Using a Registry cleaner

A Registry cleaner is a maintenance tool that cleans up the mess that can accumulate in your Windows Registry. The Registry is where your computer keeps the important information to keep your system running: device drivers, applications, and services, among other data. Entries are regularly read, written, and deleted, causing fragmentation over time. Errors and unused entries can build up and slow down your computer. A Registry cleaner can mop up the orphaned and old entries, as well as fix errors. Some cleaners also feature optimizers that defrag the Registry to compact the entries. You should be careful in choosing a Registry cleaner though and do some research to find a trustworthy one.

Backups

Making backup copies of your files ensures that you have something to fall back on in the unfortunate case of your system crashing on you. You probably have backups of files, but you’d want to make a backup of your Registry as well.  Some Registry cleaners automatically make backups before they start cleaning, so you can be sure that you can restore from a backup in case something goes wrong. Also, make it a point to set a restore point in System Restore before you install an application or a program.

Clean your computer

Your computer has to be clean inside and out to ensure smooth operation. Dust can build up on your CPU’s heat sinks and fans and this can slow down your computer considerably. Open up your desktop and use compressed air to get rid of the dust. Be sure to take care of the power unit’s air intake as well.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. These simple maintenance steps should keep your computer in tip-top shape and prolong its life.

We’ve looked at the Registry Booster trial version, and today we’ll examine this program’s full features. This Registry cleaner, like all programs of this sort, is made specifically to scan for errors and to remove those from your Windows Registry. As the name suggests though, the Registry Booster gives your system an additional tune up to improve its performance.

Registry Booster Features

This Registry cleaner offers an efficient deep scanner that will check for erroneous, unused, and obsolete entries. Additionally, it comes with a defragmenter that will optimize your Registry after cleaning. As you have probably noticed, Uniblue’s Registry Booster doesn’t complicate the cleaning process so users can get their systems in order with just a click.

The Registry Booster comes with a clean, tabbed user interface that’s easy enough to understand. There are four tabs: Overview, Registry Scan, Restore, and Settings. In the Overview tab, you get a general idea of your Registry’s status. It shows the damage level and number of errors found. From there you can click on the Start scan button to start a new scan and you can also click Fix errors to have the errors taken care of accordingly.

The Registry Scan tab displays the errors found in your system, with the errors divided into three sections: System related, User related, and Third party related errors. You also get a general overview of each Registry section’s damage level. Under the tab, you can see the latest scan results, ignore list, repair logs, and the Registry defrag option. The Restore tab, on the other hand, offers a full backup of your Windows Registry in case your system becomes unstable after changes are made. Having a backup will allow you to restore your system to a previously stable state. Lastly, the Settings tab will allow you to tweak the program’s settings to your preferences.

Additional Notes

Compared to other Registry cleaner programs, the Registry Booster doesn’t really offer anything new – but it does boast of effectiveness and efficiency. With one click, you’ll get your Windows Registry cleaned and optimized and if you’re looking for something to do just that, then the Registry Booster is worth looking into. You can get a license for this software for US$ 29.95, though before purchasing it, we suggest you try out the free trial first. Also, Registry Booster comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can just return it in case you are not happy with its performance.

Product Features

Like other Registry cleaner programs, Clean My PC will check your database’s integrity and create a backup and restore point, in addition to checking keys for shared DLLs, application paths, Windows fonts, and COM/ActiveX. It will check for uninstall entries, and other keys, along with your Windows startup items. Generally, Registry cleaners scan for redundant or obsolete keys and deal with them appropriately.

The Clean My PC Registry cleaner goes the extra mile with a defragmenter and compacter, a built-in scheduler, a startup manager, a privacy eraser, and an additional security feature. The Registry Defrag feature basically compacts and puts your entries in order for easier and faster access, while the privacy eraser works to hide your tracks, like the recent documents accessed, cookies, sites visited, files in the Recycle Bin, and other Recent file lists and caches. This cleaner provides additional security as it prevents Trojans and spyware from wreaking havoc in your Registry. With the Windows Startup Manager, you can optimize your PC’s boot time by eliminating unnecessary programs that start on boot.

