Free Registry Cleaner Review and Warning

How do you tell it's time to do a Windows registry repair?

There are certain symptoms that can't go unnoticed, namely:

• Windows boots ten times slower than it used to;
• After entering login details, it takes forever for the desktop to appear;
• You can't open certain programs, like Internet Explorer or Microsoft Word;
• You cannot restart Windows other than pressing "Reset" button on the computer itself;
• Task Manager or other components are disabled with no evident reason;
• When you double-click on a folder, it produces some kind of error box instead of opening;
• Errors stating "RUNDLL32..." pop-up.

This is a short list of symptoms you should pay attention to. There are many more to mention - in fact, the list could go and on.

What should be added here, however, is that registry problems can have 2 main causes:

• Improper use of Windows, programs, etc.
• Malware activity;
• A combination of both.

The third case is most difficult to cope with - hope you understand why.

I believe Microsoft put a time-delayed bomb into its operating system by including Registry there. No, I'm not going to discuss its structure here - it's out of the scope of this article. What I feel important to be revealed is that the word Registry has become a dreaded notion among millions of users. I bet you've seen people pleading for help on forums: "My Windows registry is corrupted!", "there's some error in the registry", "how can I clean up the registry?" Probably you faced similar problems yourself.

So, what's that poor Windows Registry that people talk so much about?

Windows registry itself consists of several files, which contain loads of important information, I mean - very important. Registry is the matrix of Windows, it contains all paths to all files, links, shortcuts, descriptions of operations to be executed, Internet connection settings, Network settings, and much more information needed for Windows system performance. In short, you never see working Windows without healthy registry. In other words, corrupt registry means corrupt Windows. Period.

Sadly, there's NO computer running Windows that has error-free registry. Because the latter contains tons of records, it is very easy to make some change to it - via installing or uninstalling program, or simply running any application. Depending on how properly a program is coded, and we know most programs are not bugs-free, it can break, change or remove some entry from the Windows registry. It happens every day, but, luckily, not every change is mortal to Windows.

However, with the time going by, different users running different programs and performing various actions on a computer make those changes pile up until they reach certain "peak" when Windows starts behaving oddly. Say, it refuses to load Internet Explorer, or blocks C: drive so you can't get access to your folders and files.

Let's not forget about virus infections either - there are thousands, if not millions pieces of malware that turn the Windows registry literally upside down. Once such a pest sneaks into the system, it damages the registry badly.

Note: it's not that difficult to remove 99,99% of infections using proper antivirus and antispyware tools. But it is next to impossible to correct the registry and have it functioning as new.

Therefore it happens that after antivirus software cleans out the malware, Windows starts working worse than it was when infected. It is because malware changes certain registry entries to its needs, but antivirus programs detect those entries as malicious (naturally) and remove them, thus leaving "holes" in the registry.

That's why wiping the viruses out of the system is not the end of troubles; vice versa, antivirus cleaning often reveals the discrepancies and inconsistencies in the registry that were masked by malware.

Below you will find several screenshots showing most common registry-related errors you may experience (or, most likely, already experienced) while working under Windows.

These are typical Registry errors, either caused by users themselves or malware activity. Spyware and Trojans are known to cause many troubles by producing registry errors.

Because Registry is an integral part of Windows, it is crucial to be sure that you know what you're doing with it, and are sure to do it just the way you intend to. Remember, that any modification done to registry may cause Windows stop booting or corrupt user's settings.

Incorrect use of the Windows registry editor may prevent the operating system from functioning properly. Great care and caution should be taken when making changes to a Windows registry.

Since it is very easy to damage the sensitive Windows registry, it is always recommended to make a backup of the registry before making any changes to it. Backup can be done both manually and with the help of special software tools.

Making registry backup on a regular basis (say, weekly) is recommended for all computer users. In fact, everyone sooner or later comes to this conclusion after losing important data or paying lump sums of money for hard drive recovery.

But since we're talking about Windows registry, let's stick to preserving solely this crucial part of the operating system.

There are 3 ways to backup registry:

• manually (by saving registry hives via "Save As..." option in Registry Editor menu;
• with the help of registry backup tools and software;
• automatically, using either Windows buil-in registry backup utility or third-party software with scheduled tasks.

The first way is generally not recommendedfor most users. It's very easy to make a mistake and save only parts of Registry instead of whole hives. In fact, Windows itself can refuse to make copies of system-protected registry entries.

The second option is most popular because it requires no special knowledge of Windows registry. There are lots of third-party tools that make backuping registry a breeze. A couple of button-clicks is all required to have a safe copy of registry stored and ready for recovery when needed.

