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[Sebatianos]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Japofran @ Sep 22 2007, 11:53 PM) [snapback]312555[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sebatianos @ Sep 22 2007, 09:41 PM) [snapback]312545[/snapback]

I'm not sure I'd want just any programe have acces to my computer registry. [/b]

EVERY program you run from an admin account (which is default for Windows and what 99% of people do) has full access to the registry to do as it pleases.
[/b][/quote]
I assumed (maybe falsely) that people acctually do take the bother to protect their registry. In my case my anti-virus software blocks every programe from changing the registry unless I aprove it (so I get about 12 warnings just instaling a simple game) also giving me information on what the programe is trying to do to the registry (add or change a line). But to regestry editing programes it gives free hands (so if I allow the programe to be used, it will have free access to the registry).

That's why I wouldn't like to give a programe I don't trust (which would be just about anything I'd download from the web for free) a free run of my registry. That's even why I don't use skype (the people who made Kazaa made it and it's been trying to do the same things to my registry as if I'd install Kazaa, which I removed years ago, because my PC got too vounrable for my taste).

[Japo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sebatianos @ Sep 23 2007, 07:19 PM) [snapback]312743[/snapback]</div>

In my case my anti-virus software blocks every programe from changing the registry unless I aprove it[/b]

I follow the opposite approach and I think it's simpler. I created a limited user account and that's what I use for everything especially Internet surfing (even Microsoft advises it for XP even though it's not default because most users would be calling tech support the minute after). My admin account isn't used unless necessary, I nearly never log in it because you can run individual programs as admin from any other account with just a right-click, and if you protect the admin account with a password malicious programs won't be able to do the same. Programs that need special permissions are run this way but for the rest I'm certain they're not writting to the registry or even modifying files outside my user's Documents and Settings, even if they tried, and I don't need any third-party security software to be certain of it.

EDIT: I know RegSeeker is more thorough, I may use it some day, it's only that I don't feel it's necessary for the moment being because my computer performs perfectly. CCleaner isn't very aggressive but it does detect outdated classes which are I reckon the biggest burden on performance. Also I'm not frightened to edit the registry manually if I know what I'm hunting down, the remains of a program just uninstalled for instance, I've done that several times. Thank you for reassuring me about RS's accuracy DD, I'll take that into account, anyway I have heard first-hand about its breaking AutoCAD for example (I've got it installed). But I'd bet 95% of programs are unaffected and anyway that's what the backup is for.