Solved Registry defrag results in locked/frozen system

Cytherian

Vista Guru
[Note: System is an HP dv5t with dual core 2.53GHz CPU, 4Gb RAM, and 10% free disk space running Vista x64 Home Premium]

In an attempt to further improve my system performance, I embarked on the task of doing a Registry Defrag. This was suggested in a few different postings I'd read about Windows Vista optimization.

I downloaded three programs to try out: Free Registry Defrag, WinASO Registry Optimizer, and Auslogics Registry Defrag.

I tried each one after shutting down all applications (including the widget sidebar). In all cases, as the analysis process proceeds I don't touch anything else on the computer. About 10 to 15 minutes into the process, I begin to wonder what's taking so long. In two of them, a progress bar gets to 99% and just sits there. Another shows 3 out of 13 tasks and also can't seem to go beyond this.

At about this point, my user interface freezes in various stages. I can move my mouse, but I can't launch anything new from the Start Menu, or click on a desktop icon. Then, my cursor becomes unresponsive to my external mouse or touchpad. I also start to notice that the clock in the lower right corner is no longer updating. Other times I walked away for about 20 minutes and came back to see that my screen went to sleep (but all lights show active). Touching the mouse should "wake up" the screen, but nothing happens. The user interface is unresponsive.

Why... why do 3 different applications freeze up on me like this? Is Registry Defragging fraught with problems? Or, is it possible that some background process is interfering with it, something that the programs don't bother to detect before proceeding? Any ideas? :huh:
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
As far as I am concerned, the defraggers will not do much good. Stop using them. If you have a problem with your system, use System Restore to go back to where you were and then do not use the degfraggers. MS has made Vista to be maintained with a minimum of effort.

For best results follow these steps for the optimum performance.
To maintain your computer

10 Tips on How to Properly Maintain Your Computer

Steps that I did not notice on the guide include:

10 Tips on How to Properly Maintain Your Computer

Steps that I did not notice on the guide include:

Running a scan disc before doing a defrag

Making System Restore points, at least once a week

Makaing a system Image once a month (varies by user)

Not relying on your A/V common sense, should prevail. You know of many sites can cause a problem.

Do not use any reg cleaning or optimizing software, regardless of recommendation in the article

Download and use [COLOR=#3485BD !important][COLOR=#3485BD !important]Ccleaner[/COLOR][/COLOR] about once every two months. Untick any [COLOR=#3485BD !important][COLOR=#3485BD !important]registry [COLOR=#3485BD !important]entries[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
http://www.piriform.com/

Download and use PSI, to to be sure that all of your software is up to date
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/

If you follow these instructions, you will be trouble free for a long time to come.

Be sure to back up your hard drive about once a month (varies by user) and to keeep system restore points up to date.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...er-performance

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/81176-speed-up-performance-vista.html
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Hi Rich,
Thanks for your response. So, from what I gather in your message, the whole idea of "registry fragmentation" is kind of like snake oil? That Vista is perfectly capable of keeping the registry in order, unlike the plethora of temporary files that Windows operating systems seem intrinsically destined to leave lying around? ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
I agree. Don't use registry defraggers, optimizers, or cleaners. You are best off leaving it alone.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
I agree with your statments, Cytherian.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Thanks. I have experienced a little improvement after having followed the basic advice. I had subsequently installed "PC Speed Up" to have an "alternate opinion", but it ended up as a rabbit chase with more aggravation than it was worth. The software warned of thousands of "junk" files that supposedly slows down the system, but that's far from the truth. It exaggerated on the effects of various services starting that would slow down the boot up. Also, the software itself slows down start-up by about 50% just to assess it... and would repeatedly do it upon each reboot (I'm guessing until I register for the paid version.) Well, I got rid of that junk straight off. :o
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
To get rid of your junk files, download and use Ccleaner, its safe and effective.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Yep, I did that earlier (Piriform CC Cleaner). You'd think that there wouldn't be anything else left to throw away, so subsequent programs that claim differently leave one to suspect if they're really correct.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
You are much better off going with the safe (that removes less) than taking a chance. Although, I have Seven, it is very similar to Vista, I have no problems and I follow the instructions that I gave you. If you do nothing else be very, very careful with reg cleaners, defraggers etc.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
I always backup my registry before doing anything, as the backup file becomes very small when compressed so it's a no brainer for the added safety.

