-=PCTechTalk=- Re: RegisteredPackages and Drivers (do I need them?)

 EMMA WRITES:
As to the possible meaning of the acronym "HP," I have to ask if there was a 
space followed a possible additional letter or two? If there is a dash after HP 
followed by other letters, it would have other meanings. If not, besides 
"Hewlett-Packard" it could mean "HoneyPot" which is an Internet server that 
acts to lure potential hackers away. It identifies them and studies their MO so 
your anti-virus companies can figure a way to provide you with an update to 
defeat them. If you have had, even if you don't have one now, an anti-virus 
program, this could have been part of what you downloaded when you got that 
program. It does not protect your computer but could send info back to that AV 
company.

 

As for the Registered Package, not entirely sure but sometimes I know they are 
attached to something in the registry? I don't think I'd delete it until 
someone can come up with a more definitive answer for you. You may have it 
isolated, but your computer may require it? When you boot up, does it take a 
few seconds longer than normal? If that's happened since you isolated it, your 
computer just searched your hard drive for something necessary to complete the 
boot up and then found it in that "isolated" folder. Depending on the speed of 
your chip set, this could be a extra few to 5 or 6 extra seconds to boot. With 
windows XP the additional time would be even less pronounced since in all 
likelihood, a copy that folder would also be in your "Prefetch" folder.

 

If you're sure of your "registry back-up," then go to it, but even with that, I 
wouldn't play around unless I was prepared to reformat the hard drive and start 
all over again. --- Emma

 

ML WRITES:

I had so much trouble using regcleaner programs to remove stuff, two times I 
ended up having to a restore to get the computer working right again...How you 
get programs to remove stuff and get your computer working better than new has 
me stumped. --- ml

 

RESPONSE

Remaining inside this "hidden" hp folder will be the following (these I won't 
touch):

 

1. The "PC Tuneup and Repair" folder holding the Compaq Maintenance .exe file.

 

2. The "Recovery" folder holding deeper inside the Compaq Repair Wizard

 

3. The "Support" folder holding inside the Compaq Support Information (that's 
what pops up when one clicks Ctrl+Alt+S.

 

I have previously removed from this hidden hp folder other folders called bin, 
dticons, dtshortcuts, Iaccess, Kbd, ml, orgtut, patches, region, register, usp, 
and Vinetlink. All these folders were held aside (in my convenient "Hold" 
folder on the desktop), and when I was sure they were not needed, poof, away 
they went. Now if I could only clean out my closets as easily as I do the 
computer!!! I don't exaggerate if I say maybe 80+ heavy folders have gone the 
way of RegisteredPackages with no adverse effects on the system. I wouldn't 
want to hog space on PCTechTalk with details but off the list I'd be glad to 
help.

 

My opinion is that for whatever reason, all manufactures install material on a 
computer that for the user serves no practical purpose. Besides working on a 
computer as one usually does (surfing and researching, building a website 
http://www.geocities.com/buddychai/Navigator.html, communicating, wasting time 
in chatty chatrooms, etc), I find fun in also looking under the hood to see 
what is needed and what is not. That's just a personal preference. 

 

And to answer ML, "how can a computer be made to work better than new" ... 
that's how it is done, just by cleaning out whatever garbage you can find that 
comes pre-installed in any new system. And, of course, it helps to have a 
regular maintenance program using freebies like BeClean, HDValet, Space 
Odyssey, EasyCleaner, Erunt, RegCleaner, RegSeeker, Ad-aware, AVG, CWShredder, 
HijackThis, Spybot, ZoneAlarm ... it is amazing how much accumulates in one 
day; remnants of whatever you are doing, files that clog up the arteries of 
your system. Think of your computer as an organism and keep its cholesterol 
(plaque?) level low and it'll work much better.

 

Considering that all the above subfolders in that hidden hp folder are pretty 
much Compaq material, I'd say hp stood for Hewlett-Packard. It's fun playing 
Columbo when investigating the innards of a computer. --- Harold B. (in 
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, NY; that's part of the Big Apple)

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