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RegCleaner Readme |
| Warning |
| This computer program is protected by copyright law and
international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of
this program, or any portion of it, may result in severe criminal
and civil penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent
possible under law. You are allowed to distribute RegCleaner on the
internet only if you distribute it in it's original package. You
must have the author's written permission to distribute RegCleaner
on CD-ROM or in any other media other than the internet. E-Mail is
acceptable as a written permission. |
| Disclaimer |
|
This product is provided "as is" without any warranty of any
kind. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Jouni
Vuorio further disclaims all warranties, including without
limitation any implied or stated warranties of merchantability,
fitness for a particular purpose, and no infringement. The entire
risk arising out of the use or performance of this product and
documentation remains with recipient. To the maximum extent
permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Jouni Vuorio or his
suppliers be liable for any consequential, incidental, direct,
indirect, special, punitive, recursive, or other damages
whatsoever(including, without limitation, damages for loss of
business profits, business interruption, loss of business
information, personal injury, disruption of family life, or other
pecuniary loss) arising out of this agreement or the use of or
inability to use the product, even if Jouni Vuorio have been advised
of the possibility of such damages. Because some
states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of
liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above
limitation may not apply to the recipient. Adam Severns, also, is
not liable for anything that may happen after to your computer after
the use of RegCleaner. |
| Copyright Notice |
This program is called "RegCleaner," Microsoft's registry
cleaner is called "RegClean." My program has nothing to do neither
with "RegClean," nor with Microsoft.
I am ready to change my
program's name if Microsoft requests it.
Microsoft is a
registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. All other
trademarks belong to their respective
owners. |
Copyright 1999-2001 Jouni Vuorio
All Rights Reserved
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Introduction
With RegCleaner, you
can easily remove obsolete registry entries from software that you may
have deleted ages ago.
What does RegCleaner do?
RegCleaner deletes registry entries. You can delete DLLs with the
Shared DLLs feature, and shortcut files with the Startup feature. You
don't even have to know what the registry actually is to be able to use
RegCleaner.
Why should
I use RegCleaner?
You should use RegCleaner because it's a
good idea to keep the registry as clean as possible. Here are some
examples to help you understand how RegCleaner can truly help you:
1. Say you've accidentally destroyed a nice shareware program what
has a 30-day trial period. Later on, when you notice that it's been
destroyed, you try reinstalling it, only to find out that you can't,
because the program thinks that you're just trying to get another 30 days.
If you first remove the program's registry entries, however, you may very
well be able to reinstall the software and recover your trial period
again.
2. You've found that your favorite program is an older
version, and you want to download the latest whiz-bang version. The
program, however, doesn't provide any uninstall utility, so you simply
destroy its files and cross your fingers. But, as fate would have it, when
you try to install the latest version, you see a dialog box such as this:
"Please uninstall the old version of this program before attempting to
run this installation."
Great, now what?
Hang on; you
simply remove the old program's registry entries with RegCleaner! Now you
can continue installing the newer program version that you wanted to have
originally (I'm using the word "programs", but most of these examples will
apply equally to games and other software as well).
NOTE: Some
programs register file types (such as: '.txt'), so when you've deleted the
program, Windows reports an error when you try to run files that are
registered to that program. RegCleaner removes, when possible, all of the
registrations done by that program. Now when you try to run files that
were registered to it, Windows will bring up a dialog box and ask what
program you now want to use with this particular file type. You can then
select a new association.
NOTE: In some cases, some programs have
made particular file type registrations that aren't written into the
registry. In those cases, RegCleaner won't help, but it's not RegCleaner's
fault, it's simply the way the programs were written.
Very important to know
If you are
not 100 percent sure that you have the original disk(s) for all items of
software on your computer, and then don't remove anything. In theory at
least, it's not dangerous if you remove registry entries of most software
that you may be using, since likely you'll just lose your settings and
some options, but there's always the risk that the software won't work at
all any more as well.
Also, if you see some 'software' or 'author'
like '! @#WFDSf"!4e2e2', you know that it's in the software section by
accident, DO NOT REMOVE IT It's most likely some (stupid) program's
(stupid) copy protection.
Example: Re-Volt and F-Secure's virus
scanners do these.
NOTE: You must agree to the Disclaimer on the top of this page to use RegCleaner.
If you disagree do not
use RegCleaner.
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SoftwareTab
RegCleaner will search the whole registry and remove every entry that is
created by the software you wish to remove. Of course, it's impossible to
remove all the entries, but RegCleaner removes all entries possible. The
main theme is security, there's no risk whatsoever to use RegCleaner. That
is, if you use it right. I would like to point out that if you somehow manage
to damage your computer with RegCleaner, It's not my fault. Read the Disclaimer for more info.
