Registry cleaners are third-party software programs designed to remove unnecessary entries from the Microsoft Windows Registry, particularly those that point to files that no longer exist.
Microsoft does not include a registry cleaner with its operating system, and the opinion of the company is that they are unnecessary and potentially harmful.
However, others claim that registry cleaners are useful in repairing inconsistencies that come about due to changes to Windows applications, particularly in programs based on the component object model (COM), which Microsoft introduced in 1993.
Due to the complexity of the Windows registry database, manually deleting redundant and invalid entries would be impractical, so registry cleaners offer a means of automating the process of looking for invalid entries, missing file references, or broken links within the registry, then resolving or removing them. These may include references to obsolete records linked to COM-based applications whose associated files are no longer present.
Potential problems associated with registry cleaners include the possibility of damage to the registry. A poorly designed registry cleaner may be unable to accurately determine the severity of the errors that it detects, categorizing harmless errors as critical, or identifying errors in necessary registry data. Removing or changing certain registry data can result in application errors and crashes of the operating system.
In some cases, registry cleaners have been identified as a vehicle for trojan application to install malware, or which function as scareware, identifying false problems with the registry that can be corrected only through the purchase of additional software.
Proponents of registry cleaners will point out that, while Windows may do a good job of keeping its registry up-to-date, it doesn't clean up after itself very well. As programs are installed, updated, and uninstalled, the registry can become littered with old entries that no longer serve a purpose other than to slow the system down. In order to ensure that the computer functions efficiently, it needs to be cleaned up periodically.
Although the need for a registry cleaner may be controversial, some of these applications have been in continuous use for many years, and their users swear by them. Before installing a registry cleaner, we suggest that you do your own homework to determine, not only whether it is a good idea, but which registry cleaner you are going to trust with the job.
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Originally known as Crap Cleaner, CCleaner is a product of Piriform, acquired by Avast in 2017. One of the longest-established system cleaners, it has been in operation since 2004. Part of a larger suite of CCleaner applications available with CCleaner Pro, a free version of its Registry Cleaner may be downloaded to perform basic maintenance tasks on the Windows registry, removing files leftover from deleted or updated applications, as well as personal information that could lead to risk.
https://www.ccleaner.com/registry-cleaner
Glarysoft is a software development company producing multimedia, system, and network applications. Its free Registry Repair program is used to find invalid Windows registry entries, remove them, repairing registry problems. The application creates a backup copy every time the registry is repaired and also allows users to add safe registry keys to a white list, so that is can be restored in the event of a system failure. Customer reviews are published to the site.
https://www.glarysoft.com/registry-repair/
Offered by BlueSprig, JetClean is a lightweight, easy-to-use cleaner for Windows PCs. The program cleans junk files and unneeded registry entries, as well as locating and deleting junk files in the recycle bin, recent documents, temporary files, log files, clipboard, DNS cache, error reporting, memory dumps, and jump lists, all of which may improve the performance of the PC. Features, specifications, and screenshots are presented, and it is a free download.
http://www.bluesprig.com/jetclean.html
Created by Pareto Logic, RecCure Pro is designed to clean the Windows registry, enhancing the PC's performance. Besides registry errors, the program scans for viruses and malware, but its primary purpose, cleaning the registry, can remove or correct errors such as shared DLLs, unneeded uninstall entries, file path references, shell extensions, and application paths, which may lead to an increase in the computer's speed. Unnecessary confidential information can also be removed.
http://www.regcure.com/
From WiseCleaner, the free application is used to clean registry junk, repair Windows errors, and help to enhance the performance of Windows-based PCs. As the Windows registry keeps growing every time the computer is in use, so do the number of obsolete items contained there, which could lead to a degradation in performance or system crashes, along with a decrease in the available drive space. The Cleaner finds errors and residual items in the Registry, cleaning or defragmenting them.
http://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-registry-cleaner.html