With all of these features, you can ensure that your computer runs like a dream and is kept safe from malicious software.

Additional Notes

Clean My PC works with many different Windows platforms, basically every version from Windows 98 up to Windows 7. So whether you’re using Vista, a 32-bit or a 64-bit operating system, this Registry cleaner will work on your PC. If you want to try out this Registry cleaner, you can with its free trial version. As you can probably guess, the free trial is limited and you can only use Clean My PC for 15 days.

If you’re interested in getting this Registry cleaner (or any cleaner for that matter), we urge you to try the trial version first to see how it performs. Click here for full version

As we’ve probably mentioned this before, but we’ll say it again: there are lots of registry cleaner programs available online. They vary widely in terms of effectiveness, features, user-friendliness, and prices, among other things, and it can be pretty challenging to find a registry cleaner that offers a balance of all those things. Advanced Registry Optimizer is one good candidate for something that is very user-friendly, packed with features, and is fairly easy to use even for inexperienced users.

Advanced Registry Optimizer features

Advanced Registry Optimizer has actually been updated and the name has been changed to Advanced Repair and Optimization (or ARO 2011) to better describe what the software does. (It’s still better known as the former though.) So what has changed in newest version of ARO? It feels more like an all-around PC maintenance tool rather than just a simple registry cleaner. It features five tabs: Status, Cleanup, Optimize, Backup, and Settings. They’re pretty self explanatory: Status displays your PC’s current status, while Cleanup gets rid of temporary internet files and other “junk” system files like outdated shortcuts, memory dumps, and temporary files.

Additionally, the Cleanup tab categorizes scan results into three labels: Registry, Junk, and Security. As you may have surmised, Advanced Registry Optimizer actually scans for vulnerabilities in all three categories, thus optimizing and ensuring the safety of your system. Before the scan, this registry cleaner creates a backup and restore point so you can rest assured that you can revert to an old state in case you don’t like some of the changes or if anything else happens. ARO 2011 also features a registry optimizer that defrags registry entries to provide a faster boot.

Advanced Registry Optimizer Reviews

According to CNET editors (who gave the Advanced Registry Optimizer a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars), this registry cleaner offers a deep system scan and a thorough cleaning – and it does both safely. They pointed out three things that they liked in particular: the automatic backup and creation of system restore point, the user-friendly descriptions on each feature, and the safe but deep scanning it offers.

Users though rated the Advanced Registry Optimizer an average of 2.5 out of 5 stars. The most common user complaint is that this registry cleaner program’s trial period is only limited to fixing 100 errors. Though this is more than the other free trials out there, some users are not pleased with the limit in the service. At any rate, it’s still recommended that you install a free trial before purchasing the program to see if it’s for you or not.

Registry Mechanic: Features

This Registry maintenance tool doesn’t just offer the basic services of a typical registry cleaner; it also provides Registry optimization and defragmentation, as well as tune up, monitoring, and other services. It features three categories: Optimize, Monitor, and Windows. It also has a Help Center and Options sections. Under Optimize, you’ll find Deep Scan which offers a comprehensive scan of your Windows Registry. Registry Mechanic also has a defragger that should get your Registry entries in order and a tune up services option that speeds up your computer’s boot time. The Monitor tab lets you see your system’s general performance (behaviours and services, among other things). The Windows Tools tab provides links to tools that come with the operating system, thus offering the convenience of finding these system tools in one place.

You can choose doing Recommended or Minimal scans, and if you’re an experienced user, you can customize the things you want done as well. You’d also appreciate that the Registry Mechanic makes backups so you can easily restore your system should anything go wrong while you’re cleaning up your Registry.

Satisfaction

This registry cleaner got a CNET editor rating of Outstanding with four and a half stars, while user rating averages at three stars. Users pointed out its advantages: ease of use, clean interface, thorough documentation, and wide array of registry maintenance and optimization tools.

