Windows isn't that hard to tidy up, it's just something new to learn.
If you know what you are removing. With the registry it is really hard.
Taking Norton again, if you un-install and use their reg clean up tools, many search the registry for Symantec, Norton, etc there still keys that are left over. There is hardly anyway to know what they go to and even Symantec probably doesn't know all the keys they leave behind.
{0A624A66-269C-11d3-80F4-00C04F68D969}
{11B529F0-7697-11d2-B34C-00104B22D5DF}
{4F9765D0-7907-11d2-B34C-00104B22D5DF}
{5DD3E8C0-7763-11d2-B34C-00104B22D5DF}
{5E07EBA4-B771-11d5-8152-00C04F68D969}
{7D604BFE-AC8F-11d1-9250-0060979C3468}
{CED9D6EE-B91A-11d5-8153-00C04F68D969}
{F01B4B50-775A-11d2-B34C-00104B22D5DF}
{0FD7D204-F362-11D2-80EB-00C04F68D969}
{103363F4-69F9-11D2-B34C-00104B22D5DF}
{7b77f3ef-b300-4413-8a80-6827fe37b694}
{F7B888EE-D30C-11D2-91BE-0020AF24FE3C}
{B2F04430-034A-11D3-9B19-00104B279EC4}
Are a few left over Norton keys and usually each is located in several places. I use to use a program that watched how many keys were added when a program was installed. Many programs add 3000+ reg keys.
Files are easy enough to clean up(even if spread all over). The windows registry on the other hand is just awful. Wish they would spend their billions finding a better option after all these years.