PC utilities: Do computer Registry cleaners really work?

Typical

In reply to: Do computer Registry cleaners really work? by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

What you're seeing is not uncommon. Most registry cleaners do work, although their algorithms for deciding what to clean and what to leave do differ. That's why the discrepancy. The errors you really want to clean out are remnants of old uninstalled software or entries with now invalid path names. Beyond that, there are a lot of other things that may be cleaned out, with arguable utility. Some of the truly aggressive ones will sometimes remove things you don't want. But most, including the free ones, will get rid of the most problematic junk.

The payoff for any registry cleaner is a faster, more reliable machine. Most reputable cleaners, regardless of how aggressive their algorithms or whether free or commercial, will do this. That having been said, I should add that if you have a lightly loaded machine and rarely add or remove software, a registry cleaner is not as important as a heavily-loaded system with a less static setup. In my case, I have a heavily loaded machine (~250 installed applications, including many with custom drivers) and regularly have cause to install and/or remove software, so a good registry cleaner is imperative for me. Without one, my machine becomes noticeably slower within a few weeks of use and unstable within a month or two.

FWIW, I have used several over the years. Most do their essential job well. A few I've tried (which I won't mention because the names don't come readily to mind) have caused problems with overly aggressive action or actually locking up my PC. The one I use currently is Advanced System Care Pro from IObit (http://www.iobit.com/). It's a $20 package which has the advantage that it works in the background, cleaning the registry during idle times. It's also available in a free version which isn't as aggressive and lacks the background operation feature and therefore has to be run manually. I use that on my wife's PC since her machine has fewer installed applications and rarely changes.

Since I'm now retired, I've also been actively migrating from Windows to Linux. Among the refreshing things about that is that my Linux PC's are far more stable and never require the sort of routine maintenance (registry cleaning, defragmenting, etc.) that a my Windows PCs require.

Glary and Auslogics

Although I don't recall which one, I do recall that one of these locked up my system. Fortunately, it did no permanent damage, but it did get my pulse racing for a bit. For a good free tool, I recommend IObit's Advanced System Care. I use the Pro version which isn't free, but my requirements are more demanding than most.

(NT) NOT true...check the website again.

by John.Wilkinson  - 6/6/09 8:13 PM

Hmmm, let's see...

"Everyone should know:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!"

I paid as lot for Windows. Every time I upgrade to a new version of Windows, I have to pay all over again. I paid a lot for the hardware to run Windows. I pay a lot for software that runs under Windows.

I paid Nothing for Linux. I won't have to pay for any major Linux upgrades. Linux runs quite well on old hardware that can't run Windows. Software to run under Linux is also mostly free.

Windows has been unreliable and requires frequent maintenance - hence this thread. Linux runs 24/7/365 without fuss, trouble or rebooting.

Get what I paid for? I don't think so! (Although masochists may argue the point.)

Registry cleaners / scams

I want to thank all of the people who have backed me up on the scams that are out there. Certainly, it is stupid to buy a program that promises to fix a problem without some verification from a 3rd party that does not profit. Norton and RegCure should be outlawed from advertising there outragious claims. I spent a year trying to delete all the junk that Norton jambed into my Microsoft O.S., and Regcure claims to fix Update problems that their program doesn't even approach.

Just get the right cleaner...

You got the right cleaner(CCleaner). I give them a buck or two every once and a while through filehippoes paypal donation page. So do my clients.

The CC stands for Crap Cleaner; the open source community made them change the name to the more polite CCleaner.

User reviews are more reliable at CNET...

They are better than editor reviews, but I balance the two for my decisions. Also I rarely try something that only has a few downloads in this regard too. Same for the number of user reviews, I may not try something that doesn't have a past version history or enough user reviews.

They better be in the twenties or hundreds if it is a wary program/utility.

One exception to that rule, in my case is when the particular utility is claiming a new technology that I can't get anywhere else. But I would never pay for it, only trial it, until I know for sure.