You can try out the trial version of the Registry Mechanic, though like others, its trial version is fairly limited and you can only repair 6 sections of your Registry with it. If you’re trying it out, be sure to clean up parts of your Registry you can verify so you can see the difference. All things said, the Registry Mechanic is a good registry cleaner and considering extras that come with it, it’s a neat package for its price.

Product Features

First of all, the Registry Reviver has a comprehensive scan that will check your Windows Registry for obsolete, unused, and redundant entries. Erroneous entries in your Registry can be pretty troublesome as those can cause errors, system instability, and in severe cases, even system failure. Unfortunately, you may not even know there are errors in your system until the problems come knocking at your door in the form of system errors. With this Registry cleaner, you get a diagnosis of your Registry’s integrity, so you know which parts of your system need to be taken care of. You don’t even have to take care of it yourself, as the Registry Reviver will do the repairing for you.

In addition to the scan and repair functions, the Registry Reviver also features a backup function that creates a copy of your Registry. As you may have guessed, this is to ensure that you have a safety net in case something goes awry after a repair. The developers of this Registry cleaner have you covered in that department; in fact, they even included a Reverse Repair feature in the program.

Another feature you’d likely appreciate is the Startup Manager. This allows you to check which programs are launched when you turn on your computer, ensuring that miscellaneous applications don’t bog down your system at boot.

Additional Notes

According to RiverSoft’s site, purchasing the Registry Reviver is risk-free as they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If in case you purchase it and aren’t happy with its performance, then you can simply contact RiverSoft and get your money back. Also, this Registry cleaner comes with a free trial so you can check that out too before you buy the product. However, remember that free trials are limited versions of the product itself, and in the case of the Registry Reviver, it’ll do a scan and clean only 25 errors.

Scanning, Diagnosing, Cleaning, and Repairing

These are the most basic functions a Registry cleaner has to offer. A cleaner will start with a scan of your Windows Registry and give you a report of orphaned, unused, and redundant entries. It will then take care of the problems accordingly, cleaning out what needs to be deleted and repairing damaged entries.

These steps should get your Registry clean and lean. Some Registry cleaners don’t stop at these though, as they provide additional tools to further optimize your system.

Compacting and Optimizing

Like the files on your hard drive, your Windows Registry can get fragmented due to the regular writing and deleting of entries. To improve performance and for further optimization, some Registry cleaners provide compacter and optimizer tools to get rid of the gaps between the entries. Though some experts say that the defragging your Registry doesn’t give you any noticeable improvements, it shouldn’t hurt to do it, right?

Junk Cleaning

Junk can really accumulate in your system, and some cleaners take it upon themselves to help you get rid of those as well. Some Registry cleaners will empty out your temporary files and temporary internet files, as well as get rid of orphaned shortcuts and other detritus.

Startup Managing

To round off the complete optimization package, some Registry cleaners include a startup manager. A lot of programs and Windows components launch at startup, and since they take up resources at the same time, they pretty much bog down your computer. Some of these programs aren’t even necessary during boot. The startup manager tool allows you to edit the programs that launch at startup. Limiting the number of programs that take up precious resources should give you a faster system during boot.

A Registry cleaner can also include additional features like security scans and anti-malware tools. Remember that Registry cleaner programs can offer all or a combination of these features so be sure to take note of the features you need. This should make your search a little easier as it will narrow down the choices for you.

Registry Booster basics

This registry cleaner is made specifically to clean out your registry, optimize your system, and correct erroneous entries. Like other maintenance programs of this type, the Registry Booster scans your Windows registry for invalid and corrupt entries, and then corrects said errors to improve your computer’s performance and stability. Everything is done automatically, so you don’t need to worry about fiddling with the registry yourself.

The Registry Booster features a clean and easy to use interface. You can view the results of the scan on the Registry Scan tab, which will show you a log of the problematic entries. This registry cleaner also provides other functionalities for defragmenting your registry, viewing saved logs of previous scans, and setting scanning preferences, among other things.

