Time flies, as they say. And this PC Registry Software is at it's 2nd birthday. There are more pc registry tools on the market than ever before. All claiming to cleanse your computer of more killer errors than any other product.
So which product am I still using? If you've read my review of Registry Easy, you'll know that I thought it was a pretty amazing tool. But how has it fared with time? Have it's owners sat back and not updated it? Does it compare to today's other tools?
The problem with my reviews is that I don't BS about products. If something works, I'll give it credit. If a reg tool really sucks, I'll say it does. If you want to buy it then that's cool. I'm not in anyone's pocket so I tell it like it is. I've had more than a few emails from disgruntled software makers who didn't like what I had to say about their product.
But getting back to Registry Easy. Yes - I still use this tool as the main and only way I clean my computer's registry. It's icon is on my desktop as we speak. I continually test competing tools and there's just nothing available that is as good as Registry Easy. There are plenty of scam products mind you!
I'm pleased to say that the team behind this software have continued to provide upgrades to this program. The tool is in fact now in version 4.7 (At the time of writing this...!) And it's just a really good way to scan and repair your PCs registry. The extra tools you get are also a real asset. I don't like tools that are complicated and Registry Easy is very simple to use.
So the answer to the question 'which tool are you using today?' is Registry Easy. Hands down still the best tool, 2 years on from my original review.
Try a free scan to see how Registry Easy does on your PC
Many people out there are still using XP over Vista - including me! And when it comes to cleaning the registry, you never be too careful. So let's take a new look at backing up your XP system.
Windows XP has its own back up function so there's no need to purchase extra software to do it. Those of you that use Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows Back Up Utility is ready to use. If you use Windows XP Home Edition there are a few steps you need to do before you can use the back up feature.
The Windows Back Up Utility is located on the XP Home Edition installation disk.
- Insert the installation disk into the CD drive and at the XP Welcome screen click Perform Additional Tasks.
- Look for the ValueAdd feature after you click Browse This CD.
- Click the Msft folder
- Click NTBackup
- Double click NTBackup.msi to install the back up feature.
- Now you're ready to start backing up files and documents.
To start a back up
- Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and Back Up. This launches the Back Up Wizard which takes you through all the steps.
- Go through each step carefully to decide what you want to back up. There is also the option to choose if you want to restore documents and settings in the event of a system malfunction or crash.
- Choose My Documents and Settings to only back up your personal files, documents, photos, music, etc. Do not choose All Information On This Computer as this will back up everything including any software installed. This is not only time consuming but also uses a lot of storage space and basically isn't necessary. In the event your computer crashes you can use the XP Installation Cd's to restore system files and settings. The only items that need backed up are those that cannot be replaced such as personal data, documents, photos, music, etc. The next part of back up is where to store the back up information. If your PC has two hard drives, C: and D: you probably use C: drive all the time so it would be safe to back up all personal information onto D: drive. Another option is to buy an external storage device such as a zip drive.
- Click Next then Finish and the back up process begins.
Now that you are familiar with how to back up XP, schedule a time to do it on either a daily, weekly or monthly basis, depending on how much you create or modify files. The more often you schedule a back up the less new or modified files there will be to back up. The whole process could actually take only 10 minutes or so.
You could also purchase third party software to back up your files and documents however the easiest and quickest way is to use XP's back up feature.
To access Scheduled Tasks click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools then Scheduled Tasks. The task setup wizard will pop up, click Next. On the next screen select what task you want to schedule. For example, say you want to schedule Disk Cleanup, you would check the box next to Disk Cleanup and click Next. On the next screen select when you want the task to be done.
Check either daily, weekly, monthly, when my computer starts or when I log on. The following screen allows you to select what day of the week. This applies if you selected weekly or monthly. If you choose weekly the next screens asks how often whether every week, every two weeks, every three weeks, etc, click Next. The next screen asks you what time you want the task to start and what time you want it to end, click Next.
Next is the confirmation screen that you scheduled a task, what the task is and the starting and ending times, click Finish. A window will pop up saying a task has been scheduled.
