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    The reason is that as registry gets bigger, it slows PC down. Also My PC has simple communication driver error? i am not sure what that is?
    Thursday, April 15, 2010 1:11 PM

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    On Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:11:55 +0000, C_Thakar wrote:

    > The reason is that as registry gets bigger, it slows PC down.


    Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. The size of the registry has
    no effect on the computer's speed.

    Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
    registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
    don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
    what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
    having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

    The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
    removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
    it may have.

    Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

    Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
    Ken Blake
    • Marked as answer by Sean Zhu - Friday, April 23, 2010 1:15 AM
    Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:00 PM
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    On Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:11:55 +0000, C_Thakar wrote:

    > The reason is that as registry gets bigger, it slows PC down.


    Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. The size of the registry has
    no effect on the computer's speed.

    Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
    registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
    don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
    what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
    having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

    The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
    removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
    it may have.

    Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

    Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
    Ken Blake


    I agree with Ken. In order to free disk space, you can try the following methods:

    Method 1: Empty the Temp Folder

     

    1. Click "Start", click "Run", input "cleanmgr.exe" (without quotation marks), and then press "Enter".
    2. Click "C:" (or whatever drive on which Windows is installed), and then click "OK".
    3. Click to select the "Temporary files" and "Temporary Internet Files" check boxes.
    4. Click "OK", and then click "Yes" to confirm the deletion.

     

    Method 2: Set Paging file to be smaller or move the paging file to another partition.

     

    1. Click "Start", click "Run", input "sysdm.cpl" (without quotation marks) and press "Enter".
    2. On the "Advanced" tab, click the "Settings" button in the "Performance" section.
    3. On the "Advanced" tab, click the "Change" button in the "Virtual memory" section.
    4. You can manually set the size of the Paging file.

      

    Method 3: Disable Hibernation

     

    1. Click "Start", click "Run", input "POWERCFG.CPL" (without quotation marks) and press "Enter".
    2. On the "Hibernate" tab, click to clear the check box beside "Enable hibernation" and click "OK".

     

    Please note: The Hibernation function will be unavailable after this operation.

     

    Also, you can try the following tool: 

     

    http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm 

     

    Sean Zhu - MSFT
    • Marked as answer by Sean Zhu - Friday, April 23, 2010 1:15 AM
    Friday, April 16, 2010 3:14 AM

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    Hi,

    As far as I know, Windows 7 doesn't have its own registry cleaner, but you can use ccleaner (it's free & very good) :http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

    Also, Windows 7 Manager (not free) ... It's the best software for my to optimize W7 :http://www.yamicsoft.com/windows7manager/index.html

    And there are a lot of other ...

    Regards.

    Bechir Gharbi. MCSA, MCSE M+S, MCITP Server/Enterprise Administrator, MCT, MCTS Configuration Manager/Forefront (Time Zone : GMT+1)
    Thursday, April 15, 2010 1:18 PM
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    Never use Registry cleaners! The size of the registry has NO impact of the PC performance!
    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/
    • Proposed as answer by Andre.Ziegler Thursday, April 15, 2010 2:09 PM
    Thursday, April 15, 2010 2:09 PM
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    On Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:11:55 +0000, C_Thakar wrote:

    > The reason is that as registry gets bigger, it slows PC down.


    Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. The size of the registry has
    no effect on the computer's speed.

    Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
    registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
    don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
    what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
    having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

    The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
    removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
    it may have.

    Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

    Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
    Ken Blake
    • Marked as answer by Sean Zhu - Friday, April 23, 2010 1:15 AM
    Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:00 PM
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    On Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:11:55 +0000, C_Thakar wrote:

    > The reason is that as registry gets bigger, it slows PC down.


    Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. The size of the registry has
    no effect on the computer's speed.

    Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
    registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
    don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
    what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
    having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

    The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
    removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
    it may have.

    Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

    Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
    Ken Blake


    I agree with Ken. In order to free disk space, you can try the following methods:

    Method 1: Empty the Temp Folder

     

    1. Click "Start", click "Run", input "cleanmgr.exe" (without quotation marks), and then press "Enter".
    2. Click "C:" (or whatever drive on which Windows is installed), and then click "OK".
    3. Click to select the "Temporary files" and "Temporary Internet Files" check boxes.
    4. Click "OK", and then click "Yes" to confirm the deletion.