The Trial Version

The Registry Booster got an average of 4 stars from CNET editors, but got a measly rating of 2.5 stars from users. Most reviewers gave the registry cleaner low marks because of the trial version’s strict limitations that made it hard to determine whether the program is beneficial or not.

Once you download (we don’t need to tell you to download only from a trusted website) and install the Registry Booster, it jumps straight to doing a scan if you choose to launch it after installing. This can be a little problematic if you aren’t prepared – like if you have other applications running or whatnot – as the scan can cause your computer to slow down. Though temporary, you may find it annoying. The trial version only repairs 15 registry errors, though it doesn’t let you choose which keys you can repair. The registry defragmenter on the other hand is very limited as well, so it’s pretty hard to see if the program is effective or not.

Judging from the reviews, Registry Booster is a trustworthy and decent registry cleaner. It won’t hurt to try it out for yourself.

Do your research. You’ve probably seen a good number of Registry cleaners available for download, though before downloading, you should first do some research. As a prudent computer owner, this should be the first thing you do before downloading and installing an application to avoid getting malware. You can check out reviews from trusted websites to see which Registry cleaner programs are worth trying out. Reading up on user comments and reviews should also give you a fair idea of how effective one program is and which ones to stay away from.

Know the differences between Registry cleaner programs. There are many Registry cleaners available, and of course they’re different from one another. Aside from the different coding and scanning engines they use, they can also be different in terms of how thoroughly they scan and how effective they are. Some Registry cleaners come as standalone programs while others come bundled in PC optimization suites. If you just need a Registry cleaner, then you can go for a standalone program, though if you need a complete set of tools to keep your system in tiptop shape, then you can go for the PC suite.

It’s all in the features. As we’ve mentioned, Registry cleaners aren’t made equal and they come with different features. Typical cleaners just offer the basic scanner and cleaner functions while some come with additional backup, defragmenter, file erasers, and other tools. You can check what features a Registry cleaner has to offer and choose one with the features you need.

Download from a trusted source. Several websites may offer downloads for a trusted Registry cleaner, though of course, you need to be wary. You can download from a dependable website or from the cleaner’s official site to be certain that you’re getting the real thing.

Check out trial versions. Now, before you purchase a Registry cleaner, you should check out if it has a free trial version. The trial should at least give you a chance to try out the cleaner before shelling out any money.

What is a registry?

Simply put, the registry is where pertinent details about the hardware, computer memory, application programs, and system options can be found. User profiles as well as the configuration of drivers installed in the OS are also relegated here. In a way, the registry is an upgraded version of the INI (initialization) and configuration files that were dominant in the old-school DOS-based systems. In fact, when it first came, the registry’s initial purpose was also to amplify the said INI files.  It is set up in a hierarchical tree structure, partitioned by sections and subsections.

So why do I clean my PC with a registry cleaner? Because of the amount of data contained in the registry and the number of times programs and Windows access it, it is prone to errors – hence the need to use a registry cleaner.

So how do I clean my PC registry?

For those who are just getting to know this OS component, it would do well to remember that you don’t want to randomly tweak the registry. If you’re not careful enough, you might end up damaging your OS. Before you go ahead and edit it, therefore, always make sure that you create a backup first for the section or subsection that you’ll be tweaking. Also, note that if your computer uses Windows XP, do not replace its registry with a different version at all. Practice caution when adjusting your registry settings, because although there are only very small differences in the registry set-up spanning the many Windows version, there still remains the danger that your OS may be damaged.

That said, you should practice the same caution when using a registry cleaner. Most registry maintenance tools automatically create a backup of your registry, scan it for errors, and repair the errors it finds. A registry cleaner provides other services like defragmentation and optimization, among other things so you can be sure that your bases are covered when cleaning your PC registry. Most registry cleaners are easy to use, though you should note that you will need to practice caution when choosing which to use as well. All things said, a registry cleaner should be your friend, though you should choose this friend pretty carefully.