Which registry utility to use? Need to remove uninstalled program references

[Nothinman]

i had problems before with programs claiming to be installed, but the drive they were installed to had since died and been replaced.

i had to DL some utility from microsoft to permanently delete the program references before reinstalling would work.

Yea, the Windows Installer is a very poor imitation of real package managers like rpm or dpkg.

 

[Binky]

Registry editing = snake oil

 

[Modelworks]

Registry hives are loading into memory upon boot and are used in memory unless otherwise paged out or a write occurs. Conflicts do cause slowdowns more than enumerating registry entries so the debate over cleaning the registry depends on what is wrong in the first place.

No they are not stored in memory. Only a small subset is kept in memory. Often the entire registry is several hundred MB in size.

 

[Modelworks]

Even if Registry cleaners were perfect, they could not even remove everything from uninstalled programs because applications dump/alter files all over your hard drive. In theory, the best method to remove leftovers would to use an Uninstaller to track the initial install. Unfortunately, the Uninstallers of today have not impressed me at all.

That is why you do not use registry cleaners.
Instead use uninstaller applications that take a snapshot of the registry and the file system locations the programs install to like program files. Then it compares them after the program uninstalls and removes anything left behind.

 

[Modelworks]

You're right, I didn't realize that. If I found all the sections, and totaled them right, I'm getting about 117mb.

The actual registry files are stored in windows\system32\config
Those are the ones that are actually loaded and processed when you use something like regedit.

 

[lxskllr]

The actual registry files are stored in windows\system32\config
Those are the ones that are actually loaded and processed when you use something like regedit.

I also counted the entries in my user profile.

 

[Snapster]

That is why you do not use registry cleaners.
Instead use uninstaller applications that take a snapshot of the registry and the file system locations the programs install to like program files. Then it compares them after the program uninstalls and removes anything left behind.

This would be ideal, if programs followed the rules and windows was actually logically organised...

 

[Pretty Cool]

That is why you do not use registry cleaners.
Instead use uninstaller applications that take a snapshot of the registry and the file system locations the programs install to like program files. Then it compares them after the program uninstalls and removes anything left behind.

As I said, there are no current Uninstallers that are any good in my opinion. With 98, I used Remove-It. With XP and later, there was nothing I could trust. A simple test would be if the Uninstaller could remove a trial application completely after it expired so a new install would reset the trial. Nobody is going to keep reinstalling a program every 90 days or so, so pirating an application with an Uninstaller is not worth the effort. My point is that if I am going to use an Uninstaller, I want the thing to actually work.

 

[bobross419]

This thread inspired me to investigate on what the registry actually does. During my enforced vacation I spent a good deal of time searching the internet for good information. These three articles were about the best I could find that were actually pertinent to the subject of how the registry is accessed/stored/manipulated:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc750583.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742541.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc751049.aspx

Some of what was written, I didn't really understand, especially in the first article, but I think I got the gist. As far as I can tell, a registry cleaner won't do a whole lot except:

* Possibly reduce some of the file size that is stored in volatile memory
* Slightly speed up the search process
* Make the process to create "Last Known Good Config" a little faster
* Save some disk space

From the parts written about empty cells and stuff, I think a good registry defrag might have about as much effect (maybe more) than a straight registry cleaner.

I don't see how any benefits could be more than miniscule, but if you are trying to eek out every last ounce of speed, I don't see why you wouldn't do it (I'm talking about folks who go through and disable services and tweak every last little thing to help speed up their system) - Every little bit counts and can add up over time.

I used to swear by registry cleaners (a long time ago 😛) and still use them from time to time when I have users pissing and moaning about really slow systems. I don't think I'll be using them much anymore except on personal machines that I play with to try and make things as quick as possible.

It really sucks that the only information I could find on how the registry actually works is from WinNT and 2k days.

 

[bobross419]

Also, Windows Installer Cleanup Utility is pretty good for getting rid of some hard to remove programs. Its worth a shot.

 

[Texun]

If your goal is to clean the registry of unused entries http://www.glaryutilities.com/ glary utilities may be of interest.

I normally do manual edits but once had an old system that was slow ang generally problematic. I tried the free version of glary at the recommendation of a friend and it worked with no problems. I can't say it is 100% perfect but for an old registry it was much faster than a manual edit. My option at the time was to do a fresh install, manual edit for hours, or close my eyes and take a SWAG at it with something else.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

add another vote for waste of time at best, trash your system at worst

 

[slicksilver]

I guess I have no option but to purchase jv16 Power tools unless somebody knows of a free utility which searches and removes all references of a keyword entered in the registry.

 

[bobross419]

Did you try the Microsoft Uninstaller I linked? It says it is for MS products, but it works well on many 3rd party as well.