Clean It Time

Most people I have talked too say leave it alone unless you are a pro, but isn’t there a time when a registry needs to be cleaned, defragged and repaired to speed up your computer and keep it safe?
SO confused by what I read. thanks.

Hi there,

The short answer is "no".

The registry is a text file that can be ‘read’ very quickly. It is very important since all your settings, configurations, installed programs are saved there for stable operation of your computer. If you delete a registry key you had better know exactly what is for and what will happen if it is removed.
If you explore the registry you will no doubt find keys for programs you have installed and later uninstalled. These keys can be removed but they really do no harm to the system.

Defragging the registry probably will make no discernible difference in the speed of your computer.

The third party apps that advertise to "repair" the registry can only scan the registry and compare it to the programs you have installed. After the scan the unneeded registry keys can be removed.
If you think about it; each computer has different hardware and programs installed so it would be practically impossible to design a program that could set up your unique computer in the optimum configuration. A computer programmer could examine your system and configure the registry but no program can "beat" the human brain.

There is one "safe" registry cleaner that I use and it is called Glary Utilities.
I use that but have seen no difference in speed but glary does scan for malware, fix shortcuts, etc..

My advice is to leave the registry alone as long as your computer is operating properly.
The risk is not worth the reward. If you want to do something good for your computer just keep the temporary and other junk files cleaned out. Disk clean will do that or you can download and run CCleaner daily.

Also defrag your hard drive monthly to keep the files in the drive in good order. That will help with the speed of your computer. You can use the built-in defrag utility or download and run Smart Defrag monthly.

Links below for CCleaner, Glary Utilities and Smart Defrag.

Hope this helps,
Al

I’ve had my laptop for around 4 years and its really starting to get bogged down. I thought maybe it was viruses or spyware that was causing it, but after multiple scans with Webroot and MalwareBytes it has shown no infections. I’ve heard that the registry may need to be cleaned to get the system working faster again- can anyone recommend a good, free registry cleaner?

Ccleaner is pretty nice, but Comodo Registry Cleaner picks up a lot more.

Comodo is new to the market and is free, after scanning with ccleaner, run the comodo, you’ll be surprised with how much it pick sup on it’s first run that ccleaner missed.

After running either of those, i would suggest running "CleanUP!" It is by farsuperiorr to Ccleaner in removing temp files. it can be found at http://www.stevengould.org/index.php?Itemid=223&id=29&option=com_content&task=view

Defragging the hard drive is also a good idea when the registry and temp files are removed. The built in windows Defrag utilities work pretty well, but i enjoy defraggler as a free utility.

Run the registry cleaners until they quit finding errors, 1 pass does not do it normaly.

So I’m restoring my corrupted computer bit by bit from a hd backup and I just restored the Program Files section of the computer. How do I back it up from my old hd and restore the registry on the new hd?

You’ll need to restore the Windows directory along with a few others. I would use a utility like Ghost to
copy an exact image of the old hd

I would also try a repair install

Hi,

My 360 got the red rings a few days ago, i have registered it for repair, got the ups recipt and label and have it all boxed up and ready to send off, but i want to know,

1)do i need to send anything other that the console and the ups label? (etc referance no)

2) How long does it usually take to arrive at the ms repair centre?

Thanks in advanced

Just put your console in, NO hard drive, NO games, NO wires. It takes about a month to get it back

wk

If you have been using computer for a long period of time, you must have noticed that its speed and performance has slowed down. There are host of factors effecting speed of your computer. There are 5 simple tweaks to increase computer speed.

1. Removing and uninstalling: The first simple tweak to increase computer speed is to remove and uninstall unnecessary files and programs. Even if your computer has enough space say, 1GB of disk space, it is wiser to remove unnecessary program and files as it helps in increasing speed of your computer. It is very easy to remove and uninstall programs without any expert help.

