Whenever I uninstall programs from Windows 7 Home Edition 64-bit, there is garbage in Windows Registry as well as leftover folders and files. I have CCleaner but it doesn't remove everything. I can't do clean reinstallation of Windows 7 Home Edition 64-bit right now. I have a weird problem with a driving simulator. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the driving simulator but I still have problems. The driving simulator doesn't respond to a few key presses and button presses. Any suggestions?
Replace keyboard. Reinstall DirectX (as it is used most probably by the simulator). If you have a patience you can spy after the simulator by procmon.exe (or regmon.exe + filemon.exe), so you can collect files and registry keys and values that could be missed or that can be cleaned... And btw did simulator ever work correctly? Edit: Forgot to suggest to look in event logs (in Event viewer - Application, System, Setup) for an events connected to the simulator. Edit2: Simulator can use a config file/registry key to maintain the key bindings (like games do). If you are shure that it has no settings configurator then you can find another PC where the same app works correctly and search for this config file/rtegistry key to copy it onto your rig.
Common for every Windows OS since registries arrival. Frankly i wish MS would be rid of it and force developers to be a bit more like "portable" apps. The registry should at least be locked for Windows OS itself imo. There is an old saying about installing applications, something about never install more than 30, 3rd party applications when it comes to Windows, which seems true that too many can cause performance degradation even if no further service is running. Uninstalling often leaves junk, probably developer laziness which often seems to lead at some point to corrupted entries or conflicting entries...A windows entry tells the OS to do this, yet an added entry tells the OS to do that instead or the altered entry was never returned back to state which causes an issue when certain files now needed are removed. You can of course type "regedit" in search and open that. Now do a search for the name of whatever apps you uninstalled and press F3 after you delete each one. Registry cleaners are rarely thorough enough to compare whats on the hard drive to what's in the registry...that takes too long and sometimes risky as removing the wrong one could cause an issue. Anyway, use Revouninstaller or some other uninstaller application, but for 100% you have to have it before install and use it's record feature so it can track what that app is putting in registry, it then uses that record to remove it. Otherwise it just does a registry search which is never thorough either but better than CCleaner. As far as your simulator, i'd suggest do as posted above.
For future reference, these programs will help keep your Windows Reg clean: Toolwiz Care: http://www.toolwiz.com/products/toolwiz-care http://www.majorgeeks.com/Toolwiz_Care_d7330.html http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/System-Tweak/Toolwiz-Care.shtml http://www.downloadcrew.com/article/26408-toolwiz_care & Toolwiz Time Freeze http://www.majorgeeks.com/Toolwiz_Time_Freeze_d7421.html http://www.toolwiz.com/products/toolwiz-time-freeze http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/Toolwiz-Time-Freeze.shtml http://www.downloadcrew.com/article/26475-toolwiz_timefreeze COMODO Programs Manager: COMODO Programs Manager. The best way to avoid problems with stubborn software removals in future is to install COMODO Programs Manager. This monitors program installations enabling you to easily remove them later, even if problems occur during installation or the program fails to provide its own uninstaller. http://www.downloadcrew.com/article/15179-comodo_programs_manager http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/Comodo-Programs-Manager.shtml http://www.majorgeeks.com/Comodo_Programs_Manager__d6942.html A list of programs that you can use, some of which have not been mentioned above. - 10 tools to remove stubborn Windows applications http://betanews.com/2011/12/31/10-tools-to-remove-stubborn-windows-applications/
Try regseeker,i think you will like it! (Best reg cleanup program i have ever found) www.hoverdesk.net/download/RegSeeker24p.zip
What always cracked me up about TImefreeze or apps similar is that they require installation and add plenty of registry files yet are there to prevent others from doing same thing...not dissing it, just kinda ironic is all. I recommend using portable apps, that's what i do, there are many great apps and browsers that are portable, so they run and function without installation or using registry.
This. Personally, I've grown to like Wise's utilities more and more these days, even compared to CCleaner for registry cleaning. It's also available in PortableApps format, so that really sealed the deal for me.
I found out that problems with two driving games were caused by the games thinking that TrackIR was installed on my computer and I don't have TrackIR. Tech support for one game told me to go into a file and change a line to read trackir=false.
CCleaner is portable as well. But needs the Winapp2.ini file to be of any use. WiseRegistry cleaner is good. But CCleaner still removes registry enteries that Wise does not and vice versa. Have yet to come across a utility that completely replaces what CCleaner does. Usually have found that a combination of two or even three of these utilities removes enough.
Have run this for the first time after using this install for over 2 years and it found quiet a few things that CCleaner did not! I ticked deep scan, unticked 'only scan 32bit registry', 'checked active x immunization' and 'guest account' too. Not sure it matters. Also I notice a tab called 'speedup'. Do any of you use any of those options? I guess I would need to untick 'enable system prefetch' as my Samsung SSD turned it off via software. But the others any good? Just looking for feed back on them as I am not sure of them. Especially concerned about the internet ones as I game online and don't want my browser failing!
Look at things from a developer perspective? Say you install the app, play it a bit, and change the default settings. Now you uninstall it, then reinstall some time later. Do you REALLY want to have to modify all your settings again? That's the POINT of the registry.
That`s the question for uninstaller. Good implemented uninstaller should ask user whether to remove those settings. Come to think about it, installer could ask whether to pickup old settings...
But if we remove it we removed it for reason so why would we want all that useless stuff still in the registry. This is why the registry get bloated over time and cause issue's IMO all uninstaller should remove EVERYTHING THEY CHANGED (Files,Folder,Registry). Plain and simple they dont though.
Well I have run all the cleaning options in Toolwiz and also ran the registry defrag after and I have to say its no placebo. My compputer is snappier and my browsing is smoother and faster. I am on a over 2 year old install though. I even ran all the system optimizer tab tweaks (apart from enabling super fetch) and I have noticed an improvement in terminating crashed programs/games and startup of Windows 7.
So do I but it was not it seems. The Toolwiz mentioned above found way more and did a little more to boot.