Ghostbust your computer

[JerometheGiraff]

I found a great new piece of software, called "Ghostbuster", it's not a program that can eliminate ghosts Rather old device drivers left on your system. Has anyone given this program a go ? I have it installed just worried I "ghost" all my old devices and my system becomes unstable, even though I can create a restore checkpoint.

 

[datapod]

I just checked out this program and I would *not* let it just remove everything it finds. For instance on my Dell it marked "Dell BIOS" as "ghosted." That doesn't sound like a good thing to remove.

Also it listed all of my various flash and external drives as "ghosted" because they are not currently plugged in. While I don't think removing them would hurt anything it would cause Windows to discover them as new next time I used them and reinstall the drivers. Seems like a waste of time.

There was also a whole slew of HID devices and other things that were not clearly identified i.e.. I wouldn't really know what it (the program) was removing so I wouldn't do it.

I did let it remove some things. A long list of HDDs from other peoples systems that I have had mounted externally to work on/retrieve data from over the years and won't likely be connecting again. Also let it remove the drivers for my old processor which I upgraded and won't be putting back in as well as a few other items I felt confident about.

The computer rebooted without incident and I believe the boot time was faster though that is a subjective finding.

My take is that like most programs of it's type if you use it carefully it can be beneficial. I went through all the "ghosted" items line by line and only removed those I could clearly identify and was confident I would not be using again. I would *not* just let it remove what it finds as some of the items it found as "ghosted" were still installed and in use.

HTH
D

 

[Solarstarshines]

I just checked out this program and I would *not* let it just remove everything it finds. For instance on my Dell it marked "Dell BIOS" as "ghosted." That doesn't sound like a good thing to remove.

Also it listed all of my various flash and external drives as "ghosted" because they are not currently plugged in. While I don't think removing them would hurt anything it would cause Windows to discover them as new next time I used them and reinstall the drivers. Seems like a waste of time.

There was also a whole slew of HID devices and other things that were not clearly identified i.e.. I wouldn't really know what it (the program) was removing so I wouldn't do it.

I did let it remove some things. A long list of HDDs from other peoples systems that I have had mounted externally to work on/retrieve data from over the years and won't likely be connecting again. Also let it remove the drivers for my old processor which I upgraded and won't be putting back in as well as a few other items I felt confident about.

The computer rebooted without incident and I believe the boot time was faster though that is a subjective finding.

My take is that like most programs of it's type if you use it carefully it can be beneficial. I went through all the "ghosted" items line by line and only removed those I could clearly identify and was confident I would not be using again. I would *not* just let it remove what it finds as some of the items it found as "ghosted" were still installed and in use.

HTH
D

+1 In General that program will Degrade your performance not help it
it's like Tune up utilities practicly useless but has some useful apps
like switching boot screens and Icon packages with out all the work that goes with it
But programs that Scan your system and find main files to be bad for the unit would cause Alarm what does this program really supposed to do ?

Are there any legit reviews those are questions you should be asking yourself
What is the Benifit in Ghosting your hard drive ?
IMHO when you Install drivers and such you will install over them most likly and those drivers need to remain there in case of something goes wrong it can find a temp driver to use

Now if you happend to remove that particular driver because you thought it was a problem you might cause more damage then good and a full install might be required

 

[DeaconFrost]

I'm always of the school of thought that there's no need to let a program try to do a simple task for you automatically. You just increase your chances of issues. If you have old or rogue drivers on a system, that means you aren't properly maintaining it.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I'm always of the school of thought that there's no need to let a program try to do a simple task for you automatically. You just increase your chances of issues. If you have old or rogue drivers on a system, that means you aren't properly maintaining it.

I decided not to run the program. Wait for something better to come along

 

[DeaconFrost]

I wouldn't bother waiting for "something better". You don't need any additional software to make sure old drivers are gone from your system. That's a normal part of regular caretaking.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I wouldn't bother waiting for "something better". You don't need any additional software to make sure old drivers are gone from your system. That's a normal part of regular caretaking.

Well I'm not literally going to twiddle my thumbs and wait. When and if someone develops something better then it comes. What is your method for removing old CPU info that windows has stored etc ?

 

[kegobeer]

Well I'm not literally going to twiddle my thumbs and wait. When and if someone develops something better then it comes. What is your method for removing old CPU info that windows has stored etc ?

I don't do any cleaning or registry editing or anything along those lines. I stopped doing that with Vista. I have multiple Windows 7 systems that have been up and running since 7 went gold, and they work great.

 

[DeaconFrost]

What is your method for removing old CPU info that windows has stored etc ?

What CPU info do you mean? What makes you think something needs to be removed if you swap CPUs?

 

[JerometheGiraff]

What is your method for removing old CPU info that windows has stored etc ?

What CPU info do you mean? What makes you think something needs to be removed if you swap CPUs?

I only brought it up, because the program 'Ghost Buster' showed something related to the CPU, I removed the program so I'd have to install it again to explain in more depth. I realize there is nothing that effects the computer when the CPU is replaced.

 

[DeaconFrost]

I think that's the point we're trying to get across to you. Software like that is useless, and can often "invent" issues to make you think it is doing something worthwhile. Don't blindly trust software that claims to do things for you "automatically".

If you just learn proper maintenance and clean up processes, there's no need to even be thinking about any software like this, or hoping for something better. You have everything you need right in front of you already.

 

[Solarstarshines]

+1