Registry Defragmentation

very good
key review info
application features
  • Analyze the registry for fragments
  • (2 more, see all...)

Maintaining your computer in tip top shape may be a time consuming job, but you definitely have to do it in order to preserve its performance at high levels. Cleaning junk files, defragmenting the information stored on disk, removing invalid entries from the registry and getting rid of duplicate files are just a few of the activities that should be part of the monthly routine.

From what I've seen on the Internet, few are the pieces of advice that tell you about registry defragmentation besides all the tasks that are generally linked to computer maintenance. This may not be of much help, but it definitely contributes to the general well running of the computer. Registry fragmentation translates into the exact same thing as file fragmentation, i.e. read/write speeds decrease and lead to lower performance.

Registry fragmentation appears with each install and un-install of an application as the data is no longer contiguous but scattered all over the registry. The result is an increase of application response time and registry access time. Luckily there are tools on the freeware market that will get you rid of the drop in performance caused by this phenomenon.

Free Registry Defrag is absolutely free of charge and its purpose is specifically to rearrange data in the registry so that your computer performs at its best. Installing it is nothing complicated and there are no settings to be made. The application will simply take the matter into its "hands" and solve it by compacting the registry to a smaller size.

The interface is nothing fancy and preserves its old looks even in Vista, being discordant with the desktop landscape. Using the software is extremely easy and a simple glance at the interface is all you need in order to use it properly. The two buttons available initiate registry analysis and defragmentation. You can't skip the analysis and get directly to compacting.

Free Registry Defrag is a three step registry defragmentation application that removes the holes in the registry left behind as a result of software un-install, thus improving the whole system performance. It begins by analyzing the registry and checking the fragments, but you will not get a detailed view for this, just information on the current size of the registry and an estimated size after optimization process completes.

You should know that during the analysis your computer will run slower than usual and it's best to let the process complete unhindered by the running of any application. Registry check result will also include the percentage of space saved after defragmentation finishes as the operation will also reduce registry size (the smaller the registry size the faster the access to data it includes). The entire process will take quite some time at the beginning but as you use the software its speed will increase significantly.

When compacting/defragging the registry the same advice is available: it is best not to use your computer during the process and if you use it it will move much slower than usual. Fortunately this operation speeds up as you defragment the registry.

The entire registry compacting and optimization ends with a request for re-starting your computer. Unfortunately there is no way to evade this action as closing the window will still be considered as acceptance to reboot by the application. So you'd better be prepared and save everything you are working on.

We tested Free Registry Defrag on both Vista and XP. The only thing is that on Vista it took more runs until fragmentation reached 1% while on XP this was achieved after the first run. The 1% fragmentation will always appear, no matter what as the system will automatically add some space in registry hives as a result of restarting your computer. As long as the rate is below 1%, everything is OK and your registry does not need compacting.

All in all the application does a good job gathering the registry together and removing the gaps in the hives. This leads to improved performance for your computer and better registry access times. Despite the fact that Free Registry Defrag is not state of the art registry defrag software overall it manages to do a good job.

The minor downsides of the application consist in the looks that need a pinch of color and spell-checking every piece of information available in the interface. Also, allowing the user to cancel the restart of the computer with the risk of the improvements to be canceled would be great.

The Good

Free Registry Defrag compacts the registry as advertised and the more you use it the faster it completes the jobs. There are no settings available which makes it an extremely easy to use computer optimization instrument.

The Bad

The interface needs updating to current visual standards and making the necessary corrections with regard to spelling mistakes in both help file and interface would bring value to the software.

Providing the option for canceling the restart of the computer after the optimization process is over even with the risk of giving up all registry improvements would be a plus.

The Truth

Free Registry Defrag is designed to compact the registry and eliminate all the gaps and empty spaces between the data and that's exactly what it does. There is no complicated setting and it cannot be configured to schedule tasks and works with the active involvement of the user.

It took a while to down fragmentation level to 1% on Vista but a couple of runs and computer restarts later it was all neatly arranged and optimized. On XP the 1% fragmentation was achieved after the first run. For a better optimization I advise using a registry cleaner before compacting.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 3
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 4


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good
 
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