Anybody here use a registry defragger?

Do they actually work?
I tried one called "Vista Manager" by Yamicsoft & it stopped my anti virus from working & wmp quit working too. I restored my system to an earlier time & it was fine(tried the program twice & it happened both times).
Any advice on a good program? I use CCLeaner for cleaning the registry, btw.

 

tune up utilities maybe???

 

i use pc tools registry mechanic 8. has great registry cleaner and defrag

 

I second that

 

never had problems with vista manager.....tune up utilities are good too.
to answer your question...as a none expert...in my opinion they won`t do much of a difference on new powerful systems...could do some good on older ones. I do these things just for a good feeling...cleaning the HD makes the difference..specialy when it`s too small. after the cleaning the system runs better on my old laptop...defragmentation of your whole HD is good too

 

Same thing happens with tune-up utilities...I run the reg. defrag & anti-virus stops working, wmp stops loading, & I also notice flash doesn't work with steam browser.
I think it has something to do with java, as I tried reinstalling mcafee several times & it finally gave a java error. I tried installing java runtime but still not working.
I restored to earlier point before defrag & it is all better.
I wonder what the derfrag is screwing with.

 

AusLogics Registry Defrag and NTREGOPT has never caused any issues for me.

 

i've used quite a few over the years. However i have never once noticed a single improvement in anything by using them. ive never seen them fix any problems, improve any performance. same with registry cleaners.
frankly i think their both worthless, yet i still use them just in case it'll help.
actually it would be nice if Windows would manage its registry a little cleaner

 

I think the hives would have to be seriously fragmented to "see" any major noticeable difference, not sure about very low-end systems (say with a very slow CPU and HD).

It is just system maintenance. The hive files are after all files on disk and reading fragmented files can cause more seeking. But it is true that on today's fast systems fragmentation is less noticeable, still i see no reason not to do maintenance, as long as you don't go overboard and start causing more damaged then good. It is like with any maintenance why wait until the degradation is so pronounced you can spot it with your eye. It's like keeping your car in good shape, sure you shouldn't buy snake oil, but don't let it deteriorate either.

Personally i don't really believe to much in system optimization, as much as just system maintenance. At least the software vendors selling such optimization software greatly exaggerate the benefits of their software (for obvious reasons). NTREGOPT is more careful with it's wording. Besides it's free so he has nothing to gain from convincing you of a lie, unlike others.

 

well if NTFS was more like a few of Linux file systems like ext3, by keeping all blocks of files close together.....

but at least with SSD, you never have to defrag anything. so hopefully the price drops and larger sizes continue at a fast pace

 

Wise Registry Cleaner

Have used it month or something like that. Here was thread about those (I think) and someone (who I trust since downloaded it) recommended it. Can't remember who it was.

No problems so far but hard to say since haven't used it long. I check my registry like once in month or so only run it few times.

CCleaner and TuneUP worked quite well also.

 

Just so there isn't any confusion, the OP is asking for a registry defrag/compacting software, not a cleaner.

 

Does PageDefrag defragment all registry hives?

 

I'll second Auslogics Registry Defrag, used it on dozens of different PCs with no ill effects

 

I will try the auslogics next. I don't know why the other programs stop working properly, though.

 

The COMPONENTS hive seems to be missing.

Please note PageDefrag does still not support x64. I'm not even sure it fully supports Vista but i do believe it works on Vista x86. But i haven't tried it and there seem to be some reports of issue with it on Vista.

 

Yeah, I just tried Auslogics and it seems to indeed defragment something which isn't defragmented by PageDefrag, since the analysis phase showed that my registry was about 1.7% fragmented. I figured I wouldn't bother running the defrag though, since I don't really trust Auslogics for some reason. Not worth the risk to me. But, I do use NTRegOpt to compact the registry and then PageDefrag to defrag whatever is split into 2 fragments (usually it's the Security hive).

I am on XP by the way, so no compatibility issues for me.

 

auslogics software is actually pretty darn good, but if its not worth the risk to you, then i dont think its every really needed anyway. if so, MS wouldve included a simple version with the OS.

 

I third that!!! Tune up is the best! Works in Windows 7 mostly.

 

fourth that... Ttune Uo does evrerything...... except make me a cup of tea!!