2. Defragmentation: Defragmentation is a process of rewriting non-contiguous or fragmented parts of a folder or file to contiguous sectors on the hard drive with the aim of increasing computer speed. Disk fragmentation results in slowing down performance of your computer. A computer needs to search the hard drive if the files are fragmented in order to patch up the fragmented portions consuming significant amount of time. With the use of disk defragmenter, your computer’s hard drive can be consolidated and freed up resulting in increase in speed of your computer.

3. Detect and repair errors of disk: As a result of heavy usage of hard disk, it can develop bad sectors that can slow down the performance and speed of your computer. This can also lead to delay and stopping of some applications like saving a file. The simple tweak to increase computer speed is to detect and repair disk errors. This can help in preventing bad sectors from developing and speeding up your computer. This task can be performed with the help of Error Checking utility which scans the hard drive and locates bad sectors.

4. Delete temporary files: Next simple tweak to increase computer speed in to delete temporary internet files and cache along with cookies. Temporarily internet files consume the most space than any other application as the internet browser caches every page that is visited for fast access later on. Though these files are necessary, removing them before shutting down your computer can go a long way in increasing speed of your computer. You need to remove cookies as they also reduce speed along with causing damage to your computer as the source of their origin is not know. Internet explorer and firefox both have useful options to clear your cookies after each web session. Take advantage of this and speed up your internet experience.

5. Clean Window registry: Fifth simple tweak to increase computer speed is to clean window registry. Windows registry is a location on your system which stores information that is required to be retrieved later. It is also the reason for many problems that result in crashing, errors, freezing and slow speed. This is result of leftover files that cause interference with existing and new software and hardware. So, cleaning your windows registry is very important step to increase the speed of your computer.

Paul Java
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/5-simple-pc-tweaks-715800.html

There is no such thing as irritating as a slow running computer especially when you know from your technical support and from your speed check that you are getting the correct speed for your Internet connection. What can cause a slow running computer then?

In fixing a slow running computer, it is important to isolate the problem and determine whether it is single or multiple issues. Since your Internet connection is already ruled out as a possible source of slow connectivity, you may now focus on the hardware itself, your computer. More often than not, these hard drive problems are resolved by maintenance software programs that you can download from the Internet.

There are at least five (5) fundamental components that can slow down the performance of your computer:

1. Hard Drive in a Mess. It is necessary that you keep your hard drive clutter-free as this is one cause for a slow running computer. Your windows operating system has a built-in utility that can clear unnecessary files from your hard drive. All you have to do is to run the disk clean up system utility from windows.

To run disk clean up:

Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Clean up

2. Fragmented Hard Drive. Fragmented disk can slow down computer by making it work harder. You can also automatically run the disk defragmenter system utility from windows to rearrange fragmented files for your hard drive to work efficiently.

To run disk defragmenter:

Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter

3. Malware Infection. Virus and Spyware infections are components for slow running computer. You have to run a full scan of these programs to determine the possibility of being infected. For preventive purposes, you have to make sure that you have the latest and updated anti-virus and anti-spyware programs running in your computer.

4. Corrupted Registry or Registry Errors. Slow running computer is often traced to a corrupted registry or errors in the registry. As the registry is the core of the computer it is essential to keep it free from errors. But fixing the registry may be too complicated for some as changes in the registry may bring other issues. There are registry fix and cleaner software programs that you can download from the internet to address your registry issues.

Identifying the fundamental components of slow running computer, you can then isolate the problem and tell of one, or a combination, of components are your issue. You can then take the necessary steps in resolving the issue.

To easily resolve your slow running computer after determining the culprit, you may want to download from the internet software programs that are meant to address computer issues such as slow speed. What is good about these software programs is that they are easy to use even for an ordinary person who does not know much about computer problems. And the best part of it all is that if you’re running slowly on your budget as well, you can always download the free version of these software programs.

You and your computer don’t have to run slowly, download the programs fast!

Kelly Purden

When you are having computer problems, most likely the computers registry is the culprit. The registry used by the windows is basically a kind of database for everything that is present on the computer.

