi professional" tools. I remember using it extensively until XP and some time during it's lifetime. But, at that time registry was pretty "clunky" thing, programers were misusing it big time and it was getting dirty and fragmented. Because Windows had to read it line by line startup and programs looking for entries were slowing down even when manually cleaned. De-fragmenting it was a popular thing than and it did help. Somewhere with one of SPs something has changed and it mattered less. Vista has changed things to better and in W7 made all of that all but redundant.
Ccleaner does not even make claim that it repairs anything, removing just some entries that do not have clear purpose or not connected to any program which in most cases doesn't do any good but I have personally seen remove some entries needed for other things and rendered them useless. To be honest, it happened to already shmucked up windows but it did not do any good either.
 

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asvent said:
They kind of are. Think about it for just a half second. How many programs are there for Windows? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? More? How many of those will make changes to the registry? Probably virtually all of them. It's simply not plausible that any company, even Microsoft, could possibly keep track of every single possible change every single possible program might make. So that leaves using some kind of algorithmic means if one wants to "clean" the registry. Maybe I missed the memo, but I've never seen any developer of a registry cleaner come out and say here are the basic selection criteria we use. AV companies do this, providing rather detailed information on each virus their program detects and removes, showing how the company profiles the behavior of the program. Registry cleaner programs, to the best of my knowledge, use some secret sauce style method that they never elaborate on.
They kind of are??? That's like saying because Yugo is a car and because Yugos are unsafe cars, Volvos must be unsafe too because they also are cars! Not logical.

AV program makers do NOT reveal how their algorithms work.

So not only are we expected to trust some developer's word when all we have is a black box that could be doing anything.
Nah! Sorry, but you don't understand what a good Registry cleaner does. You don't need a database to figure out a setting in the registry points to an invalid location.

Personally, I prefer people who aren't professional developers or debuggers just forget they ever heard of the registry.
That would be nice but sticking your head in the sand does not make the problem go away. Registry cleaners are here, and Bing Google will find them. You cannot stick a bunch of candy in front of kids, leave the room, and tell them not to touch the candy and expect none will.

Driving a car is dangerous. Do we tell our kids to forget about driving? NO! We teach them the right way to drive. Same thing here.

Do you stop cooking because you failed to use a pot holder and got burned once? Do you NOT use a knife because it can cut you if used wrong?
Statistically speaking, your sample size means nothing.
Yeah right! 26,000 vs 7. No significant difference there. :rolleyes:

If I were still doing tech support for a living, I'd be encouraging people to use registry cleaners right and left, because it would ensure that my services would continue to be needed, but I don't, so I don't.
Wow! That is the unscrupulous behavior that gives honest techs a bad rap. :( I am glad you are no longer doing tech support.

And CCleaner has left a trail of destruction just like every other program that does similar things.
Not hardly. Exceptions don't make the rule. Are there exceptions? Sure. But when compared to the 10s, 100s of millions with no problems, they are minuscule.

CountMike said:
To be honest, it happened to already shmucked up windows but it did not do any good either.
RIGHT! So in other words, the product was used incorrectly then asvent and other pundits blame the product for not doing what it wasn't designed to do.

Registry cleaner haters are like the politicians whose party is not in power. They are totally against any solution that is not 100% perfect and will cite any and every minute exception as the perfect example why it is [supposedly] bad for every body instead of acknowledging the merits that are there or accepting that meeting somewhere in the middle is good for the majority.

I say this and then I am done because I don't like talking to walls - if you don't like CCleaner's registry cleaner, DON'T USE IT! But stop telling everybody CCleaner is bad when it is clear, for the vast majority of users, it is not.
 

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