Registry Questions

Hi, Some advice> Registry cleaners can do more damage than good, depending on how they are set by default (out of the box, so to speak) and how users change settings in them. (Don't until you read the FAQs or Help for that program or unless you are an expert). Just about every day we see posters who have used
one or the other cleaners and gotten in trouble. That is not to say they are not valid, useful utilities>
they can be!

The Registry items that are removed by cleaners typically are not what is slowing down a machine. Windows itself prunes items when the Registry gets to a certain size.

The Registry is not a huge file that consumes space or resources.

It can hold malware items and run bad things, so, have you checked for viruses and spyware? How? Find any?

Usual issue is too many programs configured to start at bootup with Windows, aging hardware perhaps, corrupted Windows files...bad uninstalls can also apply.

Let's have you post a log from Hijackthis and maybe we can spot anything out of place:

go to Click here to download HJTsetup.exe

• Save HJTsetup.exe to your desktop.
• Double click on the HJTsetup.exe icon on your desktop.
• By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Hijack This.
• Continue to click Next in the setup dialogue boxes until you get to the Select Additional Tasks dialogue.
  
• Put a check by Create a desktop icon then click Next again.
  
• Continue to follow the rest of the prompts from there.
• At the final dialogue box click Finish and it will launch Hijack This.
  
• Click on the Do a system scan and save a log file button. It will scan and then save the log and then the log will open in Notepad.
  
• Click on "Edit > Select All" then click on "Edit > Copy" to copy the entire contents of the log.
• Paste the log in your next reply.
• DO NOT have Hijack This fix anything yet. Most of what it finds will be harmless or even required.

Hi, Valis you should not treat yourself this way- at some point you will begin to believe it!

I don't work with a lot of the logs showing a startup overload much, so am tossing this thread to anyone who cares to give some input on trimming down programs etc that load with Windows.

I do have some good links to post for you or anyone that give you a good idea of what is needed and can be turned off from starting up and running needlessly.

http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/startup.htm

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php

The Logitech Desktop Manager can be uninstalled as Valis posted, it's in Add/Remove Programs list. Someone at some time must have installed a keyboard or camera or even a mouse from Logitech.

You should get into Real Player's Options or Preferences to set it to NOT look for updates or be running at startup, there are several things you put checks into...

There is an old Java 1.42_03, if it does not appear in Add/Remove Programs then I think you could look for that old folder and delete it.

HP Software Updates can be unchecked in msconfig .

(Start>Run line, type in msconfig look under Startups)

Take the check out of hpwusched

My Way Search Assistant or just MyWay bar can be uninstalled- A/R Programs list.

Quick Time can be msconfig-d but it will appear in startups each time it is run, you have to manually keep taking it out of startups. ((I use Quicktime Alternative and also Real Alternative))

If you do not use Windows Messenger>

here is a tool that removes it from running

http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm

Do you use Excel a lot during time the computer is on? That can be set within Excel's settings or MS Office Options to not start up.

Office itself has a few things that start up but are not needed, unless you use them very often:

""" Exiting the Office Shortcut Bar

With the Office Shortcut Bar running, if you right-click the Office Shortcut Bar title bar, and then click Exit on the shortcut menu, the following message appears:

You are closing the Office Shortcut Bar. The Office Shortcut Bar will
start again automatically when you start Windows. Do you want the Office
Shortcut Bar to start automatically when you start Windows?

You can then click Yes or No.

If you click Yes, the Office Shortcut Bar continues to appear every time you restart your computer.

If you click No, the next time you restart your computer, the Office Shortcut Bar is not started because it has reset the Autostart registry value (see above) to 0 (zero)."""

Perhaps if you tell us what you do mainly when using the computer, like are you just using it for online stuff, or is it a workoffice machine...that would help us to help you.

I will have someone take a look to see what else can be safely set to not start up with Windows.

Hi, If you mean message at startup about the System Configuration utility (that is msconfig) you can put a check into the small box that has "Do not display messages or start the SCU at startup" or, very similar to that, I am just going by memory....

That keeps you from seeing that small window with message about using msconfig in the future.

As far as anything else starting up, I am waiting for someone to post, it may be tomorrow> they are far more expert than I with these things, so watch for some replies in the morning.

I did ask "How much RAM memory is installed" you can find out by right clicking My Computer> select Properties> read down to see how many Megabytes of memory the computer has and post it.

Real Player> The Real Player executable file is running, it's in the latest log, so I am pretty sure it is installed.

• Double click on the Real player icon on your desktop.
  
• Preferences
• Click on the settings button for the StartCenter feature.
• Untick the Enable StartCenter option.
• Click the "Settings" button
• Uncheck the box that says "Enable Start Center"
• Click Yes to disable start center
• Say "Yes" to are you sure you want to disable Start Center and OK/apply.

You can also find the Check for Upgrades notification thing in Preferences>Upgrade tab.

You can turn off notification for 30 days, or totally. Real Player Product Flashes....AutoUpdate too.
They are after folks to switch to the Premium version that you pay for...
Occaisionally, they will upgrade to a whole new version, and that would be up to you if you decide to get it.
Just make sure whether it is pay-for or not and do what you feel you need to.

Here's a page that has settings for Real Player, it's meant for an online course study but will work for you, it shows you how to disable the Message Center and configure the Player. You only need Real Player when you play media> online videos, music, etc. You can always start it using the desktop shortcut.

http://www.udel.edu/UMS/itv/realplayer/faq.html