     

    Method 2: Set Paging file to be smaller or move the paging file to another partition.

     

    1. Click "Start", click "Run", input "sysdm.cpl" (without quotation marks) and press "Enter".
    2. On the "Advanced" tab, click the "Settings" button in the "Performance" section.
    3. On the "Advanced" tab, click the "Change" button in the "Virtual memory" section.
    4. You can manually set the size of the Paging file.

      

    Method 3: Disable Hibernation

     

    1. Click "Start", click "Run", input "POWERCFG.CPL" (without quotation marks) and press "Enter".
    2. On the "Hibernate" tab, click to clear the check box beside "Enable hibernation" and click "OK".

     

    Please note: The Hibernation function will be unavailable after this operation.

     

    Also, you can try the following tool: 

     

    http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm 

     

    Sean Zhu - MSFT
    • Marked as answer by Sean Zhu - Friday, April 23, 2010 1:15 AM
    Friday, April 16, 2010 3:14 AM
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    Ken, I can see you are most educated in pc's, and windows I'm sure.  I have an observation, and a question.  While I will not posit why my pc runs faster after running a registry cleaner, I just know that it does, it benchmarks higher, and seems to have Less errors.   My question is why, if it doesn't make a difference in performance, do I see an increase in performance after using a registry cleaner? I'm not being cute, I'd really like to know if there is another answer to the obvious performance and to me, reliability aspect, if its not the registry cleaner I'm using..then what exactly is happening, that I can measureably gauge performance increase with benchmark software..?
    Saturday, June 19, 2010 9:59 PM
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    I must disagree with the MVP and Moderator on this one.

     

    Registry Cleaners can have positive performance results in Windows XP and older systems as far as boot time is concerned.  The reason for this is that Windows will load the registry (including invalid or unused keys).  Registry cleaners typically remove invalid or unused keys.  This can improve boot time.


    Windows 7 however, skips over invalid or unused registry keys during boot, so registry cleaners will generally have no effect.  In this condition, the MVP and Moderator are correct.


    That being said, most Registry Cleaner programs offer other packaged tools that can improve system performance.  Tools such as disk cleanup, disk defragmentation, Windows services modification tools, startup program management, or other registry tweaks to reduce system resource usage in Windows (generally taking out bells and whistles in order to improve performance).  Hence, Tim's assessment of performance increase may be due to one of such packaged tools.

     

    There is definitely risk involved when using a registry cleaner as legitimate items can be removed.  I would strongly recommend backing up your registry before performing cleans, and reviewing the results of the registry cleaner scan prior to removing the items detected. 

     

    A worst case scenario with a Registry Cleaner (if you made backups before cleaning) would be Windows failing to load.  You would then need to load into Recovery Console and reload the backup of your registry to return Windows into good working order.

     

    Regards,


    -Spallina

     

    Thursday, July 22, 2010 6:40 PM
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    On Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:40:53 +0000, Spallina wrote:

    There is definitely risk involved when using a registry cleaner as legitimate items can be removed. 

    Risk in return for no benefit. A bad bargain.

    I would strongly recommend backing up your registry before performing cleans, and reviewing the results of the registry cleaner scan prior to removing the items detected. 

    A backup of the registry before using a registry (even it were any
    good) is certainly prudent. But bear in mind that one of the effects
    of a registry cleaner screwing up can be an unbootable computer (and
    that happens far too often). If the computer won't boot, the registry
    backup isn't useful.

    Ken Blake
    Thursday, July 22, 2010 9:00 PM
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    Ken I would suggest you take the Microsoft registry cleaner for a test run, you can let it scan your system and YOU can stop and NOT remove any entries.

    With respect to you sir, I use the live scanner MANY times a week and without fail it works, I have NEVER had any ill effectgs from it's use.

    http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

    I do not use third party utils like ccleaner; as like you I have seen them toast a few systems, but even with those non booting systems, 90 % of them, when I select "start with last know good config", gets them up and running.