This feature might look like a simple thing, but in
fact it's the most advanced feature in RegCleaner. And there is no other
registry cleaner that has a function like this one. This is the whole idea
of RegCleaner and cleaning the registry with RegCleaner. Registry cleanup
and all the other functions are quite simple and they are usefull only in
certain situations.
Startup List
Tab
Here lies the list that shows every program that is
started from the registry and from start menu at the same time as windows
starts. These programs can easily use an obscene amount of your computer's
memory and decrease performance. Keep this list as empty as possible.
Uninstall Menu Tab
Here's listed all the programs that are available for
uninstallation through Windows. You can access this list also from Control
Panel > Add/Remove programs. The main idea behind this feature is that
you can remove the junk from the Add/Remove programs list. Like if you
have deleted some program rather than really uninstalling it. It's
uninstall stuff is still in that Add/Remove programs list. So with
RegCleaner you can remove them from there. You can also uninstall programs
with the 'Uninstall' button.
File
Types Tab
Here's listed every file type or file extension. If
you have tried some program and it have registered some file types (That
means that you can access those files with a double-click. Example: you
can view .txt files with notepad by double clicking such file). If you
have found that program useless and uninstalled it, but some files are
still marked like "Some programs file". With this feature of RegCleaner
you can remove those unneeded file extensions.
New File Tab
Try to click you Desktop with
the right mouse button, and select 'New'. There a few files that you can
create. Now, with RegCleaner you can remove some file types from that
list.
NOTE: Example WinZip and Adobe Photoshop add their files
('WinZip file' and 'Adobe Photoshop Image') to that list automatically. If
you remove them, they add them in there again.
NOTE II: This
feature should not work under Windows95. It has been reported that it
doesn't work, but I haven't been able to confirm this myself, try it.
Shell Extensions Tab
Here's a list of all the file associations. Example: If you
right-click an mp3 file, there's some special items on the popup menu,
with RegCleaner you can remove those extra commands you don't need.
Example: If you don't even have a printer you don't need ability to print
some files with a right-click.
Backups
Tab
Here lies the list of current backups.
If you can't
see the sections of text(the lines are too long), you can right-click the
item you want to see better and a popup will show it. Click the popup to
hide it. This works also in other sections, but there you have to only
move the mouse over the popup to make it go away.
NOTE: The
backups aren't removed even after you have restored them, if you want to
delete some backups; you will have to delete them by clicking the 'Remove
selected' button. It's safer this way.
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View OCX Entries
You can view entries of a single CLSID.
Convert CLSID to ProgID
You can
convert a CLSID to a ProgID.
With a right-click you can copy the
result to the clipboard.
Convert ProgID to CLSID
You can
convert a ProgID to a CLSID.
With a right-click you can copy the
result to the clipboard.
OLE
Cleaner
Cleans unused and invalid Object Linking and Embedding
entries.
Orphan File
Reference Finder
Cleans registry entries that point to a
non-existing file.
Automatic Registry Cleaner
Cleans what ever is possible to clean automatically.
NOTE:
This can't detect as many obsolete entries as the human eye can by
manually checking all of RegCleaner's sections, but on the other hand,
this might find some things you can't.
Do Them All
Does all of the registry
cleanings at the same time.
View System DLL Files
With this
feature you can delete obsolete DLL files. The list contains every DLL
file, not just the obsolete (because it's impossible for RegCleaner to
know which ones are obsolete). You can mess up your system really good if
you delete wrong DLLs, so please, leave this alone if you are not sure
what you are doing.
View DLL
Files
Allows you to list the information for any DLL file.
View Shared DLL Files
With this feature you can delete unused shared files. Here's only
listed those files that are not used by Windows or another programs, so
they should be safe to delete. Please note that RegCleaner will delete the
file and the registry entry and then both are backed up.
Reset Hardware
Configuration
This feature is only for Windows 9x. You can
reset Windows' hardware configuration so the next time you boot, Windows
will re-detect all the hardware. This can be very handy after installing a
lot of new hardware or for troubleshooting purposes.
Modify the Search Menu
This
feature is for Windows 2000 only.
You can select what items you
want to see under Start button > Search.
Modify the Open With Menu
This
feature is for Windows 2000 only.
You can select which programs
windows suggests to you when you try to open a file of an unknown file
type.
Run Regedit
This
option will run Regedit.
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Command-Line Interface
RegCleaner supports these Command-line parameters: 'Automatic
clean,' 'Manual clean,' 'no backups,' and 'one backup file.' You can also
specify what kind of Registry Cleanup you want. The options are
'mode:OLE', 'mode:cleanup' and 'mode:orphan', If you don't use any of them
then RegCleaner does them all.
