Jump to content

? vs CCleaner


JellyKnight

Recommended Posts

I have used CCleaner for a long time and I run it several times a day asking it to clean everything including the registry. It never finds more than a few registry errors which I always delete.

 

Today I downloaded ( highly recommended 4.5 stars from cnet) a program called [removed by moderation]. Before I ran it I CCleaned up everything.

After I ran it [removed by moderation] says I have 563 errors including 101 ActiveX and COM errors/168 shortcut erros and many more.

 

So if this is true - just how effective/reliable is CClean? and why does it not find the same errors?

 

I will switch only if I cannot get a satisfactory answer from this post.

Edited by Andavari
The mentioning of rival products isn't allowed on the forums, per instructions of the site owner.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

I'll add a big +1 to the answer given by my friend above simply to emphasise the possible serious consequences of removing valid entries in error.

 

Aggression is the word here, and the deeper a registry cleaner digs then the likelihood of perfectly good (and system essential) entries being wrongly interpreted and removed increases.

 

It's your choice, but with the registry you have to play safe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that was not a very satisfactory answer...

If another program reports over 500 errors and CCleaner says - all fixed... it seems slightly more than just a more aggressive search... and even so why not add it, at least to the paid version, where CC could at least show a few of those extra 500 errors that go unreported, and let the user decide whether to delete or not?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The developers read all these forum posts. I presume Andavari remembers the name of the other software, and can pass it along when they ask.

 

Personally, I prefer a really restrained registry editor. . . one bad regedit can cause heaps of trouble.

 

Just out of curiosity, did you actually run that other software and clean out those 500 errors? Did it work OK? Your report might help the developers do exactly what you are asking for.

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

I presume Andavari remembers the name of the other software, and can pass it along when they ask.

 

I don't remember it, and it's highly doubtful they would ever ask. And as per the site owners instructions we are to remove topics that discuss rival products but out of niceness I just edited out the rival product name.

 

---------------------

 

You can easily test with other registry cleaners our claims of CCleaner being more gentle. To do this I'd advise making a full image backup of your system drive because you may or will need it to undo the damage to installed software and Windows itself. However such a test isn't something you can easily pull off in one or two days as some damage isn't very obvious right off the bat, you'd need to extensively use your system for several days, weeks, or months to fully realize the damage.

Edited by Andavari
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The software IS highly recommended by CNET so I doubt is causes damage - I ran the 'free' version which removes 50 errors but requires buying the full version to clean the other 500+ errors it claims to have found.

 

After cleaning the 50 errors, I found that a couple of programs that I ran from removable drives 'lost' their shortcuts because I never had the drives plugged in when I ran it. However after rebooting and using the affected programs again they corrected themselves and all is well.

i do use my system at least 12hours a day - but your advice about I may not find a problem happening for several months sounds a little far-fetched. Usually I reformat my harddrive, and start with a new install of the operating system and start from scratch every 'several months' anyways.

Altho' I have faithfully backed up my registry daily for years, I have never actually had to 'restore' the registry even once.

I'm fairly able to troubleshoot and correct windows errors as my system, loaded with games and modelling programs, often needs a good cleaning.

As I have for quite a while now relied on CCleaner for cleaning and then after trying the 'unmentionable' other program it gave me cause to join this forum and ask the question that I did.

 

I understand the concern and restraint that you are showing but would like to know about those other 500 errors and how much they may be slowing my system... however, I'm reluctant to buy another cleaner just to find out.... altho' I am seriously thinking about it and will let you know what happens if I do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

but your advice about I may not find a problem happening for several months sounds a little far-fetched.

 

I'm not here to convince you of anything, you can make your own decisions and trust CNET if you wish. Like you I'm just a member of the forums and have no affiliation with Piriform so whatever they decide is all up to them, and you don't have to listen to me if you wish.

 

What I've told you is from my own personal experience of using other rival registry cleaning products for years and some do without question trash the registry to some extent. I find it rather impossible to fully test changes so quickly as in all programs, or something buried so deep within the OS and registry.

 

It has been asked before many times as a requested feature to make CCleaner clean more of the registry which thankfully the developer team hasn't did, we have to remember CCleaner is used by multi-millions of people and I'd suspect many users aren't going to want to format every few months having to fix problems unnecessarily placed upon a system by possibly removing some false positive registry issues.