    Give it a shot, it may just suprise you, as for increase in speed or what not, sometimes program such as Inet explorer can TAKE forever to load, but cleanup the hives related to it and BAM it loads fast once more, that in itself will lead many to believe the computer is faster, as that is what they do with system and that is what they see as slowing down.

    As you everything you tell your computer to do; takes away from it doing something else.

    Thursday, July 22, 2010 11:31 PM
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    Never use Registry cleaners! The size of the registry has NO impact of the PC performance!

     

    Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil.

    Risk in return for no benefit. A bad bargain.

     I can't resist.

     

    Speed up your PC with our free registry cleaner

    Why should I clean my registry?

    How often should I clean my registry?

    Get a free PC scan!    Try the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner, Windows Vista and Windows 7 edition

     

    Friday, July 23, 2010 2:45 AM
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    I agree with Bubbapcguy and Ken.

    Third party registry cleaners always 100% of the time, delete registry keys they should not delete. Most of the time, you will not see the ill effects right away. For example, .NET Framwork puts registry keys to shared dll's (some of these dll's don't exist in the file system depending on your architechure and plugins) that most third party registry cleaners will view as bad and delete. Then later, depending on what is installed on the PC, an update to .NET Framework a month later can fail. Then the user has no idea that the registry cleaner they ran a month ago broke this. There are countless other examples of this phenomenon.

    I also only ever use the Microsoft registry scan provided in the OneCare Online Safety Scanner: http://safety.live.com

    This is the only safe registry scanner availabale, because it is written and maintained by Microsoft. If you have trouble running this, it's probably because you ran a third party system cleaning tool! Stick to Microsoft only and you won't hose your PC.

    My $0.02

    • Proposed as answer by techQuility Friday, October 29, 2010 3:25 PM
    Friday, October 29, 2010 3:25 PM
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    Count me in on the agree team, registry "cleaners" are indeed snake oil.  Are there ever remnants that could use flushing?  Sure.  Are they worth removing from a performance standpoint, not likely, at least in my experience.

    Back in the old days before I was smart enough to realize that just since "work" used it, it didn't make Symantec any better, I was running SystemWorks.  When "cleaning up" (another thing I used to do, use the tools I paid for not to solve a problem, but because I paid for them!) I used to run the registry cleaning function in interactive mode so I could see what IT thought was "invalid", and I could not believe how long it took me to go through the multiple choices of what a key might belong to and decide whether or not to delete it.  I didn't actually record any data (a bad habit long since broken) but I'd hazard a guess that what Symantec thought was the "right" key to flush turned out to be ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT IN EVERY WAY, at least 60% of the time.

    Meanwhile, a friend who spent FAR too much time running the tools he paid for would always opt for "automatic" registry scan & clean, and, as you might expect always seemed to have these "wierd" little issues that he needed help with. 

    Where most people really take the performance hit in their browser is accepting any and all cookies.  As I set up a new home-built, one of the first few configuration tasks is to set IE to prompt for all but session cookies.  Yep, that means I might have to reject 6 or more cookies from a "new" website, but I watch what I'm doing and accept the ones I need, rejecting EVERYTHING else.  This lets the site remember what it needs to make my sessions function, but I'm not providing info to hundreds of other, completely non-related hosts everytime I browse.  Guess what?  I have NONE of the slowdowns people normally ascribe to "just the way Windows works".  Yep, if you don't want to manage cookies, it'll slow down, and that's because of all the data mining that goes on.  My record?  17 cookies rejected from ONE site.  Is it a pain to reject them manually as I do?  Yep, but I can keep the ones I "need" and those others that may be common between vastly different sites will automatically be rejected.  Before long, I have a vast catalog of stuff I know is being rejected on my behalf, thanks to my paying attention and rejecting it earlier.

    DAS

    Tuesday, November 2, 2010 5:27 PM
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    I too can attest that the registry cleaner does fix problems.

    My Win 7 was running below par. Programs taking longer to open, screen freezes, etc. I've had it a year now and have never run a cleaner on it.

    I ran the onecarlive cleaner, found over 800 problems which it fixed and now the computer runs just as fast and solid as it did when I first got it.

