[MachManX]

I'm sure that many of you know what happens when you install/uninstall many applications on Windows...it generally gets slower.  So is there a program that allows me to virtually install and run an application purely from memory w/o using the HDD?  Or perhaps w/o writing to the registry?  Something like a container program?

[Klaustrophobia]

or you could just defrag your disk from time to time. 

[Herra Tohtori]

RegCleaner

[Klaustrophobia]

i prefer CCleaner.  junk files, registry, and startup entries all in one whack. 

[Bobboau]

run windows in an emulator like virtualbox.

[Iss Mneur]

On the topic of virtualization, VMWare ThinApp is a ready made solution.

Sure it is 6000-9000 dollars, but it does work and does do what is wanted.

[karajorma]

You could simply run it as a portable app if one is available.

http://portableapps.com/

[S-99]

You tend to be running a program in memory once you've loaded it from the hard drive
As for stuff getting left behind in the registry in windows when you remove a program. You can blame that on the people who made the program for not doing a very good job with the uninstaller.

There's no reason why quicktime 3.0 still needs to have a record in your registry after it's been uninstalled for conceptionally, years.

I'm sure that many of you know what happens when you install/uninstall many applications on Windows...it generally gets slower.  So is there a program that allows me to virtually install and run an application purely from memory w/o using the HDD?  Or perhaps w/o writing to the registry?  Something like a container program?

You're **** out of luck. Just get used to cleaning out your registry i guess. With the registry in windows, it's just something you'll have to get used too until microsoft does the right thing and gets something better in place of it. Or don't use windows. The virtualization solution in this thread is unnecessary. The portable apps one is better. But, really, why do any of these? Clean out your registry. It's pretty easy. Solutions that make it easy have been mentioned.

Clean your registry, if you're too defiant for doing it, then you suck at windows and computers.

[The E]

In fact, Microsoft is pretty much recommending to not use the registry, but instead use the %APPDATA% folder.

[S-99]

Good to know. Something i don't know about for sure. Which makes me beg the question. How does one not use the registry in place of something else?

[redsniper]

I don't think the end user can. It's up to the software developers to write programs that don't use the registry.

[The E]

Yeah, I should have said that I was talking from a developer's perspective. If you read the Microsoft guides for programming on Windows, they make it pretty clear that the registry is not a very good place to store information about your program.

The reason why it's such a mess is due to the fact that many developers didn't bother to find out how to use the registry properly, and of course due to Microsofts' OS allowing improper use of the registry without so much as a warning in the first place.

[Enigmatic Entity]

This might also be of interest...

Although there are so many things it lists, you have to be careful not to disable important stuff. It also list heaps of things that have crappy names, so you don't even know if they're needed. But, I think it does work well if you know what you're doing.

I might try CCleaner, to see what it's like.

[Tyrian]

Actually, there might be a solution.  Try Sandboxie.  It creates a sandbox on your hard disk, which you can load/install a program into.  It's specifically designed to prevent software from writing back to the hard drive.  Instead, it just imports a copy of what the program needs into the sandbox.  Once you're done, you can just empty the sandbox and your system goes back to the way it was before the program was installed.

Quoted directly from the homepage:

Windows Stays Lean: Prevent wear-and-tear in Windows by installing software into an isolated sandbox.

I use it myself, although just for my web browser.  You'll probably have to make some tweaks to settings to get it to do what you want.

[jr2]

www.sandboxie.com 

[Nuke]

problem: too much software on the system
solution: moar software!

or you can use older programs which keep their settings and files all in one directory. my d drive is full of programs which will run without requiring being installed first. also comes in handy when i back up d. even if i format c and re-install windows they still work, they still hold their settings, and any files i created with it are still there. of course this becomes harder and harder with each iteration of windows and each next generation of software. of course old software still works quite well.

[S-99]

I'd just use sandboxie since that sounds easiest.

[karajorma]

So running a sandbox application and setting it up to work with your chosen application once you have installed that too is easier than simply getting a portable app from the website I linked to and installing it.

[Klaustrophobia]

none of that is as simple as running a defrag and/or registry scan from time to time.

[karajorma]

Bollocks.

Install vs install and have to run a defrag and/or registry scan. Doesn't take a genius to figure out which is easier.

If there is a portable version of a application around then that is the easiest method. I have no idea why people keep telling me that their particular hobby horse is quicker or easier than simply having to double click on an install icon but it's starting to get pretty silly now.