There are several products, but the one I like most is called EasyCleaner, which will do a lot more than registry cleaning: http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm

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@msgale wrote:

I would strongly recommend that you use no registry cleaners, the are generally unnecessary and can if use incorrectly so damage to your systgem.

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True, they are not that necessary, but there are times when clearing out some entries may be required (especially if anything Norton has been on the system!). Thr registry is best left alone unless there are specific reasons for editing it.

I should add that EasyCleaner does backup any removed entries.

I know you mess up the computer with a reg edit tools, but some times you get visrus and other junk in there and you have to go digging. I feel if you mess up you learn and reload and go no. It's only a computer, and I reload every January first.

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@MNGremlin wrote:
It's only a computer, and I reload every January first.

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Interesting practice!

Its safe if you use a program such as DriveImage or Ghost to back up your HD first.

As far as it goes I never use registry or windows cleaner tools when drive image can give me that squeaky clean Windows install in 15 minutes.

Later, Conrad

I like trying new programs, see how they work if I like them I keep them if not I remove them. But, the regerster. Gets cluttered up the computer slows down. On the first of the year I clean the hardrive and reload it. (I do have two hardrives. The only way to fly.) Then all year long I mess up the computer again.

To the last 2 posters: I like your attitude and your practices. Computer users could save themselves hundreds of hours if they'd learn how to backup and re-install or use one of the easier imaging programs. Dell and other makers would save themselves a lot of money if they included DI in conjunction with an interactive tutorial.

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maxd wrote:

To the last 2 posters: I like your attitude and your practices. Computer users could save themselves hundreds of hours if they'd learn how to backup and re-install or use one of the easier imaging programs. Dell and other makers would save themselves a lot of money if they included DI in conjunction with an interactive tutorial.

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Amen!
Unfortunately DI no longer exists. Norton Ghost 9 is backwards compatible with DI now since Symantec took over PowerQuest.

As for backups, I have a new basic backup tutorial page on my site: http://jmfmvps.mvps.org/backup.htm

Backup today! :smileywink:

 

Message Edited by jmfmvps on 11-28-2004 04:05 PM

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maxd wrote:

Apparently they added the best of PQ to Ghost. I still use DI5; will have to see if they'll take it as an upgradeable product to Ghost 9. Here's a good Ghost tutorial site if you want to add it to your web page. Might want to check with the owner.

http://ghost.radified.com/

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Thanks for the link!
DI5 is/was a great version. DI6 (or 2002 as it was called was fine too). DI7 required .NET to work and introduced the "Recovery Environment" which was only available via the bootable CD (no floppys anymore!)
Personally, I liked the floppies: one could create and/or restore an image with them. The Recovery Environment takes ages to load and it's for recovery only, no image creation is possible.

Ghost9 works similarly to DI7. Hang onto DI5 if it works for you and save your $$!

Apparently they added the best of PQ to Ghost. I still use DI5; will have to see if they'll take it as an upgradeable product to Ghost 9. Here's a good Ghost tutorial site if you want to add it to your web page. Might want to check with the owner.

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Dietmar wrote:

DI7 required .NET to work

So what? In exchange it lets you do hot images from within a running Windows system, plus it will easily access every single device that you can access from Windows itself (something that could not be said of previous versions...).

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Many people are opposed to the fact they have to install another 23MB of code before they can use the software they paid for.