Registry Cleaners

by Lee Alexander

In Windows operating systems, the registry is a special file that holds structured data about the system's hardware, user preferences, and other configuration data. The purpose of the registry is to reduce the number of earlier configuration files: AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, and SYSTEM.INI. Viewable as plain text, it was easy to modify these files and cripple the operating system. In Windows XP these files are eliminated.

There's a good reason why Microsoft made it inconvenient to access the Registry. The Registry is not a sandbox in which you can play safely.My first piece of advice is “ leave it be .” Unless there is a Registry problem or your curiosity surpasses that of a cat, it is best to let the Windows operating system do its own house-cleaning and maintenance.

Let's look at the functionality on the hives:

• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT - associates filename extensions with applications.

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER - contains information for the presently logged in account

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - defines the state of the system. It includes data on bus types, system memory (RAM), installed hardware and software, and security settings.

• HKEY_USERS - entries are global, that is, they apply to all users.

• HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG - the data refers to hardware not specific to any account.

• HKEY_DYN_DATA – DYN refers to dynamic or changing; contains data about presently installed PnP (Plug and Play) devices.

Why would the REGISTRY need cleaning?

The most common cause is an Uninstall program. It can leave behind tidbits of the application, not always the programmer's fault. For example, if you move a program from one folder to another, Windows may update the registry with new or rewritten keys. A like circumstance could happen with the updating of a program to a new version.

With the lower-cost and popularity of broadband, it is tempting to go on the Internet and download oodles of code. Clutter can accumulate when you decide that ad-sponsored free game is not worth it. Finding the flotsam and jetsam that came with it may not be Trivial.

SOURCES

All programs found, admonish you to backup the Registry before proceeding. How trusting can you be of cleaning tools that tell you to save the dirt?

Having voiced my opinion earlier – to leave it be – still, I can give you a few guidelines. Starting with Googling Registry Cleaners , we got 2,650,000 hits – that's over two and a half million entries! Refining the search term by adding the word free reduced the number of hits to a mere 2.17 million.

The first thing I noted was the interpretation of the word free. Many of the listed programs offered free scans and free trial periods; to keep the programs usually involved some cash. After a few false starts, I settled on the following site-
http://articles.networktechs.com/138-p1.php where I found a review of 5 free programs (one program was limited in the free version). Their recommendations were:
RegScrubXP 3.25

RegCleaner

EasyCleaner

Microsoft RegClean

WT RegCleanerXP

TweakNow RegCleaner

The website's author, Martin, recommends starting with the Microsoft product as a fast and easy program. His reviews of the other programs are quite informative.

Another aspect to cleaning out your registry is to compact it. Googling registry compactor, once again produced more hits than I cared to investigate (92,100). Our esteemed member, Nancy Cottrell, has recommended RegCompact.net v1.8 from http://experimentalscene.com/download.php .

What You Should Already Have

Among the list of must-have utilities is CCleaner.exe. A multipurpose cleaner, one of its functions is to clean the registry. You'll find this process under Issues. While experimenting with these programs I made use of another utility, RegShot; find it at http://regshot.yeah.net/ . This small program (43 KB) records an image of your registry by way of a SHOT 1 button. After any process that affects the registry, you use the SHOT 2 button to take a second image and create a log of the changes. After a very modest clean-up of my registry, using CCleaner, RegShot showed 119 changes.