Unable To Use Registry Cleaner

johnh

Hi,

Apologies if this is a silly question, but I seem to be having real problems using Registry Cleaner (version .338). Following the start of the cleaner, I eventually get to the Scan Report box after about 10-12 minutes of processing (1GHz Athlon, 500MB RAM). I then click the Close button and return to the Results Window. However despite selecting at least one of the reported problem entries using the checkbox, only the Close button is displayed as active with the Custom Fix../Fix/Remove buttons remaining greyed out and inaccessible. Double clicking the selected option takes me to Regedit, but I cannot gain access to the Custom Fix../Fix/Remove buttons at any time.

Please can you advise me what I am doing wrong ?

Many thanks for your patience and advice,

John.

tullik

JohnH wrote
Hi,

Apologies if this is a silly question, ...

Please can you advise me what I am doing wrong ? ...

If one doesn't know something, ask -- that's not silly.

It is probably too simple, so this may be a silly answer ... but it does recreate the symptoms you mentioned.

When you click on a line, it "highlights" it, but does not select it. To select a line, click on its check box. Then the buttons become active.

If that's not the answer, you will need to provide more information.

Such as: what is your OS, a screenshot (or typed contents) of the Scan Report window, a screenshot (or typed contents) of the Registry Information tool window. Examples from my notebook are below.

A ten minute scan seems like it's too long (unless your registry is very cluttered). A normal scan takes about 30 seconds on my 3 year old notebook.

johnh

Hello,

Thank you so much for the prompt response; it is very much appreciated. I have investigated further and can get the tool to work but the CPU runs at 100% utilisation for about 30 seconds after the Results Window opens. This means that even if I select an item using the highlight and then the checkbox control, it can take 20+ seconds for the Custom Fix../Fix/Remove buttons to become available. I had not anticipated this delay and this was part of my confusion. See bottom graphic below with item selected and checkbox set but Selected value not incremented.

Subsequently, when an item is selected (highlighted + checkbox true) in the Results Window, the CPU runs at 100% for 15+ seconds before the Selected value increments in the lower left hand side of the Results Window. Now that I understand about this delay in selection etc, I can use the Registry Cleaner but I am curious to understand more about this rather unexpected CPU usage.

My system is 1GHz Athlon, 500MB RAM, 200GB IDE, Win2K SP4 with latest hotfixes and is stable and normally runs very cleanly without any real delays or issues. Registry information and report in graphics above.

Regards and many thanks for your patience,

John.

tullik

Thanks for the screenshots. They contain the answers to what you have observed.

10,000+ lines in the scan report indicates a cluttered registry. Also, Power Tools builds the scan report in memory (and virtual storage). Those two facts explain both the 10 to 12 minute scan time and the CPU spikes.

Once you clean out the "errors," Registry Cleaner should run in less than a minute without the long CPU spikes.

It sounds like you are proceeding slowly and cautiously. That is good with such a large list. No registry cleaner is perfect, so a careful examination is appropriate.

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Here's a shortcut you may want to try. It may reduce the RC list to a more manageable size:

1. Make sure you have Power Tools backup turned on in Settings

2. Run Registry Finder with these settings:

Search words -- \userassist

Search by date -- leave it unchecked

Search method -- check normal

Options -- uncheck everything except "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" and "Analyze key names" and "Analyze value names"

Ignore words -- HRZR_ and \Explorer\UserAssist\

The resulting list will contain a line for this key: HKCU\Soft\MSoft\Win\CurVer\Explorer\UserAssist\ -- it will probably be the only line

3. Click the line's check box and click Remove

4. Impact? You will lose for a time the list of frequently used programs that appears when you click the windows Start button (assuming you have that feature turned on). Not to worry -- windows will start to rebuild it the next time you reboot and use the PC for a while.

5. Run Registry Cleaner and let me know what difference that made in the run time and error count.

6. First, you may want to read this Forum thread which (eventually) discusses UserAssist.