hesperis -

WinXP largely does all that for you without the need for any separate program. When you boot up, it automatically looks for any missing pieces in the Registry, and supplies them from a prior Registry backup or attempts to fix things from .cab files on your machine if there's no backup. If "empty" keys exceed a certain number, it compacts the registry to remove them.

About the only way to get any real "Registry bloat" is if you make a habit of deleting program folders instead of properly uninstalling the programs. "WinXP compatible" programs should use a script to install, and the script is executed backwards to to properly uninstall them, so there should be no (unintended) traces in the Registry after a proper uninstall. Any program from an ethical source that doesn't use Windows Add/Remove programs should produce it's own uninstall script to do the same. (Sony and Kazaa obviously are exceptions.)

If you don't use proper uninstall methods, Windows usually will give you some notice about "program/file not found" that will let you go back and do it right. WinXP even has an automated utility to "remove unused programs" if don't use them within a particlar time and you choose to let it do the removal. (Don't worry about it. You have to choose to let it remove them.)

WinXP has a lot of automated management built in, and provides bunches of management tools for your use that make most "add on" utilities that you needed(?) with earlier Win versions simply unnecessary.

Unless you've been naughty (sloppy), or have some other reason to think you have a particular need to clean out your Registry, I'd suggest you just leave it alone.

John