    That pretty much is proof in my book that a registry cleaner does work and the proof is in the pudding.

    Ran crappy before, runs great after and it was free. So, thanks Microsoft for the free snake oil because you cleared up a lot of the issues I've been having.

    Monday, November 22, 2010 4:34 PM
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    I never use such tools and my PC is always fast ;)
    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/
    Monday, November 22, 2010 8:18 PM
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    this is a testing VM for Sp1.
    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/
    Tuesday, November 23, 2010 1:01 PM
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    Windows 7 does not has its own Registry cleaner you have to download registry cleaner from any of the software site so as to keep your registry error free
    Wednesday, January 19, 2011 6:41 AM
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    CCleaner is not free at this site...

    Wednesday, January 19, 2011 8:47 PM
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    Where are you finding Piriform free? I went to your link and started a DOWNLOAD and they are asking $24.95! That's free?
    Thursday, January 20, 2011 5:08 PM
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    Where are you finding Piriform free? I went to your link and started a DOWNLOAD and they are asking $24.95! That's free?


    http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/standard

    ;)

    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/
    Thursday, January 20, 2011 8:27 PM
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    On Wed, 19 Jan 2011 06:41:18 +0000, sophiemartin wrote:

    Windows 7 does not has its own Registry cleaner you have to download registry cleaner <http://www.supportdock.com> from any of the software site so as to keep your registry error free

    I strongly recommend against doing that.

    Registry cleaning programs are all snake oil. Cleaning of the
    registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
    don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
    what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
    having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.
    The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
    removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
    it may have.
    Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

    and http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=28099

    and also
    http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/02/registry-junk-a-windows-fact-of-life.aspx

    Let me point out that neither I nor anyone else who warns against the
    use of registry cleaners has ever said that they always cause
    problems. If they always caused problems, they would disappear from
    the market almost immediately. Many people have used a registry
    cleaner and never had a problem with it.

    Rather, the problem with a registry cleaner is that it carries with it
    the substantial risk of having a problem. And since there is no
    benefit to using a registry cleaner, running that risk is a very bad
    bargain.

    Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP
    Saturday, January 22, 2011 6:34 PM
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     "set IE to prompt for all but session cookies"

    How do you do that? When I used Firefox, it was easy, but since converting to IE last year I have been unable to find out how it is done. I would appreciate knowing your "secret". Thanks, Al

    Saturday, February 19, 2011 6:10 PM
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    I have used registry cleaners for quite awhile now, then on a few occassions it deletes items needed for third party applications to run, I have had to reformat twice to get my applications to run, one was Simply Accounting, the other was incredimail.

    Do no use reg cleaners

    Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:51 AM
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    Go to Tools>Internet Options, and click on the privacy tab.

    Click on Advanced.

    "Check" override automatic cookie handling, and select (radio buttons) "Prompt" for both 1st and 3rd pary cookies.

    Finally, "Check" Always allow session cookes.

    That's it.

    Now, if you ever go to a site that NEEDS cookies for something you honestly want to get to and it's not working because you rejected it, you can go to:

    Tools>Internet Options>Privacy>Sites and find the exact match for the site you are interested in, double click the name, make sure it shows up in the text box, then click Always Allow.

    DAS

    Friday, March 4, 2011 3:34 AM
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    I don't know about all of the details regarding Registry Cleaners,  however after a year,  I do notice a slowdown of things that used to be much faster.  I've noticed this on every machine I've built for the past 8 or 10 years.

    I don't use registry cleaners.  What I do is to re-install windows every year.  I have DVD backups of everything I need,  and a list of applications that I want installed.  I format the drive while re-installing windows,  then I re-install my apps and data.

    I definatly notice a improvement in performance every time I do this after a year of use.  This does sound like a pain in the ass,  however I just like to keep my machines clean and fresh.

    YMMV

    Wednesday, April 6, 2011 12:43 PM
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    So Ken,

    You've told us what not to do. What should be done to clean up the Registry and get those erroneous pointers out of there! Constructive criticism, constructive criticism!