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Registry First Aid is a solid registry cleaner that many PC users swear by. And I received news today that version 6 has been released, with some important new features. Here's the major changes in this version:
• Vista compatibility:
support running in a least privileged environment;
support of Vista registry;
• display snapshot descriptions in registry snapshot lists;
• new and improved algorithms giving more thorough searches,
faster working, and greater reliability;
• filtering and sorting found registry entries;
• option to scan for errors all user registry hives is available under
full administrator only;
New users can download a free trial to get started here: Registry First Aid Trial
Existing users can download an upgrade for the software here: Registry First Aid Upgrades
When most people run a registry cleaner for the first time, they're usually shocked by the sheer number of errors that the cleaner has uncovered. The first thing to remember is that your PC isn't on it's last legs, or isn't in especially bad shape just because a registry cleaner has found several hundred 'errors'.
Registry cleaners tend to be very thorough in finding errors. And it's not accurate to class them all as the same level of importance. Many errors will be small references that have been left after something was uninstalled.
Of course there are other more serious errors that registry cleaners find and repair.
Just about every registry tool I've tested so far works in a very similar way. First, it runs a scan. Then is lists all the errors. And finally you get to manually uncheck anything you're not sure of.
With 700+ errors? Yeah, right! Not only would you have to be some kind of registry expert - to know what each error meant. But you'd also need a lot of time on your hands. Can you imagine sifting through hundreds of errors, deciding whether to clean that each one or not? No thanks.
So what should you do?
The registry cleaners I've tested on this site appear to all be well constructed and do not damage your computer. I ran them recklessly, in full, on all of my computers here. And I just told it to fix all of the errors. Not the brightest thing to do, I know. But the results have been 100% positive.
Am I recommending you do that? Yes and no. I do recommend you use a reputable registry cleaner. I find that registry cleaners are safe to use. But I also recommend you back up your registry before running a scan. AND set a system restore point on your PC.
Don't spend hours un-checking different registry errors. Let the software do the hard work for you. That's what you paid your money for.
When Windows Vista was released, there was a lot of speculation about the registry. Some folks seemed to think it would be drastically different from the one used in XP. But this isn't the case. While there are some changes between the XP and Vista registry, they're basically very similar.Some (very brave) computer users have even tried running XP registry cleaners on their new Vista operating system. The results were that the majority tools still did a perfectly good job of cleaning the registry. Although some only had limited functionality. Certain tools, such as compressing the registry, didn't work.
If you are going to run your XP tool on Vista, make sure you backup first. I know it's not the most exciting task but don't just jump in head first. You'll likely regret it!
So while XP and Vista's registry are very similar, I highly recommend you buy a registry cleaner that's 'Vista Compatible'. Perhaps you've already got one that's been updated for Vista. Most of the major registry tools have already been revamped to incorporate Vista. Companies that produce the tools don't want to lose customers as Vista becomes more widely used.
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Here's an email I got from a website visitor today. I thought it was a great question, so I've decided to post it here:
Suzan
Hello Suzan!
Thanks for the email. And I completely understand what you mean. I've bought loads of products on the web that I saw get a really good review, only to find that they just weren't up to scratch.
First the bad news ;-) I do get commission for each product I sell. And yes it varies from product to product. Most software sites do get paid in this way.
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I looked into this and here's what I found out:
OK, great - if you've still got the email. But if you haven't, here's the bit of info you'll need:
Don't forget to give support as much information as you can. Your full name, address. NOT your credit card number that you bought the software with though. You should NEVER send that out over email. But if you can include your email address - the one you used when purchasing Regnow, that'll go a long way to helping them find your purchase on the system.
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"I tried buying your advertised RegCure through your website that told me to 'click here' to buy and after the scan RegCure did asked me to register so I can buy which I did but the price they were charging was $29.95. How can I buy for your advertised price of $19.95.
Yours wasn't just a come-on to force me to pay $29.95 anyway was it?
I'd appreciate a reply so I can be clear on ethical practices in online buying.
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I wasn't that impressed with the way it worked. But it's available for a free download - so you can give it a try for yourself. I'm starting to get more and more of an idea what makes a good registry tool, and what makes a bad one.
Read the full review of Error Doctor here.
