Question about windows 7 defragger.

[gargus]

Does the defragger that comes with windows 7 do a good job? Or do I need a 3rd party defragger?

I know at one point (awhile back) windows defragger wasn't so good because it didn't defrag files currently in use like windows itself. But that was a decade ago and Im not sure what the current version is like.

Im reloading my game pc and putting my games on it and such and going to defrag after I got everything back on it

 

[clutchc]

It does a fine job. However, it is extremely thorough and as a result, slow. I prefer the free Auslogic Defrag: http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download/
After you have all the Windows Updates installed, and before defragging, run CCleaner and do the clean and Registry portions both. That will clean up any junk files, registry errors, and other resource wasting crap left over.
https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

 

[akjudge]

Just a personal observation (although shared by a lot of experts...)... While CCleaner is very good, I would NOT use the Registry Cleaner part of it. In Windows 7, there is no reason to "routinely" clean the registry. In fact, it is rarely needed or recommended. But that is just my opinion...

 

[MidnightDistort]

I prefer using https://www.piriform.com/defraggler

I don't know about CCleaner's registry cleaner. I use it and don't really have any issues though i do back up my registry before using it in case something does go wrong. Has it caused adverse affects? I figured the registry cleaner would at least help keep your system clean from installation or uninstalls.

 

[clutchc]

CCleaner's registry cleaner is not a severe cleaning tool. It just finds entries that go nowhere. I have used CCleaner for many years; since back when it was called Crap Cleaner. It has NEVER caused me an issue. EVER. And that is over dozens of systems and years of using it. I still use it every day to clean up my 2 personal PCs and my laptop. As a result, my systems(s) are always in perfect shape. But, if you're skittish...

 

[supasieu]

Agreed with clutchc.

 

[akjudge]

From personal experience, I have a different opinion of Registry Cleaners, so while I use CCleaner to clean temp files, etc., I do not use it to clean a Registry, and believe Registry Cleaning is not routinely needed. My problem arose in an astronomical software program (+$500 program), as described below:

The Path value in the App Paths key of the Windows Registry is used by the operating system to determine the location of shared files for a particular executable. In my case (along with others), CCleaner read the Path value as an error, causing the deletion of this Value (pointer), causing a dll file (APOGEE32-dll) not to load, and you guessed it, the program not to launch. The required dll (APOGEE32-dll) was available, but the registry Path had been deleted, making it inaccessible to the program. CCleaner was not alone in doing this -- turns out that Norton Win Doctor (among others) also read the Path as an error, and deleted the value (pointer). The fix for most people was to re-install the software, to get the right Registry key re-installed.

In spite of this, I would continue to use CCleaner Registry Cleaner, but unchecked the box to "fix" this specific Path. But not always being as attentive as I should be, I'd just click "Fix Issues"... and then it would be another re-install. Finally I woke up, re-installed the software, then located the Registry Key, exported it to the desktop, so the next time I got careless I could just put the deleted key back into the registry.

I am NOT faulting CCleaner (nor the software program). I am just pointing out that no Registry Cleaner is absolutely safe. The makers of CCleaner know this, and responsibly give the user a chance to save (export) the Registry before doing any Fixes. They do this because they know that cleaning the registry is not always safe. So if there is a problem after running the Fixes, you can always go back and re-install the registry. This works great, IF you discover the problem in a short period of time. But in my case, along with other astrophotographers, cloudy weather meant I did not discover the problem until weeks later (and several Registry Key additions later)... So re-installing the pre-fix Registry was of no use...

With modern OS, a registry cleaner is not needed as a regular maintenance tool, and potentially can cause problems not immediately discoverable...

 

[clutchc]

@akjudge
Yes, I would be skeptical of a registry cleaning pgm too after all that. But it is hard for me to give up on a pgm that has served me faithfully over many years and made my systems quicker, problem-free, and cleaner. So, while I can understand where you're coming from, I will continue to use and promote CCleaner (including its registry cleaner).
Besides, a cluttered registry with many lines of un-needed code is a time and resource waster and can itself cause issues. So, let's agree to disagree.