Does Windows rot over time?

[futura2001]

It would be nice if Microsoft or someone over at Neowin would create a tool to clear out some of the bloat every once in a while.
The best way I can think of would be to make a tool you install after a fresh install of Windows or after you install all your programs and set your system up the way you want it. Then, when you install the utility, it would create a log of your current system settings and set those aside as uneditable. As time goes on and more bloat accumulates in your system, run the utility and it will give you the option to delete dlls, reg entries, and whatnot that haven't been used in a certain amount of time since the original log or last scan was performed. Obviously, some files and entries are going to come up that you may want to keep, so it would have to be able to clean things out on a per file/entry basis with a deselect option. Optimally, it would be able to list what program or file each entry is attached to so you don't accidentally delete the driver for your digital camera that you still have but haven't used for a few months because of the often cryptic file naming conventions that are commonly used.
Kind of a CCleaner on steroids.
Just a thought, and I might want to brush up on my windows programming to see how feasible something like that would be...

 

[Duneadan]

windows cleaner

It would be nice if Microsoft or someone over at Neowin would create a tool to clear out some of the bloat every once in a while.
The best way I can think of would be to make a tool you install after a fresh install of Windows or after you install all your programs and set your system up the way you want it. Then, when you install the utility, it would create a log of your current system settings and set those aside as uneditable. As time goes on and more bloat accumulates in your system, run the utility and it will give you the option to delete dlls, reg entries, and whatnot that haven't been used in a certain amount of time since the original log or last scan was performed. Obviously, some files and entries are going to come up that you may want to keep, so it would have to be able to clean things out on a per file/entry basis with a deselect option. Optimally, it would be able to list what program or file each entry is attached to so you don't accidentally delete the driver for your digital camera that you still have but haven't used for a few months because of the often cryptic file naming conventions that are commonly used.
Kind of a CCleaner on steroids.
Just a thought, and I might want to brush up on my windows programming to see how feasible something like that would be...

There are some tools like that out there. And you can run the risk of cleaning the registry yourself.

I think the main reason that MS does not make a utility like that (beyond the scope of system restore) is that it's an extremely dangerous thing to put in the hands of a user that does not really know what he's doing.

On the other hand, the advanced user probably does not need a special tool to do that for him, other than for mere convenience's sake.

Probably a reasonable compromise would be for the uninstaller to tell you what other programs are using a particular DLL when it gives you the option to delete them upon uninstallation.

I agree with your analysis of the problem though. I think that windows is designed such that the registry continues to bloat until it resembles the love child of Jabba the Hut and a Hump Back Whale.

 

[futura2001]

There are some tools out there that do that although there is no single solution, and I currently do much the same thing manually after setting up my system: I create a full registry backup, generate a list of dlls, temp files, uninstall logs, etc. and then when I clean up my system every couple of months, I have something I can look back at and reference.
However, it is a tedious process that takes a couple hours to complete.
A tool would be nice for convenience, even if it did take the same amount of time to accomplish the task. I can defrag my drive and back it up onto an external drive while I sleep. Why should the OS equivalent of brushing your teeth be any more strenuous?

 

[Duneadan]

There are some tools out there that do that although there is no single solution, and I currently do much the same thing manually after setting up my system: I create a full registry backup, generate a list of dlls, temp files, uninstall logs, etc. and then when I clean up my system every couple of months, I have something I can look back at and reference.
However, it is a tedious process that takes a couple hours to complete.
A tool would be nice for convenience, even if it did take the same amount of time to accomplish the task. I can defrag my drive and back it up onto an external drive while I sleep. Why should the OS equivalent of brushing your teeth be any more strenuous?

In a perfect world I would say that doing anything on your computer should be no more strenuous than brushing your teeth. I'm not so sure the analogy quite holds though. Its more like sending your PC to rehab or conducting a full frontal lobotomy. Maybe the perfect analogy to a human would be the process known as (and please pardon the pun) "deprogramming".

 

[Duneadan]

P.S.

There's always the Apple solution: just buy a new computer.

 

[Super Nade]

P.S.

There's always the Apple solution: just buy a new computer.

Well, Apple is overpriced. A bloody rip-off if you ask me. I will NEVER EVER TOUCH a mac product.

 

[cornbread]

I used to bash MS all the time, still do on some issues, but honestly I think most of the problems is software developers, at least some of them. If they would learn how to uninstall programs completely that would be a great start. Never fails, anytime I have to uninstall something I always find junk left over in the registry, Norton is bad for that among others.

I have to say Windows XP is still the most stable OS from Microsoft though, I still hate how they bloat it with junk like WMP, IE, etc...I think people should have a choice. I would support MS more if they offered a barebones OS. Which brings me to my next point, it is rumored* that the next OS from MS will have 8 different versions, I am hoping one will be just a plain ol' OS, nothing else.

*The rumor was actually posted on Microsoft's own website, but published early by mistake and removed, but I read stories about it a few days ago, not much detail though.

 

[Audioaficionado]

I figure if I could make the original OEM 95b install last over five years, then my original installation of XPpro should last as long as I want it to.

