Win7 not XP - CCleaner not required?

After using CCleaner for years, as per advice here and elsewhere, and having been very satisfied with it, I am told Win7 does not need any Reg cleaner at all.

They say stop using CCleaner. Is this BS? Or is Win7 really so robust it needs no external scrubbing tools?

 

I'm no expert on this because I use "Regedit" to manually delete obsolete keys , but unless you really do a lot of downloading and uninstalling of software, you very seldom need a Reg. cleaner. But Ccleaner is one of the safest to use from time to time, no matter what your version of Windows you use. In my opinion.

 

Registry cleaners are NOT needed, and can actually be harmful, on ANY version of Windows. Unneeded keys in the Registry won't muck up your computer, slow it down, etc. The Registry is ridiculously small... no need to go around "cleaning" it. Worst case, it will leave your computer unbootable. Best case, it's SLIGHTLY smaller (but unneeded keys that you leave there are just dormant, anyway... no harm in leaving them be).

If you are just absolutely convinced you want a registry cleaner, CCleaner's registry tool is one of the least intrusive, and therefore one of the safest... but you're still pushing your luck no matter how you look at it. The Registry was DESIGNED to run just fine without being scanned and messed with by third party programs. The best thing is just to leave it alone. If you have a particular issue, you can research and fix the issue by finding the appropriate key(s) to edit or delete.

 

Absolutely agree.
Stay FAR AWAY from Reg cleaners - they will cause nothing but grief.

 

If you are convinced that you need CCleaner for registry cleaning, it's about the safest around. Always make a backup of the ones to be deleted though in case if something goes amok. I have unticked the box to clean obsolete software, jic. Must say that XP used to leave a lot of registry keys behind after uninstalling software. Perhaps lately the authors of software are now doing a better job in their uninstall programs? In any event, since I've been using Win 7, there are far less registry leftovers in CCleaner after scanning for issues after uninstalling a software than there were in XP.

Personally, I seldom use the registry cleaner of CCleaner anymore although out of curiosity I check them out.

 

I check it to see what it is cleaning. And uncheck items I don't want removed. But, I've delt with the registry for a very long time. It's like my old friend.

 

I have used the cleaner portion , but I know too many people who used the Registry portion and had nothing but headaches.

 

I have used CCleaner since version 1.0, and I have never actually used the registry cleaner portion.

The basic cleaner is still very useful on Windows 7.

 

It is only a headache if it is not used properly.

 

I'll add my voice to the others who are saying that registry cleaners are not needed and can cause more problems than you had before you used one.

When I think of registry cleaners two words pop into my mind: Snake Oil.

That said, as stated above by others, if you feel you must do something, use CCleaner. Backup your registry first. Items # 7 and 8 at https://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/using-ccleaner/registry-cleaning will explain how. I would immediately burn a copy of the registry so backed up to removable media...

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OK.

I guess the message is clear: Win7 don't need cleaning.

Thanks all.

 

Cleaning is OK, CCleaner is among the best at it. *Registry* cleaning/defragging is next to useless and often dangerous.

 

I normally do not trust those so called cleaning tool, they did nothing but screw up my computer. You should keep your computer clean as the way to not install those software that you do not want, and when you install the software, keep eyes open and uncheck those bundle software.

 

CCleaner is a fine utility, registry cleaning isn't' anything that you need to mess with though.

 

I've used CCleaner for years on XP, Vista, and Win 7 . . . good utility. Best "junk" file remover I've ever used.

Never had the Registry cleaner (or any other CCleaner tools) cause issue with any of the OS's, but that being said I generally only used it when deleting specific video driver entries. Actually, If you think about it, whenever you add or remove software you are "messing with the registry" :-D

But, what most here have said is correct; the registry doesn't really need to be "scrubbed" or otherwise messed with . . . unless you are having a registry specific issue in which case CCleaner couldn't help you anyway. You should back up your registry often, especially when installing or removing software or otherwise making major changes to your computer, so if you do have a registry issue you have steps to take for recovery. You don't need to use registry cleaners - in my experience they won't speed up your computer, nor do obsolete or dormant keys generally cause any issues.

Back your registry up . . . and when that's done back it up again to another device. It's well worth the time and can save much tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth down the road.

 

I disagree, CCleaner is fine and does "Good Things" IMO, as long as you stay away from the registry tools. Your browser will certainly run better if periodic cache scrubbing is done, and temporary internet files are a waste of space.

As an aside, a way to keep the registry out of the loop is to use portable apps. Run from a USB stick, they have no impact on your hard disk at all. Of course you can launch them from the HD if you wish, a bit faster I would imagine as no reads/writes to the USB stick are needed...

 

By far CCleaner is the best cleaning tool that i have come across to clean up my computer.