Incidentally, are you running Windows 7 Ultimate? I'm on Home Premium Vista, but thinking of upgrading to Ultimate so that I can leverage things like multiple virtual machines. And with all the hype about Windows 8 going, I imagine Vista Ultimate could be had for less than the going rate about a year ago.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
I, and most of the senior members at the Seven Forum, have Seven Home Premium, it serves all our needs. You needs seem to differ, a bit.
Allow me to give you a little heads up. I had Vista, I went to Seven because Microsoft had a pre order deal. Seven was issued Oct /09. I bought Seven, July/09. Total cost $49.99. Had to wait 3 months to get my CD. I mention this in case you want the most up to date, you may want to see if something similar is offered.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Thanks. Given how Windows 8 is slated to be released sometime towards the end of the year, I expect a similar deal might be had in the late summer/early fall. If I don't manage to snag a great deal on an upgrade to Vista Ultimate by then, I'll keep a look out. From the chatter I read about concerning Windows 7, it appears that the discount was a very short window of buying opportunity (like 2 weeks). If it does come up, I expect there should be some chatter about it in Eight Forums, is that fair to assume?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
Yes, you might be wise to check out the Eight Forums. If I hear anything I will post, it too, in this Forum.
http://www.eightforums.com/
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Thank you my friend for your rep support and kind words. I know that you will appreciate the following information
Pre-Order Windows 8 - Everything Microsoft
I feel obligated to advise you that this site will most likely send information not requested if you sign up; you may just want to watch it for updates on Windows 8. The choice is yours to be notified (by signing up) or or just watching.
I will be interested in knowing what OS, you finally decide to use.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
I always backup my registry before doing anything, as the backup file becomes very small when compressed so it's a no brainer for the added safety.

Incidentally, are you running Windows 7 Ultimate? I'm on Home Premium Vista, but thinking of upgrading to Ultimate so that I can leverage things like multiple virtual machines. And with all the hype about Windows 8 going, I imagine Vista Ultimate could be had for less than the going rate about a year ago.

I'm on Windows 7 Ultimate :) I was lucky enough to get a student upgrade disc for £50. I have to admit though, I don't use many of the features - I might as well be running Professional or Home Premium. I got Ultimate because it was the only upgrade available from Vista HP.

I know your problem has been solved now, but I thought I might as well share my thoughts. What do you backup your registry with? I would recommend setting up a daily backup with ERUNT:

Automatically Backup your Windows Vista Registry daily using ERUNT - The Winhelponline Blog

Lars Hederer (the person who made ERUNT) also makes something called NTREGOPT - a registry optimiser for Windows NT.

ERUNT and NTREGOPT

This is different to other registry optimisers though:

Note that the program does NOT change the contents of the registry in
any way, nor does it physically defrag the registry files on the drive
(as the PageDefrag program from SysInternals does). The optimization
done by NTREGOPT is simply compacting the registry hives to the
minimum size possible.

I've used NTREGOPT before and didn't experience any noticeable speed increases, it did a good job of cutting down the file size though :)

Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Build #1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3770K @4.4GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz Low Profile (White)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 (2GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Integrated on motherboard
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    23" LG LCD/LED IPS
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 128GB SSD
    Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm
    2x500GB Seagate FreeAgent 5400rpm
    PSU
    Corsair TX650W V2 (80+ Bronze)
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 410
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    Corsair H100 Water Cooler, 1x140mm and 1x120mm stock fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    95 Mb/s Download 70 Mb/s Upload
I always backup my registry before doing anything, as the backup file becomes very small when compressed so it's a no brainer for the added safety.

Incidentally, are you running Windows 7 Ultimate? I'm on Home Premium Vista, but thinking of upgrading to Ultimate so that I can leverage things like multiple virtual machines. And with all the hype about Windows 8 going, I imagine Vista Ultimate could be had for less than the going rate about a year ago.