I still might scrub it eventually and just migrate to nix full time on my Xeon duallie. I'll wait until I'm done with school after spring term ends. I've got three other computers that are running XP if I need one.

 

[corpsejockey]

I have had horrible experiences just installing winblows, let alone keeping it up and running. Unfortunatly, I am not willing to sacrifice 95% compatibility so I'm stuck like everyone else.

 

[Duneadan]

Which hardware do you have running Win95b?

 

[Audioaficionado]

Which hardware do you have running Win95b?

Nothing now but if I did reinstall it somewhere, I'd do it on my old 486 box LOL.

 

[benbaked]

I used to bash MS all the time, still do on some issues, but honestly I think most of the problems is software developers, at least some of them. If they would learn how to uninstall programs completely that would be a great start. Never fails, anytime I have to uninstall something I always find junk left over in the registry, Norton is bad for that among others.

I have to say Windows XP is still the most stable OS from Microsoft though, I still hate how they bloat it with junk like WMP, IE, etc...I think people should have a choice. I would support MS more if they offered a barebones OS. Which brings me to my next point, it is rumored* that the next OS from MS will have 8 different versions, I am hoping one will be just a plain ol' OS, nothing else.

*The rumor was actually posted on Microsoft's own website, but published early by mistake and removed, but I read stories about it a few days ago, not much detail though.

i heard about these different versions too. they are supposed to have a windows vista starter edition that is more or less quite crippled (you can only run a max of 3 programs at a time and you can't burn/rip media content. the price on that version is supposed to be inexpensive. (to me, inexpensive for an operating system like that is maybe $29.99?)

 

[RoadWarrior]

I always found 95b and 95c very stable on intel 430 series chipsets, had a 6 year+ install on a 430TX + K6 board, that finally fell over last year when the HDD started getting hard errors and I put it out of it's misery. Most rock solid 95 install evarrrr I discovered was on a socket 4 P5 Pentium 66 5V in a 430NX motherboard. Must have been developed on something similar because that was almost unbreakable.

 

[Wathnix]

Sort of our fault too

We the consumers overwhelmingly demand an OS that's backward compatible all the way back to the age of Arrow.exe There is no way that a Clean-Sheet OS has a chance in the market place, we simply won't buy it, so you do have to give M$ a little tiny bit of sympathy for their otherwise crappy stuff

 

[chr0nicles]

windows xp

My dad has a p3 1ghz with 384 ram and it runs xp flawlessly for the past 3-4 years. He does very little websurfing (only to check email, news, do bills). His computer so far hasnt had any slow downs at all. My computer dies cause i surf way to much/ download... and it does slow down and is very annoying. I wish Windows doesnt allow garbage files into your computer that the user doesnt install.

lastly i like free food

 

[Mito]

I'm in love with Win Xp.

 

[Misfit138]

I never thought I would hear myself say this (or see myself type it) but Windows XP is a terrific OS.

1. Installation is a complete BREEZE and takes 20-25 minutes.
2. Driver availability is a joke. Every driver on the planet is available for XP.
3. Installing drivers and downloading them is point and click.
4. Every game on the planet worth playing is for Windows XP/PC.
5. I have had 5 PC's on 24/7 for over a year folding on XP with no issues whatsoever.
6. ANYTHING you can do with a MAC or Linux box can be done on Windows XP....maybe not quite as well (As in audio/video on a Mac) but it can be done.
7. Spyware and Virus issues are easily avoidable in my experience, if one is careful, and have never compromised any of my machines.
8. Booting up takes 15 seconds on a fast machine.
9. The web and and everything else in the world is just made for Windows.
10. It JUST WORKS, no messing around with packages, dependencies, cryptic command line jargon or hours lost on learning them.

I have a Mac I use for video, but EVERYTHING else is just easier and more readily available on Windows XP.

 

[Mito]

I never thought I would hear myself say this (or see myself type it) but Windows XP is a terrific OS.

1. Installation is a complete BREEZE and takes 20-25 minutes.
2. Driver availability is a joke. Every driver on the planet is available for XP.
3. Installing drivers and downloading them is point and click.
4. Every game on the planet worth playing is for Windows XP/PC.
5. I have had 5 PC's on 24/7 for over a year folding on XP with no issues whatsoever.
6. ANYTHING you can do with a MAC or Linux box can be done on Windows XP....maybe not quite as well (As in audio/video on a Mac) but it can be done.
7. Spyware and Virus issues are easily avoidable in my experience, if one is careful, and have never compromised any of my machines.
8. Booting up takes 15 seconds on a fast machine.
9. The web and and everything else in the world is just made for Windows.
10. It JUST WORKS, no messing around with packages, dependencies, cryptic command line jargon or hours lost on learning them.

I have a Mac I use for video, but EVERYTHING else is just easier and more readily available on Windows XP.

I sign under. Agree 100%

 

[Audioaficionado]

Yeah Microsoft finally got XP to the point where it is a very decent OS. I think I'll keep it at least till Vista SP1

 

[tropicaldawn]

My old computer running Win98 is still running fine after 7 years. I still use it for schoolwork.