Is it necessary to "clean my registry?" I keep hearing that the registry keeps filling up with unnecessary instructions and this slows down the computer.

Generally, yes, but it's usually not a big problem, unless you're installing and uninstalling programs regularly, or you've been using the same computer for over 5 years

Most of the registry cleaners create more problems than they fix, IMHO.

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, make sure you have complete backups (on two separate types of media) of anything you want to keep, that's stored on that computer.

It'd be cheaper to buy a new computer, than use one of those cleaner programs that hoses your hard drive, and you then have to spend big bucks retrieving your data, reinstalling the OS, and reinstalling the programs you were using.

But others will have a different opinion. Just be careful.

This, if your OS is that cludged, then its time for a reload.



 

I have used CCleaner before on old PCs that have had multiple users and it seems to speed them up a little bit, especially logging into the PC. As others have said, always backup your registry before making any changes (CCleaner will prompt you to do it). The best solution to a slow computer is a reload, but most people don't want to go through the hassle of backing everything up and reinstalling everything again.

Yes and no

If you have so much extra crap in the registry that it is noticeably stealing CPU cycles and adding to disk access time then you probably have a ton of other crapware running in the background also and it's time to dynamite and rebuild.

It's been my experience that people who installed registry cleaners and optimizers like CCCleaner have also loaded the system up with so much other crap (including things like conduit) that the system is almost useless. This is particularly true if they have been using CNet's Dowload.com to get their crapware.

If you don't want to do a reinstall of windows then at least try to uninstall all the extra crap with something Like Revo that will make an effort to clean out the leftover registry junk.

Then hit the system with Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware because if you've crapped up the system that bad there is no telling what all is lurking in the background.

The benefit of Ccleaner doesn't come from registry cleaning.  It comes from cleaning out all those old temp files and cached stuff that's no longer needed.