Example: RegCleanr.exe /automatic clean
/one backup file starts automatic cleaning and RegCleaner makes only one
backup file.
Example: /RegCleanr.exe /automatic clean /mode:ole does
an automated OLE cleaning.
NOTE: You can use 'no backups' only
with 'manual clean'. The parameters are not case sensitive.
Batch files
You can operate RegCleaner with simple
batch files. This is very useful for administrating networks of many
computers.
The commands are not case sensitive.
A batch file is
just a simple text file, it can be with any extension. Example:
Tab
4
Save list to "c:\filetypes.txt"
Exit
This would simple save
filetype list to a text file and then exit. You can run a batch file with
/Batch command line parameter.
E.g. RegCleaner /Batch "batch file.txt"
or you can use the Command Panel to execute a batch.
| Command: |
What it does: |
Alias(es): |
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| Software tab |
Moves you to software tab |
Tab 1 |
| Startup tab |
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Tab 2 |
| Uninstall tab |
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Tab 3 |
| Filetypes tab |
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Tab 4 |
| Newfile tab |
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Tab 5 |
| Shell tab |
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Tab 6 |
| Backups tab |
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Tab 7 |
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| Exit |
Shuts down RegCleaner |
Quit, Bye, Terminate |
| Minimize |
Minimizes RegCleaner |
Min |
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| Done |
Clicks the "Done" button |
cd.., cd .. |
| Mark as old |
Marks selected items as old in Software Tab |
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| Restore |
Restores marked backups |
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| Uninstall |
Uninstalls marked programs from the Uninstall Tab |
Uninstal |
| Remove |
Clicks "Remove Selected" |
Delete |
| Combine |
Combines selected backups in Backups Tab |
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| Select All |
Selects (does not mark) all items |
Sel all, Sel *.* |
| Select Inverse |
Inverses selection |
Sel Inv |
| Select None |
Clears selection |
Sel None |
| Mark Selected |
Marks selected items |
Mark |
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| View Shared Files |
Does Tools > View shared DLL files |
List Shared Files |
| View Search Menu |
Does Tools > Modify the search menu |
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| View Open With menu |
Does Tools > Modify the Open With menu |
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| Ole Cleanup |
Does Tools > OLE Cleaner |
Cleanup 1 |
| Orphan Cleanup |
Does Tools > Orphan File ref. finder |
Cleanup 2 |
| Automatic Cleanup |
Does Tools > Automatic Registry Cleanup |
Cleanup 3 |
| Registry Cleanup |
Does Tools > Do them All |
Do Them All |
| RegEdit |
Starts RegEdit |
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| Automatic Cleanup Mode |
Sets Automatic Cleanup Mode |
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| Manual Cleanup Mode |
Sets Manual Cleanup Mode |
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| Backups On |
Sets creation of backup on |
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| Backups Off |
Sets creation of backup off |
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| One Backup File |
Tells RegCleaner to create only one backup file |
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| Many Backup Files |
Tells RegCleaner to create one file per one item |
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| Normal OLE Mode |
Sets OLE Cleaner to normal mode |
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| Powerful OLE Mode |
Sets OLE Cleaner to extra powerful mode |
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| Pause |
Pauses Registry Cleanup |
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| Resume |
Resumes Registry Cleanup |
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| Abort |
Aborts Registry Cleanup |
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| Close |
Closes Registry Cleanup window |
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| Version |
Shows RegCleaner´s version |
Ver |
| Build |
Shows RegCleaner´s build |
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| Help |
Opens this documentation |
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| Refresh |
Refresh the current view |
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| Sort "column" |
Sorts the list based |
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| www.jv16.org |
Takes you to RegCleaner´s homepage |
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| Save List to "filename" |
Saves current list to a text file |
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| Batch "filename" |
Runs a batch file |
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| Find "search word" |
Finds and selects items that match search word |
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| Find Mark "search word" |
Finds and marks items that match search word |
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| Debug Mode? |
Tells you if you are running RegCleaner in debug
mode |
DebugMode? |
| Admin? |
Tells you if you are an Admin in NT-based OS |
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| WinNT? |
Tells you if you are running Windows NT |
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| Win2000? |
Tells you if you are running Windows 2000 |
w2k? |
| Save log to "filename" |
Saves debug log to a file. Attach this log to a bug
report. |
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| View log |
Opens the debug log to Notepad |
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Command Panel
Command panel is the blue text box in the bottom of RegCleaner. The
idea behind this feature is that
you can use RegCleaner with just using
the keyboard. You can see the avalible commands from a list above.
