Disk cleanup abruptly quit working in the middle of cleaning up. I found instructions to find the folloring Registry key - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches - and delete Compress old files. I did this and it did not work. When I run disk cleanup, it runs for a few seconds and ends. No messages, no nothing. Thank you!

Give up and get CCleaner (http://www.CCleaner.com) instead.
Does a better job then the inbuilt Micor$oft program, as well as registry cleaning and optimising of start up programs.

Yes, CC Cleaner is pretty cool :)
But why the Windows Disk Clean Up should crash is a mystery - it's a bit crappy but it's very stable (being part of the operating system).

I think you should completely reinstall Windows; it's a sign of other potential problems.

Hi,
Try the below Microsoft link which could help you to solve your problem.

The Disk Cleanup tool stops responding (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=823302)

infokit51 disagrees: I have ran RegCure to no avail

Infokit51, where in my answer did I say ANYTHING about RegCure.
The program I mentioned was CCleaner !

Reg Cure is listed as a rogue program on some sites. It would be a good idea to delete it - it may even have been the cause of your problem.

CC Cleaner and Easy Cleaner are both safe to use.