The third option is suitable for users who take extreme care of their workstations. Automatic registry backup is a cost-affective way to have a safe working copy of Windows registry for every day or week depending on how paranoid the user is ;)

Since the release of Windows XP Microsoft has included its own utility for backing up the registry. It's called NT Backup and is installed by default in Windows XP Professional. Windows XP Home users can install it from the CD.

There's a nice article about registry backup available directly from Microsoft.

A word of caution: when choosing a software for registry backup, make a short research to see if it really backs up the whole registry, not just key components of it.

I'll follow the free spirit of this hubpage and shortly describe a nice registry backup tool called ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT) which is free and simple to use.

ERUNT creates a complete backup set, including the Security hive and user related sections. ERUNT is a user-friendly piece of software and since it creates a full backup, there are no additional options other than to select the location of the backup files. This makes the process of registry backup a snap for any novice.

Once installed, ERUNT will create a backup of your registry in C:\Windows\ERDNT\{today's date} each time the system starts.

Now that your registry is being backed up (and hopefully created manually when you want to experiment), what needs to be done if something goes wrong?

The answer is surprisingly simple. Go to the desired folder and you will find an icon named ERDNT. Double-click it and this nice program will walk you right through the registry backup restore process, including the necessary reboot to start running that backup.

So, should you get infected with a nasty malware, want to completely reverse the changes made by a new application, or undo almost any mistake, all that is needed is to go to a ERUNT backup created before the problem and run the restore utility.

Download ERUNT FREE Registry Backup & Restore Utility.

There opposite points of view as to whether commercial registry cleaners are better than free software. Defendants of commercial registry repair products use 3 main arguments to support their stong belief:

1. Commercial registry cleaners are updated regularly;
2. only paid software owners receive professional support;
3. programmers work harder and more diligently when they are paid.

I don't quite agree with these points. To my mind, they are better applicable to PC security software where regular updates are crucial.

The problem with registry cleaners is that they are abunndant on the market these days. I estimate that there are over 100 all kinds of registry fixers available, hence the aggressive marketing approach to promoting this type of software products. Everyone tells you that registry cleaner is a must have unless you're absolutely computer illiterate.

Since nobody really knows what to expect from a registry cleaner and what it should be like, software vendors use this unawareness to sell their registry fixers to the masses. This is why there are so many low quality programs with promising claims and poor registry scanning engines. Modern registry cleaners are often space-hungry, memory intensive and abundant in graphics. Nicely looking, they under-deliver, to say the least.

On the contrary, free registry cleaners can compete really successfully with market leaders. So why pay?

Finally, we've come to Free Registry Cleaners.

I myself am not a fan of registry cleaners, especially commercial registry cleaning software and all kinds of PC repair tools. The reason behind my disliking is simple: I can never know what is being fixed while the software runs. Any software work by following certain algorithms coded by developers, but every computer has registry with unique system state. When I boot up my PC in the morning, its registry is different from what it will be in the evening. It doesn't really matter if I installed or removed any program. Windows registry changes all the time.

Therefore I find it not clever enough to pay for a registry cleaner claiming to solve all kinds of PC problems - programmers simply didn't know what my specific errors would be by the time I'll need their software.

Moreover, current software tools with registry repair functions become resource hungry, require more memory and space, have lots of settings where novice users simply get stuck. When you don't know what you're doing, it's very simple to get in trouble. This is one of the reasons why buying an expensive registry cleaner way too often leads to even more errors in Windows!

But a free registrly cleaner may come in handy. It won't hurt to have one registry repair tool installed onto a new Windows. Sometimes there rises a need to scan the registry for errors and see if there are a lot of them. Then, you can always decide whether or not you should attempt to fix them.

One such tool is called Eusing free registry cleaner.

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner is used to correct the problem in a simple, two-step process. It scan s the Windows Registry and identifies common errors and junk (like irrelevant pointers, pathnames to non-existant programs, etc).

Go to: Eusing Free Registry cleaner.

EasyCleaner is another free tool helping when doing registry clean up.

This program goes a bit further than Eusing Registry Cleaner by providing additional useful options like:

• finding unnecessary files;
• removing Internet Explorer temporary files (history, cookies, etc);
• managing start-up environment.

But of course it's primary function is scanning the registry for invalid or obsolete entries. When done, EasyCleaner lets you choose what to delete. As you remember, lots of registry-driven errors come from registry entries leading nowhere, or corrupt by programs with buggy uninstallers.

Go to: EasyCleaner Registry Repair.

Wise Registry Cleaner is available in both free and paid (PRO) versions. The latter adds ability to export registry entries into Excel, which, honestly, I don't find that important. The free version will remind you of the availability of PRO, but that's understandable, right?

Wise Registry Cleaner scans the Windows registry and finds incorrect or obsolete information in it. By fixing these obsolete entries, WRC will improve the system overall performance. (Do not expect a drastic boost, though; cleaning the garbage out of the registry doesn't equal to getting a new CPU or another gig of RAM).

