Cleaning out old dll files - advice needed

[joiwind]

I'm looking for a tool that can safely identify and backup then clean out old unused or obsolete dll files.
I am looking at AnalogX's DLLArchive and Nirsoft's RegDllView but I'm not feeling very easy about it, I know that CCleaner can do this to some extent but does anyone have any other suggestions - even to say NO, DON'T DO IT !

[Ath]

Can you give some motivations for cleaning out the DLL's from your system?

[40hz]

Unless you have a very sepecific reason why you'd want to remove 'old' DLLs, I think you'd be much better off leaving them in place rather than try to delete them - unless you're very comfortable with what you're doing.

If it's stuff that accumulates from old programs after you've removed them you're worried about (due to half-assed uninstallers that didn't clean up properly), you can get rid of much of it going forward by using a more thorough removal utility like Revo Uninstaller. There's also a Pro version of it available if you need the extra features it offers. For me, the free edition works just fine. More info and download links here.

FWIW, orphaned DLLs shouldn't become active once a program is uninstalled. So this is one of those situations where the old adage: If it ain't broke - don't fix it! is especially relevant. Because you're much more likely to screw things up by inadvertently removing something you need than you are to experience a performance or security problem leaving it alone.

Just my 2¢ anyway!  

[mouser]

I agree with 40hz.

[joiwind]

Yes, my thoughts too in fact. So why did I want to do this? Well I ran AnalogX's DLLArchive and it found more than 40,000 (I didn't do anything, just checked), and it seems to me that quite some of these dll's are loaded unnecessarily the same way that codecs are loaded even when you don't ask for them. I do install/uninstall lots of apps to test them and during a recent Spring cleaning I began to wonder how many dll's were left over - that was the motivation for this question.

I do use Revo Uninstaller most of the time but it's slowish - more than CCleaner's uninstaller.

So I'll take your kind advice and leaves things alone - thanks.

[app103]

I agree with 40hz too.

The best and safest way to remove "old" dlls from your system is to format, reinstall your OS and all your current software. Anything else is asking for trouble. And I wouldn't even recommend that way unless you are having serious problems that couldn't be fixed any other way.

[40hz]

April and Jessee both agree with me?

Wow! I'm buying me a PowerBall ticket today!