Keeping your computer in tip top shape is not at all limited to keeping it away from the malware floating on the Internet. You will also have to slap it with a defragmentation software or a registry cleaner every once in a while just to let it know who's the boss and how the boss wants it to work.

Vista's superfetch combined with prefetch technology introduced since XP make a good pair in making your applications deploy at a snappier rate giving you less hassle. However, there are issues like RAM being forcefully held by some processes just for the fun of keeping you waiting. So a memory boosting software will also come in handy in order to make the system faster.

Junk files also pose an issue as they clutter your computer and seek times will become larger and larger and you get tired of the situation and decide either to re-install Windows or throw in that image you made a while ago.

However tough computer maintenance may look there are always solutions for getting the job done easily and with the least of effort invested as there are lots of applications apt for the job. But, besides all the defragmenting, memory boosting, junk files cleaning and registry cleaning there is one more step in order to get your computer working at the rate you need: registry defragmentation. Yes, the longer you use it, the more apps you install and uninstall, the registry gets fragmented and this reflects in the overall behaviour of the computer.

AusLogics Registry Defrag is a free solution that will do quite an impressive job in this sense. The interface comes under the form of a wizard that will guide you through the process of defragmenting the registry easily, efficiently and painlessly. The wizard includes three steps to completing the task.

Immediately after launching the application you are displayed with the complete guide of the operation and a brief description of why registry defragmentation is required and its impact on the computer. The process will compact the registry thus eliminating any gaps. The result translates into an improved overall performance of your computer.

AusLogics Registry Defrag needs first to assess the registry for fragmentation level, next it will provide the results of the check and steps into the final phase when registry will be compacted. You should know that no programs should be running during registry analysis. Otherwise a message will pop up alerting that programs are running. Users can continue to the last step but the software will not be able to do its best.

During registry analysis the computer will be locked and there will be little you can do. Only AusLogics Registry Defrag analysis window is active and your mouse is locked inside it. That is the only part of the screen you can access. Assessment job can be stopped by simply pressing ESC key or ALT+F4 combination.

Results of the analysis will follow immediately after registry fragmentation level check is complete. You are provided with the compacting percentage the software will produce. That value also represents the improvement of registry access on the computer.

To have a better idea on how the application will improve registry access there are two graphics displaying the state of the registry before and after the optimization. Additional information provides data on the size difference before and after the process.

AusLogics Registry Defrag comes with a very handy feature that will make the use of the program as safe as Notepad. Right before proceeding to optimization the application will create a restore point on your computer just to be on the safe side.

Immediately after restore point has been created the program starts the defragmentation process. For this to happen a reboot of your computer is required. As soon as Windows loads AusLogics Registry Defrag presents the report of the defragmentation operation. This includes the size amount your registry has been reduced by, and improved speed percentage for accessing the registry.

A detailed report on the job will be created and users can find out all the elements that have been compacted. You are also given the number of registry hives processed, duration of optimization process and percentage of improvement added.

The entire process does not take long and checking with other software resulted that AusLogics Registry Defrag had a positive impact on the registry. However, there is an issue with the software. It will attempt to integrate in startup list if permitted.

So, it will compact and optimize registry access but if left alone it will load itself in startup eating up computer resources (about 5MB of RAM). Not too much RAM is gulped, but I would rather use it for a different application, especially if registry defragmentation is recommended before installing an application or program uninstall.


The Good

The application practically requires no effort at all from the user. All the steps of the operation are explained and you are provided with information regarding the optimization level.

The Bad

I wish it had an option to automatically close all running programs during registry analysis and optimization. This way the user will be sure that everything is shut down and registry defragmentation goes under the best of conditions.

It attempts to integrate in startup which is not too good of a thing as it will consume computer resources. But the worst thing is that users are not alerted in any way and an average user without the necessary tools to record this attempt will not suspect a thing.

The Truth

It does a great job compacting the registry but it'll load in startup and users are unaware of the fact as no alert or information in this sense is provided.

Extremely easy to use, AusLogics Registry Defrag will improve the overall performance of the computer provided that it is not loaded in startup and there is no application running during registry fragmentation level assessment.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action: