Registry Cleaner

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Registry Cleaner

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Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 06 5:00 pm Post subject: Registry Cleaner
Can anyone help with...... my pc (XP home) keeps crashing and won't shutdown - someone told me I need to buy a decent registry cleaner = such as Max or Mechanic - is this worth investing in? I already run a spyware programme (freebie) and cleanup the hard drive regularly. Help!!!

quixote

Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 198

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 06 5:15 pm Post subject:

Your PC will run a lot better if you occasionally clean your Windows system registry. The registry's the database in which Windows keeps track of relationships between hardware and software. It stores all the settings, options & drivers for the operating system, hardware, software, users, and preferences of the PC. It also manages your system startup options, and keeps track of all software that's installed.

Prior to the introduction of the Registry in Windows 95, each software package had it's own INI files to store configuration settings. These files tended to be scattered all over the hard drive, which made them difficult to keep track of (hence the frequent need to defrag). The centralized registry consolidates all the information, but it has its own problems. Since it is a single point of failure, damage to the Registry can render a Windows system unbootable, and in extreme cases can only be fixed by reinstalling the operating system. (That's why backups are important!)

On Windows 95/98 computers especially, it's common for the registry to grow very large over time, which tends to slow down your startup and can make it unstable. And even on Windows NT, XP or 200x, you can end up with lots of unnecessary registry entries that are created when you install or remove programs on your computer. These use up system resources as the PC has to track each one down & determine its function individually. Sometimes an stray registry entry can confuse Windows during startup and cause a delay. And in general, slimming down your registry will make Windows run faster.

The REGEDIT command will allow you to view and edit the registry, but if you don't know exactly what to look for it can cause huge headaches!

So, registry cleaners compare what's in the registry to what's actually on your system, and either correct or delete erroneous entries.

REGCLEAN is a utility program included in Windows 95 and Windows 98. Even though MS don't officially support it anymore, it works fine on XP (you should be able to download it through a file sharing network). RegSeeker's also free. There are dozens available, but most of them don't really work all that well & can introduce a lot of spyware.
Lots of other stuffs that can cause you problems too, though. Viruses, spyware, a hard drive that needs defragmenting, and unused programs can give you hassle too.

Hope this helps

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43977
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 06 5:48 pm Post subject:
i find that also wiping the freespace helps stabilise my rig

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 06 8:50 pm Post subject:
Many thanks for the information, I will give the reg cleaner a try and see how I get on......

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 06 8:51 pm Post subject:
Never to be seen again!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 06 2:34 am Post subject: Re: Registry Cleaner

Ian and Luis wrote:

my pc (XP home) keeps crashing and won't shutdown ... I already run a spyware programme (freebie) and cleanup the hard drive regularly.

My guess is that you have some form of malware on your computer.
And apart from crashing your machine occasionally, it is refusing to quit, and thus preventing normal shutdown.

You need to check for *viruses* not just "spyware".
And having found anything, remove it.

Are you running XP with "Service Pack 2"?
Are you running via a router? Or a modem or USB-attached box?
Was the Windows Firewall turned on?
Are you running any anti-virus (not anti-spyware) software?
And are you running with Administrator privileges.

A router, SP2, firewall and anti-virus s/w will each contribute significantly to protecting your machine from colonisation by wickedly-intended software. And if you are not running as Admin, the nasty should have less easy access to the system software - which is where it wants to be...

Of course, using a Mac would be even better protection...

But I guess you know that already.

MarkS

Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2626

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 06 9:00 am Post subject:
Linux on the desltop is getting feasible (I type from ubuntu edgy) Isnt there a fix to run mac/os on a standard pc now anyway?

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