    Thursday, April 28, 2011 10:11 PM
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    I have to disagree with Ken on this one. Many have seen their PC boot up much quicker after running registry cleaner. The thing is it's also not just the register. Sometimes when a program has been uninstalled, there are traces of stuff in the registry and also the startup list which causes the bootup to hang for a long time. Only after removing these left over nasties did my computer boot up quickly again wihtout hanging. Ken, while you knock these registry cleaners, what does Microsoft propose to deal with leftover rubbish from uninstalled software? Why does Windows allow this type of situations in the first place? All other OS-es don't have this thing called registry.
    Wednesday, July 6, 2011 7:29 AM
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    Also Ken, as you say it is not the size of the registry that is the issue. It's the content. Some contents clearly cause the PC to slow down and hang for a while. Some things in the "startup" list also cause slow bootups. I had to go through msconfig to untick stuff that had already been uninstalled. Would like to hear your solution to these issues.
    Wednesday, July 6, 2011 7:37 AM
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    Mr. Blake,

    I would like to thank you very much for your comments and suggestions about Registry Cleaners. You saved me from making a huge mistake, i am glad I thought I should look into Registry Cleaner further! I found your reply and decided that was the right answer. Besides,what is it anyway????

    Thank you again, big time, you probably saved me and my computer!!!

    terryaukie

    Thursday, March 1, 2012 3:33 PM
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    Dude speak for yourself. I have been using the free edition of CCleaner for over 3 years now on win7x64. I use it every once in a while when things seem to be slowing down. Things like boot times and loading of programs. After I use it I get my old boot times back and programs load in a blink yet again. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Because I regularly clean the registry (once every two months on average) I have never had to reload this operating system. This is the same install as when I built this computer 3 years ago. Windows should include its own registry cleaner as far as I am concerned. Reg  cleaners offer a variety of other helpful functions, but they can all be found natively in windows (disk defrag disk cleanup startup utility etc etc). So if windows would go one step further and include a reg cleaner in its OS ... then the only thing you would need is AV and spyware and vuala a sefl sustaining system.
    Sunday, March 18, 2012 7:01 PM
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    the onecare.live.com/sile is disabled and is no onger of any use.

    Thursday, December 6, 2012 10:22 PM
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    any more input simce 2011 on this issue? Please advise. Thank you in advance.

    Thursday, December 6, 2012 10:31 PM
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    Up until the end of 2009 you could buy Windows Live OneCare from Microsoft, then it went online only but now has been replaced,

    it had cleaner disk, virus and malware removal and registry cleaner,

    so if you’re not supposed to clean the registry whey then did Microsoft have a tool for it.

    Friday, December 28, 2012 6:24 PM
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    Same here, I have been using CCleaner for 10 years and I run the registry cleaner monthly.  No problems here, but you should make sure that your environment variables are correct before using.
    Friday, July 26, 2013 5:35 AM
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    if use 2gb or 4gb ram and 1,5 ghz processor on windows 7, registry cleaner is not needed
    Tuesday, September 17, 2013 6:35 AM
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    Dude speaks for yourself too, you just haven't discovered the problem. Maybe it has something damaged, but you don't use it, once you have used it and discovered it, then you will know the risk. I had a few experiences before, and all cause by registry cleaner or registry defragmenter. Most of the software does have some bug, but you can't 100% sure the registry cleaners are not one of them.
    Wednesday, January 15, 2014 3:54 PM
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    The computer does not slow down, it works just as fast but has a lot more to do during boot up when Internet Explorer is involved. Most if not all invalid registry entries come from all those "FREE" software programs that seem so enticing on the web. Most of us illiterate wannabe computer programmers see these things as great ways to save money so download them only to find them to be "TRIAL OFFERS" so delete them at some point. I see my antivirus software and firewall playing a role in all this. Those malicious little programs that monitor your movements on the web that the anti virus program removes leaves invalid registry entries behind. Addons to Internet Explorer like all those Tool Bars and Extensions that are automatically checked off for everything you download or even paid for programs. When I look at my internet options they seem to go on and on for ever even though they are disabled. I will be permanently deleting them right after I send this to the blog. If this speeds up loading Internet Explorer 11 on my next boot I'll come back here and let you know.   