I picked up Vista Ultimate on ebay, in a box, good COA, for 60 dollars shipped free on a "best offer" sale. I have 7 at work and love Vista Ultimate more. I actually replaced 7 home premium on my home computer with a clean Vista Ultimate install and it is so responsive and smooth and I have not seen any overriding advantage to 7 Enterprise, which is what I use at work.
 
Last edited:

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System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq/sr5610f
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    AMD Athlon 64 X2
    Memory
    3 gig.
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    none
    Sound Card
    none
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 21 inch.
You're welcome, Rich. :)

Tom, thanks for the heads up on that. I had seen ERUNT earlier but didn't get around to trying it. I do tend to believe that Microsoft engineers wouldn't be so remiss as to let the registry become a tangled defragmented mess over time. The file size is a different story. While compacting it isn't much of a concern from the size perspective, because hard drive space is ample relative to the registry size, I prefer doing it because it keeps things a little cleaner. Every little bit helps.

Frankly, I think it overkill to back up your registry every time you start the operating system. Maybe after installing a new program, though. I'll have to check into ERUNT again and review the options.


Well, after seeing only marginal performance improvements reported with Windows 7, and just the convenience of more codecs installed by default, I decided to go for an upgrade to Vista Ultimate. I want to have the flexibility of running a VM whenever I want (something you can't do with Home Premium). Being able to launch Linux or any other OS at will without having to go through the trouble of partitioning a hard drive and installing a boot manager feels a bit better to me. Also, it allows you to have a temporary sandbox to try out a bunch of software experiments that is easily rolled back simply by closing down the VM. I don't like how a lot of software leaves remnants in the registry after uninstalling. Anyway, hopefully the upgrade will go smoothly.

One other thing... with some of the desktop menu add-ons possible like Vista Start Menu and RocketDock, Vista gains a near Windows 7/Mac OS kind of feel. It's like getting a new OS with little effort/expense. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
You're welcome, Rich. :)

Tom, thanks for the heads up on that. I had seen ERUNT earlier but didn't get around to trying it. I do tend to believe that Microsoft engineers wouldn't be so remiss as to let the registry become a tangled defragmented mess over time. The file size is a different story. While compacting it isn't much of a concern from the size perspective, because hard drive space is ample relative to the registry size, I prefer doing it because it keeps things a little cleaner. Every little bit helps.

No problem :) Thanks for the rep.

Frankly, I think it overkill to back up your registry every time you start the operating system. Maybe after installing a new program, though. I'll have to check into ERUNT again and review the options.

Yes, I do see your point. Perhaps I fiddle with my registry too much then! I just about killed my computer last week whilst testing Combofix.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Build #1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3770K @4.4GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz Low Profile (White)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 (2GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Integrated on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" LG LCD/LED IPS
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 128GB SSD
    Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm
    2x500GB Seagate FreeAgent 5400rpm
    PSU
    Corsair TX650W V2 (80+ Bronze)
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 410
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 Water Cooler, 1x140mm and 1x120mm stock fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    95 Mb/s Download 70 Mb/s Upload
You're welcome. :)

Ah, if you love to fiddle, you should definitely utilize virtual machines! You can play all you want then scrap it all with no harm done to your OS. Then after proving something works for you, install it for more long term use. Of course, the only real trouble with a virtual machine is that an operating system installation can't be a duplicate license.

But I guess you could also set a restore point and then roll back to it if things getting a little dicey.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
I would love to be able to run a Virtual Machine but I simply don't have the computer for it :( My 2GHz CPU and 2GB RAM can't cope very well. I can just about get by with an XP VM, but it's horribly laggy. Once I've built my new computer, I'll see how that fares with them. Thanks for the tip :) I think I've got a few licenses left on my Windows 7 disc, if not, I'll go back to Vista HP.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Build #1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3770K @4.4GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz Low Profile (White)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 (2GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Integrated on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" LG LCD/LED IPS
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 128GB SSD
    Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm
    2x500GB Seagate FreeAgent 5400rpm
    PSU
    Corsair TX650W V2 (80+ Bronze)
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 410
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 Water Cooler, 1x140mm and 1x120mm stock fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    95 Mb/s Download 70 Mb/s Upload
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