Registry Cleanup Question

An orphaned path is probably related to a program that you uninstalled so should be safe to delete.
A word of caution... be very careful about what you let the registry fix program do, it could completely bollocks up the works... I can see you are being careful though, so that's very good!...

I'm kind of picky about what is in my registry also. Although, I tend not to trust the programs that automatically search the registry for me. Regcleaner http://www.vtoy.fi/jv16/shtml/regcleaner.shtml will sort your registry and then present you with a list of things that can be safely deleted.

What I like to do is after I uninstall a program I search through the registry for any mention of that program and manually delete them. I don't trust any registry fix programs because they have messed me up in the past.

Thanx guys...... I'm trying to be careful.
I guess regcleaner would be a better choice that what I'm using, now that you mention it, Shakey. I have it already, don't know why I didn't think of using it to begin with.
Jam, searching through the reg, like that would put me to sleep.
Doing a little at a time, so hopefully I won't cause a major kludge.......

That's good, K.. just be patient and careful and you'll be fine.
Also, make sure you backup the registry before you make any changes to it.
I doubt if I needed to tell you that, just want to make sure you stay on the safe side...

I forever use Norton Systemworks (WinDoctor) to clean up the registry. I never ran into any problems by deleted registry keys from that tool.

I also use Windoctor, but I always choose the option to let me make the changes.
Don't just let Windoctor make the recommended changes automatically, they aren't always right!

And also, Norton Windoctor does not remove all traces of uninstalled programs. This is why it becomes necessary to do this sort of thing manually.

Well folks, I've cleaned up about 450 entries, and all seems to be fine.
I ended up using RegCleaner and Ontrack's Registry Fixer. RegCleaner didn't find everything Ontrack did.

After you've cleaned your registry up you can then run a RegCompact program http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0%2Cfid%2C7718%2C00.asp - which compresses the registry and keep it small & streamlined.

I deleted my registry file once and put a different one in its place.

Know what happen when I restarted?

Hell Dragon, does that Reg Compact program work for XP?

Hell Dragon......Ontrack's registry defrager will be running, on next restart......

Sally.... I'm thinking..... nothing happened...

Sally, I would guess that as long as it was an uncorrupted registry backup, a lot of small changes happened, mostly cosmetic things, but no major problems....

A dialog box appeared saying Windows has detected a bad registry and needs to revert to a backup.

and the suspense builds............

I use System Mechanic bi iolo @ www.iolo.com . It works great for me - cleans the registry, deletes abandoned shortcuts, deletes temporary files, allows you quick access to startup items (registry based or start-menu), lets you customize some windows options, remove invalid uninstaller information, privacy options for internet and email, optimize internet and network speed, and securely delete files and folders. I won a copy of the industrial version years ago by entering a contest and get free updates for life. It's truly a decent piece of software. Oh, I only had a problem with it once - I gave in to Windows ME when it was initially released, used the reg. cleaner portion of the program, and had instant grief. I had the option of reverting back (the program does make a backup of any registry changes) but decided to get ME off my computer instead. I gave my paid for copy of Windows ME away and never looked back. I have used it on Windows 98, Windows 2000, and WindowsXP Professional. I've tried other programs and combinations of programs but haven't found anything so reliable.

Call me a simple suck (Thank you but it's a regular thing!) but I find TweakXP Pro a good solution.
Simple word of caution with whatever you use, make registry backup and only delete it when you're happy with the 'fix'.
So far TXPP has never failed me.

JamMeister; Yes, RegCompact does work on XP.

Thanks HD, I miss the good old "scanreg /opt" command that XP won't let you use anymore...

JV16 Power Tools never have failed me in cleaning the registry: http://www.vtoy.fi/jv16/shtml/jv16powertools.shtml
It does about the same thing as bmetelsky's option.

Thanks for the link, LeCrayon...I'll check that out!

yepp... JV16 Power Tools is just about the best Reg cleaner out there. Highly recommended

I downloaded it, I'll be sure to give it a whirl.....thanks again!

I'll add my vote for JV16 power tools. Great program and allows for backups.