14 DAY TRIAL // Getting your registry clogged with leftovers from uninstalled software is no way to maintain your computer. The effects are not immediate as the filling in with crap is gradual and corresponding to the amount of uninstalled applications as well as moving the files back and forth on your fix disk(s). But as soon as the registry will begin to "crack", your operating system will feel the effect and will definitely perform at lower rates, prompting you with error messages, while the applications will launch slower and there will be a general state of weariness on your machine.
Cleaning the registry is no sweat, as the myriad of softwares available on the Internet will definitely help you in this task. Most of them are commercial versions and you will have to pay a price for benefiting from their registry cleaning capabilities. However, the freeware world also contains such utilities. One thing is sure: experience taught me that no matter how enthusiastic you are about one registry cleaner, performing a scan with a different one will definitely bring out more errors. My recommendation is to use several of them at the same time.
Eusing Free Registry Cleaner drew my attention due to the many praising commentaries on different forums and websites. The application is indeed free, but nobody stops you from registering and sending the developer some money to continue providing you with updates. All this is clearly stated on the nag screen displayed at launching the application.
The interface is clear and Spartan looks do nothing but help the user into properly manipulating it. There aren't too many options available, but the essential ones can be "abused" with no problems. In the top part of the window there is the menu bar containing some very useful options to help you prevent a registry catastrophe. The registry backup function will let you save the entire registry wherever on your hard drive and in case something bad happens, you can restore it quite easily.
The startup manager available will give you a clue on what processes are loading with Windows. The tool is rudimentary and will only allow you to delete entries. Additional information aids you to identify a certain process in case the name is not shedding any light on its origin. Thus there are three columns available: startup program, file (the path to process' place of residence) and location in the registry.
The File menu consists of another backup tool, besides the one for the registry. It is called Windows Backup and it should backup the system. However, during our testing there was no response from the program while activating this option.
The application window is divided into two distinct parts: one for selecting the tasks and the sections to scan and one displaying the scan results. The three addressable tasks include scanning the registry for issues, repair the issues and restore your registry to a previous state.
Eusing Free Registry Cleaner automatically creates a backup of the eliminated issues, in case something goes wrong. So there is no worry if a false positive is deleted from the registry as it can be restored back in. The backup files are stored by default in the program's installation folder but can be easily accessed from the application itself. The number of backups to be retained is limited only by the storage capacity of the drive. However, in many cases, a backup file will not weigh more than a few kilobytes, so no worry here either. Every item will be timestamped so that you can track the cleaning.
The registry sections Eusing Free Registry Cleaner will scan for errors and invalid items include files and folder locations, software locations, Windows fonts, startup programs, add/remove section, invalid help files that tend to be left behind, file extensions, shortcuts, shared DLLs, MRU and History lists, invalid ActiveX elements etc. The list is comprehensive enough to count the Start Menu and Installer sections.
Going into the Options menu of the application reveals more settings to be made. Here you can change the location for storing the backups for the deleted entries and in XP you can enable the software to create a system restore point as an additional "safety net".
Special lists of values and keys not to be touched by the software can be added with no hassle. Creating ignore lists is very easy as Eusing Free Registry Cleaner will open the Registry Editor and you can browse to the location you need to be added (that is if you do not want to enter the location manually).
The Good
The two-step cleaning process sported by the application fits the needs of any neophyte. There is no tough time to clean your registry of the obsolete, invalid files. The scan is quite swift and the problems are rooted pretty accurately.
The "safety nets" featured in the application make its use even more appealing. No need to worry about deleting valid files as, should this happen, you can immediately restore them.
The Bad
The interface needs work as it looks like a Win 98 antique. Though the scanning is thorough, the software cannot root out all the issues in your registry. This is normal as there is no similar tool that detects all the issues. That is why I recommend using it with different tools in the same category.
It will take several scans to get rid of all the detected problems. More famous applications like CCleaner do the same so you do not have to resent and dismiss it from the first scan.
I noticed a decrease in my system performance while the application was on the job. Task Manager showed that the Free Registry Cleaner used about half of the CPU and a total of 44MB of RAM.
There is no assessment of the risk of the error detected. You may as well delete everything the application detects, without ever knowing which ones are more important to eliminate. In case the software fails to remove some elements, you won't know how critical they are for your system.
The Truth
I have seen remarks like "Very useful utility", "Fantastic program" or "Best one yet!" and "Excellent cleaner" all over the Internet. They were all pointing towards Eusing Free Registry Cleaner. I won't go as far as to make similar affirmations because the application still has some issues to solve like cleaning everything it detects. Or at least letting the user know that not all the issues have been fixed and that another scan and repair is needed.
However, Eusing Free Registry Cleaner is still in beta stage and considering this it manages beautifully. It is very small and extremely easy to use. In case of questions regarding some of the options, you can consult the help file and you will get all your answers.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
