Registry cleaner

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:37 pm

My Windoze laptop is getting dog slow on start up. It was a quite hi-spec Toshiba but it's getting barely usable and is constantly accessing the disk when it does get going. The infernal Norton reports umpteen broken registry links etc and wants more money to solve it. Once upon a time I'd have fired up Regedit (iirc) and hacked about a bit but these days cba.

I'm tempted to take it back to bare metal and install Windoze Pro (as we have no such problem on the tower PC).

I also think Norton is causing many of the problems. I've been lazy because she's got a 3-seat licence on the tower. So I'll probably ditch it in the process.

Q? Anyone know of any good performance utilities that can (safely) debugger the registry? Happy to pay...but not to Norton. I expect a good one will point it's little e-finger at the bloody thing.

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:43 pm

Imho, registry cleaners will give you maybe 0.00001% speed improvement.

Junk Norton for an instant speed up.

Then look at your startup items and running services (tab in task manager), stop anything you think you don't need.

You can always enable them again if something stops working.

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:44 pm

Actually, the services are easier to do using msconfig as you can hide all the kosher m$ ones while reviewing them.

Post by **Rockburner** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:46 pm

As said - junk Norton, it's an enormous memory hog and was superseded for performance about 20 years ago.

If you're thinking of junking windows, perhaps try Ubuntu or similar? The laptop will fly.

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:52 pm

Ta!

One of the main resource eaters according to Task Manager appears to be an MS search thingy. I'll have a delve tomorrow but I was reluctant to stop MS processes.

I'll have a closer look at the startup items...but I haven't added any that I know of. I'll check the printers too...I know that printer drivers used to be a drain from when I had to load more at multiple offices (why they should have an impact I dunno but they did).

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:53 pm

Has it got a spinning disk, a proper hard disk?

If it has then you really really need an SSD replacement.

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 5:10 pm

KungFooBob wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:53 pm Has it got a spinning disk, a proper hard disk?

If it has then you really really need an SSD replacement.

It has indeed got a spinning disk. The tower has an SSD system disk but I installed a spinning one as data disk and that's fine. TBH the laptop doesn't get used much since I got a superwhizzy tablet but would get used more if it was more useable. Connectivity is the + although fewer and fewer things need physical connection. I don't expect it to fly exactly, just boot up in less than 5 or more minutes and respond faster to mouse/keyboard!

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 6:45 pm

The disk could be on it's way out bad sectors will slow it down a lot. Or if it's over 80% full.

Get some cloning software and buy an SSD, it will speed it up ten fold!

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:18 pm

KungFooBob wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 6:45 pm The disk could be on it's way out bad sectors will slow it down a lot. Or if it's over 80% full.

Get some cloning software and buy an SSD, it will speed it up ten fold!

Cloning software? Like?

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:19 pm

It's been a few years since I used it, but the free version of Macrium used to do the job.

Post by **mangocrazy** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:40 pm

Norton is utter garbage and far from preventing nasties getting to your laptop, it is the daddy of all nasties. It's also very resistant to being removed, so my preference would be a fresh install. Unless you use the laptop for a very specific, Windows-only application I'd install a Linux distro - Ubuntu, Kubuntu or Mint. They're all Debian-based and as Rockburner says, you will be amazed by how fast it can run when it doesn't have an MS ball and chain around its legs.

Definitely get an SSD, load the OS to that and use your spinny disk as a data disk.

Post by **ChrisW** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:42 pm

Might be just as well doing a fresh install on the SSD, unless there's anything on the existing one that you're particularly attached to.

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:14 pm

I don't have a particular issue with MS. As mentioned the Pro version works fine on the HP tower on an SSD system disk and is constrained by sys-admin type privileges. (Norton doesn't seem to be a problem on it either). The not-Pro is constantly updating itself. Unsurprising really that Pro puts a crimp on things, an organisation wants to decide what gets updated and when across the IT estate rather than their software provider. So it seems to keep things under control.

I don't really want to go down the Linux rabbit hole tbh.

I have 3 options. (i) get it running in an acceptable fashion (ii) replace it (iii) retire it and just use the HP and tablet.

I'll have a think.

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:16 pm

Pro Vs Home is not causing you speed issues.

The spinning rust is the problem.

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:25 pm

KungFooBob wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:16 pm Pro Vs Home is not causing you speed issues.

The spinning rust is the problem.

I hear you...but why did it run fine before? It's not like my expectations have rocketed in an unreasonable fashion. I'll run some disk checks - but I routinely do disk clean-ups which should lock out bad sectors. I'll exorcise Norton (done it before on devices, it's perfectly simple) and gradually strip it back. Not quite to C:/ .....

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:33 pm

The disk is dying.

It wasn't dying before, but it's dying now. It might not die tomorrow, or next week, but it's on it's way out.

If there's stuff you want to keep, back it up.

Post by **Count Steer** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:09 pm

KungFooBob wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:33 pm The disk is dying.

It wasn't dying before, but it's dying now. It might not die tomorrow, or next week, but it's on it's way out.

If there's stuff you want to keep, back it up.

OK. It's routinely backed up (data)....to a 1Tb spinny drive. A lot of it is in the cloud though. Most HD failures I've experienced have been sudden and terminal.

I think it's time to retire it. Shame. It was a few £ but hey ho it's a few years old.

Edited: the back up drive is a bit bigger than 1Gb

Post by **KungFooBob** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:14 pm

Slot 250gb SSD in it, they're like £20.

Install whatever OS you like.

Felix · Post by **Felix** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:50 pm

I run Ccleaner now and then and as i dont do internet banking or the likes i binned my Anti Virus a few years ago and just rely on the Windows Defender thing. Only time the computer runs slow is if i have the VPN on to watch IPTV and the wife is streaming something else on the TV (Only got 60meg)

Post by **Count Steer** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:46 am

KungFooBob wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:14 pm Slot 250gb SSD in it, they're like £20.

Install whatever OS you like.

£20! Wow. It's not that long ago they cost silly money. I'll investigate.

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