 

I do however know for a fact that CCleaner could remove allot more registry keys which many rival registry cleaners deem as invalids, but in doing so would move it far away from being the relatively safe-for-all to use into some "black magic" realm where people would really have to know how to fix things themselves when it would go too far and break something.

 

One prime example of registry cleaners being to aggressive is that so many of them damage Microsoft Office installations which require a repair install after only removing a small handful of deemed "invalid" registry keys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Keatah

Mmm.. registry cleaners.. I prefer to use less assertive utilities. The more errors a utility finds, the more chance those "errors" are less-oft-used settings or parts of complex application suites. MS office, and Adobe CCS comes to mind. These are things you don't want to fix!

 

While a report of 500-errors looks impressive to the newcomer, I can promise you a portion of those are keys that are used by a suite or recreated by windows in certain cases. And sooner or later some subtle aspect of your system is going to be

 

I once talked with a developer of a generic Speed-Up-My-PC type utility - and he bluntly told me exactly that. The more errors detected, the more impressive the marketing and the easier the sell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing about "registry errors" is that they are mostly unused entries. They do not do any harm, nor will they slow down your computer, nor will they take up more than a few bytes of disk space.

 

My advice: just forget about "registry cleaning". Even with CCleaner. Modern Windows systems can very much take care of the registry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand the concern and restraint that you are showing but would like to know about those other 500 errors and how much they may be slowing my system... however, I'm reluctant to buy another cleaner just to find out.... altho' I am seriously thinking about it and will let you know what happens if I do.

How do you know that those 500 errors are not simply 500 values contained in a single registry key ?

 

This is a good site for getting commercial software free of charge if you download and register on the single day of offer

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

They often give away registry and junk file cleaners which are more powerful than CCleaner.

 

I always find the next day to be more interesting when some of those who gained the "benefit" are able to borrow a friend's computer,

and come back to ask how to make their own newly mutilated computer boot up again.

Sometimes everyone is lucky - or they had no friend with a working computer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just thinking.

If I read this right, you have used CCleaner for years and never had to restore your registry even once.

If the first 50 fixes w/ that other app caused some minor problems, although easily corrected, it would make me wonder what the next 450 plus would do.

 

Fwiw, I have seen problem registry changes lay hidden for a long time. Sorry, don't remember specifics.

Fwiw also, CNET is iffy, imho, OK but not too credible. I would trust these Piriform guys more.

Remember CCleaner is free, members have no agenda, are not employees of Piriform.

 

Thanks for offering to share your results if you do use the unnamed software.

I would be interested, others also I guess.

Edited by login123

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

If anyone is interested:...

So the other day I was vacuuming around my computer, which sits 5 feet off the floor when it tipped over and fell on the floor. My harddrive flew across the room as did my video card and a few other bits and pieces (my case is open and nothing is screwed in). It destroyed both a mouse cable end and ripped the speaker wires in half... oh and split a fan in two.

Well after I had adjusted to the horror of the disaster, I put it all back together, found another mouse and speakers and switched on. Alas! the hard drive is toast ... just clicks and thats it. (2tb down the tubes!)

 

Sooo.. whats this to do with this topic?... I did this: I took a another harddrive - reformatted with Win7 and the first time it came on, without even changing the default video settings and even using IE (ugg) to download Ccleaner I cleaned the brand new registry of less then a dozen errors Win7 made while installing, and then I downloaded the UNmentionable program from the first post again from Cnet.

After I ran this UNmementionable program on a brandnew install of Win7 on a clean drive, it reported back 300+ registry errors that it would only clean if I paid money for the 'pro' version.

 

So after all this I can see that those hundreds of errors 'found' are are indeed insignificant and therefore I now agree that one does not need such an agressive registry cleaner.

 

On that basis I can recommend Ccleaner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

it's always good to get positive feedback in support of what most of us already believe.

should help others down the track when they put their hands up asking why CC's reg cleaner does a 'poor job compared to others' :)

Backup now & backup often.
It's your digital life - protect it with a backup.
Three things are certain; Birth, Death and loss of data. You control the last.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

So after all this I can see that those hundreds of errors 'found' are are indeed insignificant and therefore I now agree that one does not need such an agressive registry cleaner.

 

On that basis I can recommend Ccleaner.

 

I'm glad you've finally discovered on your own investigating what we've told you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.