WIn 10 Registry Cleaner?
WIn 10 Registry Cleaner?
After a RAM swap addressed many problems, isolated no-video starts persist on my 5900X. They tend to appear after power loss or when the PSU switch is off—events that rarely happen because I have a UPS. It’s hard to tell whether the board or PSU is faulty since these incidents are infrequent. Clearly, forced shutdowns via power switches seem to be the cause, and Windows 10 appears stable. Recently, File Manager has slowed significantly, and my browser has become erratic. Google suggests registry problems, which McAfee confirms, but it looks like Windows 10 doesn’t include a built-in registry cleaner. I’m struggling to locate the official version and doubt many free downloads are safe due to malware risks.
Windows explorer runs slowly on a good day. Avast offers a cleanup utility (https://www.avast.com/lp-ppc-avast-clean...m=registry fixer&utm_content=registry-exact#pc) it’s just a 30-day free trial before you need to pay. I’ve also noticed Avast Antivirus offline scanning for corrupted registry entries—probably from a free trial download and a scan afterward. I’m not sure if they actually help, but if you’re considering it, give it a try.
A registry cleaner won’t assist you here. Empty registry items don’t affect the system. Your problem might stem from a misaligned CPU cooler mount, a faulty memory controller on the CPU, a bad RAM slot, damaged traces connecting CPU and RAM, dust in the RAM slots, dirty or insufficient contacts on RAM modules, or a loose connection at either end of the display cable. An improper shutdown could have also disrupted the system, but a registry cleaner won’t address that. Run SFC /scannow to detect Windows file corruption. Use checkdisk for file system errors and HDSentinel or similar for physical issues. If no hardware faults are found, a repair install of the OS might help—this will reinstall Windows files, registry entries, and settings while preserving your apps and files. There are many helpful tutorials on tenforums and elevenforums. Remove McAfee.
The only sure method to "clean" the registry is a complete reinstall. It functions mainly as a simple key-value database where applications freely insert entries. Cleaning it is at most speculative — does that specific pair still exist? No, let's just remove it. Mistake made; now I face additional problems. This will offer no real boost in speed.
these kinds of tools are becoming pretty unreliable these days. Windows has improved its handling of the registry, while developers often overload it with unnecessary files that don’t add value. if you’re interested, here’s a source: I previously worked at a company that performed quarterly system updates, including cleaning the registry. back then, during most of our Windows 7 deployments, we typically removed around 700 to 1,200 entries per registry. if maintenance was skipped, it could jump to near 2,000. the last time I ran a cleanup as part of routine maintenance (before we stopped using it) I didn’t encounter anything above three digits except on severely damaged systems. the results were mostly minor fixes with little real impact. also keep in mind these figures are exaggerated because many machines were heavily used, and most issues found were trivial.
on a related note: avoid tampering with the registry. focus first on features Windows offers directly, then consider safer alternatives before diving into registry cleaners. try opening Command Prompt as administrator and executing sfc /scannow, followed by dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth. another tip: go to Explorer → right-click the Quick Access bar, choose Options, then Privacy → clear File Explorer history. this can help occasionally.
New setup just arrived. I was really hoping to skip that... @DigitalGoat’s comment about the memory controller caught my attention. Not being aware of compatibility lists, I initially used RAM not listed for months, which caused several problems. The improvement from swapping to listed RAM reduced issues only during power loss or when the PSU switch is off. It might mean the old kit got damaged over time. As long as I don’t let the system hibernate or cut power completely, it works fine. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Added note: The lag seems worse when opening my 8TB WD Black with over 260 movies. Could that much data slow File Explorer significantly? I’m thinking about switching to an SSD or a second M.2 for the movies, but I doubt a second M.2 would hurt GPU performance. An SSD would boost speed—my 8TB reaches 226 Mbps compared to a typical SATA SSD’s 560 Mbps—but I’m not sure how noticeable that would be. Edited February 12, 2023 by An0maly_76 Revised, more info
I understand that this might be a final option. Cleaning the registry seems improbable for success. I’d stick to the methods others have recommended initially.
I included this in my recent update, probably too late... The delay appears to be worse when using my 8TB WD Black, which holds over 260 movies. It gets even slower after adding a few more (to fix a technical problem I solved). Could handling that much data really slow down File Explorer? I’m thinking about switching to an SSD or another M.2 drive, but using a second PCIe slot would hurt GPU speed. A SATA SSD would help with speed (the 8TB reaches 226 mbps compared to around 560 for a standard SATA), though I’m not sure how much difference it would make. Edited February 12, 2023 by An0maly_76 Revised, more info
Consider developing a NAS setup. You might attempt enabling/disabling indexing on the 8TB drive, which could resolve the problem. Alternatively, switching Windows File Explorer could also be a viable solution.