Hi Rob,

Most cleaners will search for a fix. As part of this, they will search your
hard drives for a matching file name. Sometimes, this links to the wrong
file - the registry entry should have been deleted. I did not motion Norton
Utilities which also has a registry cleaner. That one is actually fairly
safe to use (in my view) and gives you some choices. However, Norton carries
a big overhead and I am not currently using it (although I do own the latest
version).

When I say damage to the registry, what I mean is that some legitimate
values may be removed. This will cause some programs to work improperly. I
have not run into the OS (system) failures as a result of cleaning (so far
at least). When a program starts misbehaving after a cleaning, it is hard to
identify the problem, and a reinstall may be the easiest solution. Not a
great problem, but still a nuisance.

Peter
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-----Original Message-----
< I must also say that some of these tools can also damage your registry if
you are not aware of what is being done. So... the tools are useful, but use
with caution.>

Peter, could you give an example of this, along with any tips for avoiding
damage and how to be cautious in the use of cleaners? 

Rob

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