CCcleaner/Registry Mechanic question
 

my system is a 1 yearish old Dell with XP.
hey all, so I had an odd dll go missing and came here looking into the freeware thread for maintenance tools. Ccleaner seemed to be what I needed, so I downloaded it and installed.

it told me I had 690 issues and that this free trial would fix 6 of them :thumbsup:

heh, I looked into the cost..$29.99 or whatever. not bad if it works.

just recently I've also had an odd explorer error (need to shut down, send error report) but I don't actually see any problems with functionality, nothing is slow and all seems to be working ok.

anyway, I noticed an offer on the site (pctools) after installing an offer for online chat about my problem. the chat person then got me on the phone and encouraged me to buy the Spyware Dr. and Registry Mechanic and honestly, she kinda use some scare tactics. she wanted me to pay via phone so I wouldn't risk using my cc info over my infested computer.

she also thought if I had 690 issues showing, I probably had 1000 issues but I won't get the "deep scan" unless I pay for the tools.

oop !! interesting, Registry Mechanic just popped itself up on my screen as I'm typing now after I had closed it. not a good sign. :orly:

well, I'm not sure what the deal is about the dll file, or the explorer error thing, but aside from that the machine seems to be running fine as usual.

what course of action should I look into now ?

oh and what is the deal about Windows Genuine Advantage ? ( laugh at me, it's OK)
should I follow through with it or is it BS ? I ask here because I don't know if I trust what I read at on other random search results.

thanks for your time ! :)

It's been a few years since I've done Windows, but I don't recall Ccleaner (note, that's 2 'c's, not 3) requiring a payment. Are you sure you got the right one?

If you're using Piriform CCleaner, it's free. And it's good. It will fix all the issues it finds, not just a select few. It may take a few iterations if you have a badly cluttered registry, but it will work.

In addition, I suggest you use (if you're not already) Spybot Search & Destroy, and Lavasoft's AdAware. Both have free versions that work wonderfully for different things. They should be installed and run regularly as adjuncts to your firewall and anti-virus software.

Thanks. I do have adaware...it found nothing. I think I have the wrong ccleaner ;) thanks !

ok GreyWolf, got it and it worked well I think. no more dll warning, seems to have done the trick along with cleaning up a bunch of old uninstall bits and pieces. nice interface for selecting cookies to save too.

the PCTools Ccleaner I got was definitely not the same thing. definitely a HIGH pressure sale program there, warning me of all manner of issues on my comp when McAfee and Ad-Aware found nothing.

Glad you got the issue righted there, boink.

(I also second GreyWolf's recommendion for the Spyboy Search and Destroy accessory program. Working in conjunction with CCleeaner and my anti-virus, I've had no more than 3 minor issues over the course of 4+ years related to trojans/malwares, and this one time, a keylogger.)

I have Spybot S&D on my old NT computer, it did help me once but the warnings of it's usage by uninformed non geeks kinda spooked me. but either way I suppose I should get it again for diagnostics. I remember people would ask for it's scanning results while helping one out with problems.
ZoneAlarm, AdAware Spybot S&D kept my old NT workstation going fine for 10 years. :)

Download Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware. It's the best adware/spyware/virus cleaner on the market IMO. Press F8 when computer is booting up and choose safe mode, then run a full scan in safe mode.

Also, try Hitman Pro which quotes itself as "second opinion scanner". It's found a few things that malwarebytes didn't pick up and it has one of the lowest footprints out on the market. If you have ran everything else already, try it out.

I was using a few of the tools Trend Micro bought out.. (hired the programmer so his tools are being passed on for free there) ..

hijackthis
Dr Delete (when all you want to do is remove it - no questions asked)