If
you want to set focus to the list you can do that with the Tab key and you
can scroll the list with the arrow keys.
Note: You can hide The
Command Panel from Options>Preferences>GUI>Command
Panel
Options
Marking as old:
-Automatic: All entries are marked as old when you exit the program
-Manual: You can manually mark entries as old
Registry
Cleanup:
-Automatic: RegCleaner will do an automated registry cleaning
when you click the Registry Cleanup button.
-Manual: RegCleaner will
show you a list of all entries that are found to be invalid and they can
be removed, you can then remove them if you like to. One by one or many
entries at the same time. When you're done, click the done button on the
lower left corner.
Uninstall Menu:
-Show all software: all
software are shown in the uninstall menu
-Show only hidden software:
only hidden software are shown, by hidden I mean software that is not
listed in the Windows' Add/Remove software list.
-Don´t show hidden
software: All the same items as in the Windows' Add/Remove software list
are shown in the uninstall menu.
Tips and Tricks
If you can't see
everything on RegCleaner, you can use the More Info feature by
right-clicking the item you can't see entirely. When you have seen what
you want, you can make the More Info to disappear by moving the cursor
over it. In the backup section it disappears when you click it. If you
can't see all the tabs you can double click the caption bar above it and a
two navigation buttons appear. You can hide them by double-clicking the
bar again. You can view the contents of backup files by right-clicking the
backup you want see. You can see what entries would be deleted with right
click and Advanced Info feature. |
Frequently
Asked Questions
Q: How do I remove the entries that I want to
delete using RegCleaner?
A: Simply highlight those entries that
you wish to delete (with your mouse "select" key), and then click with
your mouse on the "Remove Selected" button in the lower right corner next
to the "Exit" button. The entries you've selected will automatically be
deleted.
Q: What does the age-thing mean?
A:
It's just a way to point out the new entries. And by new, I mean entries
that you haven't seen before. So you don't have to read the whole list,
because the age-thing makes the new entries appear on the top of the list.
Q: Does the registry cleanup work with every Operating
System?
A: Yes, it supports every OS that RegCleaner itself
supports (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows98 SE, Windows ME, Windows NT4,
and Windows 2000).
Q: What's the difference between
'Uninstall' and 'Remove selected' button in the uninstallation screen?
A: Uninstall button uninstalls the program but the 'Remove
selected' button only removes the program from the list.
Q: What are those "unknown entries?"
A: They
can be anything. Might be some copy protection stuff or just some
program's settings or something. You see, some programs just add their
stuff to the registry but don't bother to actually mark what program added
them. Actually quite stupid, but some programs just work that way.
Q: Even though I have restored a backup it still is in
the backup section, why?
A: If you don't need that backup again,
then just delete it.
Q: Do I have to delete the old
version of RegCleaner before I can install a new one?
A: You
should delete the old version if you are updating from an older version
(e.g. 3.8 -> 4.0) but there´s no reason to do that if you are just
updating to a newer build (e.g. 4.0.740 -> 4.0.744) nor if you are
getting a newer edition (e.g. 4.0 -> 4.1).
Q: How do
I uninstall RegCleaner?
A: Just delete it or use the installer
(Options > RegCleaner > Uninstall RegCleaner)
Q:
Are entries marked with "N/A" always safe to remove?
A: No!
RegCleaner will tell you if there is some generic rules to find most
likely useless entries. For example N/A entries should be safe to delete
in File Types-section.
Q: Is RegCleaner free?
A: Yes, 100% free. No sponsor banners, nothing. A true freeware.
Q: Does RegCleaner contain so-called 'easter eggs?'
A: Yes it does.
Q: What are 'easter eggs?'
A: Hidden features, usually something funny.
Q: Why
doesn't the Uninstall Program or the feature in the Control Panel remove
everything that has been installed from the beginning of the system?
A: First of all, some of the programs you install don't have an
uninstallation program. Most of these applications don't need any special
uninstallation, but some do. Many programs leave theirsettings stored in
the registry, in case that, the user, some day in the future installs it
again, then usersdon't have to set it up, because they did it already.
This on one hand is logical, but on the otherhand, stupid. So there was
really no point to uninstalling it in the first place. But the vast
majority of left-overentries are in the registry because the user didn't
use the uninstaller and just deleted the program's folder.
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DO NOT contact Jouni for documentation!!!
DO NOT contact Adam for the uses or operations of
RegCleaner!!! DO NOT send him language packs either!!!
But feel free to give both of us thanks for the wonderful
program that RegCleaner is.
Happy RegCleaning :) |
|
Copyright 1999-2001 Jouni Vuorio
All Rights
Reserved |