    On my last "FREE" registry cleaning download tool it said I had over 8000 errors. I suspect several if not all of them cause Internet Explorer to take 10 minutes to load! My Network takes a long time to load as well from a fresh power off boot. I find turning off the computer takes too long as well, as much as an extra minute or more.

    Since most of us don't have the need to keep our computers running 24/7 like most computer programmers or server computer operators, a word to wise from someone who studied University level Computer Science for over two years; the science of programming may have widened your perceptions in the world of virtual reality, but in the scope of all possibilities beyond your experience, you still need to broaden your horizons. As a moderator you should have listed a few possibilities of what really is going on. This is not a court of law where you only answer a question strictly only as far as the question posed. Or is there some judge monitoring your questions and limiting your answers? HUUMMMM?? 


    • Edited by mrwebber35 Wednesday, February 5, 2014 8:04 PM mis-spelling
    Wednesday, February 5, 2014 8:01 PM
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    Well, I got a stack load of machines with >800mb in the hklm key and they run slow.

    If I delete the main culprit key (I know what it is, I know its not used & I know what I'm doing by deleting it)

    and then defrag the registry, They run faster.

    OK this may be a bit extreme but those are the facts,

     

    Friday, March 14, 2014 11:41 AM
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    Thanks
    Wednesday, March 19, 2014 1:01 AM
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    Well, I came today researching tools as part of a windows error being reported when I wanted to switch from 32-bit default IE10 to 64-bit, but I'll save you from listening to that story.

    Instead let me just say I visited your links Ken, finding the first 2 of 3 no longer working. I'll recap the words of the Microsoft author in the 3rd link who basically points out how hopeless Windows is:

    "... Using a REG CLEANER Utility can often clean out, repair some of that type of damage.
    ...
    It would be nice if Microsoft took on the task of creating such a tool that would hopefully do a better job than the current tools out there.
    ...
    I'm not sure how one can ever really repair the "slow down over time" issue experienced.

    A format and re-install restores the speed, but that is NOT an acceptable method for most of us."

    Sunday, April 13, 2014 9:53 PM
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    absolutely almost every time i have stupidly experimented with one of these cleaners, i was sorry , correct the registry does not affect speed
    Saturday, November 29, 2014 2:33 AM
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    Unfortunately there are virus and malicious programs that damage the registry. SO how are you going to tell me that you shouldn't clean the registry because without fixing it your screwed. So unless you can give a complete layout of what a healthy reg should be...I would instead ask that Microsoft get it together and maybe just maybe make a reg fixer. Or the simple solution would be to use LINUX.
    • Edited by Maldarker Thursday, December 4, 2014 3:17 AM
    Thursday, December 4, 2014 3:16 AM
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    (Disclaimer: I am not a Microsoft professional, but I am an A+ and Cisco certified I.T. professional.)

    YMMV, but registry cleaners, when used correctly, can and will solve various problems, at least in older systems, if not newer ones. They have on my XP system in the past, at least. Boot times at least sped up noticeably following a purge of unneeded keys.. The danger to system and software also goes for malware - a well informed purge just might destroy something that's slowing down your system.

    The real word of caution however, is never delete everything registry cleaners label as "errors" or "unused", as they tend to focus on basic system objects and ignore things that are integral to other installed software. As with anything in the registry, the good rule of thumb is, if you aren't 100% sure what it is (or isn't), don't touch it! Default cleaner settings are almost always wrong.

    Friday, December 12, 2014 9:36 PM
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    Ok then why does it speed up once you clear the registry after not doing for ages???  Everyone knows this.  While it does not need doing regularly, once the registry gets full it has ALWAYS slowed down every pc I have had,  and friends too.   

    I get the warning for not messing with the registry, yes that is fair enough.  However I have used a reg cleaner on occasion for over fifteen years or so now, and never had an issues.  Once my pc starts getting sluggish I run the reg cleaner, and guess what??  It runs fast again.  

    Perhaps you don't believe this because you have a large and fast pc?  Mine's a dinosaur and it DOES make a difference in my case.  And no I dont want to upgrade ;)

    • Edited by MarieJames Monday, April 17, 2017 10:41 AM
    Monday, April 17, 2017 10:37 AM