Solved Are 'Registry Cleaners' unsafe?

Jcwisgod

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I've heard/read Registry Cleaners are not actually safe, then I've read that they are safe, which is true?
Also I got Ccleaner on my laptop but I haven't used the Registry Cleaner yet.
 

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Depends on which one and what you actually "clean". Check the wikipedia page : Registry cleaner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, it's actually pretty good.

I myself have stayed clear off any registry cleaner since win98, any performance boost from them on modern OSes is IMHO merely placebo, and they can cause as much system instability as they claim to improve. If you're really worried about programs not uninstalling properly then run them sandboxed (great when testing new programs very often), another alternative is frequent disk imaging.
 

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    Windows 8.1 (x64)
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I have to agree with oneeyed, If your system is screwed up enough to use one of these you might as well just roll back to a earlier date with an Image you made, or just clean install and start over.
 

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registry cleaners are not safe & microsoft also told that u don't need any registry cleaner & if registry keys left behind,no problem.they're only for if u again want to install that app or game.so don't bother.i also gave up on these programs from now & don't use any third party programs.they screwed up u'r system instead of fixing it.so use windows internal programs only for cleaning,defraging u'r hard disks etc...
 

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    ASUS K54L
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    Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual Core CPU B950 @ 2.10GHz
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Not needed and potentially dangerous in my experience, it's much better idea to use some good uninstall programs like "Revo Uninstaller" to uninstall programs as they rid the system of leftover files and registry leftovers because not all the programs uninstall cleanly.
 

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By their nature registry cleaners are unsafe. Some are less unsafe than others but I would avoid them all. The registry is a database so analogies to cleaning are irrelevant. The benefits they provide are highly questionable while the risks are significant.The basic problem is that in most cases it is impossible to determine with 100% certainty that a specific registry entry is unneeded or in error. So a registry cleaner must make frequent guesses. Most guesses are correct, but some are not. Deleting or "repairing" a valid entry in error can have serious consequences.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
IMHO it's the reg cleaner user that's performing unsafe actions. Programs like CCleaner have their place in your tool box, but you have to know how to use them.
 

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    8.1
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    Lenova Flex 15
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    i5
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    Itel 4400
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    ssd
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    Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB

    Numerous Win 7 machines
IMHO it's the reg cleaner user that's performing unsafe actions. Programs like CCleaner have their place in your tool box, but you have to know how to use them.
Well, if I have to check every entry some reg cleaner is pointing at, I might as well dig thru registry myself, which I do anyway when necessary rather than to be at the mercy of some program which it's maker has no idea what's in my system.
 

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    Windows 8.1 Pro
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    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
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    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
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    CCM Nepton 140xl
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    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
In my opinion, registry cleaners should "ONLY" be used when you have a very specific problem that you haven't been able to fix using any other methods. In other words, they should NOT be used as a standard preventative measure maintenance item.
 

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IMHO it's the reg cleaner user that's performing unsafe actions. Programs like CCleaner have their place in your tool box, but you have to know how to use them.
Well, if I have to check every entry some reg cleaner is pointing at, I might as well dig thru registry myself, which I do anyway when necessary rather than to be at the mercy of some program which it's maker has no idea what's in my system.

I agree that manualy editing the registry can be much more productive than any so called cleaner, there are times when a cleaner is much faster at removing the finger prints of some uninstalled program. A system that's been online for a long time can have over 40k entries in the registry and it can take hours to manually search it, F3 is worn off my keyboard.

I kind of miss win.ini and sys.ini...the good old days.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenova Flex 15
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Itel 4400
    Hard Drives
    ssd
    Browser
    IE
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB

    Numerous Win 7 machines
In my opinion, registry cleaners should "ONLY" be used when you have a very specific problem that you haven't been able to fix using any other methods. In other words, they should NOT be used as a standard preventative measure maintenance item.
Agree 100%. Registry cleaners have some value when used by an expert to solve a specific problem. Unfortunately they are usually used by people who have only a vague idea of what the registry is. A dangerous combination.A registry cleaner is a powerful tool. But like all such tools they require knowledge and skill to be used effectively. In the hands of a skilled surgeon a scalpel is a life saving tool. In the hands of the unskilled it is dangerous.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Well after reading what everyones said, I'm gonna stay away from Registry Cleaners because I don't know much about them and I understand it's really pointless to clean your registry. Thanks everyone :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Ultrabook
    CPU
    2.6 GHz Core i5-3317U
    Memory
    8 gb DDR3 Ram
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    320gb HDD, 120gb SSD
    Keyboard
    Backlight Island Style Keyboard
    Mouse
    Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    18 MB/S DL Speed
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    Avast/Malwarebytes
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