For example, when we start up a program on our PC like our word processor, then a query is sent by the computer to the registry to find out where the software is stored. The registry generally holds all the programs settings and other configurations and for that reason it is extremely necessary to ensure the stability of the system.  This is the time to review your PC safety precautions and have some registry repair software on your hard drive.

The major cause for Windows registry instability can be installation or uninstallation of some poorly programmed software on the computer. This then leads to many problems because the registry is regarded as the framework on which the entire system depends. One weak link can therefore lead to catastrophic errors like system slow down and data loss and corruption. If this happens then it is urgent that you use your registry repair software to fix your system.

Sometimes registry issues can cause very serious errors.  There can be corruption of system files, extreme slowdowns, or your system may not boot up at all.   In this case it becomes extremely important to use your registry repair software to avoid a serious loss of data.   Don’t ignore registry problems – they don’t get better on their own, so download a highly-reviewed registry utility today and protect your valuable data.

Carl Ringwall
http://www.articlesbase.com/data-recovery-articles/registry-repair-software-review-easy-solutions-for-a-slow-computer-1242383.html

I know that it should have been installed prior – but TOO LATE… my kids love to go on sites and download stuff – unfortunately, now I can’t access the internet, I can’t register my Norton 360 – so it won’t run the virus scan and repair… what do I do?

Reinstall, it’s the safest way and only takes two hours at max.
You need 2 things before starting:
1 – a disk with all your drivers and the security apps installers: for the
drivers go to the manufacturer site ; for the security apps go to
antivirus – http://www.avast.com/
antispyware – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=43
5BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&displaylang=en
…………….. – http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
firewall – http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
also it would be a good ideea to replace IE (it’s a malware magnet junk) with http://www.opera.com/
They are all the best in their category and FREE.Stay away from Norton McAfee (they’re crap) or AVG(not good enough).
Once you downloaded them just burn them to a good quality disk.
2 – a XP install disk: either your recovery disk (that came with the pc) or a geniune retail one, you should be able to borrow one.
Now lets make sure you boot from the cd not the hd: when your pc starts press Delete or F1 to enter BIOS settings – depends on the brand of the pc, the correct key is on the first screen that appears after you start up the pc. If you have pressed the correct one a blue screen with white or yellow text with BIOS in title will appear. Find Boot order: in some bios types is in the main screen, in the others it’s in Advanced. In there put the cd as the first and the hard drive second. To do this all you have to do is follow the instruction at the bottom of the screen. Keep this boot order from now on.
At the end, just before hitting Enter to save the new settings and reboot disconnect the internet line and put the XP disc in. If you have done the things correctly the pc will boot from the optical disk.
Now all you have to do is to follow the instructions on the screen and XP will be installed
After that reinstall all the drivers and all the security soft in that order.
Reconnect the internet line and allow all to update (for Spybot you have to do it manually).

Clean up SpyWare: I recommend that you go to http://www.download.com and get AD-AWARE and SpyBot Search & Destory. Install, run, update and scan your computer with both programs.

Anti-virus: Pick one, but I use Norton Anti-virus

Disk Cleanup: That’s built-in to Windows

Check Disk: Also built-in to Windows, use this to ensure that your drive is fully functional.

Defrag: defragment files to make your hard drive run efficiently.

Good luck and Happy Computing!

I know that the Microsoft website has its own online utility that cleans the registry, deletes temporary files, defrags the hard drive, etc because i’ve used it before, but i forgot to bookmark it and now i can’t find it again. Any help?

Microsoft One Care maybe? However it’s no longer for sale. What you can do instead is just right click on your drive(s) and perform a disk cleanup and defrag often. As a seasoned computer user I hardly ever use reg cleaners. Instead what I do is my annual full re-installation of Windows to take care of everything invalid. In one years time there’s not to awful many invalid registries but tons of junk files and empty folders. My annual ritual works for me preventing the need for registry cleaners that may or may not cause problems. I only use a reg cleaner on PC that are ungodly slow, on the verge of a reformat anyway. CCleaner works with no ill effects that I no of. Check the link below.