tech thoughts on Norton by Symantec & registry cleaners

[Dee0900]

Hi all, I am looking for thoughts/opinions/suggestions/advice in regards to protecting my desktop PC (I know my way around a PC but am in way an advanced user :-).

I am currently using Firefox as a web-browser and have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Home Premium, McAfee Live Safe full version(which came with PC purchase) and SUPERAntiSpyware Pro. Do I have too much going on here? Are there better programs available? What types of protection should I be looking for if my PC is used for operating an ecommerce site on shopify.com, online banking, bill paying, email etc....I was looking at Norton by Symantec but I really don't know what I need or if I need to change anything  ....Any tips or advice would be great!    Also are registry cleaners any good? I have the free version of CCleaner.

Cheers!

[David H. Lipman]

Registry Cleaning is a myth.  Registry Cleaners are Snake Oil

Computer software such as anti malware is a safety net.  Your security and safety using a computer is more about what you do and do not do than what software you install.

A perfect example of that is your decisions on installing software such as Snake Oil remedies.

[Gt-truth]

then I wondering why is so many security company has or goes to make its own crap of registry cleaner etc ?

security company should not to push out their crap to get paid ?

Edited November 20, 2016 by Gt-truth

[Aura]

19 hours ago, Gt-truth said:

then I wondering why is so many security company has or goes to make its own crap of registry cleaner etc ?

security company should not to push out their crap to get paid ?

Because they love money obviously. 

Adding to what @David H. Lipman said (with the awesome GIF!).

 

Registry Cleaners are known to be harmful to the system and should not be used for any reason there is. It's a known fact that using these programs can easily break a Windows installation, to the point where a complete reinstallation might be needed. Here's a few myths about using these programs, and why they are just plainly false.

• "Using a Registry Cleaner will improve a system's performance" - False. The Windows Registry is a big database which contains information on everything present on the system, from the boot settings to how your programs looks when you open them. There's so many entries in it that cleaning even thousands of them isn't enough to boost a system performance. Also, there's no studies, tests, benchmarks, etc. which shows that using Registry Cleaners actually improve a system speed;
• "Using a Registry Cleaner will fix all your errors" - False. Using a Registry Cleaner won't fix any problems at all. In fact, it have more chances to create them if anything. There's no program that can fix every problems in a simple click, and there probably never will. If you have an error, it's better to troubleshoot that error in particuliar by finding what's causing it and fixing it than using a software that might give you more errors;
• "If you don't use a Registry Cleaner, you'll leave a door open for malware" - False. It is rare that malware will actually hijack orpheans keys and keypairs in the Registry to create persistence or install themself. They'll usually create their own keys/keypairs since they have been instructed (coded) to do so, and the creator cannot expect every system he'll infect to have leftover keys. Also, pretty much only Reg Loading Points in the Registry would be of any interest for a malware to hijack, and these are usually occupied already, or quickly deleted when empty;
• Registry Cleaners aren't Registry Defraggers - These are two different kind of software who have two distinct function each.
• On a last note, there's a lot of Registry Cleaners out here that won't create a back-up of your Registry before applying the changes they make. Which means that if you use them and clean entries that prevents Windows to reboot after, locking you out of your computer, you won't be able to restore a precedent Registry back-up via the Recovery PE. This means that if you can't fix the boot issue after that, you'll most likely be forced to reinstall Windows;
  

Registry Cleaners were used back in the days by developers who were using a OLE-schema for their applications. They used these to clean the Registry after uninstalling their programs, just in case there was traces of it left behind that could affect a reinstallation. These were back in the Windows 95 and Windows 98 days and this practice isn't in effect anymore. Therefore, there's no reason for you to use such programs and quite a few to avoid them instead.

Here's more articles on Registry Cleaners that are worth a read if you want to learn more about them and why you shouldn't use them.

• Microsoft support policy for the use of registry cleaning utilities
• Registry Cleaners: Digital Snake Oil - Malwarebytes
• Registry Cleaner FAQ - PC Support
• Speech from Animal, BleepingComputer Site Admin, on Registry Cleaners
• Speech from quietman7, BleepingComputer Staff and Microsoft MVP, on Registry Cleaners
• Why Using a Registry Cleaner Won't Speed Up Your PC or Fix Crashes - HowToGeek
• Microsoft does not support use of Registry Cleaners in Windows - The Windows Club
• Registry Cleaners Pros and Cons on Wikipedia - Notice how there's barely any pro, and multiple cons to Registry Cleaners.