Pros of Wise Registry Cleaner:

• additional information about each entry can be displayed;
• found problems are divided into "safe to solve" and "not safe to solve". That is, choosing the first option prevents from getting more problems than you had before doing a clean up;
• a back-up feature automatically saves a copy of the registry before doing any changes to it;
• nice interface.

Cons:

• advertising of the "PRO" version may look irritating.

Download: Wise Registry Cleaner (FREE Version).

Note: Wise cleaner got a 4.5 rating out of 5 at download.com

Free CCleaner is a lot more than just a conventional registry cleaner. It is being recommended by advanced PC users and IT pros, so there must be a bunch of reasons supporting this software's popularity!

• CCleaner removes temporary files, log files, browser URL history, cookies, and unused and old registry entries;
• Features registry backup and restore option;
• Alows secure file erasing without possibility to recover;
• Available in 35 languages;
• Advanced cleaning options (for lots of programs);
• Download manager;

CCleaner is a must-have tool to go in conjunction with any antispyware software.

Free CCleaner download.

Note: CCleaner received 5 star rating out of 5 at softpedia.com

Now as you see that a good registry cleaner can solve a bunch of problems causing system instability or slow responsiveness, I feel it's necessary to add a word of caution here.

Do not hope that registry cleaning tools can repair all the problems. They can't.

Every time you initiate a regustry scan, think twice why are you doing it. There's no worse usage for registry cleaners than a blind hope that "it will somehow make my computer run faster". A bunch of non-registry related problems, like bad drivers, can result in slow system performance. No registry cleaner is able to solve such problem.

But when used without a sound reason, "just because it is installed", almost any registry cleaner can lead to:

• installed programs acting weird or not opening at all. For example, AutoCAD software is very sensitive to all kinds of registry clean ups, which can lead to certain functions inside the software disabled;
• mouse contect menu containing invalid pointers or entries, which result in Windows Explorer glitches like inablity to access drives or folders in My Computer;
• freezing;
• and, finally, blue screen of death.

Let's recap: use a registrly cleaner only when it can solve certain registry-related problem. Configure the tool not to touch irrelevant parts of the registry. Make a backup before doing a registry clean-up.

Better safe than sorry!

I'm not here to disencourage you, but rather to help you avoid unnecessary headaches caused by wrong use of registry repair tools.

The topic causes heated debates on numerous PC forums. Whether or not to by a professional registry cleaner?

First, there are no professional registry cleaners. It's nothing but a marketing trick to attract attention of the audience. "Pro" added to the name always looks solid and gets respect from potential buyers. However, the only registry tool that can be regarded as "professional" comes from Microsoft and is part of Windows CD. I believe only Microsoft knows its registry system well enough.

Second, commercial Windows registry repair tools often come from unknown software companies or even individuals who consider the demand for such kind of tools to be on the rise. They plan to make some easy bucks selling buggy software to people who don't actually know what registry cleanup is all about. Some of these programs are sold at $30 per copy. I consider this price tag to be not adequate for a stand-alone application with very limited features. You can't really check if the registry cleaner did its job well. It might repair certain errors, but it might as well replace some keys with wrong values thus causing more troubles in the future.

There are more registry cleaners on the market than antivirus programs. This is because the latter are way more difficult to code and require on-going support. Behind any antivirus there's a team of hard-working IT pros. But registry cleaners mostly consist of same algorithms and fancy box covers to draw attention. Hype and promises are what you can expect from commercial products in the first place; not all of them deliver as aim to.

AML offers a free utility to safely clean up a Windows system and remove irrelevant entries from the Registry. Just several clicks are needed to help PC regain lost performance.

A built-in manager shows all programs that auto-load at startup and allows to disable those that are suspicious or unwanted. Very helpful in case your system is infected with stubborn trojan viruses.

AML Free Registry Cleaner finds and removes temporary files that pile up in the system eating the hard disk space. AML supports by default 22 file extensions, and their number can be increased if needed.

AML Free Registry Cleaner provides detailed information about programs and running processes.

AML works perfectly on XP, but there are reports about errors on Vista platform.

Download: Free registry cleaner by AML Software.

Despite the power that registry cleaners give to you, be cautious not to overuse it. Each registry repair tool, be it free or paid for, is a sharp knife which can cut the integral part of Windows literally in pieces thus making it unusable.

There are, however, cases when running a registry cleaner is the easiest way to solve common annoying problems, like those RUNDLL errors.

But I advise to use a registry cleaner as a last resort pnly. It is better to take care when installing new software, and do not play much with new programs on a computer that is crucial to your work and hobby.

That being said, I hope that one day you'll find my hub useful ;) Your comments are welcome, and linking back is appreciated.